Do I have to take all AP/ HONORS to get into Ivy?

Question

I don't like math much. So I'm thinking about dropping out of Honors Math (which is a year above me) and entering a normal math class. I am in Honors in all other subjects, and will enter AP shortly after its available to me. I am thinking about applying to the Ivy League. Is being in a high math class a requirement? And is their a chance to get in without it. Also, I'm a AA male, so that makes me an "underrepresented minority" so maybe Affirmative Action will sneak me into Ivy?.

Answer 1

Yeah, basically.. but there are many reputable schools you could get into without having an Honors Math. And most people don't realize, you need only a slightly lower SAT score [50 - 100 point difference typically] to get into a school like UCLA. And an equally strong GPA. The difference between Ivy and honorable mention for Ivy or a highly ranked school is simply their pool of applicants: for example, if 100% of Harvard accepted applicants were in the top 25% class rank, about 85% of them were in the top 25% at UCLA. Maybe you're thinking that 15% difference is significant, but the truth is, it's not. People go to Harvard for the "wow-factor", you know, when someone asks where they went to college and they say Harvard, the person typically responds with something like "wow" and is left in awe for the rest of their conversation with you. People that go to Georgetown also get a wow factor, but based on their profession, also get respect for their pragmatism. For example, many international affairs/politics majors go to Georgetown, because of the prime location in Washington. Going to Georgetown provides an incredible amount of internships. However, a student studying economics could just as easily choose between NYU or Cornell as he could Columbia. This all depends on which school provides the most internships for this future Walstreet Tycoon. It could also depend on tuition, location, student body, scholarship options, dorms [availability of them, closeness to the school], particular classes, reputable professors, etc. People go to different schools for different reasons, and many factors play into choosing a college. The ivy league is simply the first-founded schools in the Northeast area. That is why some schools are called "Ivy League Honorable Mention". Because if the Ivy League were a league of colleges based less on schools age and more on ranking [for example Brown was recently only ranked #12 on a prestigious top 25 colleges list - with many schools that were not Ivy League ranking above it.] then those Honorable Mention schools would surely be on it. I strongly recommend you expand your options of acceptable schools, you might fall in love with University of Miami or UPenn. Which, depending on the major, rank just as high as those Ivy League schools like Brown and Columbia..

Answer 2

no you do not need to take ALL ap/honors. it would be better to get a good grade in your regular math class, than to s***w up your GPA with a bad math class. That being said, at ivy schools, most of the kids will have taken wayyyy higher maths then regular honors or AP, so if you are planning on studying something math based, that might not be a good plan

Answer 3

Take as long as you can.

Answer 4

I wouldn't count on your minority status helping you into an elite college. THe Ivys and other elite colleges already get a lot of apps from the best AA kids in America, so you would still be competing against the best. You need to be at least in the top 10% of your high school class if you are at a highly respected high school, or even higher if your high school is just average. At most of the elite schools the very large majority of all the students were in the top 10% of their HS classes. And, no matter what major they are, the average SAT math score is well over 600, at UPenn, an Ivy League school, at least 75% of the entering Freshmen scored over 680 and 25% scored over 770 in SAT Math...- that is for the whole entering Freshman class including English, History and Language majors as well as science kids. There is no room for people who have significant weaknesses.

Most elite colleges require higher level math for all majors, and they expect you to have taken the hardest courses in your HS and done well in those courses (read the websites of the schools where it says 'what we are looking for') You will need a very solid SAT math score. So, the short answer is, yes they expect good math skills, and no, I dont think your chances of getting in to an Ivy or equivalent is very good if you are really weak in math.

So, you have two choices: get good in math, or look at some less competitive schools.

Answer 5

Take AP Calculus or what not if you plan on using it in college. Meaning, if you major in math or science, you'll need to take Calculus either now or as a freshman in college. But take  the classes which you want credit for. So if you take AP Calculus (AB or BC), make sure you require it, not just to take it for the sake of taking it.