<p>My D is becoming a Junior next year at a competitive boarding school. She should decide the courses to take next year. For math class, she has taken Honor AlgebraII and Honor Precalculus. However, she does not like math very much, and she struggled a bit in the Honor Precaulculs class even though she is doing fine now. So my question is "is it OK to take AP calulus AB instead of BC next year" I am afraid that it might be some disadvatageous if she takes AB rather than Bc for college admission. Any advice wil help.
If she takes AB, she may get a better grade though. I am confused.</p>
<p>Have her take AB. BC is for strong math students. I had some serious issues with it this year as a junior and started off with a C, but slowly worked my way to a solid A by the end of last semester. I’ve always been a good math student though.</p>
<p>How do college admission officers differentiate AB from BC? I’d appreciate any thought.
Her college counselor says that AB also shows rigorness and it is fine. Hope it is correct.</p>
<p>AP Calculus AB contains material from only one semester of college-level calculus (ending with improper integrals, I believe). AP Calculus BC contains material from two semesters (extending all the way to sets and series). That is the only curricular difference between the two.</p>
<p>At my school, BC was more work because it occupied two slots in our schedules: one for the regular course and one for a “lab” portion due to the huge amount of calculus we had to learn.</p>
<p>If your D does not like math, I would recommend AB, but top-tier colleges may balk at the fact that she didn’t take BC when she had the opportunity.</p>
<p>At her school, they have the same number of class hours. They teach both AB and BC for a year. I have seen that many students went to top colleges including Ivies by taking AB. But some people say that top colleges may balk like Cavatappi says.</p>
<p>Have her take AB.</p>
<p>My school has this policy where, if you do well in Honors Precalc, you automatically get recommended for BC. I took BC as a junior and tanked. D first semester and a C second semester. I still got into UCLA, but I struggled most of the year with the material, and it wasn’t until April, before the AP exam, that I really understood it.</p>
<p>yeefongyy, have you seen anybody who took AB and went to top schools?</p>
<p>my personal view is that if you’ve ever received a B in math, take AB over BC. BC is really hard, not going to lie. I had an A all through Pre-Calc and most of Alg I, and a B in Geometry and Alg II, and I had a C first semester of BC. I’d say take AB junior year and then BC senior year, if that’s an option/she doesn’t mind. Calculus is SO much easier the second time around, so BC will be easier for her if she’s already had AB.</p>
<p>That all is if your school system pays for the AP exams. If the exam fee is troublesome, then pick the better class/exam.</p>
<p>In her school, nobody takes Bc after AB. After Ab, they take either Math Advanced topic or another math Ap like AP Statistics. I like to know if AP calculus is good enough to go to top colleges. I saw some kids went to ivies with AP calculus AB. But I like to be sure about that. She wants to major in science or premed(not engineering).</p>
<p>
A group of kids in my son’s class all took AB junior year. Most went on to take BC senior year. They are now freshmen at Columbia, Brown, UVA, and Princeton. Good luck to your D.</p>
<p>As I said, they do not take BC once they take AB. Instead, they take another AP math course like AP statistics or MATH advanced topic. </p>
<p>I mean to ask have you seen anybody who took AB and went to top schools without taking BC?</p>
<p>It depends on your daughter’s interests. If she wants to go into the economics/engineering/math, BC is her best bet. If not, AB should be sufficient. My friend didn’t take calc AB until senior year and got into Columbia. Plus, BC is a tough class, so don’t force her into taking it unless she really believes that she can handle it.</p>
<p>Does she have a preference? I think she could make it in BC, perhaps with a B rather than an A, yes, but if she would prefer BC, I’d be for it.
I got nearly straight B’s in math, with one exception way back in 9th grade, before BC. My pre-Cal teacher, who is also the BC teacher, advised that I not take it as a junior. My parents were very much against it. But I took it. Yes, it was difficult, yes, I failed tests, yes, I got a C one quarter (quarter grades do not appear on our transcript) and yes, I was .2% away from getting a C for one semester. But, I scored a 4 on the exam, got an A second semester, had a lot of fun with some of my favorite fellow students, and learned a lot.
But if she doesn’t have a preference, I’d say AB.</p>
<p>
My sister didn’t even take AB. She took Honors Calculus, which is actually the lowest level offered at our school, since we don’t have regular calc, and goes to Northwestern. She majors in Econ, so she did have to take a calc course there, but it was very easy.</p>
<p>In my school, you take Calculus AB when you finish Pre-Calculus. Calculus BC is a second-year calculus class at my school, despite reteaching the same concepts from AB and adding a few more.</p>
<p>I have a question of my own: Is it a good idea to list both AP Calculus AB and BC in my transcripts?</p>
<p>You guys are seriously over thinking this. No college will outright deny admission to anyone who has taken AB over BC. If you wish to be a math major, then selective colleges will most likely want to see you challenge yourself, hence BC. But if your major has nothing to do with math, and if you’re not too strong in the field, then AB is the one.
There are SO many other factors that one will be judged on their application other than what math class you took senior year…I mean cmon, really. It is JUST a math class. You need to learn to stop being paranoid and anxious if you even want to survive a passing rate at these selective colleges you dream of going to.</p>
<p>I’m not talking about bettering her daughters’ chance for admission so much as giving my opinion on what I’d do if I were faced with the AB vs BC question again.</p>
<p>For the record, I took BC, didn’t do very well in it, and have been rejected by most of my schools. I’m quite happy with where I’ll be going, though. 
So from a purely admissions standpoint, take the one where you’ll both be challenged and do well in the class.</p>
<p>OK. thanks very much for all the good comments.
I will tell her to take AB. and it guess it is OK to tell her that she can go to top colleges without taking BC. Anl also she is gointo to take another Math class next year. either Math Advanced Topic or AP statistics. Hope that will be enough for her math qualification. AP statistics will be helpful for her science or premed path.</p>
<p>^If she’s on a science track, I’d recommend she take BC at some point rather than stats. Are you sure she can’t take AB next year and then BC senior year? </p>
<p>Of course, her taking AB rather than BC, in general, wouldn’t necessarily hurt her, but in the context of a science-oriented application, it may be a strange decisions. The kids who’ve only taken AB at my school who get into top schools are generally humanities-oriented.</p>
<p>At her school, they dont take’both AB and BC. Instead, they take AB and Advanced Topic or AB and AP stat.</p>
<p>I would consider how many of her peers plan on taking BC. If her school is similar to mine, where 10 students take BC and 100+ take AB, then taking BC is really a way to set yourself apart. With that said, I would only recommend BC to students that excelled in honors pre-calculus, as you are expected to have this material mastered right when the curriculum starts. Still, its a fun course and it has made me better appreciate math!</p>