Anonymous
08/21/2025 08:42
Subject: Do you need calc BC to be competitive for non stem majors?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:DC took AB last year and got a 3. He is taking BC and is really struggling. He wants to study economics and would like to apply to T50 schools. Should he try to tough it out or drop calc BC? We've talked about but I feel this is not my area of expertise. I hate to see him so down on himself.
For a top 10 or so econ program, he likely will need BC, mostly bc those schools really do like to see applicants take the most rigorous course load available at their high school. And it's hard to stand out if every other good student in the school is taking BC and Multivariable. Plus, economics is a very math-based major.
But for colleges ranked lower, it's a lot more flexible. If the kid is miserable and stressed, it's fine to drop down to stats since you already have Calculus AB. It will likely mean studying Economics at MIT is not happening. But it opens the door at many other schools because now the kid has the time and the sanity to do well on all the other parts of the application.
Why are you talking MIT?????
She said T50.
Anonymous
08/21/2025 08:20
Subject: Do you need calc BC to be competitive for non stem majors?
DC was in the same boat in junior year. We got tutor, which made a huge difference. It was expensive, but worth it.
Anonymous
08/21/2025 07:49
Subject: Do you need calc BC to be competitive for non stem majors?
Anonymous wrote:DC took AB last year and got a 3. He is taking BC and is really struggling. He wants to study economics and would like to apply to T50 schools. Should he try to tough it out or drop calc BC? We've talked about but I feel this is not my area of expertise. I hate to see him so down on himself.
For a top 10 or so econ program, he likely will need BC, mostly bc those schools really do like to see applicants take the most rigorous course load available at their high school. And it's hard to stand out if every other good student in the school is taking BC and Multivariable. Plus, economics is a very math-based major.
But for colleges ranked lower, it's a lot more flexible. If the kid is miserable and stressed, it's fine to drop down to stats since you already have Calculus AB. It will likely mean studying Economics at MIT is not happening. But it opens the door at many other schools because now the kid has the time and the sanity to do well on all the other parts of the application.
Anonymous
08/21/2025 07:39
Subject: Do you need calc BC to be competitive for non stem majors?
Anonymous wrote:Nope. Totally
unnecessary! Try stats.
For someone going into Econ, this is on target. Needs to take a math class every year, however, even for non-STEM.
Anonymous
08/21/2025 07:34
Subject: Do you need calc BC to be competitive for non stem majors?
How can he already be struggling? How many days of calculus instruction so far? Is it a daily schedule or a block schedule? Didn’t school just start at the earliest this week? Are you not in DC?
Anonymous
08/21/2025 07:33
Subject: Do you need calc BC to be competitive for non stem majors?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Where do you live? How far into the school year are you that he is "really struggling"? No one is more than 2-3 weeks into school. Relax.
Also, this is what you get for being in such a rush to take AP classes in the womb. People need to chill.
DP: my kid is in the first week with a notoriously bad teacher and is struggling. Friends teach at the school and told me last year this teacher was a problem.
Your fault for knowingly subjecting the kid to this. Bring in child protective services. Use your brain. Don't set your child up to fail.
Anonymous
08/21/2025 07:32
Subject: Do you need calc BC to be competitive for non stem majors?
Anonymous wrote:Economics is a math based degree.
There is definitely some math to it. When I was an undergrad (back in the dark ages), we had a choice between a BA and a BS in econ - BS required more math-based classes. For a BA, if you had a basic understanding of calc-type concepts you were fine.
Anonymous
08/21/2025 07:31
Subject: Do you need calc BC to be competitive for non stem majors?
Anonymous wrote:I would get a tutor. Calc is required for econ. It might be that a little extra help goes a long way toward clearing things up for him. That can have a significant impact on the extent to which he takes the more quantitative econ courses and in turn could affect future career paths. The time to solidify the foundation is now.
Sometimes calc teachers just aren't that great. Nothing wrong with getting someone else's take.
Is he a senior? If so, some schools don’t want applicants to drop a class, they like to see the effort.
Getting a tutor as suggested is a good idea. My DS was struggling in Calculus AB with an inexperienced teacher and, but with the help of a tutor, got through the class and passed the AP exam with a 4.
Anonymous
08/21/2025 07:28
Subject: Re:Do you need calc BC to be competitive for non stem majors?
Anonymous wrote:Econ majors vary a lot among top colleges. At some, multivariable calculus is required for the major. There are also subgroups within econ majors which require more math than that.
Take a look at a few of the colleges of interest to your son and see what the requirements are for an econ major.
Most top schools don't admit by major, so it' s not going to stop him getting in. However, he might have to switch majors.
This is good advice. Econ majors can be more or less math based by school. Similar to public health which can be more science based or more theory based depending on the school.
Anonymous
08/21/2025 07:09
Subject: Do you need calc BC to be competitive for non stem majors?
OP, I would get him a tutor and stick it out! I have researched it a lot. My DC is applying for business and economics at top 25 schools. DC will only take AB this year. Top schools prefer BC, but DC’s high school requires a year of AB before BC, so impossible for my DC. He did take AP Precalc and AP Stats last year, but getting to BC was not possible.
Anonymous
08/21/2025 06:46
Subject: Do you need calc BC to be competitive for non stem majors?
My kid sydney have it and is in bioengineering at UVA
Anonymous
08/21/2025 06:46
Subject: Re:Do you need calc BC to be competitive for non stem majors?
I am dreading this year too OP. My daughter, who was always a math kid, struggled in AB last year. With the help of a tutor she eeked out a B+ and got a 4 on the exam. The teacher was horrendous. Now I learned the same teacher will teach it this year. We already booked the tutor for the first quarter. But, she tells me that BC is typically a review of AB in the first several weeks of the course. Anyone else know if this is true?
Anonymous
08/21/2025 06:40
Subject: Do you need calc BC to be competitive for non stem majors?
Switch to AP stats.
Anonymous
08/21/2025 05:29
Subject: Do you need calc BC to be competitive for non stem majors?
Anonymous wrote:DC took AB last year and got a 3. He is taking BC and is really struggling. He wants to study economics and would like to apply to T50 schools. Should he try to tough it out or drop calc BC? We've talked about but I feel this is not my area of expertise. I hate to see him so down on himself.
No need for Calc BC then
Anonymous
08/21/2025 05:22
Subject: Do you need calc BC to be competitive for non stem majors?
Anonymous wrote:Where do you live? How far into the school year are you that he is "really struggling"? No one is more than 2-3 weeks into school. Relax.
Also, this is what you get for being in such a rush to take AP classes in the womb. People need to chill.
DP: my kid is in the first week with a notoriously bad teacher and is struggling. Friends teach at the school and told me last year this teacher was a problem.