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I'm trying to figure out my schedule for my last year of high school. I can either take AP Calculus or AP Stats (at the end of the year you can take the AP test and if you score high enough on it I can get college credit for the class) and I am very interested in becoming a nurse so if you went the BSN route what math did you have to take in college? Thanks so much!
Does this mean you are a junior and you are prepping your schedule for next year? I don't know what state you are in but if your counselor can give you any info, you might want to check out a program that might be similar to one we have in Ohio called Post Seconday Education Option Program. You can apply to a college and do the classes for free (state pays for tuition and books). It is awesome and you wouldn't have to worry about your college not taking your AP credits. A lot of the classes are accessible online through a community college. Your HS counselor could point you in the right direction if you are interested. By the way, Stats all the way, it was required for our BSN program.
My BSN program required algebra and stats. That said, I'd urge you as a high school student to take calculus instead. How about talking to a guidance counselor?
I suggest calculus because as a teen-ager, you are young to be making a career decision. That doesn't mean that you're too young, but taking calculus would leave the door open to pursuing admission to other college programs should you change your mind. Calculus will make you a competitive candidate no matter what you choose. To my mind, AP statistics will not. The algebra I took in nursing school was vastly easier than the Algebra I I took when I was 14. I breezed through that and the required statistics class, and I consider myself a math phobe.
I agree with previous posters: You do need a statistics class to help you evaluate research studies. But you can always take that after being admitted to school or, if you need to save money, through any number of online or community college options.
i am currently in an adn program, but to get my pre-reqs out of the way i took stats and college algebra. i took the algebra course because i'm not 100% certain where i want to earn my bsn and i wanted to get it out of the way just in case it was required at the school that i choose. stats was a requirement of all of the bsn programs i looked into for myself. good-luck to you! :)
coley
Most BSN programs I've heard of require college algebra & statistics. I don't think Calculus would be particularly relevent to nursing. My BSN program required Statistics. I always hated math, so I took a non-AP statistics course offerred by my high school during my senior year, and then took statistics my second semester in college, and did relatively well because I remembered a bit from HS. I'd go with the AP Stats over Calculus, but check with the school you're interested in.
gerry79
594 Posts
Stats only for me...Which almost ended my BSN quest! One semester to go until I finish!!!!!!!