<p>I think that frazzled2thecore makes interesting points in #770. On the other hand, the situation varies a lot from university to university and what’s advisable depends a lot on high school background.</p>
<p>At my university, a student can enroll in a beginning language course regardless of prior background. There is no check on previous knowledge. I once talked with a native speaker of a foreign language who had decided to enroll in first year courses in that language, in order to raise her GPA as a pre-med. I tried to point out to her gently that the medical schools would see this for the ruse it was, but that had no effect.</p>
<p>The situation with math is a difficult one. The requirements for a 5 on AP calculus are relatively low, in terms of the per cent score on the exam. This means that students can score a 5 and still have quite different levels of preparation. Also, the way in which the calculus class is taught affects the students’ mastery of the topics. Some of the high school calculus teachers emphasize insight, but not all do. The AP calc exams do not really yield to a “recipe-based” approach to the test, but I think that one could succeed with some combination of understanding + patterned approaches.</p>
<p>In any event, I agree with frazzled2thecore that universities really ought to separate out students with prior experience with STEM subjects and languages from the “raw” beginners in an area.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I think that spectrum2’s son made sensible decisions, in the sense that a deep understanding of calculus is essential for further work in physics or mathematics, engineering, and much of chemistry. High school courses may not be able to convey that level of understanding.</p>