- #1
Calaver
- 40
- 14
Hello everyone, I am currently a sophomore in high school (year 10 by the US system), with two years before I graduate to university. Last year, I began to learn calculus and physics on my own because they interested me. There is more to this story, but basically I seem to be at a crossroads now with a question that has been pestering me for a while. How should I go about claiming credit for these self studies, or should I even worry about it at this point? It should be noted that I hope to major in physics and/or possibly mathematics, and attend UT Austin due to the fact that it seems to be a fairly good in-state university for me to attend (and thus saving me money in the long run).
You can stop reading at this point if you have an answer, or if you think I shouldn't worry about it, as the options I list below begin to make this a very long thread. But I've come up with a few options that you might want to take a look at:
1. I could take the AP exam for Calculus AB this year, and claim credit with my local community college for Calculus (I just linked to the College Board's site because the CC's site is a maze). I could then take the CC's Calculus II, III, IV, Diff EQ, and possibly Linear Algebra (if it is offered) classes throughout my junior and senior year. http://www.utexas.edu/student/admissions/acc/2013-2014/natsci-3.pdf , effectively eliminating any lower division math classes (with the exception of possibly Linear Algebra) that I would need to take for a physics (or possibly even mathematics) degree.
2. I could take the AP exam for Calculus BC next year, and follow approximately the same trail with the exception of taking only Calculus III and IV at the CC because Calculus II credit would be covered by the BC exam. I would be able to take Diff EQ too (and once again Linear Algebra if it is offered), but this would require doubling up with one of the CC's math courses my senior year.
3. I could follow the more "normal" path, and take the Calculus BC exam my senior year, and http://ctl.utexas.edu/studenttesting/exams?field_subject_area_tid=8&field_exam_type_tid=3&combine=calc at UT (the equivalent of the CC's Calculus I and II courses), but nothing else.
In short, Option 1 would save me money but might take a great deal of my time that could be spent in these last two years of high school studying things that interest me, whereas Option 2 is the equivalent of Option 1 in terms of credit and money (with the exception of possibly the Diff EQ and Linear Algebra courses), but would give me more time to learn things that are of pure interest to me. Option 3 would be more costly, but would leave me with a ton of time.
It should be noted that taking these courses would be very interesting too, but I would have a lot less freedom to "dabble" in other areas.
So, if you've read my lengthy post this far, thank you for your time! If you don't mind, I'd like to hear your opinions on which option I should take, and also of any other options that might be possible. Or, if you don't think I should worry about it at all, then please tell me. Once again, thanks for your time!
By the way, I omitted what may have been some important details due to the length of my post (what I have studied thus far, how I am testing my knowledge, etc.), so if there is any other information that would help your answer, just ask and I'll try to cover the details of it.
You can stop reading at this point if you have an answer, or if you think I shouldn't worry about it, as the options I list below begin to make this a very long thread. But I've come up with a few options that you might want to take a look at:
1. I could take the AP exam for Calculus AB this year, and claim credit with my local community college for Calculus (I just linked to the College Board's site because the CC's site is a maze). I could then take the CC's Calculus II, III, IV, Diff EQ, and possibly Linear Algebra (if it is offered) classes throughout my junior and senior year. http://www.utexas.edu/student/admissions/acc/2013-2014/natsci-3.pdf , effectively eliminating any lower division math classes (with the exception of possibly Linear Algebra) that I would need to take for a physics (or possibly even mathematics) degree.
2. I could take the AP exam for Calculus BC next year, and follow approximately the same trail with the exception of taking only Calculus III and IV at the CC because Calculus II credit would be covered by the BC exam. I would be able to take Diff EQ too (and once again Linear Algebra if it is offered), but this would require doubling up with one of the CC's math courses my senior year.
3. I could follow the more "normal" path, and take the Calculus BC exam my senior year, and http://ctl.utexas.edu/studenttesting/exams?field_subject_area_tid=8&field_exam_type_tid=3&combine=calc at UT (the equivalent of the CC's Calculus I and II courses), but nothing else.
In short, Option 1 would save me money but might take a great deal of my time that could be spent in these last two years of high school studying things that interest me, whereas Option 2 is the equivalent of Option 1 in terms of credit and money (with the exception of possibly the Diff EQ and Linear Algebra courses), but would give me more time to learn things that are of pure interest to me. Option 3 would be more costly, but would leave me with a ton of time.
It should be noted that taking these courses would be very interesting too, but I would have a lot less freedom to "dabble" in other areas.
So, if you've read my lengthy post this far, thank you for your time! If you don't mind, I'd like to hear your opinions on which option I should take, and also of any other options that might be possible. Or, if you don't think I should worry about it at all, then please tell me. Once again, thanks for your time!
By the way, I omitted what may have been some important details due to the length of my post (what I have studied thus far, how I am testing my knowledge, etc.), so if there is any other information that would help your answer, just ask and I'll try to cover the details of it.
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