Master Grit & Prep for Life Beyond School: Why You Should Take That Challenging Math Class Next Year

For many students, math classes are a necessary evil that must be survived in order to graduate. If you’re planning to pursue a degree in the liberal arts, it may seem unnecessary to focus on challenging math classes, such as precalculus and calculus. However, these classes offer several benefits to all students. 

AP Credits Satisfy College Math Requirements

Taking AP classes can be one of the best strategic decisions you can make for college. AP scores are a powerful addition to any college application, and a passing AP score may earn college course credits or allow you to skip some basic courses. 

With the recent addition of the AP Precalculus class, the College Board has created an approachable course with significant benefits. Building on what you learn in Algebra II, the Precalculus lessons are based on a lot of familiar concepts, making the class a manageable challenge for most students. What makes it worth the effort? At many colleges, an AP Precalculus score of 3 or higher can fulfill a general math requirement, allowing you to skip a class such as College Algebra. 

For most students, it’s preferable to take care of this math requirement in high school, when the lessons from Algebra II are still relatively fresh in your mind, rather than waiting until your college freshman year when it may have been much longer since you’ve taken a math class. 

AP Statistics, which deals with managing and dealing with large data sets, can also fulfill degree requirements for many STEM degrees, as well as the social sciences (such as sociology and psychology). Skipping a required college course can allow you to focus on other college classes more relevant to the interests of your major, and it can save you a ton of money!

Course Rigor is an Important Part of a Great Application

Increasingly, colleges are looking for indications of “rigor” to differentiate students. As we’ve noted previously, more students than ever are applying to colleges with straight-A transcripts, which has led admission offices to focus on the difficulty (“rigor”) of classes that students take. A good grade in a challenging class will make your application much stronger. When looking for signs of rigor, colleges have a standardized indicator with AP courses. 

An abundance of research indicates that students who took advanced math courses (anything beyond Algebra II) were more likely to attend better colleges and complete their degrees. This demonstrates that an advanced math class enhances your application, and it also indicates that these classes can make you academically stronger.

Build Your Strongest Academic Self

There is more to be gained from an advanced math class than college admission and credits. A class like precalculus or calculus can also strengthen your mind in ways that go far beyond math calculations. Advanced math will challenge you to analyze complex problems, break them into manageable steps, and apply logical reasoning. This cultivates adaptability and innovative thinking, which are valuable in everyday decision-making and creative problem-solving. 

Additionally, when you engage with abstract concepts (e.g., variables, functions), you sharpen your abstract reasoning and spatial awareness, and this mental exercise enhances memory, attention, and logical processing, which can boost performance in other academic areas.

When you face a strong opponent in a sport, there are opportunities to develop your skills, expand the limits of your abilities, and experience the glory of achieving more than you thought possible. Similarly, a class that seems intimidating can also be seen as an opportunity to grow. Throughout an advanced class, there will be moments of frustration and struggle, but these shouldn’t be avoided. When you boldly face your challenges and overcome them, you give yourself the opportunity to improve. This courage and perseverance is also known as “grit,” a personality trait that colleges are especially interested in. Further, grit has been proven to improve your success and satisfaction in school, careers, and relationships. 

Push Yourself and Seek Support 

If you are considering your plans for the rest of high school, we encourage you to see what you are capable of and embrace a challenging math class. Keep in mind that you don’t need to face these challenges alone: student study groups, academic tutors, and AP exam prep can alleviate the pressure while still allowing you to enjoy all the benefits of advanced math.

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