Yes Calc BC is an option for my senior year, but I won’t have space based on my currently planned schedule for that year
Does that mean no math senior year? In my D’s HS, she wouldn’t have been able to graduate without 4 years of math (regardless of level reached).
What is your intended major in college? If it’s anything that will require more math, I’d also advise not having a year long gap in the subject since the material builds on itself.
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You can likely make space. You don’t want to enter college with a year off math.
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Make space.
Other than English, I doubt there is any class you need to take (vs want to take) that is more critical than math.
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Agree with others that you should take 4 years of math in HS – especially if you are aiming for a top tier college. HS is the time to get a well-rounded education, not to specialize in an area of interest.
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My suggestion is read your own post back to yourself as if you were reading someone else’s. You clearly don’t want to take BC – you have a long list of reasons the idea of it stresses you out. Your conflict is that you are worried you need to.
You definitely don’t. Taking AB as a junior means you’ll still end up with BC by graduation. Which is ahead of most students and certainly on par with the majority who fill T20’s first year classes. You’ll be fine.
Now if you’re thinking is you skip a math class senior year, rethink it. Doing so will be worst for your competitive college prospects than if you had just taken regular non-AP Calc. They care that you took math all 4 years more than the level of math. I know students who didn’t make it past pre-calc and ended up at HPYSM unhooked. But they want to see 4 years of English and Math.
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Take Calculus AB next year.
I am not sure how much more difficult BC Calc is over AB Calc. If you were planning to study engineering, I would recommend BC Calc. Since you plan to go pursue non-STEM majors, if BC is much harder than AB I would recommend going with AB.
It sounds like you have an amazing academic record and you should be proud. For a student who describes himself as weak in math, you will likely have a stronger record in that subject than most kids applying for international relations programs. Don’t compare yourself to your brother. While he took BC Calc, did he take AP Gov and AP Lang? Did he have leadership positions in choir and theater? Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. Finally, don’t be so hard on yourself - it sounds like you are killing it in high school.
On a totally different note, if you are taking AP Calc your junior year, make sure you take some math class your senior year as some programs require four years of math. You could take BC Calc your senior year, which would include a lot of review (and hence make the class easier), or you could take AP Stats.
Good luck.
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Hey all -
Thank you so much for all the helpful replies! I didn’t expect such great activity, and I really appreciate all the thoughts.
I want to clarify that I plan on taking AP Stats my senior year, as it aligns with my major. I will NOT be taking a year off math, I simply don’t plan to take BC afterward if I end up taking AB this year.
Thanks!
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Thank you, I really appreciate your response!
Putting things into perspective when comparing myself to my brother like that is something I never thought of. Thank you so much!
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-calculus-ab-and-bc-course-and-exam-description.pdf (starting at around page 20) shows the topics in the AB and BC versions of AP calculus. Generally, it appears that AB takes about one and a half times the amount of time that BC does on most topics, while BC has some additional topics that AB does not. The BC content approximates that of two semesters of single variable calculus in college.
Thanks for the clarification. I concur with others to take AB in 11th. If you are targeting selective schools, I encourage you to take BC senior year because it is seen as more rigorous than AP stats. Fit to the major generally less important than rigor. Can you take both AP Stats and BC senior year?
You should definitely ask this question when you are visiting schools and doing admission sessions, whether live or virtual.
Gotta disagree here. AP Stats is fine. Yes, BC is more rigorous, just like Physics C is more rigorous than APES, but the most rigorous course isn’t always the right one. And very few AOs will review course schedules line by line and xref the course catalog
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I agree the most rigorous course isn’t always the right one, but OP is talking about ‘selective’ schools. It’s ok that we sometimes disagree 
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Yes it is !!! A variety of perspectives should be welcomed and appreciated on this site.
Good luck to OP.
Seems like you mean “the most selective” rather than just “selective” schools, since “selective” could include the entire range of schools that are not open admission.
I have no issue with your plan. If you plan to apply to some elite colleges, discuss with your guidance counselor how your overall course rigor will stack up relative to other top students in your HS.
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This makes sense. My son took BC Calc in HS and placed out of Calc I and Calc II at college.
Hello!
I really appreciate all the thoughtful responses, thank you so much!
After considering all these replies, here are my thoughts:
My current schedule planned for junior year is AP Lang, AP Bio, AP Gov/Comp Gov, AP Calc AB, Honors French 4, and my electives of honors band and show choir.
Originally, my senior year plan was AP Lit, APES, AP Psych, AP Stats, AP Econ, along with an independent study of AP French (as the course is not offered at my school) and the same honors band and show choir electives.
Now, I really only wanted to take Psych due to personal interest, but responses have made me consider replacing that with Calc BC in order to show colleges more rigor. Would this be a better move?
Additionally… is it okay if I don’t take physics in high school?
Thank you all so much for the help!
Forgot to mention - I was also considering forgoing show choir for AP Calc BC instead of replacing AP Psych. Is it worth it to sacrifice my passions for academics?