AP Calc BC is a disaster: how to spin for college app?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD was applying to engineering programs and got a C first semester senior year in AP Physics. So stressful! She worked hard and reached out to schools she had applied to. Ended up at WashU, did very well, and is now aerospace engineer (and did well in college physics). Try not to freak out and realize this will help your daughter learn resilience in the long run.

Love this. Thanks for sharing. I hope others will share experiences showing that a grade less than A isn’t a death knell for college admissions or life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD was applying to engineering programs and got a C first semester senior year in AP Physics. So stressful! She worked hard and reached out to schools she had applied to. Ended up at WashU, did very well, and is now aerospace engineer (and did well in college physics). Try not to freak out and realize this will help your daughter learn resilience in the long run.

You forgot to mention this was 15 years ago. The rimes they are a changing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
OP here.

Wow, did not expect so many kind responses. Thank you everyone!

DD was at a different school last year, where she had straight As in AP Calc AB (but did not take the exam). We suspect that last year's teacher was quite lenient, and this year's teacher is much more demanding. The first part of Calc BC is supposed to be the same as Calc AB, but DD noticed the work is noticeably harder this time!

I think she's stuck with this class, but we'll get her a good tutor and try to adjust her dose of ADHD meds, which had been decreased at the beginning of the year: she's been distracted lately, so perhaps this is a sign she needs to go back to her old dosage. Math is always the first subject to suffer when her meds need tweaking.

She was already planning on applying Early Action to some colleges, but I believe her favorite college requires a mid-year transcript, after the EA results date of Dec 15. Do you think they could rescind an offer because of a low BC grade? And if she thinks she can pull her grade up by January, is it worth addressing in an essay due Nov 1st.

Hi there OP! I know a kid who got a A- first quarter in BC Calc, then B+ on her mid-year transcript!! In December she had applied to Harvard and MIT. In January she (and they) got her mid-year report. Oh no!! Her 4.0 GPA from the end of junior year was gone. She and her family just accepted that she would not get in and she was set to go to Michigan (got in EA). When RD results were released, she got into both MIT and Harvard. So as long as she gets what she needs to pull that up — maybe a tutor? — your daughter wil be fine. They look at all 4 years of HS, not just Calc BC!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP here.

Wow, did not expect so many kind responses. Thank you everyone!

DD was at a different school last year, where she had straight As in AP Calc AB (but did not take the exam). We suspect that last year's teacher was quite lenient, and this year's teacher is much more demanding. The first part of Calc BC is supposed to be the same as Calc AB, but DD noticed the work is noticeably harder this time!

I think she's stuck with this class, but we'll get her a good tutor and try to adjust her dose of ADHD meds, which had been decreased at the beginning of the year: she's been distracted lately, so perhaps this is a sign she needs to go back to her old dosage. Math is always the first subject to suffer when her meds need tweaking.

She was already planning on applying Early Action to some colleges, but I believe her favorite college requires a mid-year transcript, after the EA results date of Dec 15. Do you think they could rescind an offer because of a low BC grade? And if she thinks she can pull her grade up by January, is it worth addressing in an essay due Nov 1st.

Hi there OP! I know a kid who got a A- first quarter in BC Calc, then B+ on her mid-year transcript!! In December she had applied to Harvard and MIT. In January she (and they) got her mid-year report. Oh no!! Her 4.0 GPA from the end of junior year was gone. She and her family just accepted that she would not get in and she was set to go to Michigan (got in EA). When RD results were released, she got into both MIT and Harvard. So as long as she gets what she needs to pull that up — maybe a tutor? — your daughter wil be fine. They look at all 4 years of HS, not just Calc BC!

PP here — this was last year!

[Anonymous]

A tutor will help. If she’s already seen the material from AB last year, this is review. The tutor will be able to help with gaps and assist with forming problem solving strategies for difficult questions on tests.

Is this coming up now because they are doing related rates (mid-end of College Board Unit 3) by any chance? I know so many kids who struggle with this section. A good tutor can help develop a step by step strategy to get partial credit even if she gets a problem where it seems impossible to know where to begin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP here.

Wow, did not expect so many kind responses. Thank you everyone!

DD was at a different school last year, where she had straight As in AP Calc AB (but did not take the exam). We suspect that last year's teacher was quite lenient, and this year's teacher is much more demanding. The first part of Calc BC is supposed to be the same as Calc AB, but DD noticed the work is noticeably harder this time!

I think she's stuck with this class, but we'll get her a good tutor and try to adjust her dose of ADHD meds, which had been decreased at the beginning of the year: she's been distracted lately, so perhaps this is a sign she needs to go back to her old dosage. Math is always the first subject to suffer when her meds need tweaking.

She was already planning on applying Early Action to some colleges, but I believe her favorite college requires a mid-year transcript, after the EA results date of Dec 15. Do you think they could rescind an offer because of a low BC grade? And if she thinks she can pull her grade up by January, is it worth addressing in an essay due Nov 1st.

Hi there OP! I know a kid who got a A- first quarter in BC Calc, then B+ on her mid-year transcript!! In December she had applied to Harvard and MIT. In January she (and they) got her mid-year report. Oh no!! Her 4.0 GPA from the end of junior year was gone. She and her family just accepted that she would not get in and she was set to go to Michigan (got in EA). When RD results were released, she got into both MIT and Harvard. So as long as she gets what she needs to pull that up — maybe a tutor? — your daughter wil be fine. They look at all 4 years of HS, not just Calc BC!

Here’s the kicker….she was URM

PP here — this was last year!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP here.

Wow, did not expect so many kind responses. Thank you everyone!

DD was at a different school last year, where she had straight As in AP Calc AB (but did not take the exam). We suspect that last year's teacher was quite lenient, and this year's teacher is much more demanding. The first part of Calc BC is supposed to be the same as Calc AB, but DD noticed the work is noticeably harder this time!

I think she's stuck with this class, but we'll get her a good tutor and try to adjust her dose of ADHD meds, which had been decreased at the beginning of the year: she's been distracted lately, so perhaps this is a sign she needs to go back to her old dosage. Math is always the first subject to suffer when her meds need tweaking.

She was already planning on applying Early Action to some colleges, but I believe her favorite college requires a mid-year transcript, after the EA results date of Dec 15. Do you think they could rescind an offer because of a low BC grade? And if she thinks she can pull her grade up by January, is it worth addressing in an essay due Nov 1st.

Hi there OP! I know a kid who got a A- first quarter in BC Calc, then B+ on her mid-year transcript!! In December she had applied to Harvard and MIT. In January she (and they) got her mid-year report. Oh no!! Her 4.0 GPA from the end of junior year was gone. She and her family just accepted that she would not get in and she was set to go to Michigan (got in EA). When RD results were released, she got into both MIT and Harvard. So as long as she gets what she needs to pull that up — maybe a tutor? — your daughter wil be fine. They look at all 4 years of HS, not just Calc BC!

Here’s the kicker….she was URM

PP here — this was last year!

Nope — Asian!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she is applying ED, she will get decision before the schools will see first semester grades. Yes, she will probably get an email if she gets a C or D but they will not recind if other grades are good.

Most ED schools will ask for current grades before finalizing their decision. They will see this grade, if applying ED

No they won’t. At least not MCPS. They do not complete 1st semester transcripts before these decisions come out. You are only looking at rescinding and that is very unlikely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she is applying ED, she will get decision before the schools will see first semester grades. Yes, she will probably get an email if she gets a C or D but they will not recind if other grades are good.

Most ED schools will ask for current grades before finalizing their decision. They will see this grade, if applying ED

No they won’t. At least not MCPS. They do not complete 1st semester transcripts before these decisions come out. You are only looking at rescinding and that is very unlikely.

The above is true. My kid went through the admissions process last year and we had a somewhat similar situation. Kid is not a math kid (later assessed with ADHD & dyscalculia) and took AP Stats in addition to honors precalc to bolster a weak math curriculum because we knew that selective schools would want to see rigor and effort. His early grades in AP Stats were all over the place - either As or Fs. We got him 2 tutors and generally made his life completely miserable for months to keep him from failing. In the end, he was admitted ED at a great SLAC and so early senior year grades were totally irrelevant. Some ED and EA schools asked for updates in November, but MCPS doesn't send quarter grades and at least his ED school only wanted the official grades. IN retrospect, we overcompensated but it's a tough to navigate a potential failing grade in the midst of all the uncertainty of the admissions process. Good luck OP and OP kid!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is she applying now? Get those apps in! The transcript won't have her current class grades on there. Those are only sent as a final transcript after admission.

She seems like a great student and will be fine!

This times 100. On paper, she is still a great student taking BC. Once that grade hits her transcript, she's a good student practically failing math. Apply ASAP

Apply ED or EA. They will not have the first semester senior year transcript.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she is applying ED, she will get decision before the schools will see first semester grades. Yes, she will probably get an email if she gets a C or D but they will not recind if other grades are good.

Most ED schools will ask for current grades before finalizing their decision. They will see this grade, if applying ED

No they won’t. At least not MCPS. They do not complete 1st semester transcripts before these decisions come out. You are only looking at rescinding and that is very unlikely.

The above is true. My kid went through the admissions process last year and we had a somewhat similar situation. Kid is not a math kid (later assessed with ADHD & dyscalculia) and took AP Stats in addition to honors precalc to bolster a weak math curriculum because we knew that selective schools would want to see rigor and effort. His early grades in AP Stats were all over the place - either As or Fs. We got him 2 tutors and generally made his life completely miserable for months to keep him from failing. In the end, he was admitted ED at a great SLAC and so early senior year grades were totally irrelevant. Some ED and EA schools asked for updates in November, but MCPS doesn't send quarter grades and at least his ED school only wanted the official grades. IN retrospect, we overcompensated but it's a tough to navigate a potential failing grade in the midst of all the uncertainty of the admissions process. Good luck OP and OP kid!

I know from experience in MCPS the selective college did ask for grades before making an ED decision. The counselor told my DC they were sending first quarter grades, at the college’s request. This is a student by student and college by college situation. It has nothing to do with MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she is applying ED, she will get decision before the schools will see first semester grades. Yes, she will probably get an email if she gets a C or D but they will not recind if other grades are good.

Most ED schools will ask for current grades before finalizing their decision. They will see this grade, if applying ED

No they won’t. At least not MCPS. They do not complete 1st semester transcripts before these decisions come out. You are only looking at rescinding and that is very unlikely.

The above is true. My kid went through the admissions process last year and we had a somewhat similar situation. Kid is not a math kid (later assessed with ADHD & dyscalculia) and took AP Stats in addition to honors precalc to bolster a weak math curriculum because we knew that selective schools would want to see rigor and effort. His early grades in AP Stats were all over the place - either As or Fs. We got him 2 tutors and generally made his life completely miserable for months to keep him from failing. In the end, he was admitted ED at a great SLAC and so early senior year grades were totally irrelevant. Some ED and EA schools asked for updates in November, but MCPS doesn't send quarter grades and at least his ED school only wanted the official grades. IN retrospect, we overcompensated but it's a tough to navigate a potential failing grade in the midst of all the uncertainty of the admissions process. Good luck OP and OP kid!

I know from experience in MCPS the selective college did ask for grades before making an ED decision. The counselor told my DC they were sending first quarter grades, at the college’s request. This is a student by student and college by college situation. It has nothing to do with MCPS.

I’ve also heard that some colleges want first quarter grades for ED. Particularly if a student has an uneven transcript or hasn’t taken as challenging a course load until senior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why spin reality?

Best answer

Do you wear makeup? Blow dry your hair?

Nope. Haven’t worn make up since I got married (17yrs ago) and always air dry my long hair.
Anything else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she is applying ED, she will get decision before the schools will see first semester grades. Yes, she will probably get an email if she gets a C or D but they will not recind if other grades are good.

Most ED schools will ask for current grades before finalizing their decision. They will see this grade, if applying ED

No they won’t. At least not MCPS. They do not complete 1st semester transcripts before these decisions come out. You are only looking at rescinding and that is very unlikely.

The above is true. My kid went through the admissions process last year and we had a somewhat similar situation. Kid is not a math kid (later assessed with ADHD & dyscalculia) and took AP Stats in addition to honors precalc to bolster a weak math curriculum because we knew that selective schools would want to see rigor and effort. His early grades in AP Stats were all over the place - either As or Fs. We got him 2 tutors and generally made his life completely miserable for months to keep him from failing. In the end, he was admitted ED at a great SLAC and so early senior year grades were totally irrelevant. Some ED and EA schools asked for updates in November, but MCPS doesn't send quarter grades and at least his ED school only wanted the official grades. IN retrospect, we overcompensated but it's a tough to navigate a potential failing grade in the midst of all the uncertainty of the admissions process. Good luck OP and OP kid!

I know from experience in MCPS the selective college did ask for grades before making an ED decision. The counselor told my DC they were sending first quarter grades, at the college’s request. This is a student by student and college by college situation. It has nothing to do with MCPS.

I’ve also heard that some colleges want first quarter grades for ED. Particularly if a student has an uneven transcript or hasn’t taken as challenging a course load until senior year.

Well then it depends on high school because I know from personal experience last year with both an EA at T30 and ED at T20 that asked for progress report grades and our MCPS counselor said they will not send and that they respond to request that way and colleges are fine with that. The counselors only confirm the classes they are taking and if changes have been made and NOT grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she is applying ED, she will get decision before the schools will see first semester grades. Yes, she will probably get an email if she gets a C or D but they will not recind if other grades are good.

Most ED schools will ask for current grades before finalizing their decision. They will see this grade, if applying ED

No they won’t. At least not MCPS. They do not complete 1st semester transcripts before these decisions come out. You are only looking at rescinding and that is very unlikely.

The above is true. My kid went through the admissions process last year and we had a somewhat similar situation. Kid is not a math kid (later assessed with ADHD & dyscalculia) and took AP Stats in addition to honors precalc to bolster a weak math curriculum because we knew that selective schools would want to see rigor and effort. His early grades in AP Stats were all over the place - either As or Fs. We got him 2 tutors and generally made his life completely miserable for months to keep him from failing. In the end, he was admitted ED at a great SLAC and so early senior year grades were totally irrelevant. Some ED and EA schools asked for updates in November, but MCPS doesn't send quarter grades and at least his ED school only wanted the official grades. IN retrospect, we overcompensated but it's a tough to navigate a potential failing grade in the midst of all the uncertainty of the admissions process. Good luck OP and OP kid!

I know from experience in MCPS the selective college did ask for grades before making an ED decision. The counselor told my DC they were sending first quarter grades, at the college’s request. This is a student by student and college by college situation. It has nothing to do with MCPS.

I’ve also heard that some colleges want first quarter grades for ED. Particularly if a student has an uneven transcript or hasn’t taken as challenging a course load until senior year.

Well then it depends on high school because I know from personal experience last year with both an EA at T30 and ED at T20 that asked for progress report grades and our MCPS counselor said they will not send and that they respond to request that way and colleges are fine with that. The counselors only confirm the classes they are taking and if changes have been made and NOT grades.

These two posts aren’t inconsistent.