4th Annual AP Report to the Nation Released

Kelowna
Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:36:46 +0000

Most of the elite-tier universities offer Honors Calculus to students with BC 5 scores. This is an extremely difficult theoretical course, best suited to physics and electrical engineering majors, as well as math majors.

Most students who have BC 5 scores but plan to major in chemistry, life sciences, or economics, in a first-tier research university, and who want to keep an option open to do undergrad research, and possibly pursue a Ph.D., should take regular calc (rather than take pass out credit), because except for a small number of public high schools, for example Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and the Bronx High School of Science, and a few dozen or so private prep schools, AP Calculus is not equivalent to first-tier research universities’ regular calculus.

(Easy check: does your high/prep school’s calculus course(s) use a university textbook, such as Stewart, Thomas or Hughes-Hallett? If so, taking pass-out credit is appropriate. Move on to a probability and statistics course for research-track students. (If you earned a 5 in AP Stat, move on to a p & s course for research-track students.) If your high school or private school uses an “AP Calculus” textbook, take calculus again at university.)

Very informative post HomeschoolDad, thank you.

A hypothetical question -IB School- Freshman takes AP Calculus BC- there is a state flagship with a very good math department in the same city that students from this HS can take courses at - what math sequence would you suggest, provided that a student will still have to take IB Further Math as a senior? This hypothetical freshman is of course extremely good in math and wants to pursue engineering/physics related curriculum.