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Riya
Student
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My school offers 3 difficult math courses: AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, and AP Stats. I want to be an engineer, but instead of taking the harder math route (ends in calc bc), I chose to take the easier math route (Calc ab+stats) is this bad, or will colleges consider the fact that I still have 2 hard math courses (some kids in my school took all 3 courses) ?
Junior interested in engineering
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5 answers
Andrew Au
Professor of Mathematics & Statistics, Retired
224
Answers
Updated
Andrew’s Answer
You are already an advanced student in that you are taking AP Calculus AB and regular Statistics. If you earn a score of or above 4 on AP Calculus AB, it will be articulated into Calculus I (Differential Calculus) in many colleges.
It is important to move at your own pace and not to worry about how colleges consider your choice in taking AP math courses. Keep up with your good work and keep your eyes at your goal: an engineering curriculum in college.
It is important to move at your own pace and not to worry about how colleges consider your choice in taking AP math courses. Keep up with your good work and keep your eyes at your goal: an engineering curriculum in college.
The fact that you took Calculus and Statistics is great and shows that your are challenging yourself. Trying to understand the concepts well, develop confidence and be in a position to apply them matters more and takes you a long way than completing BC without in a rush. So stay focused and give your best on AB and Stats.
Mohan Kanumuru
Michelle M.
Actress
3276
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Riya !
Your question is too general to have a definite answer as you'd have to know exactly what college you will be going to. You'd have to know what the requirements are for the specific Engineering Program at the specific college and what the admissions requirements are for that college. This can't be answered accurately in general.
If you are choosing classes in high school that you think are easier and avoiding the ones that you think are difficult, you will need to learn what courses are necessary in college for Engineering because you maybe will have to take the courses you think are difficult, so it's just delaying the issue and you'll eventually may have to take those courses in college which may be even more demanding as they are college level, not high school level.
Universities are all different and do not evaluate the applicants on all the same 100% same criteria, so you really need to know what college you are thinking about. You can easily discover the answer to your question yourself by going to the website of the college you intend to apply to for Engineering and read their Engineering Program prerequisite requirements. This can't be answered blindly if you want real advice on this.
Colleges will look at your GPA, SAT score and things like extracurriculars and the courses you took. Some colleges have a higher acceptance rate and some have a lower or medium acceptance rate so while you're on their website, look at the acceptance rate to the college. You can also find that by asking about it in a search engine but you need to know the name of the college.
Your high school guidance counselor can be of help with this and give you the information you need. No one can tell you which college will accept you and why or why not, but you can prepare for a good application by reading the information provided directly from the college.
I hope this provides some insight and that you are able to get a definite answer from the college website or with assistance from your guidance counselor. I wish you all the best !
Your question is too general to have a definite answer as you'd have to know exactly what college you will be going to. You'd have to know what the requirements are for the specific Engineering Program at the specific college and what the admissions requirements are for that college. This can't be answered accurately in general.
If you are choosing classes in high school that you think are easier and avoiding the ones that you think are difficult, you will need to learn what courses are necessary in college for Engineering because you maybe will have to take the courses you think are difficult, so it's just delaying the issue and you'll eventually may have to take those courses in college which may be even more demanding as they are college level, not high school level.
Universities are all different and do not evaluate the applicants on all the same 100% same criteria, so you really need to know what college you are thinking about. You can easily discover the answer to your question yourself by going to the website of the college you intend to apply to for Engineering and read their Engineering Program prerequisite requirements. This can't be answered blindly if you want real advice on this.
Colleges will look at your GPA, SAT score and things like extracurriculars and the courses you took. Some colleges have a higher acceptance rate and some have a lower or medium acceptance rate so while you're on their website, look at the acceptance rate to the college. You can also find that by asking about it in a search engine but you need to know the name of the college.
Your high school guidance counselor can be of help with this and give you the information you need. No one can tell you which college will accept you and why or why not, but you can prepare for a good application by reading the information provided directly from the college.
I hope this provides some insight and that you are able to get a definite answer from the college website or with assistance from your guidance counselor. I wish you all the best !
David Seides
Finance
29
Answers
Alpharetta, Georgia
Updated
David’s Answer
Colleges will look at your collective body of academic work, not just one class. You have taken 2 AP math classes, and that will show a strong resume. Yes, BC would look better than AB all things being equal, but not if your grades in BC were worse than they would have been in AB. If you do well in the courses you are taking and on the AP exams, that is a strong statement that you can handle college level courses. Also, BC calculus includes all of the concepts of AB plus some additional items. So if a student takes both AB and BC, they would be repeating much of the same concepts and that isn't as impressive as if they had taken something complete new.
Jimmy T
Software Engineering Manager
3
Answers
Sunnyvale, California
Updated
Jimmy’s Answer
Lots of great answers here.
Riya, I agree with the others—you’re being a bit hard on yourself. The specific math classes you take usually matter less than you think, unless you’re targeting a very selective college with strict prerequisites.
What really counts is keeping your options open and building strong habits. I’ve seen people from all kinds of academic backgrounds—different schools, different courses—go on to succeed in software engineering and other technical fields. The same applies to any engineering degree you pursue.
Every class you take will help you in some way, but the most valuable things you’re developing right now are your problem-solving skills and your ability to learn. Those skills will matter far more than whether you took the hardest math class. And the good news is, you can apply those habits to every class you take in college and beyond.
Riya, I agree with the others—you’re being a bit hard on yourself. The specific math classes you take usually matter less than you think, unless you’re targeting a very selective college with strict prerequisites.
What really counts is keeping your options open and building strong habits. I’ve seen people from all kinds of academic backgrounds—different schools, different courses—go on to succeed in software engineering and other technical fields. The same applies to any engineering degree you pursue.
Every class you take will help you in some way, but the most valuable things you’re developing right now are your problem-solving skills and your ability to learn. Those skills will matter far more than whether you took the hardest math class. And the good news is, you can apply those habits to every class you take in college and beyond.
Handy Tran
Software Engineer
3
Answers
Redmond, Washington
Updated
Handy’s Answer
Hi Riya,
Let’s start by acknowledging that the math classes you’ve completed are by no means “easy.” In fact, many students don’t encounter these courses until college, so you’re already ahead of the curve. This gives you a solid foundation for pursuing an engineering track.
It’s important to remember that everyone’s academic journey looks different. Colleges often place more weight on your overall GPA rather than the specific classes you’ve taken. The perceived difficulty of a math class is often subjective. For example, when I was in high school, I vividly remember thinking Pre-Calculus was far more challenging than Calculus AB even though many people consider it the other way around. This just goes to show that what feels difficult varies from person to person, and it doesn’t diminish your ability to succeed in advanced courses.
Let’s start by acknowledging that the math classes you’ve completed are by no means “easy.” In fact, many students don’t encounter these courses until college, so you’re already ahead of the curve. This gives you a solid foundation for pursuing an engineering track.
It’s important to remember that everyone’s academic journey looks different. Colleges often place more weight on your overall GPA rather than the specific classes you’ve taken. The perceived difficulty of a math class is often subjective. For example, when I was in high school, I vividly remember thinking Pre-Calculus was far more challenging than Calculus AB even though many people consider it the other way around. This just goes to show that what feels difficult varies from person to person, and it doesn’t diminish your ability to succeed in advanced courses.