Hi College Confidential, I have a huge problem right now. I will end Calc AB with a C- this year and a B- in Honors chemistry. I am a sophomore as of now and I don’t know what to do. I am taking 7 classes this year with another 2 weighted. My other classes should be all As. In freshman year I had a total of 5 B’s in 14 classes (4 classes were weighted) if this helps. Here are my questions:
a) Should I be worrying right now or is this just a really ugly wakeup call?
b) Should I just drop Calc AB next semester?
c) What should my course of action be?
How did you do in precalc and trigonometry?
Did you already ask your guidance counselor?
a) Course rigor increases as you progress along high school. If you are earning mediocre grades in your classes as a sophomore, strongly evaluate your future plans, such as what courses you will take in the future. If you continue on with a rigorous academic track, you will probably be in close to 5 APs next year, and things will be even more difficult. This seems to be a glimpse into the realities of a challenging curriculum, and the amount of energy it takes to earn strong grades in high-level courses.
b) Personally, I would take the C- for the first semester of AP Calculus and work to pull an acceptable (B or higher) grade for second semester. That being said, if you feel like you will do even worse second semester (D or below), then, by all means, drop the class, because a D will, at the very least, severely compromise your chances of getting into a highly-ranked university.
c) Please contact your teachers and set up dedicated conference/study times. Most teachers want their students to succeed and master the material and if they’re worth anything, they should be willing to expend extra energy to help struggling students like you. Also, being an AP class, your Calculus teacher wants you to master the material so you can pass the exam that goes on his or her “record”.
Also, in the future, unless you overcome the struggles you are facing right now, please don’t take AP Calculus BC, Calculus 3, AP Biology, or AP Chemistry. These classes all build on the information you are currently learning in the classes you are struggling with, and it would be very poor judgment to take them if you never mastered material they expect you to know.
I have seen this type of post many times…I am doing horribly in a college freshman class i am taking as a HS sophomore. Well here is your problem. You are not prepared.
Did you take precalc as a freshman? When did you take Alg/Geometry/Alg2? How did yo do?
Do you know for sure that you will be getting a C- in AP Calc and a B- in Honors Chem? Have you factored in every single grade that will be going into the grade book between now and the end of the semester? Will you be having midterms in both of these classes at the end of the semester? How much of your grade are your midterms?
I am also taking AP Calc AB and Honors Chem in sophomore year, they are both hard classes. Thankfully, I will end the year with As in both of them. However, if I were you, this would be a very very ugly wakeup call. My first tip would be to figure out what you did not understand from precal/earlier in AP Cal. For me, I didn’t properly understand limits during precal, and this translated to AP Calc. I had a B for most of this semester. Figure out what you don’t understand and learn it well. It’s not too late to understand an important concept that will pop up again throughout the course. What do you think you are missing in Honors Chem? Is there a mistake that you are routinely making on all of your tests? Figure that out and work on it as well.
Secondly, I would make sure to ace all of the remaining tests and assignments in both classes. This means that you have to study. What is your usual study method? It obviously isn’t working for you. Figure out what works best for you and implement it throughout the remainder of both courses. I would continue with AP Calc and work to pull it up to a B/A.
Also, just something that has been bothering me. You had 5 Bs in freshman year, were any of those in precal/alg 2/trig?
That would explain why you are struggling in AP Calc.