Hi! I was accepted into Princeton EA, and I’m really excited to attend this fall.
I had a question about getting credit for AP tests. I was wondering if it would be worth it to take the AP English Lit test. I looked at the AP Credit Reference Table: https://www.princeton.edu/pub/ap/table/ For AP Lit, it seems that the only thing you would get is a “recommended placement” in English 205, 206, 207, 208, 209. I’m not sure what this means, can anyone give information on these courses and how they compare to the alternative? I’m looking to take the advanced English freshman courses.
All english classes are open to the entire undergraduate community unless otherwise specified. ENG 205-209 are introductory English courses each focused on a specific literary form (poetry, fiction, drama, essay, and lit theory respectively) and taking ENG 205, 206, 207, or 208 is required as a prerequisite for entering the English department (in addition to ENG 200 - Intro to English Lit). Recommended placement in this case I think is just suggesting that taking AP Lit gives you more insight into what literature you’re most interested in, and the 205-209 courses will give you a more tailored set of academic tools to tackle that literature (also, I haven’t met anyone who liked taking ENG 200, and I’m sure the English department would prefer you enjoy your introduction to literature at Princeton). If you have a burning passion for poetry, fiction, drama, essays, or theory over the others , take the corresponding reading course at your earliest convenience, but nothing will preclude you from taking whatever English course you’d like. My suggestion is to look into whatever English course you find interesting, find out if the professor is good, and take it if there’s space left (and email the professor if there’s not; adding one more on is generally not a big deal unless there’s a waiting list).
@soulpatch Thank you! So even I don’t take the AP Lit exam, I can still take the ENG 205-209 courses? AP Lit is for getting more familiarity with the content of the courses? I love English courses, and I would love to take those courses.
The College Board has tricked public schools into believing that these canned classes are better than actually teaching students. You will get far more out of a class at Princeton than the AP class. They are not the same. Not even close.
There is also the Humanities Sequence which may be of interest to you. http://humanities.princeton.edu/hs My understanding is it is extremely intensive but great for those who have a passion for literature. It would be advisable to read a number of the works prior to starting class as the reading list is enormous.