<p>This is my first thread on CC, I feel like this is appropriate to post so here goes…</p>
<p>I don’t know if my high school could be considered under-performing or anything - only about the top 20 students are really competitive, the average SAT score is around 1300, but many AP classes are available, including Calc AB and BC. I started 9th grade with Algebra 2 (two years ahead of our standard plan) and then took Stats 11th grade after pre-calc 10th. I originally decided early on (before spending time on this site) that I didn’t want to take Calculus, and I hadn’t thought it would be such a big issue. Right now my schedule looks like this:</p>
<p>AP US Gov (1 sem)
AP Macroeconomics (1 sem)
AP English Lit
AP Bio
AP Environmental
AP Seminar (Capstone program year one, new this year)
AP Studio: 2D Design
Photography (on-level)</p>
<p>I’ve heard a lot of people say that calculus is basically a prerequisite for schools like Brown when it is offered, which is my biggest worry. I’m looking to major in the humanities, but I’ve looked through past results threads and it really seems that everybody who has been at least deferred has taken some form of calculus.</p>
<p>My problems – If I switch Calc AB for APES or photography, I’m very scared of struggling with the courseload, to the point of being miserable. Taking 3 AP classes is generally considered “a lot,” and sadly most teachers assign work assuming that you won’t be occupied with more than 2 other APs. I’ve also heard that the work in AP Bio is quite dense, so I am considering switching it for Calc AB. Will taking APES instead of one of the three major sciences reflect poorly on me? Environmental science is in a direction I would like to explore more (environment/sustainability/development), which is expressed in my Common App; I was actually kind of excited to see what it would be like… Or should I just put on big girl pants instead and take biology with calculus? D:</p>
<p>There is no right answer to this, because there’s no way to do a controlled study, to see if your college acceptances would be different with or without calculus.</p>
<p>Do people get accepted into selective colleges without taking AP Calculus? Yes. However, as college acceptances get increasingly more competitive, I think it’s fair to say that anyone who gets in without calculus has something else in their resume that is very attractive to the colleges – they are athletic recruits, for example. Or their HS doesn’t offer calculus. For an average, competitive applicant – even one who is not planning on majoring in the sciences – not taking calculus will be a negative. </p>
<p>While you are taking a lot of APs, they are not considered the most rigorous APs. Economics, art, environmental, government are not the same as AP physics, AP chemistry, AP US history. And I’ve never heard of AP Seminar. </p>
<p>Brown and other selective colleges want to accept students who challenge themselves academically. What you are saying here is that you don’t want to do that. (In fact, an argument could be made that by opting for AB calculus you are not challenging yourself, since your school offers BC – something colleges will see.)</p>
<p>OTOH – and this is a crucial point to consider – it is highly likely that you could take calculus and AP bio and bust your butt and get As and still not get into Brown or other Ivies. It does happen, could happen, most likely will happen. So you could have a miserable senior year, thinking that this is the magic recipe to get into Brown, and still get denied. </p>
<p>You must be pretty good at math since you were two years ahead. Which, btw, is another thing the colleges will see when they look at your transcript.</p>
<p>Thank you for your replies.
I have taken APUSH this past year (along with honors physics, no AP yet), and macroeconomics and US government taken together are pretty much requirements for senior year as we don’t offer comp. gov or microeconomics. I do understand that it is more likely that I will get rejected from highly selective schools even having taken calculus and bio, it is just that I’ve been rather hesitant given that the reputation for our only calc teacher is not exactly a positive one, so I might have been holding on to the hope that I could just learn it properly in college. I know that the art must seem a bit questionable but it’s kind of a big area for me. As for Calc BC, whether it will be offered this year will depend on how many people have signed up. Thank you for your advice, it is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>I think it depends on what you hope to major in. </p>
<p>If you think you’ll be majoring in the humanities, I think it’s less important.</p>
<p>However if you go the Bio/ES route, then yes, you should absolutely take AP Calc instead of one of the first three if schedule permits. It will look better and could help you with prereqs for the concentration if you score a 4 or 5.</p>
<p>However if you plan on going the more creative route (Studio Art, Photography?) I would say skip it. If this is part of your “story”, AP Calc does not support it. BTW I’ve heard that AP Studio Art is very time consuming so I hope you are taking this class because you are genuinely interested.</p>
<p>I’ve never heard that AP Calc is a “requirement” for Brown or any other school unless it was STEM oriented.</p>
<p>Seconding @ormdad’s last point…honestly, a ton of people don’t have AP calc credit and end up taking MATH0090/0100 if they need to, which you won’t if you’re pursuing humanities. Don’t stress too much over that.</p>
<p>Trust me, I wish ormdad was right. I think it’s absurd that humanities kids feel pressure to take calculus when it doesn’t fit into their academic and career interests. This is an admissions trend I do not approve of.</p>
<p>BUT: Brown and other schools get so many applicants, and many of these applicants – including the humanities kids – have taken calculus and done very well. I know from conversations with admissions officers that not having calculus on your transcript does hurt your chances of acceptance. A transcript without calculus is a reason to deny (assuming your high school offers calculus). Yes, many kids without calculus get in, and no admissions officer would describe it in public as a requirement. But it kinda sorta is. </p>
<p>One question to ask your guidance counselor – will she check off “most rigorous curriculum” on your application if you do not take calculus? </p>
<p>ETA: This question has been asked and debated dozens – maybe hundreds – of times on CC. You might want to search for similar threads, and read advice.</p>
<p>We are in a similar position. My son is applying ED to Brown (for Engineering). This year he’s taking AP Calc BC and AP Bio (took AP physics last year) and our college counselor said “if you’re applying to Brown, you need to take AP Engilish as well”. So we changed his Senior year schedule. Tuesday. With a 9% acceptance rate, you need to do all that you can to show the school that you’re a motivated learner even in areas that you may not pursue after high school.</p>
<p>OTOH, before his school would agree to the schedule change, we got buy in from last year’s English teacher, and the AP teacher who also knows him well. If we thought he might not be successful in AP English (at least a B) we wouldn’t have done it. </p>