To begin the AP Calculus BC instruction manual, the first lesson you must master is never to forget the +C! Treat this article is a historical account of a real student’s experiences with BC Calculus and should be heeded with absolute dedication…

1. Is BC Calculus as hard as people think it is? 
   1. Short answer: No. Long Answer: Because it is harder. In all honesty this question is partly subjective. Unless you’re a legitimate math prodigy, BC is a very challenging class. It is fair to say that everyone in BC is smart, but smart doesn’t cut it in BC. Success in BC actually requires hard work, which is so ugh…but necessary. 
2.  Try to keep up
   1. BC moves very fast, it is an intensely fast-paced class.  Every unit lasts around two weeks. We learn so much everyday, which is a good thing, but difficult when there’s so much going on. Everyday in class is a mind-numbing experience. But there is something extremely humbling about the process; I’ll call it “the grind”.
3. Quiz replacement
   1. Quiz replacements are your best friend. Every unit has between one to three quizzes and, not ‘gonna lie, not everyone gets an A or a B. I would say about 1 in 5 BC students gets an A on any given quiz and the rest fall in between the b – c range. Thank god for quiz replacement though. After every unit test, students have the opportunity to replace a bad quiz grade with their grade on the test. This is essentially a massive boost to your grade, since a great grade on the test will have additive rippling effects. I can absolutely guarantee that you will get a bad grade on a quiz at least once during BC, and when that does happen, don’t stress out, just focus on replacing that bad boy with your test grade.
4. Cumulative exam
   1. Once or twice during a semester, students have the opportunity to take a cumulative exam: an exam that has the power to replace a test grade. This is perfect for all you slackers and procrastinators out there (myself included). Cumulative exams are glorious. They are life. Live by the cumulative. 
5. Homework
   1. Homework is the most important part of the class. Contrary to other math classes, it is actually, totally, completely necessary that you do the homework! Every night! No excuses! If you fail to do the homework, you will definitely get clapped and start bombing some important quizzes/tests. There is a homework check at the end of every unit, and all assignments must be turned in together on test day.
6. Monumental tests
   1. Test days are like the end of the world. With only 6 or 4 tests during a semester, there are so few opportunities to mess up. I think I speak for all of my BC colleagues when I say that BC test days are monumental. Study study study. 
7. +C
   1. When doing your integrals, always make sure to have your +C! Some teachers will truly take off full points for every missing +C. 
8. Dx
   1. Also, don’t forget your dxs in your integrals, you will definitely lose a ton of points if you make these silly mistakes. Sometimes dxs and +cs are not your focus, I get it, solving the integral is more important. But taking a second to scan the page and add missing dxs and +cs really does boost your grade.
9. BC students are not nerds
   1. Just because we’re really good at math doesn’t mean that’s all we’re good for. Collectively, we have a broad variety of interests and talents, aside from calculus. We are robot makers, computer programmers, writers, athletes, musicians, sports fanatics, gamers, and meme connoisseurs. We are thinkers. Doers. Proud human calculators. 
10. We hate people asking us to solve random math problems just to see if we can
    1. We are great problem solvers, but we are too lazy or have better things to do than to memorize the square root of every number imaginable. 
11. POWs
    1. An opportunity for free points. Chances are you, like many BC students, will congregate the day the pow is due to “collaborate” with the kid that has all the answers. Let it be known by all that, we honor academic integrity.  
12. BC is hard
    1. BC is very difficult. BC requires a certain type of student in order to be successful. BC will test every student in some way and everyone will fail at some point. It truly takes determination and resilience and courage to succeed in that class. I feel like BC is a very good preparatory course to give students a sense of the rigor of actual college courses. 

Why would anyone willingly put themselves through the ordeal that is BC calculus? There are moments when I ask myself why I even took the class. there are other moments when I know exactly why I chose this path.  Bc is a journey, full of ups and downs. It is treacherous and painful and difficult, like a hike up a mountain. But once you’ve reached the top, and you turn around and see all the challenges that you’ve overcome, you will be overwhelmed with this potent sense of pride and accomplishment. Great satisfaction comes with prevailing from great difficulty. As the juniors rev up and look toward the next year of multi-variable calculus and the seniors look to the great beyond–college–we collectively feel ready. For the future. For any math problem. Most importantly, we feel ready to be knocked down by more difficult challenges and wise and brave enough to know how to rebound and rise higher, faster.