Dropping down to Calc AB?

[Anonymous]

DD's first Calc BC quiz did not go well and she finds the class very challenging. Teacher is telling the class not to drop down to AB yet, but the last day to withdraw without the course showing on transcript is this Friday.

She does not know what to do. She is a great student and has a challenging course load. She is not sure what field she wants to study.

What would you advise her? Should she stick it out for a couple of more weeks? Does it matter so much that the class will show on transcript if she drops down later?

She wants to go a good school but we are not shooting for Ivies.

[Anonymous]

I suggest SHE talk with her teacher and if needed the Math department lead.

[Anonymous]

I’d be inclined toward dropping down to AB. Is she a senior? I’d do AB but still take Calc 1 in college unless she really aces it. This will give a solid foundation in Calculus. If junior, she can easily do AB and then BC. Doesn’t sound likes she’s applying for engineering at MIT - but even then I’d rather have a firmer foundation.

[Anonymous]

This is OP. I'm leaning towards dropping to AB, but I would like to see how it goes for a couple of more weeks. She had a rough start with Honors precalc, but ended up with A in both semesters and her teacher recommended her for this class.

Do the colleges really care if she drops later and the BC shows as withdrawal in her transcript? Is that how it works?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I'm leaning towards dropping to AB, but I would like to see how it goes for a couple of more weeks. She had a rough start with Honors precalc, but ended up with A in both semesters and her teacher recommended her for this class.

Do the colleges really care if she drops later and the BC shows as withdrawal in her transcript? Is that how it works?

They might care, especially if a senior. But for most schools, success in AB is still good, but a BC withdrawal might show the applicant’s limitations. She’s clearly a good math student since she did well in Honors Pre Calc, which is a tougher class by most accounts than AB.
I’m the one who recommended dropping down but with this new info, it’s a tougher call knowing she did so well in honors pre calc. That said, unless she’s applying to Business or hard STEM, AB is fine and would likely reduce her stress levels in what is already a very tough semester between classes and applications. If she’s a junior, the withdrawal wouldn’t matter as much if she has success in AB with a good AP score and enrolls in BC next year.

[Anonymous]

To add, if she stays in BC, get a tutor.

[Anonymous]

My DD took calc AB as a junior and statistics as a senior. She got into a top 20 school. She retook calculus in college because it was recommended ( not sure why). I think it’s important for your kid not to be too stressed out. If she’s already taking a heavy load, why make it so tough? Unless she’s targeting MIT or Caltech, it isn’t going to matter. I recommend not piling on more stress than necessary.

[Anonymous]

It all depends on who the teacher is for AB. Is it the same teacher? I always tell my kids choose the best teacher.

My son wasn't sure about AP Chem but the teacher was amazing. It was a rocky first couple of weeks and he almost dropped the class but hung in there and it ended up being totally worth it.

On the other hand he dropped another AP class because the teacher was awful.

[Anonymous]

Are you sure that she only has until Friday to change? That’s a lot earlier than past years. I’d confirm that date before making any rash decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you sure that she only has until Friday to change? That’s a lot earlier than past years. I’d confirm that date before making any rash decisions.

+1. I’d be shocked if it’s after only two weeks of school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you sure that she only has until Friday to change? That’s a lot earlier than past years. I’d confirm that date before making any rash decisions.

+1. I’d be shocked if it’s after only two weeks of school.

+1 I thought it was something like the 25th day of class. I would confirm with counselor.

But, I wouldn’t drag it out that long if grade is low because then you could possibly end up with lower grade in lower level class. But I’m not sure how that works when going from BC to AB - again a question for counselor.

[Anonymous]

My kid stuck it out through 3 quizzes last year before dropping down to AB. Starting in BC again this year.

[Anonymous]

So as far as I can tell, she has two choices, continue with the help of a tutor (Princeton Review have GREAT AP math tutors). Or drop down a level.

Is she in 11th grade? If so, she can tackle BC next year.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely ridiculous that students or their parents feel their kids can not go into EM of stem because they didn't do well in a "money-making-AP-style" class in HS. No wonder our country lacks in these fields. Calm down. Take Pre-calculus, or Calculus whatever kid can grasp well. Understand it. Then aim for Calculus in college if you want to consider continuing. Sometimes college profs are better (and sometimes their TAs are). Not everyone has to go to MIT. Need more teachers who can effectively teach pre-calc, calc, and statistics, heck even the classes prior to those courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely ridiculous that students or their parents feel their kids can not go into EM of stem because they didn't do well in a "money-making-AP-style" class in HS. No wonder our country lacks in these fields. Calm down. Take Pre-calculus, or Calculus whatever kid can grasp well. Understand it. Then aim for Calculus in college if you want to consider continuing. Sometimes college profs are better (and sometimes their TAs are). Not everyone has to go to MIT. Need more teachers who can effectively teach pre-calc, calc, and statistics, heck even the classes prior to those courses.

oh do shut up