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Chastity
Student
Eureka, Illinois
2
Questions
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My school offers college credit courses like Math 110 and Math 111 (general and stats) but also offers non-ap classes like pre-calc and calc. Which math classes should I take if I am pursuing a psychology under-grad (psychiatry end goal)?
I am in the 10th grade and have taken geometry and algebra II/trigonometry already. Next year I will have the option to take college credit courses.
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5 answers
Branwen Vang
Student
5
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Branwen’s Answer
Hi Chastity,
I am currently graduating with a psych degree (B.A.) from a school in CA and trying to pursue psychiatry. I am also a student advisor for my major. I can 110% tell you that you will need calculus since medical schools require calculus and it also correlates to the type of physics class you would take in college. But I also know that universities in CA require psychology degree seeking students (B.A) to take statistics since that's the type of math that's going to be mainly used in Psych (my university is like that so it might be different for you). If you're planning on going to a university that has Psychology with a science emphasis (B.S) then you would probably be taking the calculus anyways.
The choice is ultimately up to you if you wanna take calculus or not. If you know what college you wanna go to and they have specific math courses they want you to take then I would listen to them. If you dont know where you wanna go, you can stick with the calculus since you wanna be a physician. Hope this helps.
I am currently graduating with a psych degree (B.A.) from a school in CA and trying to pursue psychiatry. I am also a student advisor for my major. I can 110% tell you that you will need calculus since medical schools require calculus and it also correlates to the type of physics class you would take in college. But I also know that universities in CA require psychology degree seeking students (B.A) to take statistics since that's the type of math that's going to be mainly used in Psych (my university is like that so it might be different for you). If you're planning on going to a university that has Psychology with a science emphasis (B.S) then you would probably be taking the calculus anyways.
The choice is ultimately up to you if you wanna take calculus or not. If you know what college you wanna go to and they have specific math courses they want you to take then I would listen to them. If you dont know where you wanna go, you can stick with the calculus since you wanna be a physician. Hope this helps.
Danaya Pyatt
High school English Teacher
3
Answers
Palm Bay, Florida
Updated
Danaya’s Answer
Hi Chastity,
I know that taking Pre-calculus or Calculus are some of the required math classes for Psychology majors. So, I would recommend taking Calculus or Pre-calculus since you already have taken Algebra. :)
I know that taking Pre-calculus or Calculus are some of the required math classes for Psychology majors. So, I would recommend taking Calculus or Pre-calculus since you already have taken Algebra. :)
Matthew Bruzzese
18
Answers
Updated
Matthew’s Answer
I've got two examples of why you absolutely should take at a minimum pre calc and if possible both in high school. I graduated in 1994 from a very difficult engineering school and as a freshman barely being exposed to calculus in high school and then having to take it with other freshman who'd taken it at least once in high school was a really difficult way to start college life.
Second, my now college sophomore son did not take calculus in high school and paid the price in college, barely surviving business calc and may have to take it again just to improve the grade.
Do not sweat possibly getting a 90 in HS and it ruining your grade today. If you don't get calculus at the get go, you need a couple bites at that apple to make sure you at least hit the ground walking in college.
Second, my now college sophomore son did not take calculus in high school and paid the price in college, barely surviving business calc and may have to take it again just to improve the grade.
Do not sweat possibly getting a 90 in HS and it ruining your grade today. If you don't get calculus at the get go, you need a couple bites at that apple to make sure you at least hit the ground walking in college.
Archived User
29
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Archived’s Answer
If you need to take calculus in college, it would help to have some pre-calculus and calculus in high school. Some colleges have several different sequences of required math, i.e., (1) Calculus for Business, Economics, Life Sciences, and Social Sciences, (2) Calculus for Math and Science major, (3) Business Math (which may lightly cover calculus) and (4) Discrete Math (probably no calculus in this case). I suggest that you check the requirements for psychology majors in the colleges that are of interest to you.
As one of the other responders to your question said, statistics is likely to be most useful for someone working in psychology.
If you provide more info on the Math 110 and 111 courses, I can give you my opinion on those.
Bottom line is that your first year in college will likely be a challenge, and it helps to have taken one or two of your freshman college classes before in high school (AP or otherwise). The other point is that there is something called mathematical maturity (basically the ability to reason and understand difficult math concepts). In my opinion, this (math maturity) is more important than subject matter knowledge in math. Probably any of the classes that you mentioned would help build your math maturity.
As one of the other responders to your question said, statistics is likely to be most useful for someone working in psychology.
If you provide more info on the Math 110 and 111 courses, I can give you my opinion on those.
Bottom line is that your first year in college will likely be a challenge, and it helps to have taken one or two of your freshman college classes before in high school (AP or otherwise). The other point is that there is something called mathematical maturity (basically the ability to reason and understand difficult math concepts). In my opinion, this (math maturity) is more important than subject matter knowledge in math. Probably any of the classes that you mentioned would help build your math maturity.
Noah Godwin
Student
55
Answers
Kirtland, OH
Updated
Noah’s Answer
Some level of foundational mathematics like college algebra is usually required for all Bachelor's degrees. And stats is especially useful on the research side of psychology. Worst case scenario it would count as elective credits so if you think you could manage the classes, I recommend that you go for it!
When I first started taking college-level courses I was kinda nervous but now I realize that they're really no different from high school courses in terms of difficulty. If you go in with the mindset that you can "dominate" in the course, then you probably will.
You should also check out CLEPs and Sophia Learning. They are a form of transferable college credits that you can complete online or through a test. Some of them are even easier that AP classes and they don't have the arbitrary semester time-schedule so you can complete them at your own pace. For me, it took an average of 2 months to complete each course and I was taking my time so you could probably do them in 1 if you really wanted to. They can be used to fulfill your general education requirements which could end up saving you $20k+ and 1-2 years off your degree.
Hope this helps
When I first started taking college-level courses I was kinda nervous but now I realize that they're really no different from high school courses in terms of difficulty. If you go in with the mindset that you can "dominate" in the course, then you probably will.
You should also check out CLEPs and Sophia Learning. They are a form of transferable college credits that you can complete online or through a test. Some of them are even easier that AP classes and they don't have the arbitrary semester time-schedule so you can complete them at your own pace. For me, it took an average of 2 months to complete each course and I was taking my time so you could probably do them in 1 if you really wanted to. They can be used to fulfill your general education requirements which could end up saving you $20k+ and 1-2 years off your degree.
Hope this helps