<p>Hi guys this is my first post on CC,</p>
<p>I am currently a junior in high school planning to apply for MIT and am taking AP BC Calc.
I know that it is very important to get an A in calc classes for MIT Admissions,
However I skipped AB and went straight to BC from precalc
and so unfortunately I am getting B's in BC calc
(not necessarily a hard class for me but it is hard to juggle my other courses and ECA's and everything else that comes with High School) </p>
<p>Do you think MIT will look down upon my B or understand the jump that I have made and see it as a trying hard</p>
<p>(and yes yes I know that admissions to MIT or any other college is not based on any one factor especially not a single calc grade, and I AM keeping track of all the other parts of my high school experience, but it is still something that I was curious about)</p>
<p>Also if I do very well on the AP exam (5) would that affect how they view my grade in the class</p>
<p>thanks, and also any advice on MIT admissions or admissions in general will be greatly appreciated</p>
<p>Don’t worry about it. I’m an EA admit who got B’s in BC calc (I also didn’t take AB, and I got a 5 on the BC exam). B’s in a math class will not be the deciding factor on your admission to MIT as you said, but keep in mind that a 5 on the exam is also nothing special at MIT. You should aim for a 5 on the exam so you can get college credit and balance out your grade.
Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you so much, this has been a big encouragement to me.</p>
<p>You should think of it this way - yes, MIT (and almost any good school) will understand, but it also will not be impressed (the gist of what the previous poster said). What this means is that you have a lot to improve (meaning you should get to the point where not having the precise background for a class doesn’t bother you as much…since the supposed ‘background required’ for classes can be rather hazy).</p>
<p>As you go on, the background tends to be more a pointer as to what people at that level are likely to not know precisely, rather than a suggested ‘level’ of maturity for the class. For instance, a university will say that first year calculus is a prerequisite for a discrete math course, when in reality the subjects have little to do with each other. Calculus AB in theory is not necessary for BC, because BC covers everything anyway. But it can go fast. However, in the later years, everything goes fast, and you’re expected to have done your homework in advance about being at the appropriate level, and the only suggestions tend to be the explicit prerequisite knowledge that is most likely lacking in students of appropriate level.</p>