<p>Hello, I am a high school junior in sort of a weird situation. I have already taken 8 (all 5’s) aps so far, and by the end of my senior year I probably will have at least 15-17 under my belt. In addition, my course load will include 200 level English and 300-400 level Math college classes by the end of my senior year. As I have in high school, I would really like to spend four full years in college
and have fun, but I don’t want to be completely bored and unchallenged! In my search, I have seen that some selective colleges offer 4-year ba/ma programs in subjects such as mathematics, chemistry, physics, and computer science. Are these programs practically possible? I’ve heard on this forum that these programs are extremely hard, and that you have to sacrifice a LOT of electives to complete them. Is it a bad idea to fill my selection list only with colleges that offer these programs?</p>
<p>With all your AP credits, you could double…maybe even triple major.</p>
<p>Do you think that it would be better to have a double or triple major than
get a master’s in a specified area? Oh, by the way , my college courses taken in high school can’t transfer anywhere because my high school decided to count them toward my high school degree!
How would colleges handle this? Would they make me retake thoses courses?</p>
<p>IDK, I was discussing this yesterday with a friend in a similar situation to yours. She is very ahead in math…she took 9th grade math in 6th grade, 10th in 7th, 11th, in 8th, 12th and AP Stats in 9th, and is currently taking AP Calc BC in 10th. By the end of this year, she will have completeled every math course/elective that our school offers. In addition, by the end of this year she will have taken AP World History, AP U.S. History, and AP Econ. Thats 5 APs by the end of sophmore year. Next year she will be taking about another 4 APs, including Physics C, and then senior year she’d be taking the remaining 4 APs our school offers, for a total of 13 APs. However, she is not as strong in English, meaning she gets A-s in honors courses, so though she has the ability to graduate next year, she, like you, would rather stay. Plus, staying would allow her to play tennis (her passion)
She does want to take community college courses in math, b/c she loves math and there aren’t any more courses offered for her next year. So thats why we were talking about how community college credits work. </p>
<p>I think the best thing to do would be to talk to your counselor or whatever after you get into college…
or maybe your hs guidance couneslor would even know.</p>
<p>It really depends on the college as to whether you have to retake the course or not. Some will give you credit even though it counted toward your HS diploma. Others will require you take another course to fulfill your requirements.</p>
<p>I got University credit from my college for college classes I took for high school credit in high school.</p>
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D’s college does not accept any dual credit courses. If they received high school credit, no college credits were given. 6 courses bye-bye, some of which were at sophomore and junior level. But they gave her 6 courses for 3 AP’s (all that were offered) . Go figure.</p>
<p>Well, assuming that I do get at least a years’ credit through ap/previous courses, would it be a wiser idea to apply it to a double major or consider colleges that offer joint ba/ma programs? Would it even matter to an employer/grad school? Would one or the other eventually give me more options after college? I just don’t want to be stuck in a college which stifles my potential.</p>
<p>Joint BA/MA would probably get you a slightly higher starting wage. Double majoring would give you more flexibility on what jobs you could apply for (and might make you more a desirable candidate - my wife got interviews for her finance major and was hired more than once based on her math major).</p>
<p>A four year BA/MA sounds like a bad idea. College is not just all about studying, it’s potentially the most memorable four years of your life. It is an artificial environment specifically designed for students to take advantage of myriad opportunities. Play intramural sports, join a vegan club, write for the school paper, take fine arts workshops, intern at a nonprofit, take a road trip, spend a semester in Africa, get laid…</p>
<p>I know that college is not all about studying. I take academic challenges that I can handle (Even with my current course load I only have about a half-hour of homework a day on average). I am trying to figure out if these ba/ma programs take away the breath of a college education. Does anyone know anybody who is doing this? Does it take all their free time?</p>
<p>Few things are as worthless as a master’s degree in something you aren’t very interested in. I suggest you go to the very best college you can get into and double major in two completely separate things, like French and chemical engineering. That should challenge you and give you maximum flexibility with the future.</p>
<p>There are some colleges out there that give you the 5th year tuition-free for the Masters. I know Wesleyan has this option. You can enjoy the ride AND get the Masters, if after 4 years it seems like what you want to do.</p>
<p>But what REALLY interests you? I’d say go wherever there is an inexhaustible supply of that thing.</p>
<p>4 year BS/MS (or BA/MA depending on your interests) would probably give you the most bang for your buck.</p>
<p>We have friends whose son was in a somewhat similar position as you. He decided to graduate HS at the end of his Junior year and entered U of Pennsylvania the next school year. He is in an individually tailored program that will give him a Masters degree at the end of 4 years. He loves what he is doing. The point is that fine universities and colleges will welcome a student such as yourself and work with you in designing an individualized curriculum that will lead you to where you want to be based on your interests and goals. My suggestion would be that you start to identify colleges that are of interest to you and arrange to meet with admissions officers and heads of departments to discuss your options. Don’t feel boxed in by notions of dual majors or accelerated BS/MS programs. Start talking with colleges now so that you can creatively explore all of your options.</p>