Should I take AP Calculus?

Applying to College
1

<p>I got a C+ in honors precalculus. The first term I got a C, but second term I got into a good study habit and gave an honest effort and got a B+.</p>

2

<p>AP Calculus AB and BC are both very difficult, so if you take either one then you reaaallllyyy can’t slip up EVER. Do you genuinely like math? Have you gotten A’s on previous math courses?</p>

3

<p>I’ know a couple friends who have taken the course, they passed and received credit for 2 calculus courses. So I am guessing it’s AB and BC in one year. Yes, I do like math, it’s my favorite subject. My course beofre I took honors precalc was honors algebra 2 in which I got a B+. Should I give it a shot? And how much harder is AP Calclulus than honors precalculus?</p>

4

<p>You should ask advice from your current instructor. </p>

5

<p>Yes, ask your current teacher. If you got a C+ the first term and with a ton of work got a B+ your second term, my suggestion would be to consider taking AP Calculus AB, and NOT BC. AB is a semester’s worth of college calculus spread out over the year. BC is the equivalent of a college year’s worth of calculus. So BC moves at twice the speed as AB. With how hard you had to work in precalc to get that second B+, AP Calc AB may be a better move in terms of rigor and GPA. We heard from many, many HS colleges that unless you are applying for an engineering-type program, they really don’t care if you take AB or BC, as long as you take a calculus class.</p>

6

<p>Take AB, not BC. Calculus BC Honors (we don’t have AP classes) is the only course that I have ever regretted taking.</p>

7

<p>Note that BC over one year is approximately the pace of calculus in college, while AB covers material at a slower pace.</p>

8

<p>AP Calculus BC covers AB and BC concepts. You can take BC if you think you can keep up with breezing by AB concepts.</p>

9

<p>Talk with your math teacher, see what they recommend and if there’s another math class you could take.
in my opinion, as someone who had trouble with higher-level math, with a B+ in Algebra 2, a first semester precalc at C+ and with tons of work a B+ second semester, I would say calc AB or AP stats. Colleges won’t be impressed with a calculus class if you don’t get a B or more in it, and calculus is much harder than precalculus (there’s roughly the same gap as between algebra 2 and precalc if you take “regular” calculus, and if you take Ap Calc the difference is even starker.)
If your only choice is Calc BC, don’t take it, you’ll be in over your head. Very few seniors take Calc BC anyway overall.
What other math choices do you have?
What major are you thinking of?
(If you’re thinking humanities, social science, or art, statistics may be a better class to take. Calculus would be better for anything involving STEM fields.)
What universities are you thinking of (since their level of expectations can vary a lot)?</p>

10

<p>

</p>

<p>If your major in college requires calculus, you will have to take a college calculus course which will move at BC pace, if you do not fulfill it with AP credit. Taking AB if available may be a more gentle introduction to calculus than either BC or college calculus.</p>

11

<p>First, ask your current teacher for recommendation. I would definitely suggest AB over BC Calc (one vs. two semesters of college level calculus.) A better fit for you may be AP Stat or AP CS. Also look at college and major. Last year all of my school’s BC students got 5’s; however, those accepted to MIT, Caltech, and Stanford for engineering still had to take the Calc program offered at those schools. Some students in AB Calc with 4’s and 5’s given credit for Calc at other schools, especially when not a STEM major.</p>

<p>At times my pre-calc students not recommended for AP Calc say, “Doesn’t it look good to have this on your transcript?”, I reply, “A F or D never looks good. Challenge yourself, but appropriately!”</p>

<p>Best of luck to you and keep working hard.</p>

12

<p>

Yes, you’re totally right. The “CC bubble” (students) here tends to react by systematically saying “Take Calculus” whereas most adults are more moderate. Adapting one’s schedule to one’s strengths and academic interests should come first. The jump to calculus is not easy and since it’s a first year college class anyway (one many majors won’t have to take), students who aren’t strong at math shouldn’t take it in high school. It only looks good if it’s a B or an A. An A in statistics will look much better than a C in calculus. :)</p>

13

<p>It really depends. A lot of students don’t fully understand Calc in HS and don’t take the AP test or do poorly on it and end up taking Calc again in college. </p>

14

<p>I plan on going to WPI and majoring in computer science, so AP Calc would be best to take in high school. Thank you for all your comments, it really cleared a lot of things up, I think AP Calculus AB would be the best choice.</p>

15

<p>Try to take AP CS too, perhaps?</p>

16

<p>Well, it’s not called AP CS at my school, it’s actually called AP Computer Programming, which I am taking next year.</p>

17

<p>I took regular level Precalculus my junior year and signed up for AP Calculus BC even though I didn’t fit any of the requirements, and still did better than some of the people who took Precalculus Honors. It’s all about learning the prerequisite material on your own, too many counselors make such a big deal about “being behind”. </p>

18

<p>I wouldn’t suggest it. I’m on track to take BC Calc next year, and at my school they don’t let you continue on in the course if you get lower than a B either semester. I am taking an equivalent to Calc AB this year, and is considerably more difficult that precalc. Most of the people who got low Bs last year ended up dropping out of the class. I don’t mean to scare you or anything, but there is nothing worse than taking a class you are unprepared for. You’d probably be better off taking AP stats, and if you do take AP Calc, get a tutor!</p>

19

<p>

</p>

<p>MIT requires two semesters of calculus for everyone, but they are accelerated so that they cover the same material as three semesters of calculus elsewhere. 4 or 5 on BC allows the entering frosh to start with the second semester. <a href=“http://web.mit.edu/firstyear/2017/subjects/incomingcredit/ap.html#math”>http://web.mit.edu/firstyear/2017/subjects/incomingcredit/ap.html#math&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Caltech also requires two semesters of “calculus” for everyone, but Caltech’s “calculus” is more like real analysis. Caltech expects entering frosh to have seen calculus before, but does not grant advanced placement for previous high school or college calculus courses.</p>

<p>Stanford allows a 4 or 5 on BC to place students out of the first two quarters of calculus (Math 41 and 42) and go directly into the next course (Math 51). <a href=“http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/students/ap-charts”>http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/students/ap-charts&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

20

<p>Update: I went to my guidance counselor today and found out that the school only offers BC. They combined AB and BC to make one class. So should I take AP Calculus BC?</p>