Seeking advice

[Vosem]

Yes, I know that the Internet isn't exactly the best place to ask for advice. But I'm so undecided, and my friends and family are split so evenly 50/50, that I thought I might consult Atlas Forum for a tiebreaker.

Because of budget cuts, during the next school year there will be a total of 7 periods, not 8, at my high school. I am undecided on whether I should take AP Calculus (AB) or AP Spanish (Lang) as my final class. (For the curious, in college I intend to major in some sort of Biology -- likely Biomedical Engineering -- and minor in Spanish). Here are the arguments for both:

AP Calculus -- I took Algebra I in 7th grade, something which required a great deal of effort to qualify for. I did quite well in that class and also in Honors Geometry the next year, but I got the bad luck of having two teachers about to retire in a row during the next two years -- 9th and 10th grade with Honors Algebra II and the Honors Pre-Calculus -- so my grades in both of those classes weren't as good. I chose to take a year off of "real math" my junior year (rather than taking AP Calculus, the logical next step), instead taking AP Statistics, which is associated with the Math Department but isn't really a math class. In AP Statistics I did quite well. AP Calculus is taught by Mrs. S, who I have never had a class with but who is supposed to be a very good teacher, both in the sense of explaining her topic well and of being a nice person generally. If I don't take AP Calculus, there's basically no way of preparing for the AP exam. I will almost certainly end up having to take some Calculus courses in college for my major/to graduate from college, so taking the AP exam would definitely be a big help.

AP Spanish -- I took Spanish I in 8th grade, getting generally good grades, and then Honors 2, 3, and 4, in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade. I've gotten consistently good grades, and I adore studying foreign language (concurrently I'm also taking Latin, which I have no intention of dropping whatsoever). However, over the past two years the class has been taught by Sra. B, a not-particularly-good teacher who is well-known among all students, even ones not taking Spanish, for her array of semi-random class rules that she very rigidly enforces (she strictly prohibits drinking water in class; she has encouraged the Assistant Principal to give out full-day detentions for students whose phones rung in class; and she's also known for very unevenly enforcing a very strict dress code for female students). Were I to take the class next year, I would have Sra. B again. Unlike with AP Calculus, there are several students who are not taking AP Spanish next year who intend to meet periodically to study Spanish and then take the AP exam at the end of the year who've invited me to join them, so I would still get some Spanish practice without the course, and I'd still take the AP exam at the conclusion of the year, though it would of course be inferior to actually taking the class.

Regardless of which choice I make, I'll almost certainly resume taking Calculus/Spanish my freshman year of college. Which choice do you think I should make?

[Indy Texas]

I took AP Calculus (AB) as a senior and didn't get credit for it at college because my score wasn't high enough. I was able to skip pre-calculus in college because I took a placement test on campus during orientation, though.

I didn't take an AP foreign language (I did four years of high school French, but we had no formal AP French program so most people who took the AP test didn't do very well on it and I didn't bother). My alma mater didn't allow us to count AP foreign language credits toward classes in that foreign language because they wanted us to take all our foreign language classes there. (You couldn't do them at a community college over the summer either and if you were transferring in from another institution, they wouldn't accept any foreign language work you did elsewhere.) I don't know how typical that is.

You can probably test out of a class or two regardless of whether or not you take the AP test and what you get on it. Your AP Spanish teacher sounds like a bit of a puta so I'd probably take calculus.

[Flake]

Because of budget cuts, during the next school year there will be a total of 7 periods, not 8, at my high school.

Same as mine :/

I am undecided on whether I should take AP Calculus (AB) or AP Spanish (Lang) as my final class. (For the curious, in college I intend to major in some sort of Biology -- likely Biomedical Engineering -- and minor in Spanish). Here are the arguments for both:

Regardless of which choice I make, I'll almost certainly resume taking Calculus/Spanish my freshman year of college. Which choice do you think I should make?

You seem to have a strong grounding in Spanish already, and it seems that you need to take calculus more, since you will be majoring in biology. I think it would be better if you chose calculus and you have a support group in Spanish.

[ElectionsGuy]

First off, you're lucky you had eight classes before. For me, I only have 7 (but really 6 because one is a study hall). But I would say AP Calculus AB (right?) is the way to go. If you're going to major in any tech/engineering field or a science field, Calculus is a huge advantage to have early on. It sounds like you've taken a lot of Spanish anyway, and you can always continue it if you plan to go to a college.

Also, what's up with this Sra. B your describing? She sounds like an old teacher stuck in 2005. I remember when phones were strictly prohibited, now they're used openly all the time in class and teachers generally don't care. High School is so much more lax than anything before in my experience.

[Vosem]

I took AP Calculus (AB) as a senior and didn't get credit for it at college because my score wasn't high enough. I was able to skip pre-calculus in college because I took a placement test on campus during orientation, though.

A friend of mine who took the AP Biology exam had the page containing the final two free-response questions stick together -- she figured it was intentional, those pages were blank, and ended up not doing them. She got a 3, when her grades predicted a 4. At the college she's attending (she's a senior this year) a 4 is needed to get credit

I didn't take an AP foreign language (I did four years of high school French, but we had no formal AP French program so most people who took the AP test didn't do very well on it and I didn't bother). My alma mater didn't allow us to count AP foreign language credits toward classes in that foreign language because they wanted us to take all our foreign language classes there. (You couldn't do them at a community college over the summer either and if you were transferring in from another institution, they wouldn't accept any foreign language work you did elsewhere.) I don't know how typical that is.

You can probably test out of a class or two regardless of whether or not you take the AP test and what you get on it. Your AP Spanish teacher sounds like a bit of a puta so I'd probably take calculus.

This is true -- we've actually taken practice OSU Spanish placement tests in class and I'd be able to start at Spanish 103 (ie, skipping the first two courses as of now). I think a 4 or 5 on the AP exam automatically gets you to some class even further ahead, but I'm not sure and it's not like I'm definitely going to OSU in any case.

Because of budget cuts, during the next school year there will be a total of 7 periods, not 8, at my high school.

Same as mine :/

I am undecided on whether I should take AP Calculus (AB) or AP Spanish (Lang) as my final class. (For the curious, in college I intend to major in some sort of Biology -- likely Biomedical Engineering -- and minor in Spanish). Here are the arguments for both:

Regardless of which choice I make, I'll almost certainly resume taking Calculus/Spanish my freshman year of college. Which choice do you think I should make?

You seem to have a strong grounding in Spanish already, and it seems that you need to take calculus more, since you will be majoring in biology. I think it would be better if you chose calculus and you have a support group in Spanish.

That's an argument I've heard a lot, and it does make a lot of sense. AP Calculus is what's 'in' the schedule right now, but our sign-up system is all online and I could go change it right now if I wanted to.  

Incidentally (and just out of curiosity, since you seem to have roughly the same plans as I do), what science courses have you taken in high school?

First off, you're lucky you had eight classes before. For me, I only have 7 (but really 6 because one is a study hall).

I've tried to have study halls throughout high school, but I've only had one irregularly and a lot of the time I've just used it to socialize instead of study anyway. I've never really noticed my grades being any better or worse when I have a study hall as opposed to not.

But I would say AP Calculus AB (right?) is the way to go. If you're going to major in any tech/engineering field or a science field, Calculus is a huge advantage to have early on. It sounds like you've taken a lot of Spanish anyway, and you can always continue it if you plan to go to a college.

Thanks -- I appreciate the advice.

Also, what's up with this Sra. B your describing? She sounds like an old teacher stuck in 2005. I remember when phones were strictly prohibited, now they're used openly all the time in class and teachers generally don't care. High School is so much more lax than anything before in my experience.

She's not particularly old (maybe 50-55 years old?), but she is kind of an insane person. One of the requirements of the 4 Honors course was to do some sort of 'cultural activity' outside of class -- one of the options being to visit a Latin American grocery store in the city of Cleveland, buy something, and show it to her as proof you went. One student bought a roll of toilet paper and brought it to class -- and she made him give everyone 4 squares and told us 'esto es su tarea'. In my experience the phone usage is a very teacher-specific thing and kind of depends on what's going on, but her reaction to it is remarkably over-the-top. I wouldn't say high school's necessarily more lax than middle school -- just different emphases are placed.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I'm going to be contrarian and recommend you take AP Spanish if you can only take one of AP Spanish and AP Calculus.  I personally found that foreign language skill is harder to stop and restart than math skill, altho I hadn't had nearly as much foreign language as you have had.  However, given your intended major and minor, I'd drop some other course if I could, even the Latin you love and take both AP Spanish and AP Calculus.

However, a lot depends on why you think Sra. B is a poor teacher.  You mentioned some negative personality quirks, but does she cover the material well?  Is she a native speaker?  Verb conjugations and vocabulary are good, but at the level you are at, interacting on a regular basis with a fluent speaker of the language is the thing you probably need most to maintain and advance your skill and you won't get that if your sole means of keeping up with Spanish is a study group with other students.

[Flake]

Because of budget cuts, during the next school year there will be a total of 7 periods, not 8, at my high school.

Same as mine :/

I am undecided on whether I should take AP Calculus (AB) or AP Spanish (Lang) as my final class. (For the curious, in college I intend to major in some sort of Biology -- likely Biomedical Engineering -- and minor in Spanish). Here are the arguments for both:

Regardless of which choice I make, I'll almost certainly resume taking Calculus/Spanish my freshman year of college. Which choice do you think I should make?

You seem to have a strong grounding in Spanish already, and it seems that you need to take calculus more, since you will be majoring in biology. I think it would be better if you chose calculus and you have a support group in Spanish.

That's an argument I've heard a lot, and it does make a lot of sense. AP Calculus is what's 'in' the schedule right now, but our sign-up system is all online and I could go change it right now if I wanted to.  

Incidentally (and just out of curiosity, since you seem to have roughly the same plans as I do), what science courses have you taken in high school?

So far I've taken ag science, earth space, bio (they wouldn't put me in ap bio for some reason), next year I'm taking ap environmental, honors anatomy, and ap chemistry. Ag tech 2 if that counts. I'm debating whether or not to take out anatomy because the teacher there sounds oddly like the anatomy teacher here.

[Indy Texas]

I'm going to be contrarian and recommend you take AP Spanish if you can only take one of AP Spanish and AP Calculus.  I personally found that foreign language skill is harder to stop and restart than math skill, altho I hadn't had nearly as much foreign language as you have had.  However, given your intended major and minor, I'd drop some other course if I could, even the Latin you love and take both AP Spanish and AP Calculus.

However, a lot depends on why you think Sra. B is a poor teacher.  You mentioned some negative personality quirks, but does she cover the material well?  Is she a native speaker?  Verb conjugations and vocabulary are good, but at the level you are at, interacting on a regular basis with a fluent speaker of the language is the thing you probably need most to maintain and advance your skill and you won't get that if your sole means of keeping up with Spanish is a study group with other students.

Doesn't Vosem live in Chicago? He can brush up on his Spanish in Luis Gutierrez's district.

[Hifly]

Mathematics is immeasurably more appropriate than Spanish or any other random artsy subject when seeking a place for Biology at university (I say this from personal experience). However, some universities will care more than others so it will depend on where you want to go.

[Mordecai]

Mathematics is immeasurably more appropriate than Spanish or any other random artsy subject when seeking a place for Biology at university (I say this from personal experience). However, some universities will care more than others so it will depend on where you want to go.

[free my dawg]

Try with Calculus. STEM people are into that stuff.

[Nutmeg]

This was years ago, but I took the Spanish Literature class and still also sat for the Spanish Language exam. Can you take the exam without taking the class? If you're as good at Spanish as it sounds like you are, you should have no trouble with the Language exam even if you don't take the class, freeing you to take the Calculus class.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I'm currently studying Biology at a UK university.

Obviously UK and the US are very different locales, but I had a pretty similar dilemma when choosing my A-Levels. I already had high predicted grades for Biology and Chemistry, but I had to chose between Maths and English Literature. Eventually, my grades pretty much decided my options for me (100% in  English Literature ... and a crappy D in Maths ), but even so I was hanging in for the subject I enjoyed more. In fact, the Maths involved in Biology is almost entirely Statistics, so Calculus is less relevant than you'd think.

I'd chose Spanish, simply because maintaining foreign language skills is CV gold.

[Torie]

Ceteris paribus, I would go with the good teacher, and good math teachers are very rare out there. But it may not be all certeris paribus in that you have a real desire to become fluent in Spanish - if that is possible with the enervating martinet battle ax.

[Indy Texas]

Mathematics is immeasurably more appropriate than Spanish or any other random artsy subject when seeking a place for Biology at university (I say this from personal experience). However, some universities will care more than others so it will depend on where you want to go.

He's starting his senior year. Pretty much everything college admissions people are going to see in his application has already happened. All you can really change at this point is your SAT/ACT score and your admissions essays. Whether or not he took AP Calc or AP Spanish isn't going to be the difference between getting into a school or not getting in.

[Talleyrand]

Mathematics is immeasurably more appropriate than Spanish or any other random artsy subject when seeking a place for Biology at university (I say this from personal experience). However, some universities will care more than others so it will depend on where you want to go.

He's starting his senior year. Pretty much everything college admissions people are going to see in his application has already happened. All you can really change at this point is your SAT/ACT score and your admissions essays. Whether or not he took AP Calc or AP Spanish isn't going to be the difference between getting into a school or not getting in.

Depending on where he applies, shouldn't his first semester grades matter too?

[Indy Texas]

Mathematics is immeasurably more appropriate than Spanish or any other random artsy subject when seeking a place for Biology at university (I say this from personal experience). However, some universities will care more than others so it will depend on where you want to go.

He's starting his senior year. Pretty much everything college admissions people are going to see in his application has already happened. All you can really change at this point is your SAT/ACT score and your admissions essays. Whether or not he took AP Calc or AP Spanish isn't going to be the difference between getting into a school or not getting in.

Depending on where he applies, shouldn't his first semester grades matter too?

If you wait until after Winter Break to apply, they'll see those. But again, unless you're someone "on the fence" and are trying to make a significant improvement in your grades to make yourself look better, it really doesn't matter. I get the impression that Vosem is already a pretty strong candidate academically speaking.

[RosettaStoned]

 Well, if you truly want to become fluent in any foreign language, you really have to go live in a country that speaks that language for a few years.

[MalaspinaGold]

I'd go with AP calc. You'll probably need to take to take calc anyway, even for bio in college. If you do well, you can place out of first semester. If not, then taking it a second time will help out in the long run.

And foreign language AP tests have this annoying habit of chewing students up and spitting them out. Trust a senior on this.

[muon2]

Based on your situation AP Calc seems like the better choice. If your major interest is in biomedical engineering you will need a lot of math at the university including calculus through differential equations as well as statistics. As others have noted you will probably get a head start on Spanish though the courses you have done in HS, so getting a head start on calculus takes on more value. Also the sequential nature of a biomedical engineering program means that the head start in calculus will make your major course selection more flexible.

But, beyond the major program, the teacher matters as well. As you have described it, the calculus choice is better for that reason. So it seems that calculus is preferred on both measures.