<p>I have a C right now in Math 4AP/ BC Calculus. The first two tests I made some stupid mistakes and now my grade looks pretty bad. I have never gotten high grades in AP math though, my overall grade should be a B-, which is what I have gotten the past few years. I was thinking about dropping down to AP Calculus (AB) but I already know half the stuff. I have little doubt I would get an A, but I really like my BC calculus class. The math department head said it would be a half of a year before I learn anything new. I talked to my math teacher and he said that I might wanna just drop into AB just because I want to have a relaxing senior year. My counselor says I should stay in because I shouldn't let Admissions Officers dictate what I want to learn in school. He said he would be willing to write a letter to colleges if I stayed with the class and tell them I am not slacking off and that I am trying hard but off to a slow start in math. Would having a C or C+ for one quarter in BC Calc be a really bad on my transcript? Usually I have the whole year to pull up my math grade if I get off on a bad start but since colleges look at first two quarters they might not like it. On the other hand they see that I dropped a challenging course for an easier one.. I am very frustrated and don't know what to do.</p>
<p>it depends on what colleges ur applying to. If its an ivy, yes, it will look very bad.</p>
<p>probably not ivys since i wont get in
schools like brandeis, boston univ, boston college, bates, tufts
i want to learn and i love the class, but if it will really hurt my chances at these schools i will drop
btw would admissions people get mad if i switch from bc to ab because its less challenging?</p>
<p>switch to ab, theyre both ap cal(a pretty upper level class) so i cant hurt too much, and you will have much more free time in ab</p>
<p>ok yeah it makes sense to drop, ab will be a breeze for me and it will take a load off my back with college apps
do you think colleges would care that i dropped from bc to ab? i have 3 other aps btw</p>
<p>ok i dropped and ab calc is really easy... but my whole quarter grade depends on the next test, so i better not mess up. im kind of scared ill do stupid mistakes and get some stuff wrong from being over confident and go through everything really fast :(</p>
<p>I have some concerns though. I am scared that the withdrawl looks bad on my transcript. I have taken AP math all 3 previous years and now I am dropping a level senior year. I hope colleges dont think that I'm slacking off....</p>
<p>A C in AP calc BC looks good on the transcript. The #1 thing colleges look for is rigor of cirriculum, not grades.</p>
<p>bc calc = hell. so much work, i have a huge test tomorrow, its just not fun.</p>
<p>plus, my teacher's a tyrant ;)</p>
<p>Talk to your school - many high schools will not report that you dropped a class if you do it before the first marking period. So it may just read on your transcript that you took AP calc AB. But make sure to talk to your guidance counselor asap.</p>
<p>OK, I'm a parent, but I'm surprised at the answers...is it really better to get a higher grade in a lower class? That's not what I'm telling my children, I'm telling them a B in the higher class is better for them than the A in an easier class...consequently my oldest will most likely graduate not with straight As? I simply cannot fathom that a school would choose the straight A student over a student who really pushed themself if all other things are equal. If this is true then I must admit I've lost my faith in the American educational system :-( I would guess the kid who really had to push themselves to eek out that B+ over an easier A is also more ready emotionally and academically for college, too. Plus wouldn't ACT/SAT scores prove that out?</p>
<p>I agree with the above parent. I would never choose a higher mark in an easier class over a chance to push myself to learn more things (hence I'm not a straight A student)
however I would also suggest the person to drop BC, first of all, there's a distinct difference between B and C (GPA wise C is a big burden) and even though idealy university admission system should recognize the effort, in reality they rarely do. in a competitive application pool, a C mark is more likely to be viewed as "slacking" or "can't absorb the material" than "challenging to be the best", and as a senior students all these things are just reality that we'd have to consider when choosing courses and filling out applications.</p>
<p>I totally agree about wanting to challenge myself. I wanted to keep BC because it was a great class but I was thinking that admissions officers would not be very happy with a C in BC Calculus regardless of difficulty. The difference would be an A and a C which is a pretty big jump. If I had a B in BC obviously I wouldn't even consider dropping but a C is a whole different story isn't it? I guess I will try to see my counselor tomorrow about this. I knew if I finished with a B- for the quarter but would it be worth the risk? I guess I chose to go with AB just to be on the safe side. I REAAAALLYY hope admissions officers don't judge me based on this. I have 3 other AP courses so it is not like my schedule is easy, if anything I have a more demanding schedule this year than any other year.</p>
<p>Top colleges want As in the hard courses, rather than As in "easier" ones. That being said, I think AP Calc AB is considered a hard course.</p>
<p>If AB were still considered hard then that would be good
I emailed the admissions officer about it and my whole dropping math situation and I hope I get an answer back. Was it a good move for me to tell the specific admissions officer of our school that I dropped BC for AB?</p>