AP Calc AB or BC at TJ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure what to recommend to my DC since she has had struggles in Math 3 and 4. She would like to take BC but is nervous based on how these other classes have gone. I feel like the AP course will have better structure vs. the way these other math classes are designed. If your DC has taken one vs the other was it a good choice?

Some moms just posted that this forum is for AAP. I guess I will withhold my TJ info now.

This is the forum that covers TJ also.

[Anonymous]

Is it possible to get a 5 on the AP calc BC exam and skip Calculus at school? My child thinks they already know Calc good enough and want to proceed directly to the post-AP math classes. Teachers at school seem to be puzzled by this request and took their time to discuss. Wouldn't it look weird on the transcript when preCalc (math 4) is followed by post-AP math?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible to get a 5 on the AP calc BC exam and skip Calculus at school? My child thinks they already know Calc good enough and want to proceed directly to the post-AP math classes. Teachers at school seem to be puzzled by this request and took their time to discuss. Wouldn't it look weird on the transcript when preCalc (math 4) is followed by post-AP math?

Yes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible to get a 5 on the AP calc BC exam and skip Calculus at school? My child thinks they already know Calc good enough and want to proceed directly to the post-AP math classes. Teachers at school seem to be puzzled by this request and took their time to discuss. Wouldn't it look weird on the transcript when preCalc (math 4) is followed by post-AP math?

Yes, some kids have done that (thought only one that I've heard of in recent years).

My DD got an A in Math 4 and A- in Math 5. Opted to take AB last minute during sophomore before going to BC junior year. Didn't regret it one bit. Obviously she didn't need to take AB and wasn't recommended for it, but her decision has allowed her to digest the information better and make her workload more manageable (thus allocating time for other subjects).

Currently she's in BC class with many other juniors or sophomores who have never taken AB. She says the teachers skim over things that AB would've taken time to explain and practice, and she constantly feels that her classmates are missing out on a lot of material or in-depth explanations (this is, of course, dependent on the teacher).

They're just now moving on to "C" topics that weren't covered in AB. She's still breezing through, after building strong fundamentals and generally doing well (As or A-s) on every past exam. Some of her classmates also do well, but with a lot more time spent self-studying and reviewing the material. Others simply aren't able to keep up.

It probably should also be noted that number of students enrolled in AB are at an all-time high right now. She says she's just as likely to encounter a classmate taking AB as she is to someone taking BC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible to get a 5 on the AP calc BC exam and skip Calculus at school? My child thinks they already know Calc good enough and want to proceed directly to the post-AP math classes. Teachers at school seem to be puzzled by this request and took their time to discuss. Wouldn't it look weird on the transcript when preCalc (math 4) is followed by post-AP math?

Yes, some kids have done that (thought only one that I've heard of in recent years).

My DD got an A in Math 4 and A- in Math 5. Opted to take AB last minute during sophomore before going to BC junior year. Didn't regret it one bit. Obviously she didn't need to take AB and wasn't recommended for it, but her decision has allowed her to digest the information better and make her workload more manageable (thus allocating time for other subjects).

Currently she's in BC class with many other juniors or sophomores who have never taken AB. She says the teachers skim over things that AB would've taken time to explain and practice, and she constantly feels that her classmates are missing out on a lot of material or in-depth explanations (this is, of course, dependent on the teacher).

They're just now moving on to "C" topics that weren't covered in AB. She's still breezing through, after building strong fundamentals and generally doing well (As or A-s) on every past exam. Some of her classmates also do well, but with a lot more time spent self-studying and reviewing the material. Others simply aren't able to keep up.

It probably should also be noted that number of students enrolled in AB are at an all-time high right now. She says she's just as likely to encounter a classmate taking AB as she is to someone taking BC.

Good decision by your DD. My son got a B+ in Math 4 and Math 5 and wish he had taken AB instead of BC as a sophomore. With 3 AP's it is harder to manage the time. Lot of time is spent on extra curriculars too. getting harder to manage the time.

[Anonymous]

DP - my kid did the same thing (could have taken BC, but chose to take AB). Best decision ever for exactly the same reasons.

[Anonymous]

It appears that kids taking AB are doing so in Sophomore year. If not,wouldn't it affect the kids' choice of senior project?

For instance, my DC is planning on BC and AP physics C to be able to keep options open on Neuroscience as well as do other CS/Tech related electives in Sr. year. If DC did calc AB now, they Senior year would be spent taking BC calc and maybe AP Physics and therefore not be able to do other electives..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It appears that kids taking AB are doing so in Sophomore year. If not,wouldn't it affect the kids' choice of senior project?

For instance, my DC is planning on BC and AP physics C to be able to keep options open on Neuroscience as well as do other CS/Tech related electives in Sr. year. If DC did calc AB now, they Senior year would be spent taking BC calc and maybe AP Physics and therefore not be able to do other electives..

Nope. A lot of the AB kids are juniors. And no, it has minimal impact on senior labs. Quantum physics and optics has AP Physics as a pre-rec, but it didn’t make for next year and is not being offered (juniors were just given their lab assignments a couple weeks ago). I have heard that the lab director left, and they are considering getting rid of this lab permanently and using the space for the new humanities lab, whatever that turns out to be. There are three tracks into Neuroscience, and one does not have BC as a pre-rec (2 do). Your kid can do AP Bio plus neurobio instead. No other labs have BC or AP Physics as a pre-rec.

Here are the lab pre-Recs.


https://tjhsst.fcps.edu/node/2761

AP Physics is such a cluster—k every single year. I do not understand why TJ does not require a skip test to go directly into AP and bypass Physics 1. Really think about whether you want your kid to take AP Physics PP. my kid is a junior, and every kid I knew who took AP first regretted it. Many ended up dropping down, which can mean completely changing their schedule around to find an open section. Those who aren’t are freaking out about the Ds or (the lucky ones) Cs they makes first semester.


BC is not a pre-rec for any CS electives. You just need Foundations and AP CS. No tech elective require AP Physics or BC. So, I’m not sure why AB would mess with electives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It appears that kids taking AB are doing so in Sophomore year. If not,wouldn't it affect the kids' choice of senior project?

For instance, my DC is planning on BC and AP physics C to be able to keep options open on Neuroscience as well as do other CS/Tech related electives in Sr. year. If DC did calc AB now, they Senior year would be spent taking BC calc and maybe AP Physics and therefore not be able to do other electives..

Nope. A lot of the AB kids are juniors. And no, it has minimal impact on senior labs. Quantum physics and optics has AP Physics as a pre-rec, but it didn’t make for next year and is not being offered (juniors were just given their lab assignments a couple weeks ago). I have heard that the lab director left, and they are considering getting rid of this lab permanently and using the space for the new humanities lab, whatever that turns out to be. There are three tracks into Neuroscience, and one does not have BC as a pre-rec (2 do). Your kid can do AP Bio plus neurobio instead. No other labs have BC or AP Physics as a pre-rec.

Here are the lab pre-Recs.


https://tjhsst.fcps.edu/node/2761

AP Physics is such a cluster—k every single year. I do not understand why TJ does not require a skip test to go directly into AP and bypass Physics 1. Really think about whether you want your kid to take AP Physics PP. my kid is a junior, and every kid I knew who took AP first regretted it. Many ended up dropping down, which can mean completely changing their schedule around to find an open section. Those who aren’t are freaking out about the Ds or (the lucky ones) Cs they makes first semester.


BC is not a pre-rec for any CS electives. You just need Foundations and AP CS. No tech elective require AP Physics or BC. So, I’m not sure why AB would mess with electives.

Absolutely true. My D was fortunate and knew her limits and took AB and Honors Physics her junior year and BC and Physics C her senior year. Several of her friends who took AP Physics C and BC junior year struggled mightily. They ended up doing OK but with a lot of angst. They all ended up having solid college admission outcomes so in the end it didn't seem to hurt them. My D just had a saner and dare say enjoyable junior year experience.