<p>I'm interested in applying to many engineering schools including MIT. However, I have a rigorous senior year schedule with double AP sciences and many other AP courses. I want to take Calc AB instead of BC because BC takes up 2 periods a day which means I can't continue taking a foreign language that I really love. </p>
<p>Would MIT and other engineering schools even consider my application despite not taking calc bc? I have other strong science ecs and math grades that prove my abilities but I think I am at a disadvantage especially since most kids in my school are taking multivariable next year.</p>
<p>No, not from what all the various MIT students and alumni have said to me. It is, however, highly desirable to have some exposure to calculus. They want to make sure you can pass the general requirements, and aside from that, find some aspect of math/sci/engineering you shine at, and be sure someone can recommend that aspect of you to MIT. </p>
<p>This is all compiled from what I’ve heard the knowledgeable ones on this board say. This is all more important than taking any specific schedule.</p>
<p>You do not need to take Calc BC in order to be considered at MIT – many students at MIT come from schools where AB is all that’s offered, and a few come every year with no calculus at all.</p>
<p>You can explain in your application that you had to choose between taking BC and taking the language class that you want. It won’t put you out of the running for MIT.</p>
<p>I doubt not taking one course would make that much of a difference, I’d say letting your personality shine through in your essays is probably more important.</p>
<p>I’d highly recommend taking Calculus BC. Continue studying the foreign language on your own time and you can pick it back up in college. Otherwise if you insist on taking AB, then I recommend you take some time at teh end of senior year to self study the BC component and take the Calc BC AP exam. </p>
<p>If you’re very serious about science/mathematics (I assume you are as you are applying to MIT), it’s in your best interest to aggressively move through the basic fundamentals (of which calculus is one of).</p>
<p>Of course they’ll consider your application regardless of whether you sign up for BC. But I think, especially after talking to some of the science dept heads at my old HS which use to send 10-15 to MIT every year and last year sent much fewer, the emphasis seems to shifting back to demonstrated ability to work at a very high level in science and mathematics, and away from the “well-rounded” type stuff.</p>
<p>Another option is to take the foreign language and study calculus on your own time of course. I’ll say one thing, and that is you should expose yourself to as much good stuff in math and science as you can before going to a school like MIT.</p>
<p>thanks for all the advice everyone! hmm my school just started offering up to multivariable next year since there are about 30 kids in my grade who can take it </p>
<p>also how much does MIT value recommendations? if I take AB I can get a very good recommendation from my 10th grade math teacher who loved me b/c she teaches it… otherwise I’m going to get a just a mediocre rec from a science teacher. that’s also another issue besides the language thing and my intense senior year schedule hmm</p>
<p>I’m definitely going to self study the C component no matter what happens but MIT wouldn’t know/care and might overlook my application.</p>
<p>First, you could get a letter from your 10th grade math teacher regardless of whether you take AB or not. There’s no requirement that letters come from junior/senior year teachers – you should get the best recommendations you can, regardless of when the teacher had you in class.</p>
<p>Second, if you self-study the BC parts, you can (and should) absolutely tell MIT, and they will absolutely care.</p>
<p>I would, however, recommend if you can have contact with the same teacher twice, to do it. Especially when it’s a question of taking calculus or not – taking it is just a much wiser choice, but for very, very few exceptions.</p>
<p>Someone who really likes you and sees you working with more complex material tends to benefit from the experience to say more about your thinking process. For instance, someone I know was doing stuff like himself fiddling with stuff like the Borsuk Ulam (about continuous maps and antipodal points on circular things) Theorem in calculus class. Very enthusiastic guy and was at a level of reasoning far above what his class covered, and that was evident to every teacher who had him for math.</p>
<p>Your teacher may like you, but the more you give the teacher to say, the better.</p>
<p>Ack. No, you do not need to talk Calc BC. I did not.</p>
<p>In fact, saying “I chose this thing I really enjoyed over trying to make my application look better” gets you an A+ in the attitude column. (Not that there is actually such a column, but you know what I mean. It reflects better on you as a person who truly enjoys learning.)</p>
<p>^I’ve probably told this story before, but I chose to take show choir senior year over taking AP Biology. And those of you who know me in person probably realize how difficult that was for me – I cried when I found out they were scheduled at the same time. But I loved show choir, and I couldn’t give it up.</p>
<p>Of course, I made that decision knowing it could potentially keep me out of highly selective colleges. I was okay with that choice.</p>
<p>Lauran: The idea of getting an “A+” in the attitude column is a little ridiculous. Taking Calculus BC is not about “trying to make my application look better.” Calculus is an extremely important branch of mathematics that applies to effectively every single field of science and engineering. Time invested taking Calculus BC would not in any way be a waste. Sometimes you do have to give up things that are really “fun” to do things that will build the foundations for your career. And I don’t mean short term career, I mean long term.</p>
<p>To the OP: It depends on what kind of person you are honestly. If I were in your shoes though, I would eat up as much science and mathematics as possible at this early age, and try to really solidify those foundations. That’s what I did, and when I came to MIT it gave me a huge boost in general, as I had already mastered many of the concepts taught in the 1st and 2nd year and was able to move on.</p>
<p>… that’s correct. Everyone who takes Calculus AB instead of BC destroys their long-term careers and are clearly uninterested in science. In fact, if you don’t pass out of 18.01, you’re screwed for life!</p>
<p>In other words, I second Laura’s response and Mollie’s response.</p>
<p>(Also, one of my recommendations was from my sophomore English teacher.)</p>
<p>I actually know this one, wow. No, you don’t. My school doesn’t even offer BC and a senior got in. But I would imagine it doesn’t look good if your school actually has it and you don’t opt for it.</p>
<p>hmm thanks for the opinions yea its really bad if about 35% of my grade has had at least BC calc by senior year >.< at this point I’m leaning more towards AB and then taking C online second semester of senior year. has anyone done that before? also I’ll have my counselor explain my calc decision in her rec, would that help?</p>
<p>I can’t promise MIT would be sympathetic, but I did something similar and got in. I took calculus BC through CTY Online, and I didn’t get any school credit but my guidance counselor mentioned it in my recommendation. There’s a difference, though… I had already finished the course when I applied, so I could put an A in the self-reported grades section, not just a promise.</p>
<p>(Personally, I don’t know how this works and I’d listen to Laura and Mollie.)</p>
<p>hm I checked CTY and the tuition is very expensive that’s why I wanted to take just Calc C online but I’m thinking I should just take Calc AB in school and Calc BC concurrently online just so I can at least get some self-reported grades in from Calc B for the mid year report.</p>
<p>@findis: did u take BC in 3, 6, or 9 months? did CTY actually teach u/have quality teachers or was it completely independent study?</p>
<p>You can self study Calc BC. The first semester is the same as Calc AB. Its been a year since I took the class, but if I remember correctly, the only things not in Calc AB in BC are series and sequences, and the integration by parts/trig.</p>
hmm my school just started offering up to multivariable next year since there are about 30 kids in my grade who can take it 
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