<p>I really want to go to either UC Davis and UC Irvine. I have a 4.1 UC gpa and a 1710 SAT. I have been getting lots of mixed answers about whether i’ll get in or not so I took AP Calc. my senior year so that its looks good on my transcript, but we got our first quiz back yesterday and I got a 67% D. I’m really nervous that I’ll end up getting a C, D, or a F in that class. What should I do?</p>
<p>First off, you really need to work on that SAT score. 1710 isn’t terrible, but you want it to be up around 2000 for those schools, at least. And, for the actual question, it depends, do you feel comfortable with your mathematical ability? If not, then you may want to drop it. I personally would just stay in it, and work hard at it to get a B or something. Think about getting into a school as a competition. If they see you with regular calculus, and Tommy John is taking BC Calc, and everything else is close, they’re going to take Tommy John. You just improve your chances of getting in if you can obtain a B in AP Calc. It also depends on your major, if you’re going for something in the liberal arts field, than maybe regular calc is what you should take.</p>
<p>Yea I understand i need to get my sats up but my friend who go’s to the same school got in with a UC 4.0 gpa and 1910 sats</p>
<p>Since you’re very strongly focused on the UC system for college, my sense is that the AP Calculus grades may not figure in the decision by the UC admissions to accept you or not. They probably won’t have the grade when they make the decision. It depends on your school, and the time line for posting formal grades. You may want to ask your registrar or GC about this.</p>
<p>However if you are struggling and end up with a D you risk having an admission decision rescinded. If you end up with a C the first semester and that grade is in fact seen by the admissions committees before they make a decision then it won’t help your application regardless of the level of the course.</p>
<p>My advice, since you’re struggling with the course is to transfer to non-AP calculus before you begin the application process. The slower pace of the course would benefit you in ways other than “grades”. Finding the right level in math courses is very important from a learning perspective.</p>