AP Calculus Hell, Please help :(

<p>I am a junior taking AP Calc BC, and so far the class has been hell, and beyond, for me. The teacher does not teach a damnnn thing, the class moves at an insanely fast pace, and basically I haven't been learning a thing. I have been constantly getting C's and D's on tests, and I just keep on falling further and further behind in the class. </p>

<p>I've kept up straight A's so far in rigorous courses (I took 2 APs last year and I'm taking 5 this year)...except for Calc BC. I'm sitting at around an 83% right now, and nearing the end of the semester there really is no way for me to bring the grade up...it might even drop down to a C, with what I've heard about how difficult the final is. I really don't want to ruin my straight A transcript with this class, so I've been considering dropping down to AP Calc AB.</p>

<p>I'm pretttty sure I can get an A in Calc AB because I had the teacher last year for Precalc and she is pretty great, and my friends all tell me that the class isn't too bad. Basically my question is, will taking Calc AB (after being ahead in math for so many years and getting A's) look bad to adcoms, especially since BC is available? I just really don't want to risk the B-/C in Calc, because I feel like that will hurt me more than taking an "easier" course...is this justified?</p>

<p>Also side note...if I do drop down to AB this year, I probably won't repeat and take BC again next year because I really want to do AP Stat, and I feel like another year of Calculus will just be a waste. I also have really grown to hate calc and definitely do not wish to suffer through 2 years of it. -______-</p>

<p>My opinion has always been that for a student to be advanced a year in math, that student should be at the very top of their advanced math class. Otherwise, the advancement doesn’t make sense, and probably causes harm. Math isn’t a race, and there’s no prize for finishing faster. The goal is understanding.</p>

<p>So I would drop back; but why Calc AB? Get the precalc fundamentals, and you’ll be ready for BC.</p>

<p>I definitely have my precalc fundamentals down! I did fine in that class and also scored well on the Math 2 subject test, which is based off of precalc. My problem is that the calc BC teacher is the first teacher I’ve had that does not teach anything at all. In order to succeed in the class, you basically have to self-teach yourself everything, which unfortunately I have tried and failed at doing. I simply cannot learn from reading theorems and studying examples. My brain blatantly refuses to grasp calculus. Up until this class however, I’ve been fine and been able to grasp math concepts quite easily, even in my advanced Precalc class. So the problem isn’t fundamentals; the problem is the style and teaching method (or lack thereof) of the class. That’s why I feel like a slower paced, more thoroughly taught AB class would benefit me more.</p>

<p>Honestly if ap calc is that hard to u you either aren’t as good at math as you think or don’t belong in the class.</p>

<p>The semester is almost over. If you dropped to AB for second semester, then wouldn’t you essentially be repeating what you just learned in BC this semester?</p>

<p>I definitely don’t think I am a math wiz or anything! Clearly I am not, with how terrible Calculus BC has been going for me. I’m just stating the fact that so far, math has never given me much trouble (obviously because the courses I have taken until this year have been significantly easier than Calc BC). And I agree, I don’t belong in that class at all.</p>

<p>Can you guys answer my question regarding if dropping down will look bad to adcoms?</p>

<p>Saugus: I’m talking about dropping down for the second half or so of this semester to salvage my grade. And yes, I would be relearning much of what I learned in BC this semester, but the thing is, I haven’t learned a single damn thing so far in BC because as I mentioned, the teacher does not teach anything! I’m literally quite clueless to much of the concepts we’re studying right now. Therefore AB would greatly help me because I would be able to take a step back and thoroughly learn all of the concepts I never actually quite grasped in the fast-paced BC class.</p>

<p>^^
Wouldn’t it just look like repeating a semester of math? I would stick with it, even if you can’t get an ‘A’ next semester. Just don’t get a ‘C’.</p>

<p>Edit: You posted a response while I did, so I’ll edit this after I read.</p>

<p>Edit again: Have you tried Khan Academy or a tutor? Ideally, the best way would be to re-learn those concepts by yourself without having to drop to AB.</p>

<p>Well it’s not like it could possibly look good. Usual They say anything that isn’t a positive is neutral.</p>

<p>Saugus: If I dropped out now, colleges would only see that I took Calc AB both semesters, since I’m dropping out before the end of this semester. They would never even know that I was in BC in the first place. I’m only asking if it looks bad that I opted for AB with a BC class available.</p>

<p>Saugus: I’ve tried numerous online videos, in person tutors, etc…it just really hasn’t been working out for me. The class is pretty insanely difficult (hardest AP at our school) and fast paced, so even as I somewhat grasp a concept, the class is already 3, 4 sections ahead. It’s just a downward spiral for me of continuously falling behind, no matter how hard I try not to.</p>

<p>Billybeejr: Thanks for pointing that out! I guess I’ll risk a “neutral” to save my grades…</p>

<p>NYGiants, at the public high school my son and daughter attend, students are no longer allowed to take BC unless they’ve already taken AB the previous year. It’s true that some math whizzes did fine going straight from precalculus to BC, but so many students floundered that the math department changed the policy for everyone.</p>

<p>Whether or not some people can do well in BC right off the bat, it’s clear that for whatever reason, you’re not. Don’t beat yourself up about it, fret about the teacher, or worry too much about what it will look like. Just drop back to something you can handle.</p>

<p>Thank you for the advice. (: I think that’s what I will end up doing.</p>

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<p>How did you get to be two grade levels ahead in math?</p>

<p>BC moves at the speed of an actual college calculus course, while AB moves at about half the speed. Keep that in mind when you get to college and register for college math courses.</p>

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<p>Many of the APs are not really reflective of actual college level work. For example, they may cover only a semester or less of college work over a year (AB, Statistics, CS A, Chemistry, some of the histories and governments, etc.). Or they may cover the material at a level that is lower than what most colleges accept (Human Geography, Physics B, Statistics, some of the histories and governments, etc.). Consider BC as one of the APs that is more reflective of actual college level work.</p>

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<p>This is a disservice to the truly great at math students who will be bored learning calculus over two years when they are capable of doing it in one (and going from being two years ahead to only one year ahead in the process). When I was in high school, the rare two year ahead in math student went directly from precalculus to BC in junior year, and had no difficulty getting an A in the class and a 5 on the AP test.</p>

<p>ucbalumnus:</p>

<p>I guess I’m one of the “rare” two year ahead students…keep in mind however that every individual is different. While the students you talk about had no difficulty, clearly I am having great difficulty and am not able to just breeze through the class with an easy A. I also never said I would take 2 years of calculus; I just wanted to drop down to the more tolerable AB this year and be done with calculus for high school. I’m also balancing numerous other rigorous classes and extracurrics, and I just feel like that would make my life easier overall.</p>

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Nobody’s even allowed to?! That’s awful.</p>

<p>I took honors precalc last year as a junior. I’m now in BC Calc as a senior and while it is indeed a tough class which takes plenty of work, I’m maintaining a solid A and it’s really not giving me a lot of trouble. And honestly, I don’t know many kids who are doing incredibly poorly in it. I mean, the kids who struggled in honors pre-calc are now struggling in BC, and the kids who didn’t aren’t. </p>

<p>The system at my school is if you take precalc as a junior, you choose between either AB or BC for your senior year. The concept of taking both classes never even occurred to me until I heard someone mention that that’s how their school did it.</p>

<p>Of course, I do have the benefit of having the same teacher for precalc and calc…not to mention that this teacher is probably the best I have ever had. He’s simply wonderful.</p>

<p>nygiants27, I feel your pain. I know firsthand that sometimes classes are just easier for some people than they are for others. I sit here and talk about how well I’m doing in BC Calc, and meanwhile in my AP Bio class, a class that many other students are acing without even reading a page of the textbook, I’m having to work my rear end off, read every single chapter, take meticulous notes, and pay rapt attention during every lecture to even maintain an A. And it sucks. </p>

<p>If you don’t feel like you can handle it, I’d say just move down to AB. And honestly, with your grades and the fact that you’re taking calc (be it AB or BC) as a junior, you’ll get into some very good schools either way.</p>

<p>I would not worry about college for now, because you WILL get into a good one. Instead, I would worry about what would help YOU learn calculus the best.</p>

<p>Oh, if they wouldn’t see that you dropped, then that changes everything. Why does your school let you drop this late?</p>

<p>Could you still pull off an ‘A’ in AB this semester?</p>

<p>If BC is too difficult, then drop down to AB. But be aware that when you take math in college, it will be at the pace you saw in BC, not the slower pace of AB.</p>

<p>Drop it; its not worth the stress you are under or the hit to your GPA. I think that you are not doing well because of poor teaching, and your will be fine in college if the instruction is better. It is very difficult for all but the gifted in math to attempt to learn calculus without instruction.</p>