My child is taking AP Calc BC using Calculus by Varberg, Purcell, Rigdon (9th edition). She doesn't care for her teacher's explanations so she is essentially teaching herself. The school doesn't provide the student workbook so I need to get it to see if that will help. Other child took it last year and made As with the same teacher. First child is more theoretical, second very applied; maybe that's the difference. The teacher does have health issues currently so that could also enter into it. Second child has tried to self-tutor using various online resources. I am familiar with Larson, which is much simpler stuff than her textbook. Searching today, I found recommendations for Leithold's Calculus, as well as this rec from a physics forum: "Ralph Palmer Agnew's 1962 book Calculus. Analytic Geometry and Calculus, with Vectors is freely available on the internet and a joy to read." So maybe one or more of the three. Question hijack: any suggestions for dealing with Varberg's Calculus, or tips on hiring a calc tutor with experience with Varberg? Thanks.

Just wanted to say my daughter was accepted to Amherst College as a Questbridge finalist, not a match. It's a fantastic scholarship with includes travel abroad, internships, private music lessons, winter clothing, and support. At Yale, Questbridge students with EFC $0 pay $400 per semester for the entire undergraduate years. At Amherst, they charge $1,000 as a freshman but waived it if my daughter will start early (college replaces summer work contribution.) She was also named a Meiklejohn Fellow. It's a lot of work (what college applications aren't?) and I messed up several times in the process. The good news is that if you do Questbridge applications, you are essentially done with college applications in October of your senior year.

I would be very happy to discuss Questbridge opportunities. My daughter was QB College Prep Scholar her junior year, which gave her a head start on the QB application senior year. She wanted the match (early early decision) but I messed up the CSS Profile financial documents so she didn't qualify. It all worked out in the end, though.

My daughter is a Questbridge finalist and Gates scholarship finalist. She was accepted, fullride plus, to Amherst College and waitlisted at Swarthmore. She plans to study computer science and music, maybe with digital art, neuroscience, psychology. Amherst will pay for her study abroad and private music classes, and even provide an instrument. Like many schools she applied to, supposedly Amherst wanted SAT subject test scores for homeschoolers. I was able to successfully waive that requirement at all schools except Cornell Engineering (we'll accept her without them, but she must take them after acceptance.) At Northwestern I had to go to the Dean of Admission for a waiver. At Amherst, they waived them no problem, saying "we don't consider you a homeschooler" since she is taking two class at our governor's school. We did not visit any colleges. Daughter said she would go wherever she got in and could afford. Amherst is part of a consortium and has an open curriculum. She wants to study in Singapore and they will have a joint program with YaleNUS there. Amherst waived a deposit, and they also waived her freshman contribution of $1000. We're very happy she ended up there. If anyone wants to post their campus visit impressions, I'd be interested. She doesn't care; she said she'll be there soon enough and can see it for herself.