<p>Hi, I am a rising senior. Should I take BC Calculus to show rigor as it is offered at my high school or stick w/AB?
I originally planned to take AB. (I am a very good math student).
Plan to apply to Princeton and all other stats(standardized tests, gap, etc) are good. I know admittance is long shot for all but with 2 other AP science courses and AP English and Foreign Language this year not sure I should take the BC.
What do you think the admissions people think (at Princeton) - want to continue to maintain high GPA this year which I feel confident I can do.
Does "showing rigor" to the Ivy league mean I should absolutely take the highest(BC calc) and in all other subject areas available?<br>
I am not going to major in Engineering.
Any thoughts?
Thanks!</p>
<p>I’d recommend taking BC. It’s a one year course taught over a year whereas AB is a one semester course taught over a year.</p>
<p>While two science APs, Calc BC, AP English and an AP foreign language might sound like a lot, this will be nothing like what you’ll be facing if you become a Princeton freshman.</p>
<p>For perspective, my son took seven APs senior year: Calc BC, Physics C, Bio, English Lit, Spanish Lit, US History, and US Gov, and tells me that his freshman classes at Princeton were much more challenging.</p>
<p>If you’re good at math, I see no reason why not to take BC. It can help you immensely down the line. For instance, if you decide to major in anything that requires calculus - I believe most of the sciences do - a high score on the AP exam would place you out of Calc I and maybe Calc II, depending on the score. You would then be starting at multivariate calculus. You would also free up two courses to take other things that you are interested in. </p>
<p>With regard to admission, Princeton would want to see that you’ve taken the most rigorous courseload at your school. Now, whether that means you should take BC over AB is debatable. I would recommend BC, but that’s just my opinion. All while maintaining a high GPA, of course.</p>
<p>Take BC, especially if you’re a strong math student! I finally, FINALLY convinced my friend who is also applying to Princeton to take BC instead of AB (then she dropped down to AP Gov instead of AP Comp Gov…only so much I can say). As 93tiger16 said, it’ll free up class space for you if you score high on the AP exam.</p>