Advice on High School Math Advancement

[borntobepi]

I am a freshman from North Carolina currently enrolled in a small high school in the middle of nowhere. Earlier this year I decided to try to dig myself out of the hole I am in and begged my counselor to let me take two maths, Honors Geometry and Honors Algebra II.

I am doing well in both of these classes (100 average in both) and have A's in all of my other classes. I wish to attend a residential Junior and Senior high school over in Durham, The North Carolina School of Science and Math. This school offers high level math and physics classes and I would like to take AP Calculus prior to attending to allow myself to take full advantage of the opportunities there.

My question is how should I go about advancing myself. I can take pre-calc over the summer on the NCVPS (online) or I may be able to skip it entirely. Then I have the option of taking AP calc AB in a classroom (highest math at my school.) or taking AP calc BC (harder) online. I'm skeptical about taking such an important class (or am I wrong?) online, and I think the the presence of a teacher for questions may be beneficial.

I will admit that am pretty scared to ask my counselor to advance myself again after the ordeal I had to go to just to take two maths. It should also be noted that only Juniors and Seniors are allowed to take AP classes(because of this there is a 34 way tie for 1st in the sophomore class!) under normal circumstances.
Any and all advice is welcome. Thank you in advance.

 

[Angry Citizen]

I will admit that am pretty scared to ask my counselor to advance myself again after the ordeal I had to go to just to take two maths.

Man up (or the female equivalent if applicable) and ask. If you get rejected, so what? If you get accepted, then yay! As leverage, use the fact that you're doing extremely well in the advanced classes you're taking now. She'll acquiesce if it's possible.

 

[TylerH]

I am a freshman from North Carolina currently enrolled in a small high school in the middle of nowhere. Earlier this year I decided to try to dig myself out of the hole I am in and begged my counselor to let me take two maths, Honors Geometry and Honors Algebra II.

I am doing well in both of these classes (100 average in both) and have A's in all of my other classes. I wish to attend a residential Junior and Senior high school over in Durham, The North Carolina School of Science and Math. This school offers high level math and physics classes and I would like to take AP Calculus prior to attending to allow myself to take full advantage of the opportunities there.

My question is how should I go about advancing myself. I can take pre-calc over the summer on the NCVPS (online) or I may be able to skip it entirely. Then I have the option of taking AP calc AB in a classroom (highest math at my school.) or taking AP calc BC (harder) online. I'm skeptical about taking such an important class (or am I wrong?) online, and I think the the presence of a teacher for questions may be beneficial.

I will admit that am pretty scared to ask my counselor to advance myself again after the ordeal I had to go to just to take two maths. It should also be noted that only Juniors and Seniors are allowed to take AP classes(because of this there is a 34 way tie for 1st in the sophomore class!) under normal circumstances.
Any and all advice is welcome. Thank you in advance.

I'm a Senior at a western NC high school, so I kinda know what you're talking about.

You may want to look into taking the calculus classes at a local college (community college or university) until you go to NCSSM (if you do). The problem with calc AB is that it's a year long version of a semester college class, and a lot of it will be a waste of your time, if you progress quickly. Calc BC is both calc I and II, so it won't be a waste of time, but it may be hard online. NCVPS is really hard sometimes, because you have to be mostly self motivated (something I wasn't when I was a freshman and probably still not) and the teachers usually seem uninterested in being proactive teachers.
There may be a program at your school that helps with "dual enrollment," or taking classes at college while in high school. If not, and your parents can afford it, then have them pay for it. If neither work out, then, obviously, take the classes available at your school.

 

[eumyang]

I am a freshman from North Carolina currently enrolled in a small high school in the middle of nowhere. Earlier this year I decided to try to dig myself out of the hole I am in and begged my counselor to let me take two maths, Honors Geometry and Honors Algebra II.

I am doing well in both of these classes (100 average in both) and have A's in all of my other classes. I wish to attend a residential Junior and Senior high school over in Durham, The North Carolina School of Science and Math. This school offers high level math and physics classes and I would like to take AP Calculus prior to attending to allow myself to take full advantage of the opportunities there.

If I may ask, why the rush in taking AP Calculus before entering NCSSM? What's wrong with taking it while you are at NCSSM? They do offer thoses classes.

 

[borntobepi]

Thank you for your replies. The reason I did not mention dual enrollment classes is because you have to be 16 before they let you,at least it says that on my school's web sight.

The rush in taking AP calculus before entering NCSSM is so I can take higher level math classes and calculus based physics classes in both my Junior and Senior year. Honestly I'm also not really going to benefit by sitting through a year-long review of Algebra II with some trigonometry thrown in, (Pre-calc) and I might as well start learning something.