<p>I'm not too worried about this yet since I'm a sophomore and taking Calc in my senior year, but I'm trying to plan out the basics of my schedule, and I was wondering how much it would hurt me to take AB instead of BC.</p>
<p>I'm a little concerned about taking AB since it's a less challenging course. Also, I've been on the honors track in math, and AB is where the students on the Accelerated track go. At the beginning of freshman year I tried to take Accelerated Geo to have less of a workload, but it was so horrifyingly easy that I transferred up after a few weeks. I'm sure this will be harder than AE Geo since this year is already a lot harder than H Geo, but I'm king of scared about it being way too easy...</p>
<p>On the other hand, I'm planning on taking at least 4, probably 5 AP classes my senior year, and I'm guessing that AP English and Euro will be a huge workload (not so worried about AP Psych of Enviro, and I'm considering dropping French so I can have room for both euro and psych), and the math department head said that BC Calc would be about an hour and a half of daily work on average, and I don't think that I'll have the time.</p>
<p>Could I just possibly get some advice on how much AB v. BC is going to matter? I'm planning to major in politics and music, so while I enjoy math I'm not going to be focusing on it, so what do you think would be the better idea? I'm leaning towards Calc AB, but I was hoping to get a little feedback...</p>
<p>Why not have both options on the table, and when it comes time next year to choose, you will have a better grasp on what you feel you are capable of handling. The easy answer is to challenge yourself, and plan on taking BC.</p>
<p>Taking Calc alone shows that you’re a strong math student, and given that you’re not interested in a math major, I don’t think it’ll negatively impact you if you choose AB over BC.</p>
<p>That being said, if you do enjoy math, you may want to challenge yourself and take BC. Although your courseload is already rigorous, taking BC may give you an extra advantage especially if you’re applying to ultra-competitive schools.</p>
<p>Sorry if my words sound a bit contradictory. I think you should think about whether or not you’re willing to put in the extra time and effort to take the harder class and challenge yourself and then go from there. :)</p>
<p>“I call BS, unless your BC class is rigorous far beyond what the AP test requires”</p>
<p>it is- our school is public but the town has a lot of engineers so a lot of the kids have parents who do math for a living, so our math program is a lot more rigorous than usual.</p>
<p>It’s great that you are looking at your options now. I would suggest taking the most rigorous math possible to keep you on track and make the decision when you get to the Spring of your Jr. year. Check with your county and see if you can take a class during the summer, opening up a block during your Sr. year. Check with target school adcoms to see what classes they would suggest. We thought we had everything planned for my son until he looked at a school who wants to see 5yrs of foreign language (it is considered a core class). If you are 16 you may also be eligible to take some required classes at a local community college during the summer. This not only looks good on a transcript (provided you do well), again it opens up a slot to get in another class you might like to take. Your math teacher and guidance counselor should be able to help you make the right decision regarding Calc AB vs. BC when the time comes.
Good luck!!</p>