High school teacher here. If you must have a B, freshmen year is the best time. The more important thing is that you take time in the summer to fully grasp the knowledge points and solidify the foundation for the future math courses. Your goal is not a grade, nor an acceptance from a brand-named college, nor a certain amount of income. Your goal is to become a responsible and contributing member of the society, the path to which can certainly include several or many Bs and Cs even Fs.
I find the idea of “being/staying competitive” very toxic. One of my students this past year worked very hard to become the valedictorian but “only” earned 99 in my class (while the current valedictorian earned a 100). She cried. I talked to her for about 15 minutes, and will keep working on getting her mind off of this “competitive” thing when she’s in my class next year. It’s ridiculous.
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