<p>I'll give you a little bit of background. I'm currently a junior. A couple days ago, my precalc teacher approached me and recommended I take AP Calculus next year. I'll be honest, I've never considered myself a math whiz. On practice SATs I usually get about a 650-690 on the math section. All the math classes I've taken in high school thus far have been college prep. I've gotten A's in them, but they're still not honors level. That being said, I find precalculus absurdly easy- I have a 98 in the class. Something about precalc just clicks with me. However, I have also heard that AP calculus is in a whole different ballpark from precalc. I think that the class would be a good experience; however, I would want to get a high grade in the class and get a 4 or a 5 on the test because I don't see much point in taking it in high school if I have to take it again in college. I'm not sure how realistic that is considering my previous stats. Has anyone here been in a similar situation?</p>
<p>As a senior, I can say I’m in a similar situation as you. I’ve never taken precalc so I don’t know how it’s like, but I am taking AP Calculus AB at the moment. I’m not that great at math, but I’ve been able to handle Trig, Geometry, and Algebra decently. AP Stats was pretty easy for me, but there’s not too much math there. Right now, Calculus AB is not easy for me. If you’re going to take the class, I recommend you take it seriously and put aside a few hours a week to study. If there’s something you don’t understand, get help. Don’t just leave it alone. Once you miss a lesson, it’s difficult to get back on track without knowing the previous lessons. With hard work, I think you should be able to handle it.</p>
<p>Thanks, tabbyt. I got a B+ in geometry my freshman year, but I was going through a rough patch at that point. Algebra 2 was pretty straightforward, and I got an A in that class, but I definitely made an effort. None of the AP’s I will definitely be taking next year (English, Spanish 5, and Stats) require excessive amounts of time, so I’d have some to put aside for calc. So many decisions!</p>
I decided to take AP Calc instead of Stats, and I love it! I’m doing well in the class and it’s very interesting, even though I wouldn’t call myself a math person. To any unsure kid reading this- go for it!