Is it really worth it to take Calc BC junior year instead of senior year?

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<p>Is it really worth it to take Calc BC junior year instead of senior year?</p>

<p>A private tutoring company is offering to basically guarantee me a 5 if I enroll in their year-long AP Calc BC class this year. It would cost about $1,200. Their reasoning is that colleges want to see I can get a 5 in AP Calc BC before my senior year. Would it be more worth it to take this than say, self-study, Computer Science and Statistics instead? My school would let me skip a year of math in my senior year. Is that desirable either?</p>

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<p>Getting a 5 in AP Calculus BC as a junior will allow you to take college sophomore math at a community college as a senior. This can be helpful if you intend to go into a math-heavy major.</p>

<p>But why the private tutoring company? If you will reach calculus as a junior (two years ahead of normal, having completed precalculus as a sophomore), you are probably one of the top math students in your school. Why not just take AP Calculus BC at your high school (or college freshman calculus at a community college)? If you are a top math student, you should not find it to be so difficult that you need additional tutoring.</p>

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<p>^At my school, you generally don’t get to skip math classes unless you can show evidence that you know the material well enough (the only people I know who did this did well on the AIME, made USPhO semifinals, etc.) or you pass the AP Calc BC exam. So if you were placed into pre-algebra in 7th grade like me, those would be your only way into getting into a math class a year ahead.</p>

<p>I would suggest learning calc on your own using a textbook or prep book instead of paying over a thousand dollars, which is what I did.</p>

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<p>Why pay $1000+ when you can just get a Princeton Review book for $20?</p>

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<p>@ucbalumnus My school does not let kids skip math classes.
@777Blue77 silverturtle and others recommend against self-studying Calculus BC. Princeton Review is inadequate for me.</p>

<p>thanks everyone though!</p>

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<p>If you don’t want to self-study it, I recommend the [Art</a> of Problem Solving](<a href=“http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/School/courseinfo.php?course_id=calculus]Art”>http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/School/courseinfo.php?course_id=calculus) course if you’re really up for a challenge. It’s $500 including the textbook (which I used to self-study calc), making it less than half the price. Be warned, the difficulty is about 2x or 3x that of a normal AP Calc class (not to mention the AP test), so if you don’t have that kind of time/motivation, then go ahead with whatever you’re doing.</p>

<p>(The other online courses I know of, EPGY and CTY, cost more than $1200…)</p>

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<p>What math would you be skipping? If you have completed precalculus, you should be ready for calculus BC or freshman calculus in community college. If you have not completed precalculus, jumping into calculus may be difficult.</p>

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<p>I have not completed precalc in school, but right now I’m taking the summer precalc course (its pretty thorough) at the same tutor company that offers Calc BC. My school used to let kids take Stats and Pre-Calc in the same year, but budget cuts have forced counselors to enroll kids in a less flexible program (each kid in only one class means less classes and less money expended on paying teachers).</p>

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<p>Then you won’t be skipping any math course if you complete precalculus in summer and start calculus BC in the regular school year at your high school, right?</p>

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<p>Would anyone recommend self-study AP Cal BC?</p>

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<p>^Not unless you have knowledge in and a good foundation in AB</p>

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<p>“Then you won’t be skipping any math course if you complete precalculus in summer and start calculus BC in the regular school year at your high school, right?”</p>

<p>I’m taking precalc at the private tutoring company. It doesn’t count for school credit obviously.</p>

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<p>To clarify, I did geometry in 9th grade, Algebra II in 10th grade, and will be taking the Precalc in my school for 11th grade. I am doing precalc over the summer at the private company too so that I can start the year-long class in Calc BC.</p>

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<p>If the summer precalculus course taught you the material properly, then just change to Calculus BC in your high school for 11th grade instead of repeating precalculus. (Or take freshman calculus at a community college if your high school scheduling does not work out.)</p>

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<p>“If the summer precalculus course taught you the material properly, then just change to Calculus BC in your high school for 11th grade instead of repeating precalculus. (Or take freshman calculus at a community college if your high school scheduling does not work out.)”</p>

<p>My school does not let kids skip a year of math class. It’s just their policy. My school doesn’t give credit for any classes taken at community college unless it’s Spanish, Chinese, or French.</p>

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<p>Then take the CC course and the AP exam. (Yeah, my school is the same way.)</p>

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<p>You aren’t skipping, since you have completed precalculus.</p>

<p>If the school is still obstinate about it, then don’t take math at your school and take freshman calculus at the community college.</p>

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<p>^Instead of taking no math, you could also</p>

<p>1) coast through precalc
2) take AP Stats instead (if your school makes you take math and you don’t want to redo precalc)</p>

<p>I did option 2 last year.</p>

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<p>If you can take Multivariable Calculus at your HS (which is usually Honors if offered at a HS, if you’re concerned about GPA), or at a college, BC looks a lot better. If it’s just BC then AP Stats, well, looks better than AB/BC, but not a huge thing. I’d still advise the BC/Stat over AB/BC because 80% of the BC stuff is repeated from AB.</p>

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<p>I am going to do Calc BC at the tutor place, coast through Precalc, and do AP Stats for senior year so I don’t look like a slacker for not taking a math class senior year. :P</p>