Hello,
I am aware that this topic is unrelated to Duke admissions, but I am currently at a critical stage in deciding my math class for senior year. My question is: is there anyone here that did not take Ap calculus but still got accepted to Duke university? I am worried that if Duke looks at my Junior class schedule, they will look down upon the fact that I didn’t take Ap calculus and that I chose to take a regular math class. Also, do you guys consider taking Ap calculus on high school a benefit or is it just a class that’ll increase stress for nothing? Last thing: I personally would love to take Ap Calculus, but unfortunately, according to my grades and well as my precalculus teacher, I will fail Ap calculus if I choose to take it. Any advice? Thanks so much for the inputs!
If you have not done so already, please watch the following Forbes interview with Duke’s Dean of Undergraduate Admissions: http://www.forbes.com/sites/troyonink/2014/12/19/dukes-dean-of-admissions-who-gets-into-top-colleges-and-what-makes-the-difference/
Please also review “Key Characteristics We Seek” and “Who We Look For” on this Undergraduate Admissions webpage: http://admissions.duke.edu/application/overview
I respectfully suggest this important guidance may help to resolve your question. It’s no secret that Duke highly values challenging the most rigorous courses provided by your secondary school. However, I suspect an F would be catastrophic.
There’s probably plenty of people who didn’t take AP Calc that got in. Though the rigor of your courseload is significant, not taking 1 particular AP class is definitely not going to give you an automatic rejection, especially if you consider math to be your weakest area. The rest depends on your actual GPA, class rank, EC’s, test scores, essays, etc.
I wish you luck!
Thank you both so much! I really appreciate your answers, it helped me greatly!