<p>At my school Cal 3 is a non-credit course so if I take it, I will not get a 4 or 5 added on to my GPA. All my peers will obviously be taking AP courses which will lose their GPA. I’ll probably drop 2 to 4 in my ranking by the semester end of senior year. </p>
<p>I’m not rank obssessed but I just want to know, will taking Cal 3 and dropping a few ranks significantly affect my chances to be admitted into schools like MIT, Caltech, Harvey Mudd, etc. ?</p>
<p>Btw I want to major in engineering so I thought Cal 3 was the path to go.</p>
<p>Class Rank doesn’t matter at all. It’s all about what classes you take. An A in Calculus 3 will look better than an A in AP Statistics. Colleges know the difference.</p>
<p>Honestly, I dont see the point of taking a tough course all for just dropping your GPA. Its probably a good idea to do somthing else instead such as self studying for an Ap exam. You may also want to look into Ap physics C if you havent already taken that</p>
<p>@1017bricksquad Well some people like to learn. Besides, his GPA won’t drop, it’ll just stagnate.
Personally, if I had the chance to take Calc 3 at my school, I’d do it in a heartbeat. GPA be damned.</p>
<p>^Haha that’s how I feel. but my parents are all up in arms about my rank dropping. Also concerning physics C, i’ll already be taking physics B next year but I won’t be taking any pure math class. I don’t want to lose touch with math and have to relearn stuff when I go back to engineering.</p>
<p>I got a B in Multivariable Calculus, and I was admitted to Harvey Mudd with the Harvey S. Mudd scholarship.</p>
<p>Calc 3 is more impressive than a 2-4 rank higher class rank. </p>
<p>Most applicants are in the top few of their class, few have taken Calc 3.</p>
<p>@Rush10: dude that’s amazing! Harvey Mudd is one of my dream schools. Btw how is harvey mudd compared to schools like MIT? I know the academics is similar if not better but how about the research?
@alwaysleah: thanks for your advice. what you say is quite simply true. I guess this would make me stand out more.</p>
<p>I agree with what’s been said, Calc 3 is much more impressive than a slight change in rank. Colleges, for the most part, don’t want to see you taking easy classes for a great gpa when you can challenge yourself instead. </p>
<p>My brother got into Harvey Mudd and his class rank wasn’t that great. He took hard classes though. My class rank wasn’t that good either.</p>
<p>Hah, take Calc 3, how is this even a question?</p>
<p>Do you actually think colleges would punish you for taking a harder course? Furthermore, the difference in being ranked 2 vs 4 will not matter whatsoever in college admissions.</p>
<p>Sorry I forgot to mention that otherwise I would take AP Bio which isn’t exactly a pushover course. Also wanted to clarify that i’m not ranked 2 or 4 lol I’ll just drop 2-4 ranks (from somewhere in the top 15).</p>
<p>but based on the general consensus I think I’ll take cal 3.</p>
<p>I think if you take Calc 3 and get an A that will be fine, since it’s just your own school’s system that makes you lose rank. However, I learned the hard way that taking a heavy courseload with difficult classes, at the cost of rank? Not worth it. Not according to colleges, anyways. GPA unfortunately comes first.</p>
<p>^ What the heck are you talking about</p>
<p>Every single information session I go to, the admissions officers stress time and time again that applicants should take the strongest course load possible. If you get an A in Calc 3, that’s pretty damn impressive. They will understand that the class doesn’t count towards your GPA, so your GPA and rank will fall a bit. Suggesting that OP shouldn’t take the class is absolutely absurd, and anyone suggesting so is probably an 8th grader or freshman who has no idea how college admissions work.</p>
<p>Definitely take Calc 3. Not everyone has the chance to take this class in high school. You should.</p>
<p>Calc 3. My school also offers that class but very very few people take it. If you take calc 3 in high school, that will distinguish you from the rest; most high schools don’t even offer it.</p>
<p>take calc 3. theres something wrong with the U.S. school system if taking a class more advanced than an AP class will lower your class rank. in the end its worth taking.</p>
<p>LOL @ilovediannagron. that’s completely true. The US school system is sooo broken and all politicians do is make half____ed attempts at fixing it. it’s filled with bureaucratic regulations and people. anyway that’s a different discussion. but thanks I will be taking it. thanks for making my decision rock solid guys.</p>