As Park’s school year progresses, so do plans for an independent study opportunity for the AP BC Calculus test (BC). Park currently offers IB Analysis and Approaches HL (Analysis & Approaches) to fulfill the IB diploma requirement. However, Analysis & Approaches is not accepted as a Calculus 2 credit at most universities. This year, students are studying for the BC test independently, as it is accepted widely as a Calculus 2 college credit. AP Calculus AB teacher Erik Ahlquist is facilitating this option.
AP Calculus AB teacher Erik Ahlquist said students want to take BC Calc instead of Analysis & Approaches because it can give them more college credit than the Analysis & Approaches class.
“They were taking IB HL too, but they were looking at the schools they were concerned about getting into, and what they were majoring in, and what credit was offered for doing well on the AP exam,” Ahlquist said. “They were noticing that the BC exam for many of their most selective schools gave more credit than the IB HL exam.”
Senior Nora Lindeman said taking the BC test will be easier than taking the IB HL test. She said it’s easier because the content overlaps with what she did last year.
“60 percent of what’s on the BC test is the AB test,” Lindeman said. “So, taking HL is (not) a good alternative to BC, just because HL has a lot of stuff on the test that is not on the BC test.”
Senior Estella Hughes said having the BC test as an independent study option is helpful because it provides support from a teacher who knows the topic in great depth when taking a class like that on your own, which can be challenging.
“I could study the BC (test) on my own, but I think being able to meet with Ahlquist and get help from him will be very helpful,” Hughes said. “Doing it with help from a teacher would be a lot easier.”
Ahlquist said taking the BC test is going to be a challenge. He said his advice for students is to be willing to take ownership and be academically motivated due to the independent nature of the option.
“Taking a lot of ownership in their learning, because it’s independent,” Ahlquist said. “Will I be there to help them when they have questions? Of course, 100% that’s what I’m going to use, I’ll answer questions (for) you. But will I be directly teaching them every day? No.”
Lindeman said she only takes the independent study option because it covers her already learned subjects.
“I am not going to make myself do all the extra work of learning an entirely new course,” Lindeman said. “I’m only taking this class because I know a lot of the subjects that are covered,” Lindman said.
Hughes said the BC Calc class would benefit her for the AP test that she would take in May due to more questions on the test that would relate to what she would learn in BC Calc. More of the test will be covered on topics of BC Calc compared to IB HL.
“Because I want the credit for the AP exam, IB HL wouldn’t help me on the test compared to BC,” Hughes said. “Because IB HL covers a lot of different things, and it’s not just calculus.”
