Contrary to my nickname (my dad’s alma mater who I grew up a fan of), I am considering the University of Illinois.
I would be a Political Science major, assuming I get in. I have 6 AP courses taken (Stats, USH, Bio, Chem, Calc AB, Gov), so I was wondering if I could take a year off (also assuming I get approved for a gap year) and then enroll for the 2017-2018 year, and still graduate by 2021.
It is possible to finish all degree requirements in three years when you come in with a lot of AP credits. A possible issue you can face is completing required courses for a major because of prerequisites, I.e., an upper level, such as a fourth year, course needed may require that you have certain lower level courses in the major before you can take it so once you start college, you cannot delay starting to take required lower level courses in your major.
The other major issue with coming into UIUC with a lot of APs is that certain core courses of a program are only offered one term per year, so if your incoming AP credits put you in the position to take an upper level course only offered in the Spring, and you’re ready to take it in the fall, well…, sorry bout that.