I know students who graduated from both recently. Neither had math beyond BC. One was even homeschooled. Both did very well. One stayed at Caltech for a PhD and the other went from MIT to Stanford for a PhD.
College Confidential gives a false sense of what’s actually happening out in the world. Sure kids can and do take MVC in HS, but it’s the exception. My son would have, but his HS didn’t have the option to jump straight to BC and MVC when he was there. They didn’t even offer MVC. They were forced to take AB then BC. Some school systems are now intentionally throttling back advanced maths. The bottom line is that it’s about maximizing opportunities. If there’s no opportunity to take MVC, it won’t be held against a student.
Maybe. Or maybe the math race is ratcheting up. My kid is a senior and they know of nine kids from five different high schools in our smaller metro area who are also seniors who are taking MVC or DiffEQ. These kids list their courses on their linked in. At least two got in early to Stanford and one to Harvard. Who knows how many students are in each of those kid’s courses—it could be dozens.
I am not making a judgment on whether this is good or bad. It is just what I am seeing this year where we live and I can’t help but think it will affect admissions as a whole. My question for the OP is, is their school one of these schools that offers, and perhaps expects, their highest rigor math kids to take MVC?
I agree. DS applied to schools that are quite different but I am sure he would have been happy and thrived at any of them. Many kids are looking for a certain experience and should ensure they find that but I think a large portion of kids do not have to worry about “fit” as much as many seem to indicate.