AP Calc AB or BC at TJ

[Anonymous]

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?

[Anonymous]

Your child’s math teacher will recommend AB vs BC for your kid. Take their recommendation very seriously.

[Anonymous]

A long long time ago I went to TJ and took BC based on my pre-calc teacher's strong recommendation - huuuuge mistake.
My friends who took AB did better GPA and felt more confident in math going into college. I ended up doing ok on the AP actual test but when I got to college re-took calc I because going into the class I struggled so much. So it was a huge waste. Low grade and even with decent AP score it was a waste too. Not sure if it was the teacher or my own fault or what but, take the easier class, especially if there is ANY indication of stuggling. I never strugged until BC calc - it is so hard. Did end up with an engineering degree after dropping back to normal pace in the math.

[Anonymous]

If there's room in the schedule, I'd suggest taking AB one year and BC the next year. They'll gain more confidence and may get additional college credits if they take both AP exams, depending on the college.

This is not universal, however. For example, MIT (where I went) gives credit for Calc I only for a 5 on the BC AP, but nothing for lower scores and nothing for the AB exam. Calc II is about 2/3 what would have been covered in the Calc BC course, but does much deeper and further than what would have been done in high school and will not be an easy A, even if the student did well in the high school BC class and exam.

It should be noted that only Calc BC is offered in the Montgomery County, MD schools and AB is skipped. My husband also took just the BC class in Long Island when he was a student and had a similar experience as I did when he took Calc II at MIT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If there's room in the schedule, I'd suggest taking AB one year and BC the next year. They'll gain more confidence and may get additional college credits if they take both AP exams, depending on the college.

This is not universal, however. For example, MIT (where I went) gives credit for Calc I only for a 5 on the BC AP, but nothing for lower scores and nothing for the AB exam. Calc II is about 2/3 what would have been covered in the Calc BC course, but does much deeper and further than what would have been done in high school and will not be an easy A, even if the student did well in the high school BC class and exam.

It should be noted that only Calc BC is offered in the Montgomery County, MD schools and AB is skipped. My husband also took just the BC class in Long Island when he was a student and had a similar experience as I did when he took Calc II at MIT.

Your last point is incorrect, both AB and BC are offered in Montgomery County. There is no push to have students take AB as a prerequisite for BC, but that's always an option. Some people even take AB as a refresher class senior year after getting credit for BC junior year.

[Anonymous]

It can be teacher dependent. My TJ kid took AB sophmore year after struggling, then BC junior. It was a great decision and they don't regret it a bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It can be teacher dependent. My TJ kid took AB sophmore year after struggling, then BC junior. It was a great decision and they don't regret it a bit.

This is what my neighbor’s kid did, and he is now majoring in a STEM field at a school known for the strength of its STEM offerings. He apparently tested into an advanced math section as a freshman and did great due to the strength of his math background from TJ. He is a junior now and has had some cool summer internships in his major field, so I figure he must be doing well.

[Anonymous]

My son is currently in AB as a junior and is doing well. But he's told me a few times he kind of wishes he was taking BC

[Anonymous]

It is so tricky to decide as it is very student-dependent. I think your child should just follow the teacher's recommendation. I've heard lots of kids who wish they took BC because the pace and projects of AB are not what they want. But I think there are also kids who took BC who might be struggling.

[Anonymous]

I took BC only in HS (in another state) and scored a 5 on the AP test without much effort. However, when I got to college, I realized there were some gaps in my fundamental/ deep level understanding of the subject which somewhat hampered my progress in more advanced math classes and resulted in having to reteach myself some of the material.
My DC could have gone into BC this year but I strongly encouraged them to go with AB first and wrestle with the concepts a little longer so as not to make the mistake I did. I'm sure some kids do just fine with BC alone but I would have felt bad in hindsight if DC ran into the same issues I did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I took BC only in HS (in another state) and scored a 5 on the AP test without much effort. However, when I got to college, I realized there were some gaps in my fundamental/ deep level understanding of the subject which somewhat hampered my progress in more advanced math classes and resulted in having to reteach myself some of the material.
My DC could have gone into BC this year but I strongly encouraged them to go with AB first and wrestle with the concepts a little longer so as not to make the mistake I did. I'm sure some kids do just fine with BC alone but I would have felt bad in hindsight if DC ran into the same issues I did.

This is really good feedback! Thanks.

I'd be interested to hear if taking AB as a junior impacts college acceptance. Seriously, when applying to the elites, every little thing is compared. Does this impact a DC's chances when being to other kids taking the accelerated course?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I took BC only in HS (in another state) and scored a 5 on the AP test without much effort. However, when I got to college, I realized there were some gaps in my fundamental/ deep level understanding of the subject which somewhat hampered my progress in more advanced math classes and resulted in having to reteach myself some of the material.
My DC could have gone into BC this year but I strongly encouraged them to go with AB first and wrestle with the concepts a little longer so as not to make the mistake I did. I'm sure some kids do just fine with BC alone but I would have felt bad in hindsight if DC ran into the same issues I did.

This is really good feedback! Thanks.

I'd be interested to hear if taking AB as a junior impacts college acceptance. Seriously, when applying to the elites, every little thing is compared. Does this impact a DC's chances when being to other kids taking the accelerated course?

We are talking about TJ not a base school. At TJ, just taking BC (as the last math course) is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I took BC only in HS (in another state) and scored a 5 on the AP test without much effort. However, when I got to college, I realized there were some gaps in my fundamental/ deep level understanding of the subject which somewhat hampered my progress in more advanced math classes and resulted in having to reteach myself some of the material.
My DC could have gone into BC this year but I strongly encouraged them to go with AB first and wrestle with the concepts a little longer so as not to make the mistake I did. I'm sure some kids do just fine with BC alone but I would have felt bad in hindsight if DC ran into the same issues I did.

This is really good feedback! Thanks.

I'd be interested to hear if taking AB as a junior impacts college acceptance. Seriously, when applying to the elites, every little thing is compared. Does this impact a DC's chances when being to other kids taking the accelerated course?

We are talking about TJ not a base school. At TJ, just taking BC (as the last math course) is ridiculous.

+100. Even some base school kids take post-ap math courses such as multi-variable calculus, linear algebra etc.

[Anonymous]

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.

[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.

i don't understand what you mean. i am the OP and am interested in anyone's feedback if your DC has taken these courses at TJ.