For Tufts, I’d like to apply my AP Bio score to place out of Biology I, but I’m afraid my GPA might be hurt if this puts me into a higher level course like Biology II. Does applying AP credit give you college credit and automatically place you into a higher level course? Or do you just get the college credit and are done with it?
Unless it’s changed in the last ~5 years you should be able to use it as an equivalent course credit.
For instance, I’m pretty sure I used my AP Bio credit to count as a science elective and then used my AP Chemistry credit to count as Chem 1, but chose to take Chem 2 rather than use the credit for both.
AP credits (imo) are best used to get out of requirements that are not essential to your major. If you are planning to major in English, using AP Bio to get out of a science requirement is smart. If you are planning to major in Bio, you may want to take the class again to be sure you have the same fundamentals as your peers.
Your advisor should be helpful on this front. Most profs in a department know pretty well how the 101 class aligns with the AP material. If you are worried that without the 101 class, you’ll find the next level too much of a challenge, you may already have your answer.
You will still need to take the same number of credits to graduate.
According to their website, Tufts no longer accepts AP bio credit.
@milousmom They accept a 4 or a 5 on the test for one credit but it does not allow you to place out of a class.