<p>Harvard has its Advanced Standing program, where you can graduate early or start your masters in your fourth year. Is anyone planning on doing this?</p>
<p>If I take some AP tests this year, I can qualify. However, I definitely don't want to graduate early and I don't know right now what I want to major in. Is it worth it to take the AP tests? What are all of you guys planning on doing?</p>
<p>Any current/previous Harvard students...what do most people usually do?</p>
<p>Thanks kids.</p>
<p>Yes, it is. I'm taking them, accepted or not. It can help you get into higher level courses, too. So, I'd take them.</p>
<p>I'm taking a few... I've already taken a bunch though. Most people I've talked to have recommended not doing advanced standing, their reasoning being that you could spend years and years and years as an undergrad because there's so much there, and so much you'd miss out on if you only took 3 years.</p>
<p>Only reason I'm taking APs is to place out of things (language requirements, namely.)</p>
<p>If I were you, I'd take them anyway. AP Exams may be a pain, but all the work you put into the AP course itself will definitely be worth it. Plus, opening the envelope and seeing a 5 (as bare as the score report is) produce a great feeling :)</p>
<p>I did not take AP tests after I was admitted. This is because they were a lot of money that wasn't getting me anything. Only about 50 students a year do advanced standing although something like 2/3 qualify for it, or at least the majority do. I don't know of any instance where an AP score lets you take a more advanced class. In the fall, you take placement tests. I know for language, its based on the Harvard placement or the SAT II. But it may have changed since I was a freshman 4 years ago, but then, AP tests did not count as placement tests. I guess you would feel happy seeing a 5, but I had more fun not taking the tests. Several other students in my class didn't take the tests either, for similar reasons. Just my 2 cents.</p>
<p>I think I'll be taking CalcBC, Physics, and Spanish and just completely forgetting Eng. Lit. and U.S. History. I definitely won't be taking History (not much, at least) and I got a 5 on Eng. Lang., so I don't know if there's a point in taking Lit (correct me if I'm wrong). </p>
<p>It's a whole in my pocket either way...~$250 last year and another $250 this year. I know other people have probably dished out over $1000 on them, but $250 is still an awful lot (for me at least).</p>
<p>Getting a 5 on a foreign language AP or a 7 on a foreign language IB exam <em>does</em> exempt you from the language requirement. That said, it's definitely cheaper to satisfy the requirement with an SAT II.</p>
<p>One thing to consider: AP scores go on your college transcript (I'm not sure about the official transcript, but they definitely go on your unofficial transcript. If you're applying for a job, you tend to send an unofficial transcript; for graduate school, you send an official one). For me, that's a good enough reason to take the test.</p>
<p>i'm in IB, but i self studied a few last year and plan to do so again. it's very gratifying, like MusikAznGirl said, to see 5s. besides---it's harvard. the more you can know before getting in, the better.</p>
<p>Harvard will list AP scores on your transcript if and only if you activate advanced standing. That said, even if you take a higher level course (e.g., not take general chemistry but skip to organic chemistry, or not take basic level math but skip to multivariable calculus), your AP scores will not be listed as long as you do not activate advanced standing. By the way, although about 50% of the class does qualify, very few choose to pursue this route because it's just really difficult to do; in addition, the Biology concentration decided to get rid of its Advanced Standing option (next year, I believe) because so few students decide to pursue it (Biology requires a student to finish Life Sciences 1a, Life Sciences 1b, Chemistry 17 and Mathematics 21a by their first year in order to activate advanced standing, and that's really too much for many of us to handle in our first year here.) If you'd like to look at our course catalog, it's <a href="http://www.registrar.fas.harvard.edu/Courses%5B/url%5D">www.registrar.fas.harvard.edu/Courses</a>. You can basically take whatever class you want to take. For admitted students, feel free to explore!</p>
<p>Hmmm, what exactly is Advanced Standing. I went to the Harvard website, and I still don't really get what it means...</p>
<p>I already qualify for advanced standing, so yeah, I'm considering not taking any AP tests at the end of the year (although I'd have to keep it on the down low, as the culture here would have teachers throwing large objects at me and demanding that I take them). However, I do see the other argument about there being enough at Harvard to be studying for your entire life and still not finish, so I might stick around for four years. The cool thing for me is that I don't have decide about the 4th year graduate work, as they don't have a degree for any field I'm interested in. Thus, I really don't need to decide until fourth term or whatever.</p>
<p>And as for what advanced standing is; if you received 5's on a certain number of AP exams, you get credits that can counted toward graduation. You can graduate in 3 or 3 1/2 years and pursue a graduate degree your fourth year, or just leave completely after 3 years. And those who qualify for advanced standing can also petition to take sophomore seminars their freshman year. That's the gist of it according to my understanding. Hope it helps!</p>
<p>Oh, that sounds interesting...So how many people actually do Advanced Standing? Is it a popular thing or no?</p>
<p>If you're not doing advanced standing, is there any advantage to taking more AP tests and paying hundreds of dollars?</p>
<p>I'm taking them, because at our school if you take the course you are required to take the test.</p>
<p>^ yup, same here. our school doesn't offer AP Gov't, but I'm taking it anyway. My school's policy is you have to pay $82 for each exam, but if you pass with a 3 or above, you get your money back. Does no other schools do this? Then again, only about 5-10% of my school takes AP exams so maybe that's why.</p>
<p>Magnus rex- I think what we've all agreed on is this:</p>
<p>1) If you get a 5 on an AP foreign language test, you are exempt from the foreign language requirement.
2) If you get a high enough SAT II score (650? don't remember off hand) on a foreign language test, you are also exempt. </p>
<p>If you have to pay for it yourself, it would seem to make more sense to take the SAT II test. Or, take the Harvard placement exam for free in Sept. if you think you won't forget things over the summer.</p>
<p>Your official transcript does list AP scores. I saw my friend's a few days ago. To me this doesn't matter, and I've been applying for graduate school. If it matters to you, take them.</p>
<p>no, our school doesn't pay you back. i think it's about 80-85% of the class has taken at least one by graduation. we also have an 80% pass rate. that would be wicked cool if they did pay us back though! i guess they'd go broke if they did. at least some people can get fee waivers. you must love the pay-back policy; lucky! :-)</p>
<p>Well, my unofficial transcript lists my AP scores, and I didn't activate advanced standing. ::shrug:: The SAT II score required to place out of a language is 600, and activating advanced standing is pretty rare (I don't think I know anyone who's done it).</p>