We understand that you are a HS student and feeling a lot of pressure. UIUC is a great school, and if you are fortunate to have that as a safety school, you can shoot for the moon if money is no object. Most of us parents realize you are doing your best and asking for help and not here to “attack” anyone. If you are ready in Calc AB, while self studying and taking the test can demonstrate your ability, perhaps consider taking BC in your senior year. Sometimes taking classes from the tough teachers can be a really good growth experience.
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I don’t fault OP’s strategy of not taking Calc BC. IMO, getting a B or worse in BC or struggling to make an A at the cost of other classes and added stress is worse than going with AB. OP has plenty of rigor in her HS transcript. I would not self study for BC, that will just highlight that you avoided that class.
On the topic upthread about emphasizing a niche major, there is some merit to this if you are trying to present yourself as the “tuba player”, but you better have the goods. Choosing a niche interest without a history of accomplishment in that area will get you in the reject pile fast. I have encountered this in some interviews and when I sense this interest is not genuine (lack of history of activities, superficial knowledge of topic), I will write a negative review. I am sure AO’s see through this more easily than an interviewer.
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I highly doubt that the absence of BC calc is going to be determinative in any way. I know students who have gone to Ivy League schools without it (and not as hooked applicants). My sense is that once a student has passed the threshold for rigor (which is evaluated within the context of their school), they move on to other criteria. That said, as an unhooked student chances are never great - regardless of gpa/rigor/test scores etc.
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I don’t think that the absence of Calc BC is going to be the deciding factor one way or the other for OP either. But avoiding a class one would otherwise take because a teacher is too strict is definitely a concern, however. It’s an area for OP’s personal growth, however, as colleges are unlikely to know why BC wasn’t taken, so it’s unlikely to be much of a factor in the decision.
There will be required classes in college, some of which might be weed-outs, and dealing with higher/tougher standards is something OP should be prepared for at any college, but particularly the colleges OP is targeting.
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Agreed given the majors but then I wouldn’t submit the BC score simultaneously.
I agree with you and your parents. I think your plan is solid.
I have a family member at a US New Top 10 school right now. You are every bit as strong a candidate as he was when he applied. Does that mean you will get in to a highly selective institution? Nope. This really is a bonkers process. If I had to bet, yes, I think you will get in to one or more highly selective institutions, but there is no way to know which one.
Some people are wasting their time applying to highly selective schools. You are not.
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If going to a brand name school is your end game, then I’d switch out some of Harvard/Yale/stanford for schools with slightly better acceptance odds like Chicago/Hopkins/Georgetown. Georgetown and Hopkins have excellent international studies program, which often appeal to poly sci majors.
Do you know your class rank or approximate class rank?
My school doesn’t have class rank. I added Hopkins and gtown to my list!
I went head and added a few more safeties to my list: UIC, IU, UMass Amherst. I also added northeastern, Hopkins, CMU, UT Austin (maybe), and Case Western to my list. I have a meeting with my school guidance counselor tomorrow, so I will hope to find a good fit! I understand these are not good target schools, but I want to apply to colleges that will make my parents proud. They’ve worked exceptionally hard for me to have the opportunities that I have, and i want them to feel happy for the college that I go to. They will be fine if I go to uiuc, but they will be exceptionally happy if I go to a school that is more prestigious. I want to make them proud; this is why i have such a reach heavy list. I apologize if I have been rude in any of my previous comments, I truly do not mean it. I appreciate all of the advice I have gotten on here, and it has tempered my expectations. But I believe I will stick to the strategy of shotgunning. I really want a chance at these selective colleges, and I believe I will be able to manage my time well and write good essays.
I hope your parents will be proud if you go to a school, have a WONDERFUL four years (and unfortunately, no one truly knows if that will happen until the four years is over) and that you become a wonderful citizen to society and who can pay their own bills.
Hopefully their feelings about you aren’t based on Johns Hopkins vs. UIUC vs. IU.
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You need to go to the college where you think you will be happiest, as that will make you the most successful. When I was a senior in high school, my parents (particularly my immigrant father) were keen on me going to a “top” university, and we had done college visits to several (and a sibling had attended a SHYMP school). But in the middle of the fall of senior year, I felt called to go to an out-of-state flagship. My parents (especially my father) kept asking me if I was sure, but I was, so off I went with my parents funding my education.
I went to the OOS flagship, and I had a wonderful time. And when my dad came to visit or we would talk, he would be so impressed by my friends, and the opportunities we had taken advantage of, and the things we were able to do. So by the time I graduated from college, my dad was just as happy and proud talking about my time at the OOS flagship as he was about my sibling’s SHYMP school.
I would be willing to bet that if your parents see you happy and living your best life, wherever that happens to be, that they will be exceptionally happy, and exceptionally happy that they’ve been able to give you that opportunity.
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You don’t have to apologize for wanting to please your parents given how much they apparently love you and how hard they have worked to give you opportunities. No one should be judging you or your families value system or priorities as those are personal opinions that also have cultural roots for many.
You are blessed to have loving parents who are willing to support you in pursuing an expensive name brand education. While some may have a different opinion they have no moral high ground to preach to you from.
Listen to your parents, and work with them to find a fit. They love and know you best versus strangers who have their own agendas.
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Do not worry about skipping BC and no need to self study. I have two kids, non-STEM majors, who got into more than one of your tippy top reaches without it. One of them was this cycle.
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