<p>Calculus AB is hard for some people, and okay for others. But it is among the harder AP’s, And definitely more dificult than AP stats. At our school the AP’s in level of difficulty are:
Hardest: U.S. History, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Calc AB & BC, Engish Lit, Foreign Languages
Medium: Euro history, Stats
Easiest: Physchology, Enviornmental science, Economics, English Language</p>
<p>^english lit I mean. Not engish lit. :)</p>
<p>Tboone:</p>
<p>I understand your logic, but that’s not what colleges use. They compare the AP course to their own standard curriculum, and how they award credit. A so-called AP Lite only covers one quarter/semester of college material. All other AP’s generally cover two quarters/semesters. (Of course, every college is slightly different on awarding credit, and some don’t even recognize courses like Human Geog or Gov.) Thus, the big three sciences (Bio, Chem, Physics B) are all considered difficult. And, even tho physics B does not require calc, it is till much more conceptual than bio which is primarily memorization.</p>
<p>I’ll keep it simple and reply to the instant case: AP Calculus or AP Stats –</p>
<p>I have read adcoms write on this very BB that a student applying to Top 30 or so schools who does not take AP Calculus is considered to have a weakness in this area… the reasonsing given was tha AP Calc helps a student develop abstract thinking, whereas AP Stats does not… and that abstract thinking is critical to higher education.</p>
<p>Bonus thought: I read in the book Gatekeepers that an adcom in committee specifically asked, and discussed the topic “what’s with AP Enviro?? I just don’t understand why a student doesn’t challenge himself with AP Bio.”</p>
<p>so, there are no shortcuts, not cheats, no sleight of hand as regards rigor of curriculum. One AP is not equivalent to another AP. They are not fungible. Plenty of students get into the tippy toppiest of colleges without AP Calc or AP Bio, and especially without AP Physics or Chem, but (assuming Calc and Bio are offered at one’s school) there is a noticable difference in rigor for those who opt for the Stats and Enviro route.</p>
<p>I dont think that phys B is part of the “big three” though. At this point we are splitting hairs, but I know of a good number of universities that the only credit they offer for phys B is the equivalent of a “physics for poets” course which is not a prereq for anything but rather just a filler class so that non sciency people can get a science credit. I also know that a lot of uni’s just flat out don’t give credit for phys B. I think phys C is definitely part of the “big three” though.</p>
<p>^^^ I agree. Phys C is way harder then Phys B.</p>
<p>I think all of you are getting carried away and off-topic.</p>
<p>In my school, AP Stats is way harder then AP Calc. AB, mainly because of the teacher. AP Stats was absolute Hell because the teacher rarely gives out good grades. We call him “the dictator” for good reason.</p>
<p>Also, I got into a top 30 university without AP Calc. (too many kids in it, so I couldn’t get in), so I think it doesn’t hurt as much as some may think.</p>
<p>Here’s how I would rank the tests. Note that some variations do occur.</p>
<p>Hardest: Foreign Literature, Physics C, Calculus BC, Music Theory
Hard: U.S. History, Chemistry, Biology, Physics B, Calculus AB, English Literature, Foreign Languages (varies from hard to hardest), Computer Science AB, Art History
Medium: European History, Comparative Government
Easy: Statistics, Calculus AB, US Government
Easiest: Psychology, Environmental Science, Economics (both), English Language, Human Geography
Outlier: Art Studio (only because there isn’t a test for it, otherwise, I would put it in the easy-medium category)</p>
<p>I may be a little off on my assessment, but it’s all subjective, really.</p>
<p>i take both of those and i find that if u do the work stat is very easy but calc is tough</p>
<p>euro at our school is taken as an 11th grade class, and its almost impossible to get an A. you really have to work your ass off. </p>
<p>apush on the other hand, was hard, but an A was definitely possible. </p>
<p>I think it really depends on the school. APUSH and Euro are probably equally as strong to adcoms.</p>
<p>Yes. There are AP courses that look “better” on a high school transcript than others. The three sciences (AP Bio, AP Chem, Ap Physics) and Calc BC are certainly very rigorous and, if your schools offers them, would probably garner one a “most rigorous courseload” from a HS guidance counselor and AdCom viewpoint.</p>
<p>And Bluebayou is right. The tippy top colleges award AP credit/advanced standing for AP courses, but different colleges treat them AP courses differently. It is best to check with the college (s) in question to see what their policy is.</p>
<p>And some of colleges will only award credit if the student does well on a placement exam, usually done during Freshman Orientation Week, even if the student received a good scores on the Ap exam.</p>