How hard is Precalculus Honors?Answered
I'm taking Precalculus in 11th grade and Calculus in 12th because I'm 1 year ahead in math. Algebra I, which I'm taking in my 8th grade year, is pretty easy and I like it, but I do know these are two completely different topics in math. I'm wondering how hard Precalculus is by itself, and how hard it is to take as a honors class. I'll also use this information to decide if I want to take Calculus as honors or not.
Can you please give me your opinion based off of knowledge and personal experience with these courses? Thank you!
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3 answers
First of all, good on you for looking ahead, this will serve you well.
I'm a sophomore in Precalculus and it really depends on your teacher and your skill level. Geometry is often referred to a lot in the class and you will also be asked to memorize a lot of formulas and to recall formulas from geometry. Your algebra 1 skills will also be used. Precalculus is also a transition period from high school math to college-level math and you might be asked to think a bit differently than you did in your high school math classes. I'd say to not set in stone whether you want to take honors Calc until you take Precalc.
I would extremely recommend that work really hard to understand the concepts when you take geometry next year, they, unfortunately, will not go away. If you want to try to prepare now, I'd utilize Khan Academy or other educational math sites and also work on developing your mental math skills as it makes Precalc a lot easier. Good luck!
I am currently a senior in high school and was a year ahead in math the same way you are.
I took standard Algebra 1 and standard Geometry/Trigonometry. Algebra 2 and Precalculus I took as honors classes, and I am currently taking AP calculus AB. For me, Honors Precalculus was a faster-paced standard Precalculus class, with more focus on preparing you to be successful in AP Calculus AB. For me, Precalculus was a bit of a struggle in the beginning because of how different of a math it was; I can usually pick up subjects very quickly, and I enjoy Algebra so the switch from Algebra to Precalculus was a jump. My saving grace was that I had a great teacher who knew how to teach and convey what she was teaching well.
In my opinion, I think if you are excelling in math and enjoy the process, and problem-solving, go for the Honors and AP classes. They set you up for success down the road, and for me, were big contributors to what I want to get my degree in, and many of the kids in my class feel the same way.
I will tell you this, and the more familiar you are with some aspects of the class, even if you see it through a Khan Academy (amazing help in math classes, entirely recommend) or a youtube video, it will make the process of learning the subject matter in class a lot easier.
Pre-Calc is not a challenging class and is treated as such by admissions officers. I have no idea what Honors pre-calc is and assume it is just a fancy name for regular pre-calc. One note: your grade for Algebra 1 will be considered by the admissions committee. I would try to skip pre-calc all together and take calculus one and calculus two instead.
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I would agree that it mainly depends on the teacher and skill level. I took Pre-Calc last year and our teacher had no idea what they where doing and where out over half of the year so that made the class really hard. But at the same time it was good for me i had to study and learn by myself which i had never done before in a math class. You get out what you put in.