<p>well i am a junior now and am registering for next years classes i have the option of taking calc ab or bc. but the problem is i have been getting b's in honors math throughout high school and i was wondering if i should take ab next year and have a chance at an a. also will taking ab looks alright to top schools</p>
<p>take AB- don't underestimate the class though
From my experience (I'm a senior in AB who has had all A's in honors math throughout hs), you will do just as well in AB as you have done in all other math classes, except if you have a bad teacher. in your case, that will probably mean a B</p>
<p>BC gets much more in depth, and unless you are particularly talented at math, i would not suggest taking it. Colleges don't look down on you because you took AB Calc instead of BC- if you are taking other rigorous classes, it shouldn't be a problem at all</p>
<p>also my teacher is incredibly well respected and has been teaching math for decades, and she also believes that you will do just as well in AB as you have done in other math classes</p>
<p>Obviously BC's going to look better, but unless you want to be a math major at MIT no one's going to snuff at you for taking an AP Calculus class.</p>
<p>I'm in BC right now, and as someone who's always been good at math, this class makes me think (and I love it- best math class I've ever taken). I've still got the A, but Calc requires looking at math differently than you may have in any other class, and I know a lot of people who got Bs in easier math classes who are dying in my class because they just can't grasp the concepts. I'd recommend you stick with AB, but if you're really willing to work hard, I wouldn't advise against shooting for BC, either.</p>
<p>Well in my opinion, grades in other math classes won't really be a good predictor of how you'll do in Calc BC..it is just a totally different style of thinking..I don't know what exactly the difference is, but in my school its only like 2 chapters..I'd take BC, then you get more credit from the AP test</p>
<p>Whatever you're comfortable with.</p>
<p>Like ducktape said, it doesn't really matter unless you're going into engineering or math at a top tier school such as MIT or Caltech.</p>
<p>I've been on the A-B border in math all of high school (despite consistently getting perfect math scores on standardized tests, I hate math with a fiery passion)...and I barely got a B in BC Calculus. The difference at my school is that AB calc students have about a month of review of precal material before they actually get into calculus material, whereas in BC calc there's about a day of precal review and then about a month of series, sequences, and some basic vector and polar calculus.</p>
<p>thanks for the replies i think considering i will have a pretty rigorous courseload next i am going to opt for AB</p>
<p>I view the difference between AB and BC is the difference between being senile and insane. But that's besides the fact.
I've been an A-, B+ math student throughout high school and I am currently taking AB. I listen to my friends who are geniuses who complain about BC. My school wouldn't let me take BC even if I wanted to. There are plently of brilliant students in my AB class, there's no shame in taking it. AB is a challenge in itself and I think that if you are a B student in honors, you'll probably be more successful in AB.</p>
<p>I think it comes down to your teacher. I got a C+ in my intro to analysis class (highest level of precalc in my school), so instead of going into BC (which is what you're suppose to do in my school, but only around 30-40% of intro class goes) i did AB. was an easy A. but i think it was only because i had a really good calc teacher.</p>
<p>I ended up dropping Calculus BC last year, and though I'm alright in math AB was still enough of a challenge. Calculus is tough, more than any other math course up to that point, and I'd say AB'll work just fine. :]</p>
<p>If you're unsure, you can always test it out then drop if you need to!</p>
<p>AB was a great choice for me, similar situation to yours. </p>
<p>I've found it easier than Precalc Honors.</p>
<p>whoa you get a choice? at our school, abs a prerequisite for bc.</p>
<p>I would like to clarify something, BC does not go more in depth than AB. Of common topics, they cover the same amount of material. BC just has more stuff, like Taylor series, and Derivatives of polar and parametric functions.</p>
<p>does anyone know why there's "2" calc B's in college? like for semester systems, i think calc I is AB, then calc II is BC</p>
<p>If you get an A in AB calc or a B/C in BC calc, the answer should be pretty obvious</p>