AP Calculus AB

[Anonymous]

AP AB is not the highest rigor. That's just a fact, and many colleges ding students for this when coming from competitive, overly represented HSs. It would not be an auto-reject, but they need something else compelling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP AB is not the highest rigor. That's just a fact, and many colleges ding students for this when coming from competitive, overly represented HSs. It would not be an auto-reject, but they need something else compelling.

DP. In our school profile, Calculus AB is listed as the highest rigor, but kids are taking all the way up to Multivariable Calculus and/or linear algebra. This allows counselor to still mark AB kids as highest rigor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP AB is not the highest rigor. That's just a fact, and many colleges ding students for this when coming from competitive, overly represented HSs. It would not be an auto-reject, but they need something else compelling.

Calc AB is lower rigor than a one semester college Calc I class, taught over a full year. At the very least you should get a 5 on the test.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If AP Calculus AB is the highest math my DC reaches, will they be auto rejected from T15 as a biology/chemistry/neuroscience major? DC attends competitive public in over-represented area with most classmates reaching BC calc or higher.

Auto-reject, no. That 'most' classmates reach BC or higher could play a factor in rigor perception, I would think. If AB is required before BC, then that would be a function of math tracking earlier on and might factor in differently than if students can choose to go AB or BC and most choose BC. In that I would think it possible those students get a 'bump' in rigor perception'.

I think the 'risk' is more that other students get a 'lift' versus your DC gets a 'demerit'. Kinda like test optional. They say not sending in a test score won't hurt you, but that doesnt mean it doesn't help the student that sends it in.

That said there are essays, recs, ECs, all the other classes taken, etc that factor in. It doesn't hinge on a single class taken/not taken but it is a game of inches.

Mostly this. In the game of inches the difference between calculus AB and BC is maybe a quarter of an inch.

OP is agonizing over things that matter only a little. I haven’t seen a single college website that suggests BC is better for admissions, even if it covers two additional chapters. The admission outcome will not rest on doing parametric curves and series in the senior year of high school.

Instead of worrying about this, have your daughter go to Red Cross this weekend and take a first aid class and certification to list as an extracurricular on the application if she’s interested. It’s going to count more than AB vs BC.

What the college website says is irrelevant. Your application is judged against your peers and the other applications they receive. Only going up to calc AB (and senior yr at that) and trying to get a spot at a top school for stem is likely not going to be in your favor. While it isn’t an automatic no, you aren’t going to have a grade in the class nor and AP score when your application is being considered. In a sea of applicants that all have calc BC or beyond, many of them before senior year, your application is going to be put aside

No, what colleges say is not irrelevant. They tell you how and by what metrics the application is judged against the other students from your school.

They give general statements to maximize number of applicants, and to not discourage anyone. If you are applying to a college that has an under 10% admissions rate and top want to major in stem, talking calc AB your senior year is pretty much is going to make your already slim chances near zero. According to the MIT website students applying should have “at least some single variable calculus” and “at least some biology, chemistry, and physics by the time they graduate.” They don’t require any AP classes at all. But if you think you are going to get into MIT taking calc AB and zero AP sciences, if your school offers them (because they don’t say it is required or even recommend it), then you are very delusional.

It doesn’t sound like you read the page carefully, or you have the reading comprehension of a middle schooler.

Nope. No one with any sense of reality and knowledge of college admissions thinks calc AB is just fine for applying to T15 schools for STEM. You are the only one that seems to think “because their website says..” means anything. It is a disadvantage, especially given the further details given by OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If AP Calculus AB is the highest math my DC reaches, will they be auto rejected from T15 as a biology/chemistry/neuroscience major? DC attends competitive public in over-represented area with most classmates reaching BC calc or higher.

if that is the case, that most are BC or higher, then yours is average-to-below in rigor and will likely go where the average to below kids go, barring a big hook.
Our school is about 40% BC or higher, not a majority. The AB in 12th kids are another 30%. The AB kids can get in to UVA in state but usually do not unless they have super high gpa and every other subject area top rigor, and not going for a stem major. UVA admits from the BC or higher group 80% of the time. The ivies almost exclusively admit from the MVC group, the ones with BC as juniors, for unhooked kids. The AB kids end up at VT(not engineering), JMU, Tenn, Auburn, Clemson.
At the school down the road less than 15% take BC, there is no MVC, and UVA admits the AB kids all the time. They have less going to Ivies, but have had some success with ED other top 10s and it has been AB kids some of the time. Most of the ABs there go to UVA, VT, WM, and LACs are big at that high school: colby, dickinson, UofR for AB kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If AP Calculus AB is the highest math my DC reaches, will they be auto rejected from T15 as a biology/chemistry/neuroscience major? DC attends competitive public in over-represented area with most classmates reaching BC calc or higher.

Auto-reject, no. That 'most' classmates reach BC or higher could play a factor in rigor perception, I would think. If AB is required before BC, then that would be a function of math tracking earlier on and might factor in differently than if students can choose to go AB or BC and most choose BC. In that I would think it possible those students get a 'bump' in rigor perception'.

I think the 'risk' is more that other students get a 'lift' versus your DC gets a 'demerit'. Kinda like test optional. They say not sending in a test score won't hurt you, but that doesnt mean it doesn't help the student that sends it in.

That said there are essays, recs, ECs, all the other classes taken, etc that factor in. It doesn't hinge on a single class taken/not taken but it is a game of inches.

T15 for STEM is fine. But the Top 5 for Engineering would be a problem.

Mostly this. In the game of inches the difference between calculus AB and BC is maybe a quarter of an inch.

OP is agonizing over things that matter only a little. I haven’t seen a single college website that suggests BC is better for admissions, even if it covers two additional chapters. The admission outcome will not rest on doing parametric curves and series in the senior year of high school.

Instead of worrying about this, have your daughter go to Red Cross this weekend and take a first aid class and certification to list as an extracurricular on the application if she’s interested. It’s going to count more than AB vs BC.

What the college website says is irrelevant. Your application is judged against your peers and the other applications they receive. Only going up to calc AB (and senior yr at that) and trying to get a spot at a top school for stem is likely not going to be in your favor. While it isn’t an automatic no, you aren’t going to have a grade in the class nor and AP score when your application is being considered. In a sea of applicants that all have calc BC or beyond, many of them before senior year, your application is going to be put aside

No, what colleges say is not irrelevant. They tell you how and by what metrics the application is judged against the other students from your school.

They give general statements to maximize number of applicants, and to not discourage anyone. If you are applying to a college that has an under 10% admissions rate and top want to major in stem, talking calc AB your senior year is pretty much is going to make your already slim chances near zero. According to the MIT website students applying should have “at least some single variable calculus” and “at least some biology, chemistry, and physics by the time they graduate.” They don’t require any AP classes at all. But if you think you are going to get into MIT taking calc AB and zero AP sciences, if your school offers them (because they don’t say it is required or even recommend it), then you are very delusional.

It doesn’t sound like you read the page carefully, or you have the reading comprehension of a middle schooler.

Nope. No one with any sense of reality and knowledge of college admissions thinks calc AB is just fine for applying to T15 schools for STEM. You are the only one that seems to think “because their website says..” means anything. It is a disadvantage, especially given the further details given by OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP AB is not the highest rigor. That's just a fact, and many colleges ding students for this when coming from competitive, overly represented HSs. It would not be an auto-reject, but they need something else compelling.

DP. In our school profile, Calculus AB is listed as the highest rigor, but kids are taking all the way up to Multivariable Calculus and/or linear algebra. This allows counselor to still mark AB kids as highest rigor.

The counselor can mark whatever box they want, or not do the box and just write a few sentences describing relative rigor, which is what our school CC does. Regardless, the AOs are not fooled: when they see BC and MVC is offered they know AB is not really "highest rigor"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If AP Calculus AB is the highest math my DC reaches, will they be auto rejected from T15 as a biology/chemistry/neuroscience major? DC attends competitive public in over-represented area with most classmates reaching BC calc or higher.

Auto-reject, no. That 'most' classmates reach BC or higher could play a factor in rigor perception, I would think. If AB is required before BC, then that would be a function of math tracking earlier on and might factor in differently than if students can choose to go AB or BC and most choose BC. In that I would think it possible those students get a 'bump' in rigor perception'.

I think the 'risk' is more that other students get a 'lift' versus your DC gets a 'demerit'. Kinda like test optional. They say not sending in a test score won't hurt you, but that doesnt mean it doesn't help the student that sends it in.

That said there are essays, recs, ECs, all the other classes taken, etc that factor in. It doesn't hinge on a single class taken/not taken but it is a game of inches.

Mostly this. In the game of inches the difference between calculus AB and BC is maybe a quarter of an inch.

OP is agonizing over things that matter only a little. I haven’t seen a single college website that suggests BC is better for admissions, even if it covers two additional chapters. The admission outcome will not rest on doing parametric curves and series in the senior year of high school.

Instead of worrying about this, have your daughter go to Red Cross this weekend and take a first aid class and certification to list as an extracurricular on the application if she’s interested. It’s going to count more than AB vs BC.

What the college website says is irrelevant. Your application is judged against your peers and the other applications they receive. Only going up to calc AB (and senior yr at that) and trying to get a spot at a top school for stem is likely not going to be in your favor. While it isn’t an automatic no, you aren’t going to have a grade in the class nor and AP score when your application is being considered. In a sea of applicants that all have calc BC or beyond, many of them before senior year, your application is going to be put aside

No, what colleges say is not irrelevant. They tell you how and by what metrics the application is judged against the other students from your school.

They give general statements to maximize number of applicants, and to not discourage anyone. If you are applying to a college that has an under 10% admissions rate and top want to major in stem, talking calc AB your senior year is pretty much is going to make your already slim chances near zero. According to the MIT website students applying should have “at least some single variable calculus” and “at least some biology, chemistry, and physics by the time they graduate.” They don’t require any AP classes at all. But if you think you are going to get into MIT taking calc AB and zero AP sciences, if your school offers them (because they don’t say it is required or even recommend it), then you are very delusional.

It doesn’t sound like you read the page carefully, or you have the reading comprehension of a middle schooler.

Nope. No one with any sense of reality and knowledge of college admissions thinks calc AB is just fine for applying to T15 schools for STEM. You are the only one that seems to think “because their website says..” means anything. It is a disadvantage, especially given the further details given by OP

Top 15 for STEM may be less of a problem especially if it's a liberal arts focused school. But Top 5 Engineering School would be a problem with just AB especially if your school offered BC and your student didn't take it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If AP Calculus AB is the highest math my DC reaches, will they be auto rejected from T15 as a biology/chemistry/neuroscience major? DC attends competitive public in over-represented area with most classmates reaching BC calc or higher.

Auto-reject, no. That 'most' classmates reach BC or higher could play a factor in rigor perception, I would think. If AB is required before BC, then that would be a function of math tracking earlier on and might factor in differently than if students can choose to go AB or BC and most choose BC. In that I would think it possible those students get a 'bump' in rigor perception'.

I think the 'risk' is more that other students get a 'lift' versus your DC gets a 'demerit'. Kinda like test optional. They say not sending in a test score won't hurt you, but that doesnt mean it doesn't help the student that sends it in.

That said there are essays, recs, ECs, all the other classes taken, etc that factor in. It doesn't hinge on a single class taken/not taken but it is a game of inches.

Mostly this. In the game of inches the difference between calculus AB and BC is maybe a quarter of an inch.

OP is agonizing over things that matter only a little. I haven’t seen a single college website that suggests BC is better for admissions, even if it covers two additional chapters. The admission outcome will not rest on doing parametric curves and series in the senior year of high school.

Instead of worrying about this, have your daughter go to Red Cross this weekend and take a first aid class and certification to list as an extracurricular on the application if she’s interested. It’s going to count more than AB vs BC.

What the college website says is irrelevant. Your application is judged against your peers and the other applications they receive. Only going up to calc AB (and senior yr at that) and trying to get a spot at a top school for stem is likely not going to be in your favor. While it isn’t an automatic no, you aren’t going to have a grade in the class nor and AP score when your application is being considered. In a sea of applicants that all have calc BC or beyond, many of them before senior year, your application is going to be put aside

No, what colleges say is not irrelevant. They tell you how and by what metrics the application is judged against the other students from your school.

They give general statements to maximize number of applicants, and to not discourage anyone. If you are applying to a college that has an under 10% admissions rate and top want to major in stem, talking calc AB your senior year is pretty much is going to make your already slim chances near zero. According to the MIT website students applying should have “at least some single variable calculus” and “at least some biology, chemistry, and physics by the time they graduate.” They don’t require any AP classes at all. But if you think you are going to get into MIT taking calc AB and zero AP sciences, if your school offers them (because they don’t say it is required or even recommend it), then you are very delusional.

It doesn’t sound like you read the page carefully, or you have the reading comprehension of a middle schooler.

Nope. No one with any sense of reality and knowledge of college admissions thinks calc AB is just fine for applying to T15 schools for STEM. You are the only one that seems to think “because their website says..” means anything. It is a disadvantage, especially given the further details given by OP

harsh but factual

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If AP Calculus AB is the highest math my DC reaches, will they be auto rejected from T15 as a biology/chemistry/neuroscience major? DC attends competitive public in over-represented area with most classmates reaching BC calc or higher.

Auto-reject, no. That 'most' classmates reach BC or higher could play a factor in rigor perception, I would think. If AB is required before BC, then that would be a function of math tracking earlier on and might factor in differently than if students can choose to go AB or BC and most choose BC. In that I would think it possible those students get a 'bump' in rigor perception'.

I think the 'risk' is more that other students get a 'lift' versus your DC gets a 'demerit'. Kinda like test optional. They say not sending in a test score won't hurt you, but that doesnt mean it doesn't help the student that sends it in.

That said there are essays, recs, ECs, all the other classes taken, etc that factor in. It doesn't hinge on a single class taken/not taken but it is a game of inches.

Mostly this. In the game of inches the difference between calculus AB and BC is maybe a quarter of an inch.

OP is agonizing over things that matter only a little. I haven’t seen a single college website that suggests BC is better for admissions, even if it covers two additional chapters. The admission outcome will not rest on doing parametric curves and series in the senior year of high school.

Instead of worrying about this, have your daughter go to Red Cross this weekend and take a first aid class and certification to list as an extracurricular on the application if she’s interested. It’s going to count more than AB vs BC.

What the college website says is irrelevant. Your application is judged against your peers and the other applications they receive. Only going up to calc AB (and senior yr at that) and trying to get a spot at a top school for stem is likely not going to be in your favor. While it isn’t an automatic no, you aren’t going to have a grade in the class nor and AP score when your application is being considered. In a sea of applicants that all have calc BC or beyond, many of them before senior year, your application is going to be put aside

No, what colleges say is not irrelevant. They tell you how and by what metrics the application is judged against the other students from your school.

They give general statements to maximize number of applicants, and to not discourage anyone. If you are applying to a college that has an under 10% admissions rate and top want to major in stem, talking calc AB your senior year is pretty much is going to make your already slim chances near zero. According to the MIT website students applying should have “at least some single variable calculus” and “at least some biology, chemistry, and physics by the time they graduate.” They don’t require any AP classes at all. But if you think you are going to get into MIT taking calc AB and zero AP sciences, if your school offers them (because they don’t say it is required or even recommend it), then you are very delusional.

It doesn’t sound like you read the page carefully, or you have the reading comprehension of a middle schooler.

Nope. No one with any sense of reality and knowledge of college admissions thinks calc AB is just fine for applying to T15 schools for STEM. You are the only one that seems to think “because their website says..” means anything. It is a disadvantage, especially given the further details given by OP

If the higher ranking ones HYPMS did not admit you, mostly likely it's not because OP didn't take BC. They want a lot more than a Calculus course.
It's the lower ranking ones that care about BC a lot more, Caltech, JHU, Penn, Cornell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If AP Calculus AB is the highest math my DC reaches, will they be auto rejected from T15 as a biology/chemistry/neuroscience major? DC attends competitive public in over-represented area with most classmates reaching BC calc or higher.

Life sciences majors like biology and neuroscience usually do one semester calculus for life sciences which is very close to Calculus AB. Chemistry majors require the full two semesters of Calculus, akin to BC.

This being said, I don’t think colleges discriminate between the versions of calculus taken in high school for admissions purposes, especially if she entered high school with geometry in 9th. Calculus AB is roughly 80% the BC material.

Why is she not taking BC instead? Is it because the school has AB as prerequisite for BC, scheduling conflict issue, or she’s not confident in her abilities? If she’ll do well in AB she’ll do well in BC as well with a little more effort. It’s a good idea to explain on the application her high school course choices.

Just make sure the school doesn’t treat them differently as in not giving the most rigorous mark to AB students, so you need to talk to the counselor directly.

If she took AP Biology, Chemistry and Physics, has the gpa and extracurriculars she’ll be competitive to Top 15, but be aware admissions are a lottery at these schools.

She won’t be on auto reject because she got an A in Calculus AB.

Thank you to all who responded for helpful insights and advice. DD has excellent grades and rigor (just not in math) in her school but is not taking BC because of a health issue/medical treatment this semester and was advised to take a “balanced” senior course load. DD taking 5 other AP courses on top of calculus (to try to be as competitive with peers).

Just very worried because 85% of her class probably finishes HS with BC calc or higher. Not sure if will get the highest rigor mark by counselor because of this.

Prioritize health OP. Whether or not the rigor box is checked, she in fact does not have highest rigor and is unlikely to be seriously considered for whichever colleges the top 10-25% of the school goes to. Aim for schools that will fit her need for balance. ivy/T20 and maybe down to T50 could be terrible fits depending on her high school and what the medical situation is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If AP Calculus AB is the highest math my DC reaches, will they be auto rejected from T15 as a biology/chemistry/neuroscience major? DC attends competitive public in over-represented area with most classmates reaching BC calc or higher.

Auto-reject, no. That 'most' classmates reach BC or higher could play a factor in rigor perception, I would think. If AB is required before BC, then that would be a function of math tracking earlier on and might factor in differently than if students can choose to go AB or BC and most choose BC. In that I would think it possible those students get a 'bump' in rigor perception'.

I think the 'risk' is more that other students get a 'lift' versus your DC gets a 'demerit'. Kinda like test optional. They say not sending in a test score won't hurt you, but that doesnt mean it doesn't help the student that sends it in.

That said there are essays, recs, ECs, all the other classes taken, etc that factor in. It doesn't hinge on a single class taken/not taken but it is a game of inches.

Mostly this. In the game of inches the difference between calculus AB and BC is maybe a quarter of an inch.

OP is agonizing over things that matter only a little. I haven’t seen a single college website that suggests BC is better for admissions, even if it covers two additional chapters. The admission outcome will not rest on doing parametric curves and series in the senior year of high school.

Instead of worrying about this, have your daughter go to Red Cross this weekend and take a first aid class and certification to list as an extracurricular on the application if she’s interested. It’s going to count more than AB vs BC.

What the college website says is irrelevant. Your application is judged against your peers and the other applications they receive. Only going up to calc AB (and senior yr at that) and trying to get a spot at a top school for stem is likely not going to be in your favor. While it isn’t an automatic no, you aren’t going to have a grade in the class nor and AP score when your application is being considered. In a sea of applicants that all have calc BC or beyond, many of them before senior year, your application is going to be put aside

No, what colleges say is not irrelevant. They tell you how and by what metrics the application is judged against the other students from your school.

They give general statements to maximize number of applicants, and to not discourage anyone. If you are applying to a college that has an under 10% admissions rate and top want to major in stem, talking calc AB your senior year is pretty much is going to make your already slim chances near zero. According to the MIT website students applying should have “at least some single variable calculus” and “at least some biology, chemistry, and physics by the time they graduate.” They don’t require any AP classes at all. But if you think you are going to get into MIT taking calc AB and zero AP sciences, if your school offers them (because they don’t say it is required or even recommend it), then you are very delusional.

It doesn’t sound like you read the page carefully, or you have the reading comprehension of a middle schooler.

Nope. No one with any sense of reality and knowledge of college admissions thinks calc AB is just fine for applying to T15 schools for STEM. You are the only one that seems to think “because their website says..” means anything. It is a disadvantage, especially given the further details given by OP

Regardless of OP situation for which we have incomplete information, math requirements for Biology and Neuroscience are different than typical STEM likes math major. You just need one semester of calculus and AB is sufficient. It’s not a disadvantage if the rest of the coursework and extracurriculars align with the intended major.

I don’t know why you’re so stuck on math level, colleges don’t sort their students based of who got to the most advanced math class. Definitely not for Biology majors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If AP Calculus AB is the highest math my DC reaches, will they be auto rejected from T15 as a biology/chemistry/neuroscience major? DC attends competitive public in over-represented area with most classmates reaching BC calc or higher.

Auto-reject, no. That 'most' classmates reach BC or higher could play a factor in rigor perception, I would think. If AB is required before BC, then that would be a function of math tracking earlier on and might factor in differently than if students can choose to go AB or BC and most choose BC. In that I would think it possible those students get a 'bump' in rigor perception'.

I think the 'risk' is more that other students get a 'lift' versus your DC gets a 'demerit'. Kinda like test optional. They say not sending in a test score won't hurt you, but that doesnt mean it doesn't help the student that sends it in.

That said there are essays, recs, ECs, all the other classes taken, etc that factor in. It doesn't hinge on a single class taken/not taken but it is a game of inches.

Mostly this. In the game of inches the difference between calculus AB and BC is maybe a quarter of an inch.

OP is agonizing over things that matter only a little. I haven’t seen a single college website that suggests BC is better for admissions, even if it covers two additional chapters. The admission outcome will not rest on doing parametric curves and series in the senior year of high school.

Instead of worrying about this, have your daughter go to Red Cross this weekend and take a first aid class and certification to list as an extracurricular on the application if she’s interested. It’s going to count more than AB vs BC.

What the college website says is irrelevant. Your application is judged against your peers and the other applications they receive. Only going up to calc AB (and senior yr at that) and trying to get a spot at a top school for stem is likely not going to be in your favor. While it isn’t an automatic no, you aren’t going to have a grade in the class nor and AP score when your application is being considered. In a sea of applicants that all have calc BC or beyond, many of them before senior year, your application is going to be put aside

No, what colleges say is not irrelevant. They tell you how and by what metrics the application is judged against the other students from your school.

They give general statements to maximize number of applicants, and to not discourage anyone. If you are applying to a college that has an under 10% admissions rate and top want to major in stem, talking calc AB your senior year is pretty much is going to make your already slim chances near zero. According to the MIT website students applying should have “at least some single variable calculus” and “at least some biology, chemistry, and physics by the time they graduate.” They don’t require any AP classes at all. But if you think you are going to get into MIT taking calc AB and zero AP sciences, if your school offers them (because they don’t say it is required or even recommend it), then you are very delusional.

It doesn’t sound like you read the page carefully, or you have the reading comprehension of a middle schooler.

Nope. No one with any sense of reality and knowledge of college admissions thinks calc AB is just fine for applying to T15 schools for STEM. You are the only one that seems to think “because their website says..” means anything. It is a disadvantage, especially given the further details given by OP

Regardless of OP situation for which we have incomplete information, math requirements for Biology and Neuroscience are different than typical STEM likes math major. You just need one semester of calculus and AB is sufficient. It’s not a disadvantage if the rest of the coursework and extracurriculars align with the intended major.

I don’t know why you’re so stuck on math level, colleges don’t sort their students based of who got to the most advanced math class. Definitely not for Biology majors.

That's such a tired argument. Then why do math and physics majors need to take history and English classes in hs? Just because some majors in college have lower requirements doesn't mean that smart kids shouldn't be taking every hard class they can in hs. And since the internet exists, I'd argue that the smart kids should in fact be learning at a higher level than even those highest rigor math, science, and social science courses.

[Anonymous]

We know of multiple kids from our FCPS public who have gotten into Ivys with "just" calc AB. Same with UVA. Totally a DCUM myth that the student is doomed if they "only" get to calc AB. Funny to see this play out every year - I have gone through this rodeo several times. Each of my kids has "only" gotten to calc AB and multiple kids from their math class go on to the kinds of schools this board drools over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We know of multiple kids from our FCPS public who have gotten into Ivys with "just" calc AB. Same with UVA. Totally a DCUM myth that the student is doomed if they "only" get to calc AB. Funny to see this play out every year - I have gone through this rodeo several times. Each of my kids has "only" gotten to calc AB and multiple kids from their math class go on to the kinds of schools this board drools over.

Legacy, sports, female DEI, and URM. I know many in Fairfax who did way more than that with very high SAT scores and got rejected. I also know a few that were in those categories named above and got in.