Calc AB and Calc BC vs Calc BC and Calc 3

Applying to College
1

Hey everyone,

So to begin with, I am an incoming junior curious as to how colleges will look at my transcript, depending on these course options. Currently, I am set to take AB next year then BC senior year. Initially, I was recommended for BC by my honors precalculus teacher, however, in my haste, I changed to AB in the last second. The reason why I thought a switch was necessary was because I was only able to get a low A in honors precalculus and I am also taking 4 AP and 1 honors course in addition to calc AB (didn’t want to overload with BC). Additionally, I was not confident I would get an A in BC since I was only able to get a low A in honors precalculus. However, looking from a college admissions perspective, would this change strongly impede me if I am specifically looking more into pre-law/economics?

2

Additionally, would getting a B in Calc BC and a B in Calc 3 look worse than getting an A in Calc AB and an A in Calc BC?

3

Math needs for various college goals (they can be taken in college; advanced placement from taking calculus in high school can help, but is not required):

  • Economics (general): single variable calculus (some weaker programs do not require calculus at all), introductory statistics
  • Economics (pre-PhD or quantitative): multivariable calculus (sometimes required at more math-intense programs), linear algebra, real analysis, calculus-based probability theory
  • Pre-law: no math requirements, but good skills at logic (commonly practiced in proof-based math courses and logic courses in philosophy) help on the LSAT.
4

@ucbalumnus My mistake, I meant that for college admissions, is it extremely frowned upon if I did not go all the way to differential calculus, even if my major isn’t really centralized on higher level math.

5

Depends on the college, but very few colleges recommend or require calculus while in high school (though if you complete precalculus in 11th grade or earlier, taking calculus if available is a good idea).

LSU specifically lists high school course work for frosh admission here: https://sites01.lsu.edu/wp/admissions/become-a-tiger-2/freshmen/freshman-admission-requirements/ .

6

No US college, even the high-tier STEM-y colleges, has an expectation of calc 3. That said, your question cannot be answered in a vacuum; colleges will look at your total course selection, and the overall rigor, but will not focus on whether you went to calc 3 or “only” calc 2.