Not using AP credits?

Applying to College
1

<p>Is this a good idea if you are aiming for a very competitive grad school slot? Seems like placing out of some classes would be a bad idea because you would go immediately into more advanced stuff and as a result possibly see a grade drop.</p>

2

<p>well…if your AP class does this successfully, it acts as the course you would have taken anyways.</p>

3

<p>yes, that can be a problem. One problem is that the competition may be tougher in the class you take if it’s part of a sequence. For example, if you go to a school on a quarter system and they give you 1 or 2 quarters of calculus credit then you’ll be in the class with the other AP kids. Another is scheduling; they may have 10 classes available for the calculus 1A class but only enough to schedule 1 class 1st quarter of 1B or 1C.</p>

<p>Also keep in mind that if you’re thinking of med school and some of the classes are ones that are needed to qualify for med school admissions, AP classes may not count. See, for example, <a href=“http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/admissions/apps.html[/url]”>http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/admissions/apps.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

4

<p>Id take the credit. Many intro courses are weed out courses, and its just easier to get out of them.</p>

5

<p>It depends on the school and the class. If it’s a class in your major, especially the sciences, the college level class will likely be a better preparation for the rest of your college sequence. If you get into the advanced class, you may struggle for average and even that struggle may be insufficient. Freshman year has a lot of challenges; pick the ones you can control!</p>

<p>If it’s a class that is not in your major, you may want to take the AP credits, freeing yourself to take more experimental classes where getting an average grade won’t impact your future.</p>

6

<p>I agree about science classes. Unless your AP class was lab-heavy, I wouldn’t suggest placing out. Profs in the next level will expect that you have had college-level lab experience.</p>

<p>Another thing to consider — it may not be a good idea to use AP credits to get out of a year of school (which some schools allow). I hear that it’s harder to get into a good grad school with only 3 years of college. Apparently, the programs are looking for students who availed themselves of every opportunity in college. It’s okay to get out of classes — but best to take other classes in their place.</p>