AP Calc AB?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>Hello! I'll cut right to the chase, I'm a current high school junior, and I'm trying to decide whether it makes sense for me to take AP Calc AB next year. My current GPA is a 4.40 weighted and something like a 3.95 UW. I've taken 4 APs so far (APUSH 1, APUSH 2, AP Lang and Comp and AP Psych) and about 7 or 8 honors classes. I've never taken an advanced math class before, and don't consider myself particularly talented at math (granted, I do currently have an A average in pre-calc), but as I'm looking at the stats on here and hearing about other kids at my school, I feel like it might be a good idea to ramp up my math rigor. I am interested in the most selective schools (HYPS, you know the deal), and am aware that they will be very high reaches for me (I am unhooked). My senior schedule as it stands right now (no AP Calc) is this:</p>

<p>AP Enviro
AP Lit
AP Spanish Language
AP Euro
Gym
Calculus (normal)
Advanced Creative Writing
Honors Abnormal Psychology
Another elective that is slipping my mind, but it's not AP or honors</p>

<p>I feel like I can be successful in AP Calc, I'm just not sure if it's worth the effort I will have to put into it, and if I do end up doing poorly, it could cause me unnecessary stress. My GC also told me that even without AP Calc, she is willing to check the magic "most rigorous course load* box. Just to be entirely clear here, I have no real interest in this class, it is solely for my college application, but I don't find that to be a reason not to do it. Do you guys think this would improve my chances in any way, or do you think AP Calc may be overwhelming for me when coupled with all of these other APs and senior year stress? Thanks in advance! </p>

2

<p>If you’re not a math person, don’t take it. Don’t take it just because it looks good on college apps. A bad grade in an AP class doesn’t look good. If you’re still into calculus but don’t want to put in extra effort or you’re just not into math, then take regular calculus or stats. </p>

3

<p>I think your schedule is fine, but may I ask what you mean by APUSH 1 and 2? There is only one APUSH exam, so does your school split the course into 2 years? If so, most colleges would only consider it as 1 AP, I believe (but correct me if I’m wrong)</p>

4

<p>I live in NJ, and as a graduation requirement, everyone has to take two years of US History, so they split it up into two classes. I’m not sure how it will be counted, but I really hope it’s counted as two AP classes, because it was definitely two years of AP level work! :stuck_out_tongue: I will definitely take some form of calculus next year, I just feel like never having taken an AP/Honors math could negatively impact my chances, but if you guys think my schedule is rigorous enough, then I just be making a mountain out of a molehill. </p>

5

<p>I’d opt for AP Calc over APES any day of the week.</p>

6

<p>Is APES hard at your school? At our school it’s widely regarded as the easiest AP (some of the more presumptuous kids refer to it as AP Bird Watching) and my only other science options are AP Physics and Chem, which don’t interest me, and AP Bio, which is probably the most difficult AP in our whole school (lots of kids fail and even the really smart and hard-working kids get Bs). I also am more interested in Enviro than math, so I probably wouldn’t switch them out. </p>