I could put this in old school new school, but i feel this forum would be a little better considering how much some of you know about math/science.

To sum up quickly what i know, Basically i'm in my first semester of college (got about 16 credits in junior/senior year of highschool, but that's another story). I'm pretty much at square one right now, which is a good place to start. I'm in college algebra right now, and i feel pretty confident with it. we started with understanding natural numbers, and the number line at the begining of the year, then moved onto very basic functions, some work with matrices, then onto factoring. Moved onto square roots, the quadratic formula, fractional powers, imaginary numbers, and now finally ending with logarithms. I'm also in general chemistry 1. basically starting with defining chemistry, mixtures; then moving onto chemistry with mathematics to understand things such as sig figs, and stoichiometry, then moving to broad topics such as gas laws, basic thermodynamics, and a chapter on quantum theory. We've now finished with bond types, electron oribtals, molecular geometry, and hybrid orbitals.

Next semester i plan to take general chem 2 which takes of from where we've finished now, as well as physics (of course i'm taking several other classes, but i'm concered with what will directly lead me to my goal). I've yet to ask my question so here it goes. I want to major in astrophyics, what types of mathematics/sciences should i really be concerned with (in my opinion all of it so i can do well, but you get the idea)? I'm more interested in gernal relativity (the very big) than quantum mechanics (the very small), however i feel the very small will unlock alot of secrets to the universe.

all i can say now is point me in a direction, all insight and advice is well appreciated.

You need to take lots of calculus, with a very good grasp of vector calc and differential equations. You'll need to learn linear algebra and complex analysis as well for a lot of physics.

Unfortunately, I don't think undergrad programs really tackle general relativity - I know at my school (UT) general relativity is a graduate class. GR is way above me and from my understanding the math involved is tensor analysis and differential geometry in addition to what what is usually used in dynamics. We spend a lot of undergrad on quantum theory (and classical physics of course), and obviously a physics major should have a good grasp of these topics. At the point you're at it seems too early to give much specific advice, except to master calculus, take as much math as possible after that, and just to start with the lower-division physics classes and work your way up.

(i don't know anything about astrophysics specifically, astronomy isn't really my thing)

Mapes is right

GR and Cosmology are high end courses

Just take all the calc and physics you can get your hands on!

Mapes is right

GR and Cosmology are high end courses

Just take all the calc and physics you can get your hands on!

This.

Also, look into if your school has anything that can give you a structured plan of study to follow for astrophysics (read: a major, minor, or certificate program). If not, a lot of schools do, so look around at some of the better known physics programs to see if you can find anything. Alternatively, while your school may not have any specific program for astrophysics, they may have suggested courses, or something like that. For now, just use common sense.

Beyond this, DEFINITELY speak to a guidance counselor (or whatever they're called at your school), or someone in the physics department.

But, the most important thing you can do in your first couple of semesters is just to take all the calculus and physics you can. You most likely will not be able to take too many classes (because of prerequisites), so you shouldn't veer off course at all.

We covered GR as an undergrad course that followed the highly recommended book "Gravity: An introduction to Einstein's General Relativity" by James Hartle very closely. It's an excellent book that takes a physics first approach and introduces the mathematics as it goes along. Obviously GR is a must for cosmology but its only needed for high level relativistic astrophysics. For an introduction to astrophysics I recommend "Stars: their structure and evolution" by Roger Taylor.