<p>The class is not a requirement for admittance to Kelley. It is however, a requirement in order to take the next two accounting courses–Financial Accounting (A201) and Management Accounting (A202)–and these are both requirements for I-Core, which must be taken during the junior year.</p>
<p>Most students like to take I-Core the first semester of junior year (this is so they can finish all the major requirements over the three remaining semesters and not try to cram them into two semester). Since most students also like to take the accounting courses in separate semesters, meaning one in the first semester of their sophomore year, and one in the second semester of their sophomore year, this requires that the A100 course (Tiller’s course) be taken prior to the start of the sophomore year.</p>
<p>As you’ve seen by the comments here, quite often the course has to be retaken, thus the counselors normally encourage that it be taken during the first semester of the freshman year. This provides the second semester as a backup if the student withdraws or fails to pass the course during the first semester.</p>
<p>The reason more students don’t take it either before freshman year or during the summer between freshman and sophomore years (thereby avoiding Tiller) is that (1) they don’t know how tough the course is, and (2) it’s not offered during summer sessions. Thus, you would have to find a one-unit accounting course somewhere else that Indiana University would accept in place of this A100 course, and then you would have to take it somewhere besides IU. I presume this could be done–there is a form you get from admissions to allow this–but I haven’t heard of anyone doing this. Also, you then have to get the course approved by the admissions office as completed before they let you register for the next accounting courses (A201 and A202)–and this is a problem since you are supposed to register for the sophomore Fall courses before summer session even starts.</p>
<p>Another possibility is to take the course somewhere else during the summer between freshman and sophomore year–and then, since your son couldn’t apply for Accounting A201 during the Fall Semester (you sign up the previous April), you have him also take the Accounting A201 course also during the second summer session either at Indiana or at a different college. (It might be possible to have him add the course in the Fall, but usually these classes are full already–which is why this isn’t a real option). </p>
<p>Taking the courses during the summer can be done–but as you can see, it’s quite difficult–and expensive since you are now paying for extra classes and housing and meals during these summer sessions.</p>
<p>My suggestion is to look at my previous thread on what to study and have your son get the CD I mentioned and study hard using it. Then he’ll be ready to take this in the second 8-week period of the Fall Semester. If worst comes to worst, he’ll still has an 8-week period in the Spring Semester available to retake it. </p>
<p>With sufficient study, it shouldn’t come to that.</p>
<p>P.S. Don’t be afraid to have him take a “W” in this the first time around if he is a borderline case. Nobody really cares about the “W”–but they do care about a “D” or “F” that he might get. Also, for those who do get "D"s or "F"s in this class and retake it, Indiana has a special grading policy that allows the first grade to be removed if you specify you are retaking to do so. But this can only be done while your student has less than 45 units completed–thus another reason for taking Tiller’s course early. Check out this special policy here <a href=“http://registrar.indiana.edu/~registra/extendedx.shtml[/url]”>http://registrar.indiana.edu/~registra/extendedx.shtml</a>.</p>