<p>I was told that if I wanted to be accepted into an Engineering program at a good school, I would have to take AP Physics-C and AP Calculus BC. Right now, I will be taking AP Calculus AB in my senior year. This means that I will not be able to take AP Calculus BC. Also, I will not be able to take AP Physics C because I need to pass the AP Calculus AB class as a prerequisite. </p>
<p>If completely necessary, I can attempt to skip AP Calculus AB by passing a Proficiency test to enter AP Calculus BC. By doing this, I will be able to take AP Calculus BC as well as AP Physics C. The only problem is that it is next to impossible to pass the Proficiency Tests. </p>
<p>Is it true that I will not be accepted into an Engineering program at a good school if I do not take AP Calculus BC and AP Physics C by the time I graduate?</p>
<p>What grade are you in now? How "good" of an engineering program are you talking about? </p>
<p>Here are some figures about how many high school students take AP calculus tests by what grade: </p>
<p><a href="http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_05_07.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_05_07.html</a> </p>
<p>(See the chart "Calculus Before Grade 12.")</p>
<p>At all the engineering programs I'm applying to (several top schools), they only ask for up to pre-calc (except one that says calc 3 must be completed by the end of freshman year, which can be done through summer programs).</p>
<p>Not one of those schools could care less that I'm only in AB.
And I'm "only" in honors physics.<br>
Whoever told you this was mistaken.
Mind you, however, that there is no option for me to take BC or ap phys.</p>
<p>I doubt that's true, seeing as how my school offers neither of those. And my school is dropping it's Calculus class after next year, so I doubt any college would say that you have to have these classes to be accepted into an engineering program at a good school.</p>
<p>Duke's school of engineering does say that one should have had calculus in high school before starting there, but that may mean only the AB course, which the OP is on track to do. Maybe he is okay--I'll look forward to seeing other comments in this thread about specific college requirements.</p>
<p>To reply to tokenadult's question: I am a junior right now, and I would like to apply to Cornell, UPenn, Carnegie Mellon, Lehigh, and GeorgiaTech. I am currently taking PreCalc Honors (so I will be taking AP Calc AB in my senior year).</p>
<p>My situation is a little different than Johnson and Virtuoso's. My school offers both AP Physics C and AP Calc BC. Since my school offers both classes, will I be rejected from the engineering programs (at the schools listed above) if I do not take them?</p>
<p>Well, it's always helpful to YOU to know as much math as you can before starting an engineering program, because the math courses are the barrier to further advancement that a lot of engineering students run into, but I don't know if those particular colleges would flat-out reject an applicant for the reason you mention. The context of your application depends on what else you have been busy with in high school, and what other signs you show of a genuine interest in engineering. Don't self-select out of applying if you think your high school schedule makes sense, but it definitely wouldn't hurt to figure out a way to speed up your math learning before you leave high school. There are distance learning courses in calculus that might give a boost to your high school course placement, and thus to your admission chances. </p>
<p>Do you think this is something you can talk over with a counselor at your school? Maybe he or she knows what admission results other recent students have had, with what backgrounds in math.</p>
<p>Is there any reason why you wouldn't want to take physics c? If I had the opportunity to take it I'd be all over it like flies on poo (to be crude).
The math level I wouldn't worry about trying to place into- AB should be just fine.</p>
<p>To respond to Johnson, I won't be able to take AP Physics C because AP Calc AB is a prerequisite for physics c.</p>
<p>And to tokenadult: I have scheduled an appointment with my counselor, and I will ask him about it as well.</p>
<p>When I visited UPenn, the admissions officers told me that if Calculus BC is offered at your school, it is essentially required that you take it. </p>
<p>^ This is directly from an admissions officer so no one tell me that I'm wrong...</p>
<p>At our HS, you take AB Calc or BC Calc. BC covers twice as much material (includes AB material) so serious math/sci kids take the more demanding class. Kids take AP Physics C at the same time as AP Calc BC. Usually engineering majors take BC, but I know some eng. kids who only took AB and went on to schools like Lehigh or Lafayette. At our HS, kids who got admitted to Ivies like Cornell (not necessarily the top schools you meant) all took BC level and Physics C. When applying, you will be compared to others in your school so if both levels are offered and you choose the lower level, your GC might not check off the box that says you chose the most difficult courses offered - because you didn't.</p>
<p>If you get an A in PreCalc Honors, it would be OK if you went on to Calc BC without having AB. You've most likely covered the fundamentals already. Of course, your school has to let you do this first. And you might want to see if you can get around the prerequisite thing. Just talk to your guidance counselor and see what happens.</p>