<p>I just sent my Early Decision application to Northwestern University last week. I am otherwise a good student with 3 additional AP's and a 3.7 GPA, but I just received my quarter 1 grade for AP Calc...a 68. There is still time to drop the class before the quarter closes. </p>
<p>Should I drop the class and switch into an elective for next quarter, or do I suck it up and send out my 68 to Northwestern? Helppppp please! Freaking out.</p>
<p>I think it depends on what you plan on majoring in…if it is something relating to math try talking to your teacher about any extra-credit you can do (or, if there are any upcoming tests stay for extra help and study hard!). If you aren’t planning on major in anything relating to math, see if there is an Honors or College Prep level Calculus that you can switch into. Good luck :)</p>
<p>if you drop the class, you need to notify NU immediately. They are going to make an ED decision based on the schedule they think you are taking, and there will be something in their acceptance package indicating that its all up for review if you don’t actually take those classes. You’re better off notifying them right away if you drop it so they make their admit decision based on what you’re really taking.</p>
<p>Since you are just 2 points away from a C in the class, I’d think carefully about whether the grade can be pulled up and whether you’re willing to do the work it may take. As point of reference, in college math/science classes a rule of thumb is that you should be studying 3 hours outside of class for every hour in class. College classes meet 3x a week, so you should be putting in 9 hours/wk on this class alone. Going out on a limb, I’m going to speculate you are putting in less than that.</p>
<p>The reason colleges care about Calculus is not so much that math is important for your future, but that its a good indicator of how diligent you are. Many kids can do well in most of their classes with just native intelligence and a little cramming before the test, but learning Calculus is more like learning to play tennis or speak a foreign language. You need regular practice to actually be able to apply the material; just reading the chapter and doing a couple of homework problems is not going to do it.</p>
<p>There is a book you can get that will help you, called something like the “Calculus Problem Solver”. Its like an SAT review book but just for Calculus. With thousands of worked problems, you go over the material you are learning (or have already covered) in class and start working problems and checking the solutions until you are getting them right. Almost anyone willing to put in the work can learn to solve Calculus problems. With Thanksgiving and the Xmas holidays ahead, if you really wanted to I think you could get caught up on this material.</p>
<p>Drop it. You don’t have enough time to fix that grade.
You will need to update your application to reflect the schedule change, but I think that’s better than a D.</p>
<p>I’d ask your school if you can drop down from an AP level calculus class to a regular calculus class, if they offer it. Most schools would say fine.</p>