I’m a high school senior and just finished my first quarter. My grades are ok, except I have a F in AP calc. I’m applying to Stevens Institue, NJIT, RIT, and Rensselaer and I’m afraid I won’t get accepted to any because of this. My mid-year report is going to be terrible, Is there anything I can do?
You could drop AP Calc. You could also try to get a tutor so that you could average a C or a B. You could also ask your teacher about extra credit opportunities. However, at this point in time, you should think about why you’re failing AP Calc, and if these schools are a good fit for you. As technology schools, they all expect a high level of math skill. Are you failing because you don’t understand the concepts, or are there other factors at play?
I asked my teacher about extra credit and he says he doesn’t offer EC. Also, I’m afraid of dropping the class because I don’t want the schools to see that I’m stepping down from a rigorous course. My first choice school is Stevens. I understand some concepts and are still confused about others. However, I’ve realized the main reason I’ve been failing some tests are because of silly mistakes. I also only understand a concept after watching videos or getting help from other students.
Meet with your teacher frequently, get a tutor or go to the touring center if your school has one, and work your butt off. You can only work on the things you can control at this point.
If you want a realistic chance of admission to the schools on your list you need to improve that calc grade quickly. In all honesty this should have been addressed a month or so into the class so going forward keep in mind that you should not let problems fester because they only get worse and worse.
As for your current situation – do you understand the material or are you completely lost? If you feel you understand the material to a large extent then i agree with the above advice…meet with teacher regularly, ask for extra practice problems, get a tutor, use online resources. If you can’t bring the grade up quickly then you should probably drop the class – even if you get into a college a D or F as a final grade is grounds to rescind an acceptance.
I would also speak to your guidance counselor and get his/her input. You may need to expand your application list. You may also want to see if you can drop down to a lower, slower moving level for calculus.
I will talk to my teacher and guidance counselor to see if there’s anything else I can do. If I average out the semester grade to a C or a B, would that still bring down my chances of acceptance? Also, wouldn’t the school still see the F from the first quarter?
Of course subpar grades will bring your chances of acceptance down; to what degree depends how bad you end up doing.
How did you do in precalc and trig?
I got a C+ (78) in precalc and trig was done within the precalc course
Dang. Drop it!!
Talk to your guidance counselor to see exactly what grades will be sent and what shows up on transcripts sent to colleges. But in general EA schools will get the first quarter grades and RD schools will get the first semester grades.
In all honesty a C+ in precalc will hurt your chances at these STEM oriented schools and I am surprised you were allowed to take AP Calculus with that grade in precalc. Is there a slower paced calculus class you can switch into?
I can talk to my guidance counselor about dropping to CP, but dropping down within itself will hurt my chances, so I’m not sure which route to take besides working super hard to bring my AP grade up at least to a B by the time the mid year reports are due.
Dropping down and passing is way better than AP and failing. Based on your performance in precalc and your saying that you don’t understand all the concepts being taught, I’d certainly consider dropping down. Before you decide talk to your current teacher and your guidance counselor.
Does your school have a Calculus class below AP? Could you move down? Your goal is no longer to try to show rigor. I hope that you are at least in A/B not in a one year B/C class. The only way to learn it is to do it. It is OK to supplement the teaching with video and help, but then you have to do lots of problems by yourself. Just doing the assigned homework will not work for you, you need to do more.
“I got a C+ (78) in precalc and trig was done within the precalc course”
To me this means that you were not ready to take AP calculus. I do not understand why a high school would allow any high school student to take AP calculus after getting a C in the preparatory classes, but I have certainly seen other cases of this discussed on CC.
This tends to make me think that you should probably drop calculus. I will admit that I don’t understand what you do next if you want to major in STEM at a school that is known for STEM. Dropping down to CP calculus seems like one option, which the understanding that you still will need to get a lot of help (such as tutoring after school). Hopefully CP calculus will go slower and will include some repeat of the preparation materials.
I was in precalc H and along with a teacher reccomendation, I got in AP calc AB.
I feel helpless…
Have you talked to your parents? Please don’t be sitting in your bedroom thinking about this all weekend. Go do something else. A conversation need to happen at your school on Monday, but going over it all weekend in your head won’t help you.
Calculus is calculus wrt college admissions. If your HS offers non Ap calculus, take it. It’ll be ok for the schools you’re aiming for.
The schools you’re applying to WILL NOT admit you with an F or D in AP Calculus. You’re better off trying for a C (or higher) in non AP Calculus.
However, a STEM heavy school like Stevens for a student who got a C+ in Precalc Honors may not be a very good omen. Widen your list - include other universities (Drew? Muhlenberg? Rowan? Perhaps Temple?)
BTW have you run the NPCs on each college on your list and brought the results to your parents to see whether they might be able to afford them?
(1) Get better, but that might not be possible.
(2) Accepting limitations is not the same as giving up. My NBA dream was shattered in junior high.