I am a senior and just finished my first week of school, however, I really hate my schedule. I am taking 5 AP’s but for many of them, there’s only one class per day, making my schedule very rigid and unchangable. After talking with my guidance counsouler, she gave me multiple options for a new schedule and they all involve me dropping an AP class. I don’t like any of the schedules except for one, but it involves me dropping from AP Calc BC to AP Calc AB and I’m not sure if it’s worth it. By doing so, I would get a schedule that I absolutely love because I would have friends in all of my classes. I just don’t know how that would look like from a college admissions pov. I’ve been in the highest level of math my whole high school career by being in honors and taking AP Calc BC would continue this trend. Also, I am planning to either major in computer science or something STEM related so I feel like taking the highest level of math possible is something good to have on my transcript.
I just need opinions because all my friends are telling to keep my schedule but at the same time, I am literally all the way in the back for all my classes and have no friends. I tend to do better when I have friends in my classes because I’m not scared to raise my hand and I tend to get closer to my teachers. Please help! I need to make this decision by tomorrow morning!
My daughter faced a somewhat similar issue. In the end, she chose Calc AB. She adores her schedule. She loves her teachers. She has friends in her classes. She does not plan to pursue a math heavy major (possibly Biology). If she were looking to major in CS, math, physics or engineering, she would have made a different choice.
However, she knows that losing BC calc might lower her chances at some programs. I say “might” because for those tippy top programs, chances are so small to begin with that it might not actually make any difference. She was ultimately fine with that decision. She has plenty of colleges that she loves where it won’t matter at all. Only you can know that about yourself. The very top colleges, and top programs are looking for academic rigor. AB calc is not going to look as impressive as BC. But, there are hundreds of excellent colleges where it won’t make a difference. Those colleges might not be in the top 10.
I don’t think anyone here can make that decision for you.
If you are planning on engineering, stay in BC. While the above posters are correct that AB is usually rigorous enough, if your school offers BC and you’ve been in the highest math tracks, it may raise some eyebrow. It’s one thing if you are overwhelmed with your classes but quite another if you are switching your schedule just to be with friends.
Keep the BC Calculus if you are doing well in it. If you weren’t planning a STEM major I might say otherwise, but STEM admissions are very competitive.
omg Drop it! Get your friends and your good schedule!! No college is gonna look at you and say “Great student, lots of AP’s… seems promising… What’s this?! AB not BC! REJECT!” its still an ap class
In my opinion, one AP class in what seems to be an already AP schedule won’t change much. I think you should drop if that would help you in our other classes.
Probably because BC test takers are self selected as the strongest in math high school students. This is the same reason that the SAT subject test in math level 2 has a higher distribution than math level 1.
Am going to take the same quote as @mikemac and read it the opposite way:
To me, this screams: stay and do it! it’s a great way to stretch yourself and prepare yourself for the jump that you will be doing next fall. It’s hard for you to raise your head / connect with teachers without your friends beside you? Even if all your friends go to the same college (not likely) you won’t all be in class together. You will have to be doing this on your own in Sept- in a place where you don’t already know the system, where you aren’t at the top of the social ladder (1st year vs Senior!), and where you don’t have a really good bunch of friends that you can meet up with at lunch, at your ECs, etc. This is easiest way to start building the confidence that will make next fall so much easier and happier: you will know that you can do it b/c you have done it!
Is this assigned seating? are the social rules in your school inflexible, or could you move yourself to a different seat? are the social groups in your school set in stone (I know some schools like that, but not many), or could you become friendly with some of the other students in your classes? could you say to a couple people in BC ‘hey, want to review for the test together?’. That is a great way to get started knowing people next year also…
Don’t worry about “level of rigor.” Colleges will still see 5 AP classes on your schedule. Colleges will also know that at most schools many AP classes are only offered with a single section, so it might not be possible to take every AP class. You will still be taking AP Calculus.
My vote would be to drop down to AB, so you can enjoy your senior year. It’s not going to have a huge impact on college acceptances. For the very few where it could play a role, the acceptance rates are so low that it’s hard to say whether it really makes a difference - again, you’re taking 4 other AP classes! And what’s more, some of those top schools aren’t going to offer you credit for either class, just placement into a more rigorous Calc 1 class. If you are planning to attend one of those schools, AB will give you a more solid understanding of the first semester of Calculus, while BC will cover twice as much material in the same amount of time. How solid will that foundation be? The reason so many students do well on the BC exams is that many of them took a sequence of classes, starting with AB and then taking BC. I would expect them to be well prepared for BC.