AP Credits

blqgirl · 05-01-2008, 04:43 PM

can AP credits be used to fulfill distribution requirements, or just electives?

JoeTrumpet · 05-01-2008, 06:09 PM

You can only use it to fulfill foreign language requirement. Everything else is just for placement into the proper course level, unless you elect for advanced standing. It gives you an alternate option for the science and technology sequence, but it's still two courses.

From: Princeton - About Advanced Placement and Advanced Standing

Quote:

II. Uses of Advanced Placement

You can use advanced placement in three ways:

1. to enter upper-level courses;

2. to fulfill the foreign language requirement;

3. to become eligible for graduation in three or three and one-half years (advanced standing).

Please note that you CANNOT use advanced placement:

1. to fulfill the writing requirement;

2. to make up course deficiencies;

3. to reduce your course load in a given term;

4. to fulfill the distribution requirements. If you have two units of advanced placement in biology, chemistry, or physics, you will have two options for fulfilling the distribution requirement in science and technology with laboratory.

a. You may take any two laboratory courses that fulfill the science and technology requirement. Remember, however, that you will lose the use of your AP units for advanced standing if you take the course or courses for which your advanced placement was granted.

b. You may take one laboratory course and one science or technology course without a laboratory from a list of approved courses, designated "STX." If you choose this option, the laboratory course you select may not be a course for which your advanced placement was granted.

Celita · 05-02-2008, 06:37 PM

In general, how hard is it to get advanced level classes with and without AP credits?

For example.. if you want in on an advanced history, or comparative literature or german philosophy course.. which APs fill that, or would help you get it? A 5 in world history? European history? AP english language?

Will any 2's or 3's in the record, hurt you if you had 5's in the others?

JoeTrumpet · 05-02-2008, 08:20 PM

I don't see why a 2 or a 3 would hurt you: the university probably would just ignore that and simply not provide you placement for that subject, unless you prove otherwise that you deserve it.

This table might be useful to help you know what courses AP scores will place you into:

Princeton - About Advanced Placement and Advanced Standing

From what I hear, the departments sound quite flexible, and if you tell the department that you are definitely qualified for a certain level course, they may give you the benefit of the doubt: it's unlikely that someone will stick with a class they're clearly unqualified for, anyway. For history courses it just says "departmental permission required." For German, an AP score of 4 places you into 200-level courses. GER 210 - Introduction to German Philosophy is clearly a 200-level course, so I believe you could take that with an AP 4. I'm not sure what the department will suggest you do, of course, but even if they recommend you against it, if you're adamant I'm sure you're fine taking it.