My kid is liking Calculus BC class and doesn’t want to drop it but can’t raise his grade average above 85, most kids are struggling and teacher is a strict grader, many are downgrading to Calculus AB. Some are doing well and making low 90s. How bad would it look on his resume among all 95+s on other subjects? Is it worth ruining rank? What tips would you offer to help him?
A solid B in a very challenging class should not be considered “bad” in any way, shape, or form.
The effect of one B on a 4 year GPA is akin to a pimple on an elephant’s butt.
Many many online resources exist, including Khan Academy and MIT OpenCourseWare.
Do more problems
Is your kid taking courses to learn…or is your kid taking courses to preserve class rank?
I would say…a solid B in a difficult course like this one isn’t a big deal. But clearly, you expect…or your kid expects…that all A’s matter.
I would concentrate on the fact that he likes the course, and is learning from it. Forget about class rank. The day after your kid graduates from HS, no one will care about his class rank. But completing this course might matter.
85 average is fine. How do you even know his average anyway? I never paid much attention to the grades until I saw report cards.
If you look at the Common Data Sets for colleges or read the admissions brochures, one thing comes through loud and clear. Colleges want to see that students have challenged themselves with a rigorous program. Seeing one or two B’s among a bunch of A’s in advanced courses indicates exactly that.
And guess what? A common experience among students attending top colleges is the realization that, when taking challenging courses with smart peers, they will not always be the best. They will get Bs on occasion. Or even a C. And the world does not end. Colleges want students ready for the challenges of college, who will take academic risks and grow from them, not grade grubbers who play it safe.
The exception would be if your child is miserable in the class or is working so hard for that B that he does not have time to enjoy being a high school student or to participate in clubs or sports. As long as he is happy, a B is okay. Make sure he knows you feel that way.
Most HS’s allow parental access to the grading portal. That said, my parents never looked at them either.
I’m pretty sure S’s HS had something like that but I never bothered to access it.
And @WorryHurry411 just FYI. My son attended a top 50 university. At orientation, the speaker clearly said to the parents “if your student got all A’s in HS, they should be prepared to get B or even C grades in college.”
This school is well known for grade deflation. My kid did very well there…but yes, he did get B and one C grade in college. So what?
85 average is pretty good. The most important thing is that he is learning the material and has no serious gaps. So, it is important that he go over the problems he missed. Best of luck!
And now, a message from Rant World:
Your kid likes BC and doesn’t want to drop it, but you ask if he should drop it? NO! What are you thinking? And good for him for being willing to stick to it. That quality will serve him well in his life.
This constant gunning after rankings instead of learning how to persevere when the going gets tough is NOT going to serve him well in college.
A B is fine. One B will not keep him out of any college. His grades will never go on a resume (or, at least, they shouldn’t). He wants to stay in the course. I’m not sure why this is even a question.
Calculus is hard. When I took it in high school nearly the whole class got a C or lower on the first test.
Good thing we didn’t all drop it. Poor teacher wouldn’t have had a class to teach.
My younger son took BC as a junior. He finished with an 89.41 average in the class. Even got a perfect score on the final. His teacher did not round up with grades. He took the B in stride and told her, “That’s okay. I got you a 5 on the exam.” He did, too. He got into nine schools, too. Took Calculus 3 as a freshman. Got an A. His high school teacher was quite proud.
I asked because he was conflicted that many good students were dropping out, not because they were failing but because everyone prefers better scores and better rank. He does too but he thinks he can improve his grade here, may be not to a 100 but at least a 90+. He is happy with Calculus BC but it takes more time and effort because material and teacher are more challenging than AB so it does adds stress that can be avoided. Most people are planning to retake BC in senior year.
I have a couple questions: 1) Won’t the withdrawal show on students’ transcripts? 2) Why do they and you assume that they’ll do better in BC in a year?
Everyone seems like quite a bit of a stretch…
Being challenged is a good thing. People who have never been challenged do not tend to do as well in college because they can lack effective study strategies, time management skills, etc.
I once again think it’s worrying that the class rank is the be-all end-all rather than acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in college and beyond.
As others have said, it is better to take challenging courses and do well in them. If rank is important, and the school calculates rank based on weighted GPA - that is, AP courses are weighted higher than other courses, then the student usually HAS to take the toughest courseload or risk getting a lower rank. Nothing wrong with that.
Why is class rank so important? Lots of people forget that for some states, the valedictorian in each public high school gets a full tuition scholarship to Flagship State. For others, being in the top ten percent means automatic admission to Flagship State. There are many scholarship opportunities that can be dependent on a high class rank.
Depending on the student and the school, the rest of the class, the family financial situation, etc., it is entirely conceivable that much could be riding on this one class.
That being said, add me to the list of parents who would encourage the student to stay in the class, buckle down, and try to raise the grade from the B to perhaps an A- There are many many very bright kids who have struggled in Calculus at first, and then, it clicks at some point in the year, and they return to their pattern of superior grades. Both DS and DD had friends in their Calc BC classes who asked them for help. They were glad to help, both because it was their friends, but also, as DS said at the time, because even though he got stellar grades, you truly have learned the material when you can explain it to someone else. Just because it comes easier for some kids doesn’t mean that others can’t eventually grasp it.
While true, looking at OP’s past history, it does not appear that Flagship State is the goal.
85 is fine. You want your child to be challenged. Colleges like that.