When W&M says they want Calc does that mean AB or BC?

[annakc96]

<p>Hi!</p>

<p>I've taken Calc AB this year and have gotten an A. Is it OK if I take Stats senior year seeing as my intended major only needs stats, or does W&M want to see calc BC?</p>

[Cal1983]

<p>My son who is in his second year at WM and took AB and was fine. I think taking both is odd as the material you cover in AB is in BC as well. It seesm redundant. In other word, in my opinion, one or the other should be fine.</p>

[camp96]

<p>As a current Calc BC student, there is material from AB that is needed for BC, but it isn’t necessarily redundant. You need to really know AB material, but you will definitely be exposed to new topics. I was admitted ED to the class of 2018, so taking BC certainly didn’t hurt me. However, W&M has a holistic process, so nothing is a “requirement”. Since you are taking a calculus course now, I would assume that Stat would be fine, but if you think you could handle the material in BC, I would recommend it. </p>

[Squiddy]

<p>Hmm, I don’t think it’s necessarily meant that you take AB then BC; there’s overlap, as BC is a proper superset of AB.</p>

<p>According to the CollegeBoard:</p>

<p>

The difference between AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC is one of scope and not level of difficulty. Calculus AB includes techniques and applications of the derivative, the definite integral, and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. It is equivalent to at least one semester of calculus at most colleges and universities. Calculus BC includes all topics in AB and additional topics in differential and integral calculus (including parametric, polar, and vector functions) and series. It is equivalent to at least one year of calculus at most colleges and universities. Calculus BC is an extension of AB, and each course is challenging and demanding and requires a similar depth of understanding of common topics.

</p>

<p>I don’t know that there’s much or any difference in how you’re viewed for admission, but I’d say it’s small. </p>

<p>Perhaps the one thing to be aware of is this (per the W&M website):</p>

<p>

AP credit for Math 111 (Calculus I) is awarded when a student achieves a score of 4 or 5 on the AB test, or a score of 3 on the BC test. AP credit for both Math 111 and 112 (Calculus I and Calculus II) is awarded when a student scores a 4 or 5 on the BC test.

</p>

[annakc96]

<p>Thanks! @Squiddy @camp96 @Cal1983</p>

[W_amp_M_Admission]

<p>If you decide to take stats, take AP Stats. Calc BC is generally considered more rigorous but if you took Calc AB either class would be fine for senior year.</p>