Will taking AB Calc instead of BC calc lower my chances of getting into a selective school (under 30% acceptance rate)? I’ve noticed all the kids that have gone to top top colleges from my school have taken AP BC Calculus, but I wasn’t sorted into BC.
For the tippy top colleges, yes, potentially, since there are others in your class who were selected, and theoretically, would also apply to those colleges. For those colleges outside the top top, probably not.
Calc BC certainly is more rigor than Calc AB. However, if you have a pretty good course rigor already and you are not looking at STEM major, it may not be a problem.
No, it makes no difference in terms of admissions. Both AP calculus classes are considered the same.
In addition, no one’s impressed with a C in an AP class, so if you think you’ll do better in Calc AB, feel free to switch.
The only exception is for literally a handful of colleges such as MIT, HarveyMudd, CalTech.
In my son’s school, the kids who are strong students but won’t go into STEM go the Calc AB route. The students who are more STEM oriented go to BC route either junior or senior year. Taking AB as a potential non STEM major is not seen as a weakness in his school, not at all.
@MYOS1634 What about schools like UCLA, Boston College, Villanova, NYU, Wesleyan, etc? Low acceptance rates but not like ivies…Do you know if top undergraduate business programs would be critical of AB over BC?
No, they woudn’t, except perhaps Wharton and even there I doubt it’d make or break an application. Relax, do your best with your essays, don’t forget to show interest at your safeties and to spend time on your “targets” ’ supplements, then keep your fingers crossed and enjoy the rest of Senior year. 