<p>i heard that many entry level courses in college are still harder than the ap in high school...so even if someone could skip one class because they got a 5 in ap bio, it might not be wise to bc the next level course is too hard and they are unprepared. is this true at northwestern? especially for the science courses? just wanted to know if its worth taking the ap exam if i won't be using the credit anyway.</p>
<p>anyone trying to graduate in 3 years by taking more courses/quarter or ap credits?</p>
<p>Northwestern is fairly stringent on their AP credit policy. If you can actually get credit for the subject, you should go ahead and take the test. I wouldn’t worry too much about getting placed into a higher class initially, unless it is organic chemistry.</p>
<p>My daughter could have graduated in three years because of all her AP credits but she would not have graduated with a MT certificate because she still had one class that she needed to take for that program. In the end she decided to stay the full 4 years since it was no financial hardship and she would never get those final college days back. </p>
<p>There were two boys she knew who decided to graduate after winter term (March sometime); one to save some money and the other to get a head start on his career and then they came back for senior week and all the ceremonies.</p>
<p>The other side of the coin, is the possibility that because of an AP class you will be frustrated by the intro level material required by NU - I know my son was. He got a 5 in AP Physics C, and though he scored and tested out of intro level Physics, he had to go over material he knew for an engineering class. But that worked out ok - gave him more time to spend with other activities / friends. And at NU - any extra time you get is precious! He loves NU - but he is never bored and looking for something to do.</p>
<p>soo…your saying I SHOULD do the higher level if possible in case I get frustrated with like the 101 courses? i mean, ik ill love nu, its just that i’d like to save money too haha but i also want to do well in those higher level classes</p>
<p>If you had some exposure to a subject, frankly almost all non-intro classes you will encounter will be doable, with the raw exception of organic chemistry. I was a Chem E at NU and went through the intro chem sequence, and I was very glad that I did so. Orgo as a freshman is a HUGE pain. You would be grouped with sophomore premeds etc. who study almost exclusively for that class. Just do not do it, its a horrible idea and generally a terrible way to start off college. Other than that you will be more than fine.</p>
<p>haha sounds good…i didnt even know you could go straight to organic chem…you would suggest not skipping ANY chem?
so how does it go? intro chem 101, 102, 103 the first year, then the second year starts with organic chem?</p>
<p>I have 2 ChemE kids attend NU. One kid took Orgo as Frosh and got A. One kid took Orgo as Soph and got B. So, although you probably know this intellectually - everyone is different - even kids that went to same HS, and had same parents. If you do take AP chem and get a 5, maybe you can go straight to Orgo too. Don’t let scary stories scare you! If everybody listened to their fears, we’d still all still be living in caves and howling at the moon. You were admitted to NU - I think you can handle what is thrown at you. Good luck with decision - and really - there is no right or wrong here, but I did want to give you a different perspective.</p>
<p>I would say do not repeat any courses that you can receive credit for (with the possible exception of chemistry). Your academic profile will be stronger the more higher level courses you need to take. You will be paying a lot of money to go to NU, so why not get your money’s worth? For example, if you score a 5 on AP Calc BC, I think it would be best to go directly into multivariable calc rather than repeating single-variable calc.</p>
<p>Organic chemistry is an exceptionally difficult course, but many people do well in it as freshmen. If you have a 5 on AP Chem, I don’t think you should take 100-level chem classes. They will take a lot of time reinforcing material you already learned. It is sometimes a good idea (if one has a 5 in AP Chem) to not take any chem freshman year and then take orgo sophomore year when you have more intellectual maturity and are accustomed to the demands of college academics. </p>