Maybe you should take AP Statistics as a senior, AP Calc BC is designed to be a full year calculus course, and AB a half year at college. Try to take biology, chemistry and physics–all three subjects, preferably before senior year to show your proficiency in them to colleges.
@Bubblylaugh : AP statistics is a class designed for high achieving students who can’t or won’t take calculus. A student who’s had calculus as a sophomore and/junior shouldn’t be taking stats. BC as a senior is extremely rigorous but a student could take diff eq if need be/offered.
Some high schools offer Ab OR BC but other offer those as a sequence.
I think the trifling con of your math plan is that it might be a bit redundant taking BC after AB because you know half the course material.
The BC test also has an AB score.
@bubblylaugh: you could read post 21, but, to expand, US high schools have two settings for the AP calculus class(es): some high schools offer AB then BC (covering the AB portion of BC in 11th grade, for instance, then strictly the BC portion in the 12th grade, like calc1 one year, calc2 one year, so that there’s no “repeat”), while others offer either AB OR BC as complete courses (AB over one year, or BC at college pace with calc1 in one semester and calc2 in one semester). The OP needs to learn what of these two his/her high school offers and take the necessary steps, either to spread out the sequence ending with AB or BC, or taking BC in the 11th grade and checking whether a community college offers differential equations or discrete math.
If you (OP) are able to take AP Calculus BC as a junior, you should consider it to avoid the redundancy and further progress your mathematical studies.
Some high schools (in the US, and in my state and many others) allow students to go straight to BC without AB.
how are your grades doing because ive seen many kids suffer by taking two many AP’s and getting all B’s when they could have cut off 1 or 2 AP’s and have gotten nearly straight A’s
@BucketsUCSC My grades are doing fine. I have not gotten a B since 3rd grade and I am very capable of more than 1 or 2 AP’s.
just asking because high school is a whole different ball game then middle school but if you think you can handle it go for it
@BucketsUCSC Sorry if I came across as rude. I just wanted to make my point. Anyways, I had a semi-rough first semester and brought all my grades up before report cards.
Can you take only calculus bc because it teaches everything in ab plus more material. Then you can take ap statistics in 12th grade
@cpresson1 Why would I take AP Stat after AP Calculus? AP Stat is for high-performing students who won’t take Ap Calculus
@tcuboundbaby At my school if you have taken calculus, the next step is AP Stat because it’s the only high school level math left.
@cpresson1 AP Stat is a lower level class than AP Calc. I will take either AB or BC in 11th and a DE math class in 12th.
@cpression1: tcuboundbaby has the right idea: AP Stats is for kids who can’t/won’t take calculus. It is NOT the next logical step for calculus. It’s a good class to have, but it’s important to take it in college, where it will go under “Relevant coursework” line on your resume, regardless of major. (And, not, AP stats doesn’t count for your resume - your future employer couldn’t care less what classes you took in high school).
From a college’s point of view, good sequences for 11th-12th grade include:
a) Precalculus (Honors/Regular) -> AP Stats [student who will not go into STEM]
b) Precalculus (H/R) -> AP Calculus AB or Honors Calculus
c) Precalculus H -> Calculus BC
d) Calculus AB-> Calculus BC
e) Calculus BC-> 1 or 2 DE classes from: Discrete Math, Calculus-based statistics, Linear Algebra, Calculus3/Multivariable, Differential Equations.
f) Algebra2 Honors -> Precalculus Honors (very, very common)
In sequences b, c, d, f, AP Stats could be taken as an elective; keeping in mind you should take Stats in college anyway, your time is better spent on another elective that will provide some stress relief or help you distinguish yourself by showing something you’re genuinely interested in and are taking even though you’re not required to (could be art, current events, shop, home economics, graphic design, etc.)
AP Stats should not be taken in replacement for one of the 5 core classes (English, Math, Foreign Language, Science, Social Science) that should be taken every year*.
- Math and Foreign Language are sequential, so if you reach the AP level you're considered as having completed the sequence, ie., if you complete AP Calc or AP Foreign Language as a junior, you could take the next level as a dual enrollment class (local community college?) or not take anything. Whether you do or not would depend on what you hope to indicate as a major on your application, how selective the universities you're aiming for are, how much time away from something else this class would take, and if you will be "doubling up" in a subject you can convincingly show is one you're intently interested in.
Some students who already reached AP Calc BC before senior year take AP Stats because it’s the only AP math left, but they should instead take a dual enrollment upper math class. AP Stats would not be considered “most rigorous”.
Well at my school if you take calculus ab as a sophomore, you take calculus 2/3 from a community college (we don’t have BC). Then as a senior, the only remaining class is AP Stat. I’m not saying they have to do that, that’s just the sequence at my school.
Rather than taking AP Stats, these students taking Calc 2/3 from community college as juniors should take Discrete Math and Linear Algebra.