I’m familiar with ap calc ab & bc, ap stats and ap physics c.
In my opinion, you are weak if you take ab first, then bc. A strong kid should just take the bc exam if the school just offers ab.
Ap physics c does not have too much calc in it. AB is enough. It is the physics concepts that are difficult for a lot kids, not the calc part.
There are very few good ap stats teachers. Most of teachers dont really understand the theories so the course is taught in a more graphical interpretation way than in theory. Many statistical methods are introduced improbably. Also, the entry requirements are low , and the colleges know this.
I would take ap stats rather than bc since it is different topic from calc. BC is just about 20% more materials than ab.
@ my kids’ hs, ab is essentially a prerequisite for bc. Also, the “standard/non-advanced” math track begins with Algebra freshman year. For those posters w/ kids who took Geometry in 8th grade, all I can say is wow! That’s quite rare in our district. Very impressive. :)>-
There is nothing “weak” about taking what your school offers. Each school is different. My kids went to a very diverse non magnet public school. They were not obsessed with studying or worrying about test scores and neither were we ( not that there’s anything wrong with that!). They were well rounded , likeable, regional and all state athletes , in gifted classes from elementary school . Certainly not geniuses . They are both very successful so far , despite being so “weak.”
Your social skills, teamwork, will probably get you further in the long run in the workplace than anything you might do from taking BC calculus earlier than other kids!
prepscholar com has a blog should-i-take-ap-calculus-ab-or-ap-calculus-bc, their point of view is not good to show AB then BC as it waste a year for other AP and not strong to AO. I do not agree or disagree
Does anyone’s HS do a two-hour per day AB+BC class? That’s what D18’s public HS does. The most advanced math kids at her HS do AB+BC as a junior then GaTech MV Calculus online as a senior. That would be @ucbalumnus +2 track.
Maybe a couple of kids do AB+BC as a sophomore, MV as a junior, and I don’t know what as a senior That’s not super impressive to me. Those kids should move on, with their infinite wisdom, to doing design work, projects, etc. You know, applying their knowledge at an age-appropriate level.
When I was in high school (public school that sent about a third of students to four year colleges, mostly state schools), calculus BC was a standard one period course (one period was about 50 minutes per day, 5 days per week). This included everything starting from the end of precalculus that students took the previous year.
“prepscholar com has a blog should-i-take-ap-calculus-ab-or-ap-calculus-bc, their point of view is not good to show AB then BC as it waste a year for other AP and not strong to AO. I do not agree or disagree”
That’s exactly what I said earlier and it’s true, AB followed by Stats is fine, BC followed by AB may raise red flags, but again if that’s the way the high structures it, adcoms won’t hold that against the student, as long as the gc or student points it out (in the anything to add section).
I think the profoundly gifted, where either they or their parents are chomping at the bit to do things like multivariable calculus very early are a different story! And many of these kids may end up in academia. Most kids are not going to be disadvantaged in the long run by taking a more standard course .
@ewho , weak or strong is just short term. student finished BC in sophomore went to flagship U continue differential cal or linear algebra during high school junior. Strong or weak? will they get PhD in Math or Engr? who knows. Can they survive Advanced Cal, measure theory in undergrad? 1 out of 1000, maybe? getting ahead does not make a student smarter or strong.
“Your social skills, teamwork, will probably get you further in the long wrong in the workplace than anything you might do from taking BC calculus earlier than other kids!”
I agree, but this thread is about if and/or when to take BC, so while the post was a little harsh, it’s on topic.
if taking AB then BC is indication of weak, I am sure lot of students took Chem honor and AP honor are considered weak. probably taking English 1 and 2 are week too. If taking BC is for better admission chance or to impress AO, this is wrong approach. There are 100s of applicant did not finish BC and get into top 50 schools and at least 10s if not 100s who got As in BC may not get in top 50 schools. I saw students got college credit in linear algebra, number theory etc during high school but still can’t go to top school they want. They remain in flag ship state U for UG. That’s is not bad. going back to OP, he was asking if BC or Stat helps for Engr school application, BC has the edge, forget about the crap that AO would think if AB BC are taken by same student. Ironically, those poster are blogger are not AO.
Even if you do fail, at least you won’t be blind going into college with the calculus prepwork (no good school doesn’t offer calc in the engineering curriculum). It shows that you like to challenge yourself and have initiative (a big tool needed for college). Imo, Stats is only more useful than BC concepts in Industrial Engineering, but both are super important
There are Premeds out there who try to take higher maths like differential equations thinking that it would impress med schools. If I were you, just stick with AB. Take AP stats. BC is just same course first half and the rest is new.
@NASA2014 ,why premeds is in equation? do you mean more competition in BC exam because more premeds intent students are taking BC as well? 1/2 of premeds intent from HS are dreamers. it is fair competition as AB IMO.
"no good school doesn’t offer calc in the engineering curriculum. " Any ABET accredited engineering school will require calculus, etc. That is a given .
Take AP BC Calc over Stats. It will prepare you much better for engineering. It is better to continue Calc until the engineering math requirement is completed.
Stats is very useful, but you can pick it up later.
@ucbalumnus Well, you would think so but some of these kids were tracked as early as sixth grade to get to pre-calc by soph year and didn’t end up being the very best math kids. It’s not too many, but maybe 20% of the kids in this group get low B’s in pre-calc and kind of panic about taking BC so they slow it down and take AB.
That’s not super impressive to me. Those kids should move on, with their infinite wisdom, to doing design work, projects, etc. You know, applying their knowledge at an age-appropriate level.