<p>Here's some perspective from another "Humanities" (fuzzy, if we were at Stanford) person. I took BC last year, simply because it will reflect that much better upon you if you challenge yourself with something you will obviously probably never use in your career. It shows learning for learning's sake. I rarely (if ever) did homework in there, focusing instead upon other stuff (AP U.S., AP Lang, AP Span, etc), so I got Bs both semesters, but I got a 5 on the AP Exam. Just take it at least for awhile, and drop to AB on the last day you're allowed to do so if it's too much.</p>
<p>I'd say it doesn't really matter. BC is 90% AB and then just a little bit extra (nothing too serious or difficult).</p>
<p>When you take the BC exam, you get an AB subscore (i.e., what you would have gotten had you taken AB).</p>
<p>ARE YOU CRAZY?</p>
<p>BC MATERIAL IS INFINITELY MORE DIFFICULT THAN AB MATERIAL, BY FAR. Power series make AB material look like 3rd grade addition.</p>
<p>It depends on the person.</p>
<p>Take BC... its not that bad. I dropped to AB then went back because AB was just a joke.</p>
<p>BC isnt that bad.</p>
<p>as long as u can keep up in class.</p>
<p>i usually dont do the homework but when there's an upcoming test i crack the book and learn the stuff on my own on the weekends. it helps if u have a prep book to supplment the material. i cracked the prep book during my volume test to memorize the formulas and i got a B. </p>
<p>Would've gotten A had it not been for careless mistake doing improper integrals. </p>
<p>overall, i know the material but i do math so fast i make careless mistakes. of course, during ap exam im gonna pace myself so i dont screw myself over on these test questions</p>
<p>blissfullie, consider your own school before you make your decision. Ask seniors from both courses what they think. (Are the teachers fair? Are they scary? How is the workload compared to other classes at your school? etc) Find out if there's any relationship between BC and acceptances from top colleges. (At my school, there really isn't. Kids who are bright enough to take BC - but end up taking AB - get into great schools like Cornell, Harvard, Johns Hopkins.) Colleges will of course evaluate you in your own context, but what goes on at your school is probably most relevant.</p>
<p>Hm....thanks funkyspoon for the advice. I'll definitely do that. </p>
<p>Just wondering, but an A in AB or B in BC???
(lets just assume a 5 on either AP....since I've heard the BC teacher is really tough...)</p>
<p>I am takin Cal but im not sure which one Im taking .... what the difference between AB or BC?</p>
<p>AB is equivalent to one year of college calculus, while BC (includes parts A,B,C) is equivalent to a year and a half of college calculus.</p>
<p>haha is that where the lettering came from... i always thought it was abritrary.</p>
<p>It is arbitrary. Sunkist you are incorrect. Calc AB covers one semester and Calc BC covers 2 semesters. If you get a 5 on the Calc BC exam then you will start with Calc 3.</p>
<p>Really? Wow, I'm sorry. I repeated what my teacher told me. Doesn't it depend from college to college?? I do know though that BC is like AB with more material.</p>
<p>i've taken BC and i've had friends who've taken BC and E&M... BC >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> easier than E&M/Physics in general IMHO.</p>
<p>i'm more of a practical math guy who can crank out derivatives and integrals. </p>
<p>BC is just right pace for me. I'm getting a B+ but I know what I'm doing. Sometimes I look at a problem and stare off into space. But when it comes down to test time, I review and concepts two weeks old make sense.</p>
<p>There's not much difference between AB and BC. In fact, for first semester AB was just a chapter behind BC. But during break, we met for some mandatory sessions and now we're like almost 2 chapters ahead of AB with some extra side stuff.</p>
<p>laurenemma - actually, sunkist was right about the 3 semesters and 2 semesters... that i've heard many places including my math teacher who is older than the theorums we learn about. i just didnt know about the ABC naming thing.</p>
<p>it also depends on the college which math class you start in, but as the course was designed, it was set up as 3 college semesters in two highschool semester classes- not two and one.. why would a school spend a year teaching half the material in an AB class, if its meant for advanced college-level kids anyway?</p>
<p>The biggest difference is that BC is more conceptual than AB.. if you are the 'mechanical' math student, then sticking to AB might suite you unless you are up for it! (its not as scary as it sounds though)</p>
<p>thanks for the info, rani!</p>
<p>You should take BC. Our school only offers "AP Calculus" and students choose to take either AB or BC test, and most students who chose to take BC get 4 or 5. You just need to learn some extra concepts, but they are not that hard to understand. Good LUCK!</p>
<p>no problemo, sunkist!</p>