What Math Classes Should I Take to Get Into MIT?

Here are three recommended math sequences designed to provide the rigorous preparation necessary to remain competitive for STEM programs at universities such as MIT, Caltech, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale:

Sequence 1 (Standard Competitive Pathway):

• Freshman Year: Algebra I

• Summer after Freshman Year: Geometry (taken at a community college)

• Sophomore Year: Algebra II/Trigonometry and AP Statistics (never take AP Statistics in your senior year)

• Summer after Sophomore Year: Precalculus (taken at a community college; note: never, and I mean never, take this class during the regular high school year, as doing so effectively causes you to miss a full year of pedagogically sound math instruction)

• Junior Year: AP Calculus BC

• Summer after Junior Year: Multivariable Calculus (Calculus III) and Linear Algebra (taken at a community college)

• Senior Year: Differential Equations and an additional second- or third-year college-level math elective of your choice

Sequence 2 (Accelerated):

• Freshman Year: Algebra II and AP Statistics (never take AP Statistics in your senior year)

• Summer after Freshman Year: Precalculus (taken at a community college; note: never, and I mean never, take this class during the regular high school year, as doing so effectively causes you to miss a full year of pedagogically sound math instruction)

• Sophomore Year: AP Calculus BC

• Summer after Sophomore Year: Multivariable Calculus, (taken at a community college)

• Junior Year: Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, and, if possible, Complex Variables (ideally through an in-person or online class at a four-year college)

• Senior Year: Additional advanced math courses (third- and fourth-year level), such as Abstract Algebra, Partial Differential Equations, Real Analysis or Complex Variables (if you haven’t taken it already), ideally taken at a four-year college, either in person or online

Sequence 3 (Ultra-Accelerated):

• Freshman Year: AP Calculus BC and AP Statistics (never take AP Statistics in your senior year)

• Summer after Freshman Year: Multivariable calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations (taken at community college)

• Sophomore Year: Abstract Algebra, Group Theory, or Complex Variables (any combination of third-year math classes your high school might offer. If you've finished all the math classes your high school offers, start taking classes at a four-year college, either online or in person).

• Summer after Sophomore Year: If you can find a class in Partial Differential Equations, Real Analysis, Topology, Differential Geometry, Tensor Calculus, or Number Theory to take online—great! If not, you don’t need to take any math classes during your summers anymore.

• Junior Year: Partial Differential Equations, Real Analysis, Topology, Differential Geometry, Tensor Calculus, Number Theory, or graduate-level math classes at a four-year college.

• Senior Year: More fourth-year or graduate-level math classes. If you're tired of math and you've already taken AP Physics C, you might consider taking second-, third-, or fourth-year level physics classes

The bare minimum to be competitive for top STEM programs is to be enrolled in all second-year college math classes in your senior year. There are three second-year math classes: Multivariable Calculus/Calculus III, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, and Discrete Mathematics.

AP Statistics is a phenomenal class to take in your freshman or sophomore year, a poor choice for junior year, and a terrible one for senior year. AP Statistics is an algebra-based statistics class that doesn't even have an equivalent at top-tier colleges due to all of their intro to statistics classes being calculus-based. Taking AP Statistics in your senior year signals to elite colleges that you are taking it easy, which is a death sentence for a competitive applicant. If you have already exhausted your school's and community college's AP and second-year math classes, don't regress by taking a math class that is 2 years behind what you previously have taken! Find an online or in-person third- or fourth-year math class to take.

Another thing to note is that tier-1 colleges don't ever want to see a student fail to escalate their course rigor every year. No matter how advanced someone is, they must take the more advanced class the following year, even if it means a graduate class for the most advanced students, assuming they have reasonable means of taking such a class. The more privileged and resourced you are, the more top colleges expect you to challenge yourself, and they expect you to never take it easy academically in high school. To them, it should be your dream come true to take college-level classes, not something you dread just so you can get into a top college to get a good job and make your parents happy. This doesn't just apply to math classes but to all of your courses. If you take AP English and AP Literature your freshman and sophomore years, you should arrange with your school to take higher-level humanities classes at a community college or a four-year college. For tier-1 schools, taking an nth-level class one year in a subject and then taking an (n-1)th-level class the next year is a really bad look in any subject. These schools want to admit students who have a genuine love for learning and simply cannot stop themselves, even if they wanted to, from challenging themselves academically.

If you need help planning which classes you should take in high school, or need help battling your obstinate school administration or school board to allow your child's academic ambition to not be tethered by their logistical and bureaucratic shortcomings, contact a college admissions expert today.