Hello,
I am currently a junior. Senior year, I am on the path to take Ap Calculus-Ab. However, my precalculus teacher does not encourage me to go on and take Ap calculus because of my C’s in precalc. I am now confronted with my own desire to take Ap calculus and the fact that I may fail or earn C’s in Ap calculus next year. Would you suggest me to follow my own desire or to face reality?
Is there any possibility you could take pre-calc again over the summer? It doesn’t sound like you have a solid enough grounding to go on in Calculus.
We cannot unless we failed a semester of Pre-calc…
Why are you getting C;s in precalc? Are you doing the homework?
What do you hope to study in college?
If you didn’t take AP Calc AB, what woudl you take instead?
Is there another option to take pre-calc in the summer besides your school? For example, some time private schools might have summer courses you can take.
Yes, I am consistently doing my homework. It is due to the fast pace. Also, I hope to study in medicine. However, I am trying to keep my options open. I will have to ask my counselor if we have a summer pre-calc course. As of now, I don’t think we have a summer precalc course. Thank you for your time, if you could offer further advice I would greatly appreciate it.
Not to contradict what anyones saying but i took precalc and i barely use any of it in ap calc ab. I use much more things from trig. I studied countless hours but only pulled B/B. In my opinion precalc is not a decent indicator of success in calc ab or any calc for that matter. Before you take calc review your trig mainly just the functions and the unit circle and logs. ^calc 1+2 is required for most med schools so ap calc would be to your advantage
If I could take the calculus classes required for med school in college, why should I take it in high school? Do you know of any other advantage it has? For example, I know that if I take Ap calculus I will be able to skip over college introductory math courses (if I get a 4 or 5 on the Ap test) .
Being able to use that space in your schedule to take a class other than calculus?
On the other hand, for pre-med, you have to take calculus. Many other people will have taken it in HS…so if you take in HS, you will have a chance for a better grade in college which you need to keep your GPA up for med school. Some med schools won’t let you use the AP credits for med school pre-reqs.
Over the summer you can do an online precalculus course at Thinkwell.com. http://www.thinkwell.com/student
It is self paced and you can just focus on the topics where you need more review.
Usually (but of course, not always) only the case for science AP’s, but yes, for those med school’s that do not accept AP credit for math, that would be one reason not to take in HS.
There is a whole new list of requisite courses for medical school applicants that includes courses in the humanities. One should check to see if AP credits will suffice to fulfill these new required courses.
In this case, I think teacher may be right. You need to understand that the “fast pace” of your current precalc course is glacial compared to hyper pace of med school. Take a deep breath. Don’t go on to AP course if you’re struggling now. Try to solidify basics in precalc and perhaps regular calc as senior so that you’ll have a more solid foundation for college calc. Good luck.
My kid’s in the same situation OP, down to the med major. She’s taking stats instead.
You’re struggling because of the fast pace of a course that is still placed slower than an AP course. Your teacher is right - take Analysis if they offer it, or another math class, but you shouldn’t take AP Calculus unless you’re pretty sure you can get a B in it. And with a C in precalculus, it’s pretty clear you won’t get a B in AP Calculus… See if there’s a class you can take that’s in-between precalc and calculus, (like Analysis), if not, take another math class.
Calculus in college is about twice as fast as AP Calculus AB, and AP Calculus is significantly faster than most precalc courses. An @Jugulator20 is right. Med school moves at a pace much faster than any of those. If you are serious about wanting to get to med school, now is the time for a reality check. You can no longer allow yourself to make excuses like “the class is moving too fast.” You have 1.5 years before college starts. Learn how to really push yourself right now - once you get to college it will be too late.
As for medicine, you are required to take almost all of the 10 or so required courses in college, the only AP credits that most med schools will accept are for Calculus.
I’m a firm believer in facing reality and coming to grips with the best course of action from there. It does not look like you are grasping precalculus at a level that would serve you well to move on to Calc AB. I wonder if you have considered getting outside tutoring to help you understand where you are weak and need to work on more. Even though medical school requires calculus in college, most usually do not accept AP credit unless you earn a 5 on the AP test, And even then, material from high school Calc BC is usually part of the college calculus sequence, but taught at a faster pace. Different colleges have their own guidelines on this topic.For your benefit, I would recommend you learn precalculus at a proficient level so you don’t struggle with calculus. Can you get a tutor over this summer to do so and then see if that helps? If so, maybe you could take Calc AB next year as long as you have outside tutoring. If this does not help, don’t take a class that you are not prepared for.
Many students who get 5’s on AP science or math classes choose to take the first classes in a sequence at their college anyway. It makes for a less stressful introductory semester and also every school has its own sequence and way of teaching so that way you all have the same foundation.
You can major in any subject and still go to med school. Most schools do not offer a premed program for undergrads. Granted, you would have to do the prerequisites between college and med school, but you can, for instance, major in English lit or music if you like.
What are your strengths? What do you enjoy learning?
Many many students think they want to go to med school while they are in high school and most change their minds. It can sometimes be a result of not knowing much about the job market as yet: med, law and other professional schools are familiar.
There are also options like nursing, or the new field of physician’s assistant (well-paid and available to any major too), and EMT/paramedic.
Have you volunteered in a hospital at all?
I would not determine your senior year math based on future med school. I would suggest taking what you enjoy and are good at. Senior year is stressful for everyone and no need to add to it 
@rubberfall @compmom At this time I feel that it would be beneficial for me if I drop the Ap calculus course. I know that in reality I am not a mathematics person. I am an individual who would rather write and string words together. However, I’m sure we all agree that without the successful completion of math, one cannot hold the best jobs. I am an ambitious person and I tend to set goals that are unreachable, but I love to be challenged. I would rather sit in a class with students who actually care about their future and work my head off than sitting in a class doing nothing where no one cares whether they succeed or not. Thank you both for the advices!