<p>Then what math with I take my senior year? Calculus is what follows precalc, and everyone I’ve known who’s taken AB has told me it’s boring and slow, which isn’t something I want. Moving from gifted precalc to calculus is the standard order in my school. I don’t want to drop down a track… If I take AB, I can’t do the distance learning with GA Tech senior year. Physics is a strong suit, so I’m not worried about that… And I’ve heard that US history is much easier than world history because there is already a foundation of American history, as well as the study skills learned in world history. I feel adequately prepared for the classes I plan to take next year… I just want to ascertain that the courses I’ve chosen are good ones. It’s the standard order of things at my school, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best way… I just wanted another opinion. Thanks for the advice everyone 
@KiaraInNYC </p>
<p>@KiaralnNYC I disagree with taking AB completely, because of Physics C. Many students at my school go straight from precalc to BC and I did it. It is not a problem for those who are good with math, @yullari27 If you only take AB, you will do very poorly with Physics C because it is calculus </p>
<p><em>whoops ignore double post</em></p>
<p>^^Incorrect advice - Students who are simultaneously enrolled in Calc AB and Physics C-Mech do just fine, the classes are complementary if taught correctly. The laws of motion do not require anything beyond what is taught in AB.</p>
<p>There is also absolutely no way the incoming engineering class at UCLA has an average UW GPA of 4.0. That simply isn’t going to happen, not even at Caltech and MIT. Everyone is not going to be “perfect”.</p>
<p>@MrMom62 Look, my school is a math/sci magnet school and is one of the best in the country and requires BC as a co-req for Physics C for a reason. They are speaking of full Physics C, which means that they will need AB second semester and won’t have covered it yet.</p>
<p>@guineagirl96 @MrMom62
At my school, many kids in AB take Physics C. They do well, and anything that isn’t well understood math wise is gone over at the beginning of a unit. We’re lucky to have the teacher that we do. </p>
<p>Mr. Mom: that is what was reported to us at the orientation.</p>
<p>Since the maximum UW GPA is 4.0, to have an average of 4.0 would mean the EVERY admit would have had to have had a 4.0, unless it was somehow lost in a rounding error. That would mean something like the following conversation would have had to occur, and it did not:</p>
<p>Inside UCLA Admission: Let’s see… Intel Finalist, check. 36 ACT, check. SAT II Math 2 - 800, check. SAT II Physics - 800, check. AP Physics C-E&M - A and a 5, check. Calc BC - A and a 5, check. Wow, took a dual enrollment Diff Eq class, got an A, check! Uh oh, AP Lang, B+, guess this is an autoreject. Next!</p>
<p>They might have told you the 4.0 story, that doesn’t mean it happened. Never believe everything they tell you about admissions - they also tell you athletes, legacies, and developmentals don’t get a break.</p>
<p>“It’s been difficult to stay after or to early because it requires my dad to get off work early to pick me up, and that’s not something I’m comfortable asking him to do on a regular basis to do very many clubs or anything. I’ll have my license next year, so I’ll definitely amp up the EC’s and do a lot of service this summer.”</p>
<p>I agree completely with intparent. Yulla, you are setting yourself up for multiple rejections if you think the only schools that you can attend are the Ivies for rigor. A student, who can’t attend clubs because of transportation, but who makes it into the ivies, finds ways around hurdles. You don’t have athletics or any after-school activities so the application will lack the EC’s that the schools commonly see. FWIW-I’ve managed some of my children’s teams and their after school clubs, and students without rides or licenses/cars ALWAYS manage to get into carpools or rides. </p>
<p>You need safeties like your in-state schools. So far, I don’t see anything that stands out. The AP classes just show them that you were able to complete the challenging courses on your campus. Starting the EC’s late might suggest to them that you did these to pad up your applications. </p>
<p>We had a number of arrogant students, this year at our school, who applied to the ivies and considered the UC’s (LA, Berkeley, and SD) as safeties. (We’re in Southern California) After the decisions came out, and these students were rejected or wait-listed everywhere, there were long lines of kids, and their parents, at the counseling offices, yelling at the counselors, that they didn’t get in anywhere. No duh!! </p>
<p>The counselors all had their notes and records (Naviance) and emails indicating that they had counseled the students to apply to safeties, and these students hadn’t applied to ANY safety schools. Thankfully, my son listened, and was ecstatic when he got into his first safety. He was lucky because as a National Merit winner, he had a nice choice of good schools. A few students did manage to get in to some ivies and then were shocked when they didn’t receive scholarships to cover the $40 to 60k in tuition. They were angry that the counselors didn’t tell them that they wouldn’t win scholarships and that it would cost that much! </p>
<p>Our school sent out WEEKLY emails to the senior parents and seniors about costs, safeties, workshops, seminars, FAFSA app help, Common Appl help, updates and such that it was annoyingly informative. We’re still getting almost daily emails about everything; recently, the latest were on: getting all of our vaccinations records for the colleges; requesting final grades, etc. The counseling department has been amazing!</p>
<p>When the counselors tried to hand out applications for our local community colleges, the students wouldn’t even take them. Maybe they are all taking gap years. </p>
<p>Do yourself a favor and apply to a variety of schools. </p>
<p>"We went to the accepted students weekend at UCLA: they reported that the average GPA was 4.0 unweighted and 4.33 weighted for it’s admitted engineering class (similar to a number of majors). Average SAT score was 2330. "</p>
<p>The only way the AVERAGE GPA could be 4.0 unweighted would be if every single student accepted had a perfect 4.0. There is no way to get above a 4.0, so any GPA below 4.0 would bring the average down.</p>
<p>I find it hard to believe that every single accepted engineering student to a huge school like UCLA was perfect all through high school.</p>
<p>Two: Contact the engineering department at UCLA. This is the information we received from the UCLA engineering department orientation. I’m not making it up. The ooo’s and ahh’s were long. Every single student accepted at UCLA did not achieve this. It was the students who were accepted into engineering. </p>
<p>it wasn’t the average reported</p>
<p>Colleges like consistency so stick with your french courses. Chemistry is really competitive and fun (at least for me)</p>
<p>I’m definitely sticking with French, and I also never said I’m not applying to safeties. However, safety schools aren’t the ones I need to be competitive for and don’t have the competition I’d like help preparing for. I doubt any school’s average unweighted GPA is a 4.0… Not even Harvard claims that.
I just received my summer assignment and textbook for BC, so it’s locked in. I’m confident I’ll be able to handle the classes next year.
I would like to ask for advice on what to do about EC’s. I only have a few at this point because I don’t want to be a burden to other people in the clubs I’ve been able to join, because I don’t see that as carrying my own weight. However, I’ll be driving on my own next year and will be able to join as much as I’m able to balance with my courses. What would be the best route to make up for the time I’ve missed? </p>
<p>@aunt bea There is no way UCLA engineering has higher admission stat than MIT. Show us the source if you have.
@KiaraInNYC Most, if not all, the students in my D’s AP Calc BC class took Pre-Calc before that. There are also many students take AP Calc AB after Pre-Calc. Rarely someone take AB and then BC at my D’s school as it is a waste of time and there are better options.</p>
<p>There was a post that linked to UCLA’s Engineering entering class of 2009 that said the UW GPA that year was 3.79. That’s believable and I doubt it’s changed that much other than noise from year to year.</p>
<p>@billcsho not everyone is you daughter. I just don’t wanna see a student struggle and fail because of what other kids are able to do. The OP needs to worry about themself and no one else. Taking BC could be too rigorous and the OP might get a bad grade right after Pre Calc. There is a reason AB is offered in the first place.</p>
<p>@KiaraInNYC Read again. It is the whole class, not just my D. You should learn a little bit before posting. Most kids taking Calc BC are right after pre-Calc as Calc AB is the first half of Calc BC anyway. Some schools break down the BC into 2 sequential courses though.
Read this thread:
<a href=“What is the accelerated Math course sequence in your high school? - AP Mathematics & Computer Science - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/mathematics-computer-science/754825-what-is-the-accelerated-math-course-sequence-in-your-high-school.html</a></p>
<p>@kiarainnyc @billcsho At my school, it’s about a 50/50 split of students that go on to take AB vs. BC… People who make B’s or lower in Pre-Calc move on to AB or Stat, and those who have A’s are recommended to move on to BC. Those in trig instead of the gifted track aren’t allowed to go on to BC without a counselor recommendation and the permission of his or her current math teacher. My math teacher told me I have the work ethic necessary for BC and would be bored in AB. I am definitely taking BC. Kiara, what would you have me do? It would be senseless to take Stat and have a year in between PreCalc and Calculus… It would also not suit my needs to take AB and pass up on the opportunity to take higher level math at GA Tech my senior year. I understand that the course is very rigorous, but I also know my own work ethic, strengths, and weaknesses… I feel that BC is the better choice for me, especially as it’ll be concurrent with Physics C… The Physics C and BC Calculus teacher at my school share a lot of the same students, and projects/concepts often go along together with the way the courses are taught at my school. That’s why both my Physics B and PreCalc teacher recommended that I take the classes together. </p>
<p>@yullari27 Your plan sounds good. This is a typical path for accelerated Math sequence in high school. Also, Physics C would have a Calc pre-requisite or at least taking both at the same time. You would be doing fine in Calc BC.
KiaraInNYC is just another high school student from a school does not offer much AP, who joined this forum a couple weeks ago.</p>