In Algebra II first semester I got a 98 and in the second semester I got a 99. It was a breeze and so my teacher recommended me to take accelerated precalculus and AP calculus AB in my senior year at the same time. It’s currently the beginning of summer and I’m starting to get a little worried that I won’t do as well as I want to in the classes. I have a 4.00 and I really don’t want to mess it up, but at the same time I want to be an engineer and apply to a top-tier school, which is why my teacher recommended me to take AP calculus AB in the first place. Should I drop AP calc? Or should I just try to learn what I can from Khan Academy over the summer and hope it’s enough to sustain me in both classes? Help!!
Any way you could do precalc online over the summer?
Yes, but it’ll cost me $500 ($250 per semester.) And then I also have a good internship opportunity where I will have to show up 8 hours a day, 5 days a week during the summer. I really don’t want to give it up because I need more extracurriculars 
Can you do the problems in all of the topics quizzed at http://www.math.buffalo.edu/rur/rurci3.cgi ?
Precalcalus is a prerequiste to calculus for a reason. Do you know all the trig identities backwards and forwards? Calc requires a deep understanding of trig.
You can’t: the classes are sequential. You need to master precalculus before you can take calculus. Since it sounds like your school is on block scheduling, could you take precalculus in the Fall and calculus in the Spring?
Yes, we’re on block scheduling but it’s an A/B block schedule, not the 4x4 block which is what I think you’re talking about. I think I may just drop AP calc.
^^^makes sense
precal is compression of Alg2 and 3. that mean you won’t learn trig till second half.
Don’t do it. It would be akin to taking Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 at exactly the same time, even with the block scheduling.
Even if you are never able to take AP Calc AB in HS, that will not significantly impact how competitive you are unless you apply to very selective, STEM-oriented universities.
The thing is- I do want to apply to those types of universities. I’d love to get into MIT but I don’t think my chances are very high at this point, so I might as well just drop AP calc. 
If you want to apply to excellent STEM universities (look at Union, Clarkson, Lafayette for potential reaches/high matches) then you need to take precalculus over the summer and calculus senior year.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/2015601-what-us-universities-explicitly-state-that-calculus-is-required-or-expected-for-frosh-applicants-p2.html lists the small number of colleges that require or recommend calculus while in high school for frosh applicants. “Recommended” probably means that you should take it if available to you, but it looks like a tracking decision made back in middle school has made it unavailable to you, so it is less of an issue as it would be for someone who completed precalculus in 11th grade and opted not to take calculus in 12th grade.
Engineering course plans at most colleges start math in calculus 1.