<p>and the AP test scores come out in July after you have received your final grade for the class</p>
<p>I know that calc can be hard but if colleges see that you are getting a B in a first level calc class (i am assuming its ab) then they are going to think you can't handle college mathematics even if you are not doing something math related. It makes a big difference to an IVY counselor to see an A and not a B in high school calculus</p>
<p>Guys, I get it. I just don't argee with you.</p>
<p>Yes I re-read, it's just a regular HS class. </p>
<p>The idea of bailing out doesn't appeal to me. </p>
<p>What I've seen in some HS students is the rationale that "if I wasn't really trying, it doesn't really count." </p>
<p>It's a mindset. A defense mechanism in some kids. Risk of loss while doing your best hurts your head. Telling yourself it doesn't matter cause I didn't really try anyway is rationalization. I understand. I've seen it over the years. </p>
<p>I really don't think telling someone to try their best is "not getting it." It's just a different pov brought on by experiences and observations. But youth is always of the mindset that age doesn't "understand". Some of us understand a lot more than you think. Nothing is new, it is just recycled by another generation. </p>
<p>I find your "he just doesn't get it." with the same bemused feelings I had when my S's frat bothers watched my play and dominate beer pong. "wow, you're really good." Yea..never done this before.. ;) I digress.</p>
<p>Please someone young here, tell me why doing your best is not worth it?</p>
<p>Because he has other exams to worry about in which the extra effort can really help, as opposed to this class, where his grade is definitely a B no matter what.</p>
<p>"Because he has other exams to worry about in which the extra effort can really help, as opposed to this class, where his grade is definitely a B no matter what."</p>
<p>What about between the ears? </p>
<p>I'm not saying abandon all else and focus on this, I'm saying don't blow it off. </p>
<p>If? the intention is taking the AP in the spring, isn't sluffing off this mid year going to come back and haunt you then? Or are you going to not worry about something else at that time? Kinda just put out brush fires as they pop up?</p>
<p>"I know that calc can be hard but if colleges see that you are getting a B in a first level calc class (i am assuming its ab) then they are going to think you can't handle college mathematics even if you are not doing something math related. It makes a big difference to an IVY counselor to see an A and not a B in high school calculus"</p>
<p>So you are saying that colleges are expecting perfection from every single student they will accept? Fortunately, that is not true. Take a look at the GPA stats for admissions. There is room for a B here or there for admissions (even ivies). The strength of your schedule is taken into consideration. If a student has 6 classes & his only tough class is AP Calc, it is a bit different than a student with 8 classes that include 5 APs. And a student who plans to major in Journalism or English, while expected to challenge himself, will not be expected to be perfect in AP Calc. Blanket statements are not helpful. They can cause unnecessary worry. And ... if a college DOES expect perfection, and you are not perfect, it is NOT the place for you --- </p>
<p>So, it looks like our post-er is going to get a B no matter what. Parents want a "best effort" even so. Good advice --- doing your best is a great life skill to practice. The cool thing is, even though you will be trying your best, the stress level will be less because your grade will be a B pretty much no matter what. You might find you do better simply because of that fact!</p>
<p>At finals time, my D goes to each teacher and asks her grade, then she figures out what kind of score she will need to get on the final to either change the grade upward or at least maintain </p>
<p>then she plans her studying accordingliy, </p>
<p>for instance, if she has a an A in a class, and wold have to fail the final to get a B, she will study, but not put as much energy into it say for a class she has a borderline grade on and an strong A on the final will make a difference..ofr instance in one class she had such a strong A, she would have to get a 5 out of 50 to have her grade go to a B, so why should she kill herself</p>
<p>As well, she had a class that she had a B in, and if she got an A on the final, she would get an A in the class</p>
<p>In one class she had a B, and no matter what she got on the final, it was going to be a B...</p>
<p>as a mom, I have to trust her judgement, and as a senior, she knew more about what she needed to do then I did</p>
<p>and as an aside, how will your parents know how much energy and time you put into each subject....do they think that you will somehow get a magic score that will bring your grade up to an A?</p>
<p>if I were you, spend your time and energy wisely...the B is what it is, and if you read some other posts here, a number a getting D and Fs in calc right now...that B should cause you no problems</p>
<p>i hope this post is not a reflection on your work ethic or intellectual curiosity...if it is and this comes through in your applications, you're going to have some issues.</p>
<p>To the OP -
if you are well-grounded in AP calc, your college math courses may come as less of a shock. I agree that you should use your study time strategically - but don't ignore your calc course, either.</p>
<p>I don't see this as a work ethic issue at all, I see it as looking at what you have, and using your time in the wisest way</p>
<p>if there's no way your grade can end up as anything other than a B there doesn't seem to be much point in killing yourself over it right now.
yes you might need it when you take the actual AP test, but you should have plenty of slower times when you can study for the test.</p>
<p>^^^^^
balancing your priorities is important, but there's a difference between doing that and still trying your best as opposed to just getting by. getting a b isn't just getting by, but if you can do better, go for it...the course and time you spent on it will be more valuable in the end...</p>