Calculus is important, because in high school you only superficially know the breadth of the field you're interested in, where you may fit, and what you need to get there.

I unwittingly had a "low math" high school education, with pre-calculus only introduced spring of my last year. Freshman Engineering was a shock, with Calc, Physics, and Electrical Engineering using concepts I'd never heard of.

There's nothing worse than thinking you're accepted, prepared, and ready, and finding you're totally wrong.