Should I do IB HL math and AP calculus?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

I am considering my Senior year schedule for High school. I was wondering if I should take AP calculus when I am already doing HL math. Here is some background information. My school is in a trimester schedule. Currently i do not have it in my schedule and i have 3 releases (One for each tri) and i have 2 zero period. I asked multiple teachers and seniors and got different responses. I am pretty confident in my math skills. I am rank 53/795. I kind of want to go to UT Austin. They have automatic entrance for being in the 6%. I am currently 6.67%. I estimated that my rank would go up to 34 by the end of next year without taking AP calculus, but with AP calculus, I estimate my rank to me 31. This is small different, but depending on how many people drop out, this small different can be the determining factor of 6% or not.

Benefits of doing both that i could think of:
It will increase my GPA and Rank by 3 spots
I won t be learning anything too new because they both are pretty much teaching the same things.
I will be reinforcing my math for the AP calculus and the IB exams.

The Cons of doing it that i came up with:
I will be giving up my 3 release periods plus I already have 2 zero periods.
It is only 3 spot increase in rank not that big of a different. (remember this is just an estimate)
Because I’m taking HL math, i can already take the AP calculus test without taking the class.

I keep going back and forth if I should take the class.

2

AP calculus and IB math HL have substantial content duplication, so it would look like grade-grubbing or something academically almost useless.

Note that if you choose your schedule for rank gaming purposes (admitted important in Texas, especially near the top 6% threshold), you may find that many of the students around you in the ranking did the same thing.

However, if your rank does rise from 53/795 to 31-34/795, then it will be a difference between 3.9% and 4.3%.

There are no other worthwhile AP or otherwise rank-improving courses you can take instead?

3

I was also told that I should do AP statistic, but I don’t know if that class would help or hurt my GPA.

4

Surely your high school has some document that describes how GPA for class ranking purposes is calculated, and how each course fits into the scheme. Ask your counselor.

5

My kid took both but not at the same time, there is not much overlap. If they do cover the same material, they approach it in different ways. I recommend taking both if you’re in an IB diploma program. At my kid’s school AP was a required prerequisite for HL.