<p>I know colleges don't want students to slack off during senior year, but I just don't think I'll be able to handle the workload this upcoming school year if I were to take Calculus BC.
Calculus AB was absolute hell for me, and I know I would have made an F (at the very least a D) in that class had my teacher given more tests in that class (and graded homework based on accuracy). So I KNOW I'm going to do poorly in Cal BC. I've taken almost all the math courses my school offers, and the only other option I have is Transitions to College Math...they start off teaching addition and subtraction there, so I really don't think I'm enrolling in that class. >_></p>
<p>I'm already taking 5 other AP classes (6 if I take Cal BC). I'm also in band, so that requires a lot of my time (especially during football season). I will also be working at home for several hours on medical research as an intern. And on top of that I have a club to manage at school.</p>
<p>I have no idea how I'm going to take care of all this, but I really do think it would be a HUGE relief if I dropped Cal BC. The other 5 AP classes aren't so bad, so I know I won't stress as much. And I'm going into science when I go to college, not math.
So would it be wise for me to drop Cal BC and take up another science course or elective (or even transitions to college math?)? Will colleges look down upon that? Everyone else I know is taking Calculus BC in their senior year, so I guess that's why I'm panicking....</p>
<p>All answers are appreciated, thanks in advance! :D</p>
<p>If you don’t feel that you’d do well in BC, then don’t take it. You seem to have a pretty rigorous schedule as it is. My S - current Yalie - took AB as a jr and then a math elective for senior year.
Just my opinion - but I think it would look worse to have a bad grade in BC than to just not have it there at all.</p>
<p>Why is this even a question if you know you are going to fail the class? It’s not going to be a severe detriment to your application if you take AP Stats or a math elective instead of BC. It will, however, hurt you immensely if you fail the class. Considering that you’re also taking 5 other APs, you don’t even need to take Calc BC. </p>
<p>I wish that people used their common sense before making an annoying and obnoxious “OMG I’m taking 6 APs but I totally feel as if I need to take this 7th one… but I’m going to fail it, circlejerk, circlejerk, et al.” post on CC.</p>
<p>You probably won’t get too far in science without a pretty high comfort level with math. Calc BC is not a particularly advanced class, and there will be many harder ones to come if a career in science is what you have in mind. Have you checked out the Kahn Academy videos for Calc? They got my son through both BC and multivariable. What are your other AP classes? Because just having an “AP” in front of them will not automatically impress adcoms, there are some which seem to be perceived as easy AP’s (like psych, enviro and stats), so swapping out one of them for BC and knuckling down senior year might be a good idea.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about taking it. My son only had AP Calc AB his senior year and was accepted. I think it’s more important to do well in the classes you take then what you didn’t as long as it’s a rigorous course load. I think 5 AP classes qualifies. My son had 4 AP classes his senior year (Calc AB, Psych, Eng Lit, and Stats) with Spanish III as his 5th class so I would say you can get in even with the “easy” AP’s" as yalemom15 indicated.</p>
<p>P.S. He will be pre-med and a Bio major and will start with what is basically Calc BC in the fall. Also, it may be impossible for some to take Calc BC. My son’s school didn’t offer it but he couldn’t take Algebra until 8th grade so I don’t see how he could have anyway. (Geometry (9th), Algebra II/Trig (10th), Pre-Calc (11th), Calc AB (12th)).</p>
<p>Sorry Supersizeme. I really didn’t mean to come off as obnoxious or anything…Everyone at my school is pretty competitive and judgmental, and I’m afraid of screwing up my schedule.</p>
<p>As you can see I don’t really trust or have confidence in myself. I guess I should start working on that. Anyway, thanks for the reassurance, it is very much appreciated. :)</p>
<p>@Yalemom15, I have not checked those videos, though I will look into them.</p>
<p>I’ll be taking AP Spanish 6, AP Literature, AP Physics, AP European History, and AP Computer Science next year.</p>
<p>I’ve also heard about the rigorous science courses in college, but perhaps I’ll be able to get a grasp on Calculus later on when I’m not so overwhelmed…Lol I can only hope ^^"</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who answered! This information was most helpful and very reassuring. I guess I’ll pick another elective instead of Cal BC…
Once again thank you, I really do appreciate it!</p>
I’m sorry but that advice is just plain ridiculous. The risk of his GPA dropping would hurt his chances way more than having the class listed on his application. What possible benefit would he gain by taking the class? He will still need to take at least one or two terms (if planning on pre-med) of calculus in college anyway. The only possible benefit is if he were to get in being able to take a higher level calculus class. Not worth the risk IMHO.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about it. In truth you don’t even need to take ap classes. My English teacher a two years ago told us about his daughter who got into Princeton. She took only two or three honors courses each year in hs and only took one ap, in English. She took higher level courses in the subjects that she enjoyed. She did well on the sat, like 2150, and did well on two subject tests. She came from a upper middle class family. She just had a great personality and is someone everyone wants to be with. She fills up the room. I met her and can attest to all of this. She even said her numbers and hs track record is similar to many kids at the ivies. So relax and have a good time in ha, this lifestyle will never come again. I am applying to all of the ivies and know how you feel and everytime I think of her and how you “have to slow down and enjoy life before it passes you by”</p>
<p>That is generally not good advice. Despite this young woman with the glowing personality getting into Princeton, the Ivy schools have 10-15 times as many applicants as can be accommodated in their freshman classes and a high GPA with rigorous course schedule for all four years is the number one basis for admission. I don’t see it a problem for the OP to skip BC calculus in favor of AB given all the other APs taken but you do need to take the most rigorous academic schedule available at your school.</p>
<p>As for the OP, skip the BC calculus if it will be torture but realistically, it is much easier than college math which will be required as a science major. Many students will re-take the equivalent of BC calculus after already having taken that course.</p>
<p>I just wanted to highlight this for future viewers of this thread. OP has taken calc AB already and has the opportunity to take calc BC senior year and is choosing not to. This is different than maxing out at calc AB senior year (like with kdog044’s son). Schools will see that you had the opportunity to take BC and you chose not to. The senior year schedule is very important in admissions (some say the most important single factor), it shows schools your level of intensity and drive in the months right before you are beginning your college career.</p>
<p>Many students get into Yale with just AB Calc (no BC). Top colleges do want to see that you’ve challenged yourself by taking a rigorous set of courses in the context of what’s available at your HS. You have certainly chosen an ambitious course load for your senior year. If BC Calc will put you over the edge, don’t take it. </p>
<p>I do agree, though, that if you think you can’t handle BC Calc, a major in science may not be in the cards. And if your application makes clear that you intend to major in science, the lack of BC Calc may indeed raise concerns around the admissions table. I suspect that most students who take AB rather than BC contemplate focusing on the humanities or social sciences.</p>
I don’t think that is necessarily true. For a biology major you only need one term of calculus (two for some medical schools pre-req’s). Now if we were talking about engineering majors it would be a different story. I think that humanities or social science students might not even take calculus in HS, let alone BC.</p>
<p>The answer to your question is obvious- do not take BC calculus if you thought AB was ‘absolute misery’. How did you do in AB? I assume you took the test?</p>
<p>How are you going to survive in AP Physics if you hate Calculus?</p>
<p>You only need one term, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take more. In my opinion, any science-focused student should at least take multivariable calculus … plenty of humanities and social science-focused students at Yale have taken that class.</p>
<p>Plus, if you don’t learn your calculus and end up going to medical school, you might end up like this guy:</p>
<p>Hey everyone, just wanted to point out I’m female, haha. </p>
<p>Anyway, I do plan on taking pre-med…I think the problem last year was that my schedule was pretty hectic, and I had poor time management. I started stressing over the workload, lost a lot of sleep, and ended up falling asleep various times during the last class of the day (which of course had to be AP Calculus AB). After that it was pretty hard for me to catch up with the remainder of the course.I’m ashamed, but that’s pretty much what happened. I don’t want to take AP Calculus BC if I’m going to end up doing the same things as last year…
I know there are more rigorous science courses in college, and I know I’ll have to take calculus again, but I’m hoping the schedule there will allow me to get enough sleep…at least enough to pay attention and actually learn in class. I’d even be glad to review Calculus during the summer after senior year since there’s so much spare time. And I know physics is challenging, but dropping BC would certainly be one less thing for me to worry about.</p>
<p>I just don’t want to come to school everyday feeling ready to collapse…I suppose that sounds dramatic…but my friends would always comment on how tired I looked, and my dad is pushing me not to take BC because he’s worried about me health-wise. :/</p>
<p>If you do take Calc BC, assuming your school does it as my school does it, you will spend the first half of the year doing AB topics anyway. The kid in my class who took AB as a junior and then BC as senior breezed through the first half of the year.</p>
I really didn’t mean to come off as obnoxious or anything…Everyone at my school is pretty competitive and judgmental, and I’m afraid of screwing up my schedule.</p>
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