<p>I am currently a Junior and on the track to graduate in the BC Calc lane . The option is for me to drop the rigor and end up graduating with AB calc. I am planning for an engineering undergrad and targeting UCs, Columbia, Duke .. is BC calc a must or will a AB Calc be fine?</p>
<p>The Parent Cafe is definitely NOT the right forum for you to be asking this question. Go to the Engineering forum.</p>
<p>Perhaps the moderators could transfer this thread to the main Parent Forum, where I think you would get some helpful insights.</p>
<p>My thoughts on the subject are this: If you can take BC Calculus and do well in it, that would be great. </p>
<p>But if there’s some reason why you think you would not do well in BC Calculus – such as shaky preparation in precalculus or a particularly demanding academic and extracurricular schedule in your senior year – AB might be the better choice. I think it’s better to learn the content of AB thoroughly than to learn the content of BC badly, especially if you’re planning on a college major where you will actually use calculus, such as engineering. </p>
<p>Another thought: Are you struggling with math in general? If you are, do you think the problem can be fixed (for example, with tutoring)? If not, perhaps engineering is not the ideal major for you.</p>
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<p>Really bad option for an engineer wannabe. BC is a no-brainer.</p>
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<p>If ‘yes’, but I assume not, then you should not be considering engineering programs at those schools.</p>
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<p>I disagree.</p>
<p>If there is any reason to suspect that the student may not do well in BC (lousy BC teacher, school where the BC teachers have difficulty getting through the curriculum in time for the AP test, poor precalculus preparation, etc.), I think it would be better to take AB and actually learn the content rather than taking BC and not doing well.</p>
<p>There’s more to be gained from a high score on the AB test than a low score on the BC test (including the AB subscore).</p>
<p>I agree if the BC teacher is terrible don’t take it, but all else being equal it’s a no-brainer. A future engineer should take BC Calc. My arithmetic challenged son managed it, it’s only about 1/3 more material than AB, even if you end up taking Calc II in college instead of Calc III, you’ll still probably benefit from having seen the material before.</p>
<p>We can all speculate on your reasons for asking. Why don’t you tell us. What math are you taking this year. Some HS require AB before BC, some you can take BC from pre-calc, so what’s the track at your school? Are you taking pre-calc this year or AB and thinking of no math senior year or maybe AP stats?</p>
<p>Unlike many on this forum, I do not agree that high school calculus is absolutely necessary for a future engineering major.</p>
<p>However, a future engineering student who has the opportunity to take calculus in high school should do so, and should prefer BC over AB if s/he has the choice. Because this applies to the OP, the obvious recommendation is to take BC.</p>
<p>The other thing interesting is that the OP appears to be a high school junior in BC, so s/he is taking calculus two grade levels ahead of normal. Shouldn’t the OP be a top student in math to have been placed that far ahead?</p>
<p>I’m not sure, from the OP’s post, whether he/she is taking calculus now, in 11th grade, or will take it next year, in 12th grade.</p>
<p>But even if the OP is taking it now, that does not mean that he/she is an outstanding math student now. It means that he/she was an outstanding math student in 6th grade and therefore was placed in 7th grade algebra. A lot can happen between 6th grade and 11th.</p>
<p>ucbalumnus, it sounds to me as if the OP is NOT currently in BC, because he/she said they are on track to graduate having taken BC. I am assuming the OP is currently in some sort of honors pre-calculus class. </p>
<p>This is easily answered by asking the OP. What class are you currently taking?</p>
<p>An engineering program will question why you didn’t take the BC option.</p>
<p>from the OP’s only other post, it appears that s/he is taking BC as a Junior, and just wants the easier course do to “other coursework”:</p>
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<p>Welcomed to Junior year rigor, legokid. :)</p>