<p>My S got a 5 on his AP Calc AB test & did not waive (said his engineering advisor didn’t allow it without a lot of persuasion). He was fine with repeating it as did many of his friends who also got 5s on their AP exams, so he could focus his energy into settling socially & otherwise into engineering & finding his niche at USC. I have a friend whose S did waive out of several courses & was fine where he ended up, so it depends on the student.</p>
<p>There is a lot to be said to having a strong foundation in math & science for engineering anyway, which is why USC is reluctant to allow many to waive out of courses in those areas.</p>