superdigg

I'm going to be a freshman at Claremont McKenna College next year, and I have the opportunity to skip some introductory classes in English and History if I score well on my corresponding IB exams, and I'm wondering if I should opt to do so.

Are grad schools / employers as focused on course rigor as college adcoms are, or would I be better off securing a higher GPA by enrolling in these introductory courses? if there's another factor I'm not considering, please let me know.

b@r!um

Take a look at the syllabi of the courses you would be skipping. English and history are subjects where two intro courses (e.g. IB and college intro) can cover completely different material and having the IB background does not mean that it will be easier for you to get good grades. On the other hand, you can do fine in higher level English and history courses without taking the college intro courses if your high school courses have been taught well.

Two things I would recommend: in the absence of any other guidelines, sign up for the class that sounds more interesting and try to talk to a professor on campus before you sign up for classes if possible.

huguenot

I faced this decision over two decades ago and have counseled many others since. Here's my advice: Do *not* skip classes in your major or major-related areas. A weak foundation in your major can kill you. If it's not your major, feel free to skip them if you are not interested in taking them and if you do not need higher level courses in those areas which depend on them.

English is probably the easiest to skip, if, big if, your high school preparation was sufficiently writing intensive. Lots of students find they need way more help in writing.

BTW, I made the wrong decision back then - I skipped too many classes in my major and related fields and really, really struggled later on.

eva10127

I would not recommend it. You have to know that college studies are way different than IB exams (or even AP and CLEP). It won't hurt if you take them. Come to think of it, you can get an easy A out of it. If you don't want to take them because you plan to graduate early or concentrate in some other minor or double major then do so.

GregoryMitchell

Introductory English is usually a pretty valuable course. I would skip the History though.

theboneyking.

I'm a current CMC student, and one of the things I regret most from freshman year was skipping some of the introductory courses. I was still in that high school mindset where you try to take all the most challenging courses in all the subjects that you can. It doesn't work that way in college.

I don't really like math, and I'm not particularly good at it, but I placed into Calculus II and took it instead of Calc I. All I had to do was fulfill the math GE, and I really should have taken the easier class instead of struggling in a harder one for no particular reason. Grad schools will not care if you take Calc I or Calc II freshman year of college. But they will look at your overall GPA...

On the other hand, if you're actually interested in the subject and know you can handle an upper level course, then you might as well take it. It'll be more interesting than an intro level one. Just make sure you do it because you legitimately want to take that harder class, not because you think it will look good on your transcript (because no one will care). If you have no interest in science, do not take organic chemistry. If you have no interest in literature, do not take Victorian poetry with the hardest professor on campus.

OKgirl

Don't use those credits for classes related to your major. There is actually a huge difference between AP classes (I'm sure IB is similar to it) and college class material. If you don't have to take any classes after that one (like the US History class--unless you are a history major then you won't be building upon it) then it might be a good idea to use that credit. Although you can't be completely sure on getting A's in those classes, it could also be good to take those classes to help your GPA.

superdigg

okay, thanks all! I think I'll steer clear of using my IB credit, it sounds like the risks definitely outweigh the benefits.

KateM

So if I'm thinking of being a Psych major, and I know I can probably get credit for my Psych AP and skip one of the intro classes, I shouldn't? (I actually sat in on this class during one of my visits, and, at least for that one lecture, it was practically identical to what I learned in the AP. Plus, I know that several colleges even use the book I'm using this year.) I feel like I have a strong grasp of the material, not just what I need to get a 5 on the AP, but do you think starting out in a higher level class would hurt me?

b@r!um

I don't think it would hurt you. I am not a CMC student, but I did skip the intro classes at my college whenever possible and I do not regret it!

BCEagle91

The Psych intro class might require a research paper with APA-style bibliographies. I'm not familiar with the psych AP but it seems to me that the focus would be on the exam and not necessarily on writing and research.

On the other hand Yale has online course videos for an intro course and you could review those to see if you'd be missing much material.

MidwestMom2Kids_

Agree for any quantitative major. Although it is possible that this intro psych class has been so watered down for non majors that it really is not like a first class for a "major." Ask a psych professor at your college for advice.