I have reviewed the matrix on the CP SLO website regarding AP credit. However, I am still unclear as to how the AP credit is applied, especially for students who go into CSC or CPE. For example AP Macro gives 4 credits for ECON 222, which appears to satisfy GE D2. It also gives 5 elective units. As a CSC or CPE major, what can you use those 5 elective credits for? The catalog states that there are no “free electives” for these majors; only Major courses, Support courses, Technical Electives, and GE.
Similarly, what credit is applied for AP Physics 1? The matrix indicates 4 credits for PHYS 121, 1 credit for GE B4, and 4 elective credits. However, CSC and CPE require PHYS 141, not 121. What happens to the 4 PHYS credits?
Don’t seat it too much. Work it out with the academic adviser once the school starts, they are pretty good about giving AP credit. My daughter is a freshman Comp Eng this quarter and she will be 40% academic progress done at the end of the quarter (end of her freshman year) mostly on account of getting credit for tons of her AP classes. There is not always an easy 1:1 mapping between the actual class and the AP subject. Also, the grade your kid got in the AP exam will make a difference, they give fewer credits if the exam grade was less than 5. Sometimes your kid might decide to take a class even if they can get credit since it might be better to have the material fresh and more practically done just because it is a pre-requisite for an important subject in a subsequent quarter. Also, you might want to pose the question on one of the parent Facebook groups (there’s at least two, one public, one private), others might have different insights.
I agree with @iulianc, don’t sweat it. The advisors will work it out and absolutely do what’s in your child’s best interest.
Word of advice, get old tests and syllabi from any classes that will be skipped, but are in a series. Even a 5 on an AP doesn’t guarantee preparedness. Studying the tests will let your student know if they are ready or not. If not, a little time with Kahn will do wonders.
@iulianc : So your daughter got elective credit as well as the core course credit? Do you have any advise as to which AP courses transfer best? My son is trying to decide his AP course for his upcoming senior year. He is considering Physics 2 vs. Physics C and Macroecnomics vs. Government/Politics.
I don’t recall all the courses that transferred for her, but I would definitely advise your son to pick his classes based on maximizing the academic value and personal knowledge he gets from them rather than trying to maximize a few more credits. I would be surprised if not most of those courses transfer well. Incidentally, my daughter told me she could have chosen to get an AP Physics (don’t remember which flavor) credit for some intro 2 units Electrical Engineering class this quarter, but she chose to take the class since it is taught to a lot more practical level which will give her a much better basis for a subsequent class she will have to take in the fall. Since she is already somewhat familiar with the concepts it is also easier for her to get a good grade, but most importantly master the subject well.
My daughter attended a very rigorous high school and at some point she hated it because of it, but now she is doing very, very well in college and I am sure she appreciates it vs some of her peers who are struggling. So have your son pick the class he thinks he can do well in, it will be much better for the long term.
@ocgolfdad, this may sound flippant, but it really doesn’t matter. It’s only one class. It’s far more important to take what they are interested in at this point than “what they should.”
With that said, there’s two strategies. Test out of classes you’ll never have to take again and test out of classes that will advance you in a sequence.
If a student tests out of a sequence class, especially physics, it’s important to know that the sequences don’t align perfectly. They’ll have to self teach and review a bit to fill in the gaps.
FWIW, my son tested out of Physics I, Calc I and II, and English comp. He used dual enrollment credit for Chem.
@ocgolfdad to answer part of your original question, if you’re in a Cal Poly major that does not have any free electives, then those extra units will not be applied. They will show up as excess units or something like that. My daughter got credit for Math 141, Math 142, GE A1, GE C1, GE D2 and GE D4. She also had 48 excess units; she is in a major that has free electives, so some of those 48 units are fulfilling the free electives, but the rest are just extras. She’s fortunate that with her AP credit she will have her degree 51% completed at the end of her freshman year.
@caligirl14 Thanks for the info. That’s exactly what I was looking for. My son is trying to decide between AP Macro and AP Govmt. He is equally interested in both. Since AP Macro will satisfy GE D2, and Ap Govmt is elective credit only, I think he will want to go with AP Macro. Thanks again.
@ocgolfdad, as long as he’s interested in both, then it makes sense to take one that will count as neither CS or CE have free electives. I wouldn’t however look at AP Gov as a “waste” if he’s truly more interested just because AP won’t be counted. It’s far more important that it be stimulating that that it tick off a few credits from the college tally. There’s plenty of grinder classes already in the HS curriculum.
As for physics, 1 & 2 are new to the AP curriculum. They are algebra based. C is calculus based. If he plans on starting by skipping Physics I, Then he needs Physics C and some additional review (on electronics and magnetism if I’m remembering correctly). If he plans on taking the whole Physics series anyway, then either will do. Physics 1 will likely be easier.
This is very important. Having the AP credit does not mean a student should take it and skip the class. This is very individual and can really only be decided after reviewing the class syllabus and tests (they are available online or the school will supply them). An example to illustrate this was my son’s Calc III Honors class. The low score on the first test was a 36. Every student in the class made a 5 on the Calc BC AP test.
@eyemgh I agree with everything you said. Just because you get the AP credit, doesn’t mean you should take it, especially in a class that is in your major or a key support area. He is currently in AP Physics 1, which is algebra based Mechanics. Physics 2 is E & M, also algebra based. There are 2 AP Physics C curricula, one for Mechanics, one for E&M. Physics 1 at CP is mechanics, so it would be a good match with the material learned in AP Physics C-Mechanics.
@ocgolfdad, my son took Physics C and stepped right into Physics II at Poly. He did get old tests and a syllabus from the department though and did a little review over the summer. Good luck!
You are correct in your assumptions. Engineering majors have no free credits. The 4-5 units you will get as elective units will not help graduate any quicker and will not count towards anything.
In the case of ECON 222, you will get ECON credit and will not have to take GE D2 at Cal Poly if you recieve a high enough AP test score.
In the case of PHYS, you will need PHYS 131/141 credit for it to count at Cal Poly. So PHYS 121 won’t cut it. I would recommend taking AP Physics: mechanics or Physics: E&M. Both will get you physics credit at cal poly with an AP score of 4 or higher. Physics 2 (132) and 3 (133) can be taken in any order at Cal Poly.