I am currently a Junior and in ib Math hl this year. I signed up for ap Calc bc next year, but I am seeing that a lot of people end up retaking calc classes in college even if they take an ap calc class. This got me thinking that taking calc 1 and calc 2 at a community college would be better in the long run than taking ap calc bc. I would rather not take calc bc then need to retake Calc II in college, which is what I see many people doing. I also see people saying that college calc classes are much different than their high school counterparts. If anyone can give me a recommendation as to which option would be more beneficial I would greatly appreciate it!
If you know now what colleges you intend to apply to, you can check their AP and transfer credits pages and see what they accept. For the most part, the two semester AP Calculus BC class will be considered equivalent to two semesters of college calculus, depending on what score you get on the AP exam. If you are planning on continuing on to grad school, keep in mind that the grades you get in CC classes will be included in your college GPA.
If the college I would want to go to only gives you the equivalent of Calc 1 variable, for a 4 or 5 on the ap exam, would you say its more worth my time to take calc 1 and 2?
The decision to retake calc in college is independent of taking cc calc or AP calc. In most cases AP calc will be as good as, if not better, than cc calc. It’s possible, though, that neither is on par with how calc is taught at the college you end up attending.
Additionally, some students (usually, although not always, premed) retake calc as a GPA boost.
Having said all that, IB Math HL and AP Calc BC have a lot of overlap, and isn’t IB Math HL a 2-year sequence at your HS? If,in fact, you have covered everything in IB Math HL this year, your better option for next year is probably calc 3 or some other post-calc 2 course.
Alright, I suppose that makes sense. I will see if I can take a calc 3 course sometime next year. Thanks for the help!
http://www.math.buffalo.edu/rur_index.html quizzes can help you determine if you are ready for college calculus 1, 2, or 3.