Engineering Math

Yes... you can take calculus when you get to college. If you are taking the engineering track, you'll likely take three calculus classes and then differential equations. I took AP calculus as a senior in high school but was not able to test out of Calc I for college and I was accepted at UCLA.

While calculus is not required, it doesn't hurt to have a background in it. You might want to consider taking a pre-calc class at your local community college over the summer to get a foundation.

Hi Jed,

As I recall, the only things that are required to be accepted into a university are your high school GPA and your ACT (or SAT) score. If it makes you feel better about your situation (not having taken Calculus in high school), don't worry about it. I didn't either. I actually took both pre-calculus and calculus in college, so you will be fine. The downside is that you will have to pay extra money to take college classes to "fill in the gaps" in your education, in my case, I had to pay extra to take pre-calculus.

Sam

Not having calculus should not be an issue. As with getting into Universities it is the academics performance and your resume. Be sure to do things that set you apart from the others. Volunteering, athletics , club work or holding a part time job all demonstrate your ability to succeed and are weighed in applications. One last word on the calculus high school. I believe it is best studied in college where the structure of the class with lectures and independent study really prepare the student for the thinking necessary for the course of classes to come.

Yes. If you have not taken calculus yet then when you get the chance, make it your friend. I don't know if UCLA or USCD have different requirements or if they have changed, but if your goal is to get into their school visit their college website and look at their undergraduate program. There should be requirements in there and they will tell you what scores you need to make on your SAT or ACT.