<p>I signed up for Math 1 because mathematics is not my strong suit, but I feel a bit silly doing so because I'm in AP Calculus AB. Like many CCers, I'm looking to apply to top colleges. Will admissions officers at these colleges look down upon me for taking Math 1 instead of Math 2? I'd certainly score better on Math 1 (like most, I suppose), but it probably looks bad that I chose to take 1 instead of 2. What do you think?</p>
<p>A few comments:</p>
<p>1) Admission officers will look down more on you choosing AB instead of BC, if your school gives you the option. Voluntary rigor matters a lot for top schools.</p>
<p>2) The mean score for Math I is actually 50 points lower than the mean for Math II, and that’s not so much because of the testing population but because of the curve. ETS doesn’t expect you to know all the topics in Math II, where studying pays off, but it expects you to be familiar with every topic in Math I. Don’t ignorantly assume you’ll do better because it’s ‘easier’.</p>
<p>3) Hopefully if you’re applying to top schools every academic suit is a strong suit. Well, ideally it should be.</p>
<p>Firstly, thanks for your response.</p>
<p>1) When I posted, I didn’t understand AB vs. BC. I assumed that what I was taking was AB, but it’s actually just “AP Calculus.” We don’t have AB and BC at my school. AP Calculus is the highest level math course offered (tied with AP Stats maybe, but that doesn’t have any prerequisites), so a lack of voluntary rigor won’t be a problem here.</p>
<p>2) Thanks! I didn’t know that. That’s actually a bit comforting.</p>
<p>3) I’m ranked 9 of out 390 in my class, so I do pretty well in all subjects. Math is just the subject that I do the least well in and the one that I am least confident about.</p>