<p>I am currently in AB Calculus and have the option to go down to Honors Calculus.
I just received a 78 on the first test of the year and am contemplating on dropping down to Honor Calculus. My current APs are AP Bio, AP English and AP Physics. Both AB Calculus and Honors Calculus are weighted the same. Honor Calculus just doesn't cover as many topics and does not take the AP test. I have heard that the Honors Calculus teacher is much better than the AB Calc teacher. Lastly, I'm looking to major in science. </p>
<p>Should I drop down to Honor Calculus or should I stay in AB calculus? If I drop down, would it be perceived by the college admissions officer as a sign of laziness? If I take AB Calc, do I get college credit? Is it better to get a potentially better grade in Honors calculus or to stay in a more rigourous AB Calc class?</p>
Potentially, but you will never know. What you can find out is what effect, if any, it will have on your GC’s rating of your schedule on the secondary school report. Is it “most rigorous” or “very rigorous”?
Taking the class gets you no credit; you have to take the exam. Specific colleges determine what credit, if any, will be applied to a given score.
It’s better to get a good grade in the more rigorous course, but if taking AB Calc results in a C, I would rethink that.</p>
<p>I would stay in AB for all of the reasons that @skieurope said but would also like to add that since you’re looking to major in the sciences, not taking AP Calc when you are able to does not bode well.</p>
<p>If you did not apply to colleges yet (so you don’t have to inform them that you dropped a level) and if you are not applying to the really top tier of colleges, then I’d go down to the honors class. Most people re-take calculus in college anyway. My D took honors calculus in HS and was not hurt by the decision.</p>
<p>Are you going to apply EA/ED? If not, why not up your studying/see the teacher/form a study group/get a book of practice problems and see if you can do better. If not, drop down to Honor Calc</p>
<p>AB is already a slower paced version of college frosh calculus, in that it covers about a semester’s worth of material over a year. If “honors” calculus is even lower level than that, then you may be in for quite a shock when you get to college and have to take calculus as a requirement to major in any science.</p>
<p>If you think you can pull your grade up to a B, stay. If you feel you were lucky to get a 78 on the exam, drop down to honors. In other words, do what’s best for you as a student, not what the admissions office wants. You’ll be retaking Calculus freshman year no matter what.</p>
<p>Talk to your AP Cal teacher and find out what the test range was. My son got an 85 on his first AP Calc BC test and was debating dropping down to AB due to the incredible homework load of BC. Then when he talked to his teacher, she explained that the median grade on the test was something like 67 and that the highest grade in the class was 85…</p>