Im currently a junior taking Honors Precalculus. My school offers AP Calc AB, BC, and Multivariable (some juniors are already taking multivariable). Next year I will be limited to Calc AB only, but have maxed out every other subject’s rigor. If applying for business majors at top universities, will I be shot down?
No, Calc AB is fine.
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If you take the highest available to you (calculus AB), that looks better than if you stop taking math before getting to the highest available to you (i.e. if you stop after this year and take no math senior year).
Business majors usually do not need math higher than single variable calculus (and many colleges offer an easier calculus for business majors course). So calculus AB in high school is fine, and a high AP score may fulfill some of the math requirement for a business major. The exception is if you want to go into quant finance or some such, where you would take substantially more math and mathematical statistics than is ordinarily required for business majors, but calculus AB is fine even in that case.
Note that some “top” universities do not offer business majors, although economics is often used as a substitute at such schools, and the economics departments may offer more business-adjacent courses in addition to the more usual liberal arts / theory / research emphasis economics courses.
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AP Calc is fine for almost every college (other than MIT, Caltech level STEM majors).
Business students do not need to take more than one semester of calculus which AB should cover.
Even MIT and Caltech do not specify that calculus needs to be higher than AP calculus AB. For example: Academic Requirements for First-Year Applicants | Undergraduate Admissions
Just a hunch that most successful STEM applicants to MIT, Caltech have taken the highest level math offered at their HS. But that is besides the point. Bottom line is as a business major the OP is fine.
No damage. You’re fine.
I do not think any school will ding you for not being in the “top” math group when you are taking the highest level you can based (presumably) on where you tracked through middle school. That was mostly out of your control and relates to decisions made years ago. It could matter for a student who had the option for BC calc and took Stats instead, or the student who opted for an easier versus harder group of APs. But in your situation, as you have described it, you have maxed out every where you are able. Keep your grades high and don’t focus on the things out of your control.
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