My kid got a C in a foreign language last fall. He enrolled in summer school and just completed the class. He got an A and that will replace the C.

OP’s DS should have done that this summer. Why the wait?

Anonymous wrote:What grade/ class will colleges see? I think them seeing a C in precalc and then an unknown grade in BC and then a grade possibly better than a C in precalc after taking BC shows the kid is trying to game the system.

Instead, own up to the C and consider AB instead of BC this fall.

I agree this would look weird. An A in Calc BC would do a lot to make up for the C in Precal, especially if you can give an explanation to avoid the appearance that he was just a lazy ass in Precal.

The bigger issue is that he has given you no reason to believe he can get a A in Calc BC.

No question in my mind that your kid should retake the class if possible. How does the C not bring down the GPA? The likelihood that someone with a C will get into even the state flagship school is extremely low. The likelihood of getting into engineering at any decent school is darn near impossible these days.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one who got a C in precalc is getting an A in AP BC.

Eh, he has the ability. He just sort of decided he wanted to spend his time doing other stuff and not turning in assignments.
I’ve got 5 engineers in my immediate family so I know what’s required. He’s the kind of kid that’s reading physics books for fun instead of turning in his homework.
I’m not saying it’s in the bag but he definitely could do it if he decides that’s what he wants to do. I may tell him that if he doesn’t get the A first semester, we will cancel the summer activity. But if the thinking is that he should retake even if he does get A’s, I don’t want to tell him that.

Unfortunately, what you do at 15, 16, 17 really matters. I think everyone understands wanting to flake off in pre-cal, but that's going to have consequences down the line. If he wants to study engineering, the necessity of performing well in higher level math should have been made very clear to him freshman year of high school. Engineering is the most competitive major there is. Rolling with Cs because he had better things to do is not a winning strategy. And studying engineering - anywhere - is a grind. If he doesn't have the disposition to do the work, it's not going to happen. I'd suggest a different major and a different focus.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one who got a C in precalc is getting an A in AP BC.

Eh, he has the ability. He just sort of decided he wanted to spend his time doing other stuff and not turning in assignments.
I’ve got 5 engineers in my immediate family so I know what’s required. He’s the kind of kid that’s reading physics books for fun instead of turning in his homework.
I’m not saying it’s in the bag but he definitely could do it if he decides that’s what he wants to do. I may tell him that if he doesn’t get the A first semester, we will cancel the summer activity. But if the thinking is that he should retake even if he does get A’s, I don’t want to tell him that.

I wouldn't be spending my hard earned money on a kid who can't be bothered. No fun summer activities when he can't be bothered turning in work.

It isn’t that that he can’t be bothered. He’s not out with friends or gaming. He’s engrossed in physics. Why would anyone punish a kid for that?

He's in HS. He should be able to stop doing something he enjoys and start doing what he's supposed to do.

Is he autistic? My autistic child has enormous difficulty stopping preferred activities and switching to school work -- even when she knows the school work is necessary for her ultimate goals.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one who got a C in precalc is getting an A in AP BC.

Eh, he has the ability. He just sort of decided he wanted to spend his time doing other stuff and not turning in assignments.
I’ve got 5 engineers in my immediate family so I know what’s required. He’s the kind of kid that’s reading physics books for fun instead of turning in his homework.
I’m not saying it’s in the bag but he definitely could do it if he decides that’s what he wants to do. I may tell him that if he doesn’t get the A first semester, we will cancel the summer activity. But if the thinking is that he should retake even if he does get A’s, I don’t want to tell him that.

I wouldn't be spending my hard earned money on a kid who can't be bothered. No fun summer activities when he can't be bothered turning in work.

It isn’t that that he can’t be bothered. He’s not out with friends or gaming. He’s engrossed in physics. Why would anyone punish a kid for that?

He's in HS. He should be able to stop doing something he enjoys and start doing what he's supposed to do.

Maybe, the kid has a different perspective on "what he's supposed to do". I'd try to find that out and work with it, if possible. How many kids ended up changing their majors in college after they got away from parents with this perspective, when they could finally decide what they want to do. The underlying issue here seems to be that he is in a family of engineers (5), and the parents want him to be an engineer, too.

We didn't question what we were supposed to do in my family (my kid either). Maybe if the family is rich, their kid will be okay but low grades means less $$$ in merit scholarships. My kid needs as much as possible. If he's doing his best and gets a C, that's one thing but blowing off school work was never allowed for us.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one who got a C in precalc is getting an A in AP BC.

Eh, he has the ability. He just sort of decided he wanted to spend his time doing other stuff and not turning in assignments.
I’ve got 5 engineers in my immediate family so I know what’s required. He’s the kind of kid that’s reading physics books for fun instead of turning in his homework.
I’m not saying it’s in the bag but he definitely could do it if he decides that’s what he wants to do. I may tell him that if he doesn’t get the A first semester, we will cancel the summer activity. But if the thinking is that he should retake even if he does get A’s, I don’t want to tell him that.

I wouldn't be spending my hard earned money on a kid who can't be bothered. No fun summer activities when he can't be bothered turning in work.

It isn’t that that he can’t be bothered. He’s not out with friends or gaming. He’s engrossed in physics. Why would anyone punish a kid for that?

He's in HS. He should be able to stop doing something he enjoys and start doing what he's supposed to do.

Maybe, the kid has a different perspective on "what he's supposed to do". I'd try to find that out and work with it, if possible. How many kids ended up changing their majors in college after they got away from parents with this perspective, when they could finally decide what they want to do. The underlying issue here seems to be that he is in a family of engineers (5), and the parents want him to be an engineer, too.

Bit strange for school/teacher to allow student to take calc bc with a c grade in pre calc. Did the kid take the AP pre calc exam? Score? If the kid got a 5 then the c grade was most likely due to laziness.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one who got a C in precalc is getting an A in AP BC.

Eh, he has the ability. He just sort of decided he wanted to spend his time doing other stuff and not turning in assignments.
I’ve got 5 engineers in my immediate family so I know what’s required. He’s the kind of kid that’s reading physics books for fun instead of turning in his homework.
I’m not saying it’s in the bag but he definitely could do it if he decides that’s what he wants to do. I may tell him that if he doesn’t get the A first semester, we will cancel the summer activity. But if the thinking is that he should retake even if he does get A’s, I don’t want to tell him that.

I wouldn't be spending my hard earned money on a kid who can't be bothered. No fun summer activities when he can't be bothered turning in work.

It isn’t that that he can’t be bothered. He’s not out with friends or gaming. He’s engrossed in physics. Why would anyone punish a kid for that?

I mean, we could say this about any kid doing anything productive but to the detriment of something else productive. He got a C in a lower level math class and you're asking how important that will be.

1. It is important.

2. He will be punished for it in admissions, as he should be. (Countless other kids were able to get the A in the AP Precalc and still focus on their other interests. Shouldn't they leapfrog over your kid in admissions)?

If he loves physics, there are ways to engage in positive motivation instead of being punitive. Such as: if you love physics, you aren't going to get into a great program if you get Cs in math. There may also be some behavioral issues, as noted by another poster, where counseling may be helpful. Your response is a classic example of how teenagers are expected to act like adults (and even some adults have problems in the workplace, with their families and focusing on their interests).

It isn't obvious that he should be punished for it in admissions. Other kids shouldn't necessarily "leapfrog" over him because they got an all As in math. There are lot of other aspects of an application beyond a pre-calculus grade. This is even more true if there is a development/psychological issue that requires counseling.

What grade/ class will colleges see? I think them seeing a C in precalc and then an unknown grade in BC and then a grade possibly better than a C in precalc after taking BC shows the kid is trying to game the system.

Instead, own up to the C and consider AB instead of BC this fall.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one who got a C in precalc is getting an A in AP BC.

Eh, he has the ability. He just sort of decided he wanted to spend his time doing other stuff and not turning in assignments.
I’ve got 5 engineers in my immediate family so I know what’s required. He’s the kind of kid that’s reading physics books for fun instead of turning in his homework.
I’m not saying it’s in the bag but he definitely could do it if he decides that’s what he wants to do. I may tell him that if he doesn’t get the A first semester, we will cancel the summer activity. But if the thinking is that he should retake even if he does get A’s, I don’t want to tell him that.

NP. It sounds like you really want this. But does he really want this? Canceling the fun summer activities isn’t going to motivate him if he doesn’t want it.

Maybe he doesn’t care that much about being an engineer like the rest of the family. Has that occurred to you? It’s hard. As you know. You can’t force it. I’m someone who had the ability and parents wanted it more than I did. All of the punishing and cancelling things couldn’t bring the internal motivation.

Maybe your kid will mature and become motivated on his own. Maybe he will be super bright and find a different path.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one who got a C in precalc is getting an A in AP BC.

Eh, he has the ability. He just sort of decided he wanted to spend his time doing other stuff and not turning in assignments.
I’ve got 5 engineers in my immediate family so I know what’s required. He’s the kind of kid that’s reading physics books for fun instead of turning in his homework.
I’m not saying it’s in the bag but he definitely could do it if he decides that’s what he wants to do. I may tell him that if he doesn’t get the A first semester, we will cancel the summer activity. But if the thinking is that he should retake even if he does get A’s, I don’t want to tell him that.

I wouldn't be spending my hard earned money on a kid who can't be bothered. No fun summer activities when he can't be bothered turning in work.

It isn’t that that he can’t be bothered. He’s not out with friends or gaming. He’s engrossed in physics. Why would anyone punish a kid for that?

I mean, we could say this about any kid doing anything productive but to the detriment of something else productive. He got a C in a lower level math class and you're asking how important that will be.

1. It is important.

2. He will be punished for it in admissions, as he should be. (Countless other kids were able to get the A in the AP Precalc and still focus on their other interests. Shouldn't they leapfrog over your kid in admissions)?

Anonymous wrote:No one who got a C in precalc is getting an A in AP BC.

This is what I am concerned about. OP: you're thinking a lot of "IF gets an A in AP BC" and "IF gets a 4 or 5 on the AP BC exam..." You need to make decisions based on what you know now, not what you hope will be additional helpful facts that may or may not occur 12 months from now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one who got a C in precalc is getting an A in AP BC.

Eh, he has the ability. He just sort of decided he wanted to spend his time doing other stuff and not turning in assignments.
I’ve got 5 engineers in my immediate family so I know what’s required. He’s the kind of kid that’s reading physics books for fun instead of turning in his homework.
I’m not saying it’s in the bag but he definitely could do it if he decides that’s what he wants to do. I may tell him that if he doesn’t get the A first semester, we will cancel the summer activity. But if the thinking is that he should retake even if he does get A’s, I don’t want to tell him that.

I wouldn't be spending my hard earned money on a kid who can't be bothered. No fun summer activities when he can't be bothered turning in work.

It isn’t that that he can’t be bothered. He’s not out with friends or gaming. He’s engrossed in physics. Why would anyone punish a kid for that?

He's in HS. He should be able to stop doing something he enjoys and start doing what he's supposed to do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one who got a C in precalc is getting an A in AP BC.

Eh, he has the ability. He just sort of decided he wanted to spend his time doing other stuff and not turning in assignments.
I’ve got 5 engineers in my immediate family so I know what’s required. He’s the kind of kid that’s reading physics books for fun instead of turning in his homework.
I’m not saying it’s in the bag but he definitely could do it if he decides that’s what he wants to do. I may tell him that if he doesn’t get the A first semester, we will cancel the summer activity. But if the thinking is that he should retake even if he does get A’s, I don’t want to tell him that.

I wouldn't be spending my hard earned money on a kid who can't be bothered. No fun summer activities when he can't be bothered turning in work.

It isn’t that that he can’t be bothered. He’s not out with friends or gaming. He’s engrossed in physics. Why would anyone punish a kid for that?