Hello. I am currently a rising junior. By senior year, I will have reached AP Calculus AB, but I will not be able to take AP Calculus BC. Will the lack of AP Calculus BC hurt me in college admissions, especially since I will be applying as a STEM major? This question has been on my mind for a long time, and I am really worried. Thank you for your help!
Very few colleges require calculus in high school for frosh admission.
My daughter (currently a junior) very much wanted to take BC calc senior year instead of AB calc. Though really just because she wanted the challenge. It’s not at all clear if it will make any difference on her (STEM) applications.
If you also want to do that, I’ll point out what is probably an easy way to prove to your school that you should be allowed to take BC. There is a CLEP exam in calculus, which is probably equivalent to AB calc. If you can self-study some derivative and integrals, it shouldn’t be too hard to “pass” that exam (college board argues that a 50 / 80 is passing).
No. Even colleges that require calculus for admission, like Harvey Mudd, do not specify which calculus it needs to be.
IMO,i wold say that maybe u should try to self study for the BC exam(this will show interest,motivation plus U will get to say that U have a BC qualification…
Colleges will be pretty impressed that U are able to self study for an AP exam (I am currently a freshman and i a doing the same)…
Its also not so hard to self study for the BC since most of it 65 to 70% is just basically AB portion(U need to get above 62% to get a 5 on the BC)so the point is ,if u concentrate on your AB and give the BC it should not be difficult to get a 5
Hope that helps
You still can take exam…but you will have to self study.
Assuming you are applying to relatively prestigious schools, BC Calc may not be required but there will be plenty of applicants ith BC calc class and aP score
No they won’t.
At my school, you can take either Calc AB or Calc BC - there’s no reason to take one, then the other. Try your very best to prove to your school that you’re capable of going straight to Calc BC. In that class, you’re basically learning all of Calc AB in the 1st semester, and then moving on to new material in the 2nd semester only.
Not at all…The Engineering curriculums in college, for example, assume you are starting with Calc 1 (Calc AB) Freshman year. I am a working engineer who took Calc AB senior year and then retook it in college as I did not get a good enough grade on the AP exam.