DC is getting a C+ in Advanced Calculus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very risky move to take Advanced Cal in junior, which is equivalent to AP Cal BC or even harder. We had a senior taking it who was admitted to Princeton, she pulled a C. Luckily the offer was not rescinded. Had she taken that course in Junior, she would be going to Rochester this Fall!

She doesn't sound like Princeton material if she can only get a C in Calc BC as a senior. What kind of school are you going to with that high grade inflation? My public school kid took it as a sophmore with an A but they also were in tutoring as the teacher wasn't strong.

[Anonymous]

College counselor here. Choose the ED carefully and it will be fine.

[Anonymous]

Kids at Blair, RM, Wootton, and Churchill public schools routinely have taken such high advanced Calculus courses and differential equations prior to 11 th grade in the area public schools. I know a couple on the math USAMO teams. What’s the big deal here? All those power hitting high GPA kids are no longer deserving?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kids at Blair, RM, Wootton, and Churchill public schools routinely have taken such high advanced Calculus courses and differential equations prior to 11 th grade in the area public schools. I know a couple on the math USAMO teams. What’s the big deal here? All those power hitting high GPA kids are no longer deserving?

Same. Multi, linear eq, diff eq by junior year. Common at our public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He should take a self-paced online summer class (from a university that gives high school credit—the school can help you figure out which, or else find someone who homeschools and ask them) and get an A in that class. That will let him keep pace with classmates for whatever math he will take in 12th.
At least, that’s what I’d have my kid do.

He's a rising senior. He can take fundamentals math review over the summer and retake calculus in 12th.

Pushing ahead after failing is a terrible idea.

If he hasn’t done AP Stats yet, then that’s what he should do in 12th if he’s trying to show rigor. Taking the same class for two years doesn’t show that.

[Anonymous]

This is a word salad. OP was not asking for grade adjustment.


Now, please tell us what OP was asking for? A C + is a C + in a course. Who cares if it is in a math or basket weaving course? Rigor sometimes is in the eye of the beholder. Some genius’ struggle with AP basket weaving.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think PP needs to sound insecure. OP son is in a private and his situation is best understood from private school parents. The curriculum is different. Advanced Calc AB is hard and taking as a junior is really hard and not taken by most kids at my kids’ school.
I don’t know about ED unless your FA situation supports doing ED. I think these conversations are interesting and parents should ask questions. I had two kids and wish I asked more questions early. This is not something to be mad. Ask for support and clear understanding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
This is a word salad. OP was not asking for grade adjustment.


Now, please tell us what OP was asking for? A C + is a C + in a course. Who cares if it is in a math or basket weaving course? Rigor sometimes is in the eye of the beholder. Some genius’ struggle with AP basket weaving.

Someone else - the confused poster who claims the equivalent of ap precalc is an anomaly for private school HE juniors - also said:

OP please know that there are people in the private school universe who understand your dilemma and are pulling for your kid. We get it. Understand that very few kids are taking this class as a junior. Ask me how I know? I would set up an appointment with point of contact for your grade. Do not push this aside. You should be direct and say the facts-know how many kids take this class and bring up you are concerned that this will be lost in the mix. Put this on the school as to how they will figure this out. Work out a plan together on how to overcome this? Maybe it is an online class? Maybe it is taking over this summer? Maybe it is tutoring to make sure he rocks BC. The most important thing is respectfully make a point that if your kid was in public this would be a B plus because they get a point for AP on top of grade. Make sure you are all on same page. It is better to figure this out now than wait until senior year. If you are talking about a kid with mostly As and this is an anomaly then this should be used as an asset for applications. Understand that if you do not have this sort of curriculum you will not get advice on DCUM that will be helpful. Good luck and tell you kid he is awesome!!

What does she think the school will do when she says to make the school figure out a solution?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think PP needs to sound insecure. OP son is in a private and his situation is best understood from private school parents. The curriculum is different. Advanced Calc AB is hard and taking as a junior is really hard and not taken by most kids at my kids’ school.
I don’t know about ED unless your FA situation supports doing ED. I think these conversations are interesting and parents should ask questions. I had two kids and wish I asked more questions early. This is not something to be mad. Ask for support and clear understanding.

Then don’t tell her almost no juniors take AP/advanced calc AB. Tell her with your limited knowledge of your kids’ private school, most juniors don’t take it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kids at Blair, RM, Wootton, and Churchill public schools routinely have taken such high advanced Calculus courses and differential equations prior to 11 th grade in the area public schools. I know a couple on the math USAMO teams. What’s the big deal here? All those power hitting high GPA kids are no longer deserving?

In public schools, as long as your kid hands in all hw on time, it’s automatically a B+.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think PP needs to sound insecure. OP son is in a private and his situation is best understood from private school parents. The curriculum is different. Advanced Calc AB is hard and taking as a junior is really hard and not taken by most kids at my kids’ school.
I don’t know about ED unless your FA situation supports doing ED. I think these conversations are interesting and parents should ask questions. I had two kids and wish I asked more questions early. This is not something to be mad. Ask for support and clear understanding.

Then don’t tell her almost no juniors take AP/advanced calc AB. Tell her with your limited knowledge of your kids’ private school, most juniors don’t take it.

What's going on at these private schools? If they are getting the best and brightest, normal is Calc BC as a Sophmore or Junior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kids at Blair, RM, Wootton, and Churchill public schools routinely have taken such high advanced Calculus courses and differential equations prior to 11 th grade in the area public schools. I know a couple on the math USAMO teams. What’s the big deal here? All those power hitting high GPA kids are no longer deserving?

In public schools, as long as your kid hands in all hw on time, it’s automatically a B+.

What school is that? That's not at our MCPS public. Not even close.

[Anonymous]

Reasonable response given that public and private school students perform in distinct academic ecosystems. This explains why the upper echelon colleges, in part, access student academic performance in the context of their distinct school environment. In other words, if the C+ was the highest grade in the class, or only 4 kids in the class took this advanced course. In the latter, circumstance I wouldn’t worry about it as this is typically brought in the student summary report generated by the counselor accompanying the transcript sent to colleges

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:This is such a sad statement of the world today (I'm not blaming you - I feel awful for you). One bad grade should not ruin a kid. I'm pretty sure I had multiple final grades of B or so (but still finished in the top few % of my class at a good public HS) and got into multiple Ivy+ schools in the 90s. A's weren't handed out like candy and any SAT score over 1400 was great. The process is just so awful. But I don't know the answer.

This isn't the 90s.

In the era of grade inflation, a C+ might as well be a D. Now, if the OP isn't obsessed with T10 schools like most DCUMers and puts a reasonable college list together, he/she will avoid some admissions pain.

I'm not saying it is the 90s. I'm just venting as to how awful things are. The kid is taking advanced calc as a junior. Pretty impressive. But one screw up and that's it. As you noted, there are lots of great schools out there and I'm sure DC will get into one. But it is a shame. That is all.

Why is it a shame if a kid gets into one of those other great schools?

Seriously, what is wrong with you people? "There's lots of great schools out there, too bad kids have to go to them?" WTF?

It’s not a shame on the kid. It’s definitely a shame on the system.

What is shameful about a system with lots of great schools for kids to go to?

It’s a shame on the system because it punishes students who are bright and taking challenges, while rewarding students who don’t take challenges.

You said there were lots of great schools out there and that it was somehow a shame a student had to go to one of those great schools. You say it's a shame because it's a punishment. But why is it a punishment for a student to go to a great school? And what is your evidence that students who look for challenges are the ones suffering these punishments? And if you are right, and these great schools that nevertheless aren't really great in your mind are filled with smart and challenge-seeking kids, why would it be a shame and a punishment for a kid to go there?

None of what you're saying makes any sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kids at Blair, RM, Wootton, and Churchill public schools routinely have taken such high advanced Calculus courses and differential equations prior to 11 th grade in the area public schools. I know a couple on the math USAMO teams. What’s the big deal here? All those power hitting high GPA kids are no longer deserving?

In public schools, as long as your kid hands in all hw on time, it’s automatically a B+.

What school is that? That's not at our MCPS public. Not even close.

Public schools allow for retests. This is a clear advantage but nothing to do with OP question.