Poll - your math and science

[Hikin' Mama]

My high school didn't offer trig or calc, but I did take calculus in college.

 

I wasn't interested in science in high school, so I only took the required physical science and biology. I waited until my senior year of college to meet my science requirement, and took a biology sequence of 3 classes. I loved them so much I would have considered changing my major if it wasn't for the fact that I was almost done.

[Angel]

I took Honor's Biology in 9th but refused to take Honor's Chemistry in 10th (knew it would ruin my GPA). I wanted to take Earth Science but they refused me because I had already taken Honor's Biology. At the time the requirement to graduate was one science credit and the college I applied to only required one science credit, so I didn't take any more science.

 

I took Algebra I on the fast track in 8th grade and though I pulled A's and B's it just didn't make sense. Took Geometry in 9th but had a teacher who knew her stuff but couldn't teach it. She spent most of her time curving grades so I squeaked by. I got my guidance counselor to let me retake Algebra I in 10th and went straight to Algebra II in 11th. Best thing I could have done! Geometry in the middle was rubbish. I didn't do that to my dd. I didn't take math past Algebra II.

 

I had a great senior year with very little pressure. Throughout high school I enjoyed all my Honor's English classes and took all the business classes I could. I graduated 10th in my class of around 200 and got accepted into the college of my choice. All without those pesky higher maths and Chem. I guess my experience really colors my view of what of one really needs during those high school years.

[Momof3littles]

I voted incorrectly. I took chemistry (did not vote for it) and took precalc in high school along with analytic geometry. I didn't take real calculus until college, but it was mostly the same content as my precalc high school course. My precalc in high school was taught by a teacher in his last year before retirement, and he took all of his accumulated sick time and so forth. So he was only there 2 days a week many weeks and we frequently had substitutes with no strong math background. I struggled trying to teach myself. I got to college and realized it wasn't all that difficult with a proper teacher!

[Ester Maria]

I did have chemistry, and for math I voted pre-calc, although I am not sure how correct that is because I had an integrated math program which did include some calculus notions as well, but did not cover anything in-depth. My school did not focus on math and sciences, those were more like "side subjects" rather than the core, emphasized ones.

[LMD]

Ok, we never had any subjects named any of those things (and math wasn't my favourite subject!) so I had to google formulas (formulae?) to figure out how high I went.

 

I apparently did calculus.

 

It was hard.

 

I studied my *you know what* off before the exams and got about 30-40%, which was the average score - so I got a C+. I was beaming!

 

That said, I didn't actually understand conceptually much of it - and I couldn't tell you what the forumulas mean now! I'll have to learn it again when we get there... plenty of time. :)

 

Oh, and I did not take Chemistry - though most people who took calculus (it was called Maths Methods) did take chem. too.

[happyhomemaker]

I took chemistry and pre-calc my junior year and AP Bio and AP Calc my senior year. I think chemistry was a prerequisite for graduation, but I might be mistaken about that.

[Crimson Wife]

My high school schedule got all messed up because we moved the summer before 11th and then back to the first town the summer before 12th.

 

The honors track science sequence at the high school I attended in 9th, 10th, and 12th grade (call it school A) was: Molecular Bio, Chem, AP Bio, and Calculus-Based Physics.

 

The honors track science sequence at the high school I attended in 11th (call it school B) was: Bio, Chem, AP Chem, AP Physics B.

 

What I ended up taking: Molecular Bio, Chem, (nothing), AP Bio.

 

I couldn't take AP Chem in 11th at school B because it conflicted with a class required for graduation that their students normally took in 9th. I couldn't take physics in 12th at school A because it conflicted with a class required for graduation that students normally took in 11th.

[ereks mom]

In high school, I took Chemistry (as well as Biology 1 & Advanced Biology/Biology 2).

 

I took Algebra 1 in 8th grade, Geometry in 9th grade, Algebra 2 & Trigonometry (combined course) in 10th grade, and Advanced Math in 11th grade in addition to College Algebra in 12th grade.

[kiwi mum]

Okay, this is going to sound very silly, but I don't remember my math classes being called Algebra, Trig, etc. We just did math and progressed through it. I even just went back and looked at my HS transcripts (yeah, discovered them while looking for documents for our move to AUS) and they are just listed as Mathematics. Now that I tutor advanced math here in the US I realize we went up through Pre-Calc (but high school ends in the 11th grade in Quebec)

 

It sounds like you were using the British system (also used in Aus and NZ) rather than the US system. Their 11th grade is the equivalent of pre-calc. In 12th grade we could choose to do no math, calculus, statistics, or both calculus and statistics. I did both so I wouldn't have to take English that year.:D

 

Our science was integrated for grades 8,9 and 10 and covered roughly the same as the US biology, chemistry and physics. In grade 11 all three sciences were offered at an advanced level but optional, and the same again in 12th grade which would have been like AP. I only took Physics for those two years but some kids took all three.

[Matryoshka]

I took math through Calculus in high school.

 

I also took Chemistry, as well as 5 other science courses (Physical Science, Oceanography/Meteorology, 2 years of Biology, and Physics).

[melissel]

I voted that my highest math was Trig, but that was only because I skipped out on my senior year and went straight to a four-year college. Had I stayed that final year, I would have had Calculus then. (As it was, I managed to get out of it in college because I was a humanities major :D I had no problem with that!)

[extendedforecast]

Are they giving Trigonometry it's own course nowadays? I went up to "Algebra 2/Trig." and it included *some* trig topics, so I didn't know how to vote. I just said Algebra 2.

 

At my school I took geometry and trig in one class. If I remember correctly, 70% was geometry and 30% was trigonometry.

[NittanyJen]

I had 2 years of calculus in high school, so I checked 'other.'

 

--alg I in 8th (no "pre algebra")

--self-paced geometry and algebra II in 9th (same curric and exams as the regular classes, just self-taught instead of teacher dependent)

--trigonometry (1st semester 10th)

--analysis (2nd semester 10th)

--AP calc (11th grade)

--Advanced Calc (12th grade)

--additional math in college through linear equations

 

I tested out of 9th physical science by passing mid-term and final on my own.

9th: AT (same idea as G&T) Bio

10th: AT Chem

11th: Physics

12th: AP Bio and AP Chem

 

Plus 6 years chem and bio in college including graduate level work, followed by 4 years as a bench scientist in biochem/genetics.

Edited February 8, 2012 by NittanyJen
Additional info

[Carrie12345]

Thanks, everyone! I'm giving this a final bump. At some point this morning, I'm going to go through the comments to make the needed corrections and then send the info over to her.

[Deniseibase]

I didn't take chemistry. I didn't take any math past geometry. I was a triple major with two majors in English and one in Latin. I took every English class my good suburban school offered and then got some teachers to do independent study programs for me :-)

 

That said, just so's y'all don't think I'm stupid or nuttin' ;-) If I could do it over again, I would take two more years of math, chemistry, and physics BECAUSE those are the subjects where I struggle to stay ahead of my 6th grader!!! :-)

[mom31257]

My highest was Pre-Calculus, but my high school didn't offer Calculus. I had 5 science credits, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Advanced Biology, and Advanced Chemistry.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Wait for it...

 

The author/publisher of Secular Homeschooling Magazine is working on a book, and wants to know what courses you took in high school.

 

Biology, chemistry and physics.

 

Stopped at pre-calc because it conflicted with French. Someone should have hit me with a 2x4. I didn't get any validation of my coursework in French and ended up not taking it in college (took German and Russian instead). But I really could have used a year's intro to calc in all the math and science and engineering classes I took.

[Unscripted]

I was at a public college prep school so Chem was not optional. I took biology, chemistry, and physics. Senior year you could take any of those as an AP class or for us less advanced students they had dual enrollment anatomy/physiology.

Math went geometry, algebra 2, pre-cal or analytical geometry/trigonometry, and AP calculus or probability and statistics.

 

This is how my HS was set up as well... Except we didn't have the dual enrollment option as far as I know.

[Kristine in KS]

I took chemistry. My highest math was something called Advanced Math, the highest one offered at my school, the pre-calc/trig combo.

[LucyStoner]

pre-calc and trig.

 

Yes, I took Chemistry. 4 years of English, 3 years each of Math and Science were part of my graduation requirements. I didn't think you could graduate without Biology and Chemistry? I also took Physics.

[HSMom2One]

I was a liberal arts gal, even in high school. Words, music and pictures have always been my thing, but I did take two years of biology and Algebra I. Looking back, I wish I'd been guided along and required to take math and science all four years. No one in my family had gone on to college (20 years later, I was the first one to graduate from with a 4-year degree), but at the time I was in high school taking subjects I wasn't crazy about didn't seem to matter. As a hs mom I've learned the difference at a much deeper level.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

Edited February 10, 2012 by HSMom2One
One forgotten detail....

[WeeBeaks]

I took calculus in senior year, but took it through the college district. I checked off calculus, but it was actually a college class (regular school didn't offer it so did it through the community college). Not sure if that matters on your poll.

[allie911]

I did take Chemistry. For math, AP Calculus was my math for senior year.

[Tohru]

I am shocked by the results!

[happypamama]

I actually took two years of chemistry in high school (and one of biology and one of physics) and took the AP Chem Exam (though I only got a 2 on it -- I don't do stressful tests very well, and our class wasn't quite as rigorous as it should have been, not being a specific AP class).

 

For math, I selected both "Calculus" and "other." Through a special program, I took both Calculus A and Calculus B (4 credits each) from a local university, during high school (the same course that engineering students take) and could have taken Calculus C and Differential Equations too, but I opted to take two semesters of Math for Elementary Ed majors instead, since I knew I didn't need another calculus class. Had I not been part of that program, I still would have taken AP Calculus at my high school. I fully expect my kids to take Calculus in high school, and I can see that DD is on that track so far.

[jewellsmommy]

I only took Alg I, Geometry and Algebra II. But, I took Biology, Marine Biology, Genetics (1/2 yr), Chemistry and Physics. I really like science. :D

[happyhomemaker25]

I voted that my highest math was Trig, but that was only because I skipped out on my senior year and went straight to a four-year college. Had I stayed that final year, I would have had Calculus then. (As it was, I managed to get out of it in college because I was a humanities major :D I had no problem with that!)

 

LOL, I actually tested into Calculus on my college placement exam at the local CC. It took a lot of talking on my part to dodge that bullet. I went to summer school every year of highschool for math. Well, except mysenior year and that's only because I did not need that 4th math credit to graduate. I was never a math student. Of course now teaching my kids it all makes perfect sense.:tongue_smilie:

[MistyMountain]

I only got to Algebra 2 in high school. I took the lazy way out as a senior and did the work study program. If I could go back I would of taken physics and more advanced math. I didn't have a science major in college but I wish I did go for the BS degree instead of the BA. I will encourage my kids to take all the advanced math and sciences including physics, trigonometry and calculus.

[nansk]

I did Algebra and Geometry from grades 8 to 10 and Calculus and Trigonometry in grades 11 and 12.

[Melissa in Australia]

not sure how to vote, I did both math A & B, this included algebra 2, trig and geometry. I left school after year 10, but I completed half of year 11 math during year 10.

As for science, we did combined chem, biol physics all in the same year ( Year 10 level)

[Elfknitter.#]

While I was more history focused in high school, I took most of the AP classes available to us. So I wound up, somehow, in AP Calculus with a teacher who was wonderful about tutoring us after school/ or after school activities (as in my case -- I was on swim team). I was in honors track which afford me Chemistry in junior year. Yet somehow I never had physics...