I didn't take calculus or physics in high school. I did very well in English and history, and well enough in math and science, and there was no pressure to pretend I was a top student in everything. I did learn the law of inertia in seventh grade -- it just makes sense, doesn't it? -- and that's been enough to see me through.
AP Calculus is now semi-mandatory for students who aspire to top colleges, writes Hechinger's Jill Barshay. It's not that anyone thinks it's essential for those without STEM aspirations. It's considered a sign of academic rigor, according to a survey of college admissions officers.
Humanities and social-sciences professors think students would be "better off learning more useful math, such as statistics, data analysis, accounting and spreadsheets," Barshay writes. Math professors aren't impressed either. "Most students who need calculus for their majors end up retaking the introductory course in college."
If test scores are optional and grades are inflated, then AP Calculus on the transcript is an even more important indicator. But not everyone can take the course, Barshay writes. By middle school, some students are on the fast track to calculus, while others are on a slower path that doesn't lead to calculus. And 17 percent of high school students have "no access to calculus at all, even online or through a community college."
The college admissions officers said that taking calculus helps a student succeed in college. Most say data science and statistics are less rigorous, and less helpful in admissions.
Outside the United States, across Asia and Europe, pretty much everyone who goes to university has learned at least basic calculus; if you haven't learned it, you don't know why educators made you take all all that algebra and geometry, since you rarely use those in daily life unless you're employed in STEM, whereas if your integrated mathematics (which also include statistics & probability) includes at least basic calculus, to the AP AB level, you understand all kinds of applications that you wouldn't otherwise, including in business economics.