<p>I've been looking at a lot of colleges, and as a junior who has taken 10 APs over the course of high school (or 6 so far, and 4 in my senior year) I'd really like to find a college where I can get skip the couses I've taken APs in. But, I have no idea what it means when I see in the college guides "AP credit only" or "AP placement only" or "AP credit/placement." So, what is the difference between AP credit and AP placement, and can I graduate earlier or double major with either of them?</p>
<p>AP placement shows that you have taken the class and can place out of it if you so choose. For instance, if I get a 5 on the AP Calculus BC exam most schools will let me take Calculus III (multivariable) freshman year, instead of starting from Calculus I.</p>
<p>AP credit earns you credit hours needed for graduation.</p>
<p>If you want to get credit, you need to look for schools that give you AP credit, not just placement. Most schools that give AP credit will also give you advanced placement as well. It is not uncommon for schools to give you credit for classes outside your major but not give you credit for courses inside your major. Some departments want you to start out in their intro classes if you are going to major in that area even if you have taken the AP class.</p>
<p>Don’t automatically assume that because you got a 5 and are allowed to place out of something, that you shouldn’t take the course anyway. S has discovered that some of the classes he could have placed out of have not been total overlaps, and he would not be fully prepared if he had just jumped to the next level. And the review has also been helpful. It’s made his freshmen year less academically intense, which has been good-the extra time for adjusting to a new place, ECs and new friends has been very welcome. (Of course, he’s at a LAC, so even the intro classes are small. At a public university, he may have opted to skip the 300+ intro classes too.)</p>