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?

You can't say that because OP never explained what "Advanced Calculus" is, and no MCPS school, including magnet, has a course by that name.

Also, less than average 1 person per year at each school takes Differential Equations prior to 11th grade. This requires going to high school for precalculus in 8th grade and not going to Blair SMACS Magnet. The USAMO students do not. The "routine" top math kids take it in 11th.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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 We had a senior taking it who was admitted to Princeton, she pulled a C. Luckily the offer was not rescinded.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.

Advanced calc is NOT calc BC. Advanced calc is a much harder and comes after BC.

What is Advanced Calculus in high school? This is not a standard high school class name. I've never heard of it, and no one on DCUM has mentioned it in the past several years.
Some.universities have a class with that name.

I assume OP is talking about a non-AP private school honors calculus class.

Not even Phillips Academy, the most mathematically rigorous high school outside of Proof School and Davidson (which I know you all are not talking about), has a class called "Advanced Calculus".

How many different posters are talking about knowing it without saying what it is, but just assuming they are all talking about the same class?

I have a guess about what they are thinking, but any parent whose kid was in that class would know that 99% of anonymous strangers who have no idea what it is, so wouldn't ask about it casually like OP.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t see anything wrong with taking Advanced Calculus in junior year. The kid has the courage to take up the challenge, and he probably learned a lot from his failure, or overcoming the obstacles from his endeavor near the end of the year.

Snowflake would just take the easier route the safe route. Snowflake would never have the same experience as this kid. Yes they may get into a “better” college but so what?

This kid wasn't ready and at the first sign of struggle parents should have gotten a tutor if they could not help.

I don’t see anything wrong with taking Advanced Calculus in junior year. The kid has the courage to take up the challenge, and he probably learned a lot from his failure, or overcoming the obstacles from his endeavor near the end of the year.

Snowflake would just take the easier route the safe route. Snowflake would never have the same experience as this kid. Yes they may get into a “better” college but so what?

Anonymous wrote:I increasingly am hearing about kids being super accelerated, taking Calc as a sophomore or whatever. The risk of blowing up and getting a bad grade in one of these classes outweighs the reward of a college being impressed. I don't think that a college views a kid who takes calc as a sophomore that differently than one who takes it as a junior or senior.

Yes, you theoretically can be earning credits for college, but realistically, once you get to college, starting out a semester or two ahead in math really doesn't get you anywhere.

And to those who say their child is "bored" or needs to be more challenged are full of it for 98% of kids. Your snowflake really isn't that bright.

You mean my kid. It was hard, but we say the problem and suggested they go to ab. They said no but were willing to put in the work with a tutor as the teacher and curriculum were not strong and it worked out. They probably don’t but for some majors they want the most rigour.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Rigorous schools do not have grade inflation.

All the schools have grade inflation now. It is just a question of how much.

It depends on the teacher and school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Rigorous schools do not have grade inflation.

All the schools have grade inflation now. It is just a question of how much.

I increasingly am hearing about kids being super accelerated, taking Calc as a sophomore or whatever. The risk of blowing up and getting a bad grade in one of these classes outweighs the reward of a college being impressed. I don't think that a college views a kid who takes calc as a sophomore that differently than one who takes it as a junior or senior.

Yes, you theoretically can be earning credits for college, but realistically, once you get to college, starting out a semester or two ahead in math really doesn't get you anywhere.

And to those who say their child is "bored" or needs to be more challenged are full of it for 98% of kids. Your snowflake really isn't that bright.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Advanced calc is NOT calc BC. Advanced calc is a much harder and comes after BC.

So, what is it? MV?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Rigorous schools do not have grade inflation.

A C+ at a "rigorous " school still sucks, so there's that.

Well, most kids don’t make it past calc BC either, and especially not an a junior. If he did well though BC I think he is fine

Sounds like these elite privates are not getting top kids if this is true.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Advanced calc is NOT calc BC. Advanced calc is a much harder and comes after BC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Rigorous schools do not have grade inflation.

A C+ at a "rigorous " school still sucks, so there's that.

Well, most kids don’t make it past calc BC either, and especially not an a junior. If he did well though BC I think he is fine

Is advanced calculus the next level calculus above BC? Asking bc it is in our high school

okay. it's a hard course. these things happen.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

My kid’s public school allows one retest per semester with a maximum score of 75. This wouldn’t make a difference with a C+

It could if there is one test with a really low score (say 40s) that is weighing things down. Bring 43 up to 73 and it could get the overall grade to a B- or B which is huge.