I would take AP Calculus…it will prepare you for any college Calc you need (or will let you place out).
Seems like most of the students were either grade-grubbers or those who did poorly in high school calculus or AP/IB exams.
But also, perhaps many students who got only to precalculus in high school did not do well enough on the college’s math placement exam to take calculus that they should have been ready for.
My son was in the same situation when deciding to take Calculus vs Statistics. He really wanted to take Stats because of the teacher and thought he’d be more interested in the material. He is also going to pursue Biological Sciences.
Most colleges that we toured, wanted at least 3 years of math, and most didn’t have a preference on the 4th year if you took it. So, he thought “great, I’ll take Statistics.” But then we visited Harvey Mudd and they wanted Calculus, not Statistics. Period.
Since he loved Harvey Mudd and the Claremont schools, he took Calculus his senior year. Just in case he applied to cover all his bases.
So, if you have schools in mind that don’t require Calculus, go for Statistics. But if you’re unsure, Calculus will almost always meet their criteria for that 4th year of math.
Back in the day I took AP Calc. I probably got B’s in the class and probably a 3 on the test. I took Calc 1 again in college and then everything kicked in to place with regard to Calculus. I was not a grade grubber. I guess I did not do so well on the AP test. But I had no problem having a 3.5+ GPA in Electrical Engineering.
Many colleges require or advise a higher AP score than 3 to take advanced placement in calculus.