<li>Is it true that the only Common Core courses that can replaced with AP credit are the natural science ones?</li>
<li>Is it possible to use as many APs as you have to place out of as many courses as you can?</li>
</ol>
<p>Here are my AP scores thus far:</p>
<p>Latin Literature - 5
U.S. History - 5
European History - 5
English Language - 5
Psychology - 5
Physics B - 5</p>
<p>I can place into intermediate Latin with Latin Literature and get rid of the physics part of natural science, but what can I do with the others? The page says that miscellaneous APs can be used for elective credit (up to 6 credits only, however).</p>
<p>I’m taking the following APs this year:</p>
<p>Latin Vergil
English Literature
Computer Science AB
U.S. Government and Politics
Biology
Calculus BC</p>
<p>Here’s my most urgent question: even if I were to get 5s on the first four of these tests, would Chicago care? I already have the maximum number of elective credits from AP tests, and I can already place into intermediate Latin. It appears that the only 5s that would help me here would be in Biology and Calculus, as with them I’d be able to place out of the other natural science requirements (would I be able to be fully finished with natural science in that case?). I don’t want to spend enormous amounts of time studying for exams that are basically worthless.</p>
<p>I don't know all the ins and outs of Chicago's AP policies, but the answer to your "most urgent question" is pretty simple: neither Chicago, nor any other elite university, is going to care about what you get on those four AP exams. Furthermore, unless you really want to graduate in three years or less, you may not care about any of your AP exams. Most students aren't so excited to give up a huge chunk of their ability to take electives at the University of Chicago.</p>
<p>As for Latin and math, they have placement tests for those. I think everyone takes the math placement test regardless. A good score on the Calculus BC exam would probably guarantee you the opportunity to take honors Calculus, but so would a mediocre score, and if you want to take honors Analysis you will have to prove it on the placement test. The situation with Latin is similar -- you can place into intermediate Latin, but you may be able to do better by taking the test.</p>
<p>I wasn't aware that AP classes could substitute for the science requirements of the Core. Others can address that.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Most students aren't so excited to give up a huge chunk of their ability to take electives at the University of Chicago.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No, it's about precisely the opposite. I want more time to take electives and less time to spend on core classes, because I'm especially interested in four year "sequence" courses with prerequisites (i.e., Chinese I, Chinese II, Chinese III, Chinese IV, which cannot be taken "horizontally"). So I figure that I could take care of at least natural science with AP credit (especially as core natural science classes apparently aren't that great).</p>
<p>But yeah, you're right; I don't expect not to use the elective requirements to their fullest, and I certainly don't plan on graduating in three years.</p>
<p>You can use AP credit to get up to 6 classes. anything not specifically listed gives you elective credit.</p>
<p>So, basically, you can use your Latin credit to place out of language, then your physics to place out of physics, and everything else doesn't matter. Or you can use a different test INSTEAD of one of those to get elective credit instead.</p>
<p>
[quote]
You can use AP credit to get up to 6 classes.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Are you sure? The page says that:
[quote]
Credit for no more than six electives may be gained by any combination of AP, placement, accreditation, IB, or other examinations.
[/quote]
Does this mean any six courses, or could I place out of as many general education courses as possible?</p>
<p>I'm a bit confused by a few things:
1) A 5 on Calc AB gives credit for Math 15100, but the catalog says (Courses</a> & Programs of Study) "Math 15100 may be used to meet the math. sciences requirement only if Math 15200 is also taken." A 5 on Calc BC gives credit for Math 15100 and Math 15200. The Core requires only 1 Math credit. For someone who doesn't want to major in science or math, am I correct in concluding that the 5 in Calc BC will allow a person to be exempt from having to take any math courses, but the 5 in Calc AB will give course credit but not fulfill the math requirement by itself?
2) Both a 4 and a 5 on the Bio exam appear to give the same 1 quarter gen. ed. credit for BIOS. Again assuming no desire to pursue a science or math major, is there any benefit for scoring a 5 rather than a 4 on the AP Bio exam?
3) Is the 3 quarters of elective credits for a 4 or 5 in Government and Politics granted only for students who have taken both Comp. AND US or for students who have taken Comp. OR US?
4) The policy states clearly that there's a 6 credit max. for AP, placement, and other exam credits. If credit is granted for a college course taken during high school (and not counted by the high school as a credit towards graduation), is that credit also counted towards the 6 credit max. or can it be counted in addition to the 6 credits from AP and placement exams?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>That's right. The core requires 1 math course to meet the requirement unless you want to fulfill the math requirement with calculus, in which case you need 2 quarters. If you took, say, Statistics, you'd only need 1 quarter, but then you'd need to take an additional quarter in the biological or physical sciences.</p></li>
<li><p>Not really.</p></li>
<li><p>No clue. As JHS said, AP elective credit isn't something that will matter much either way, unless you're set on graduating early or taking fewer electives. </p></li>
<li><p>I think college credit would be counted separately in most cases.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>If you attend, during O week you will meet with an advisor to plan a schedule. Many students pass on using AP credits when they find out what the courses are like. Of course, much depends on one's major, too.</p>
<p>Just shake the idea that Chicago is just about accumulating enough credits to graduate and then moving on. If that's what you want to do, go to a state University where you can use all those APs to start out as a junior.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If that's what you want to do, go to a state University where you can use all those APs to start out as a junior.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>Shoot. That seems like something I would have liked (use it and lose it, unload and hit the road, etc). I dunno, maybe I'm just not the type of person who likes a core; maybe Chicago's not for me.</p>
<p>Ugh. I should have thought of this <em>before</em> I applied (Chicago's now just about my only choice). Thanks anyway - I'll see how I like it in a few days.</p>
<p>Aristotle, I said AP elective credit in my post. Very few AP scores can be used to fulfill requirements, and the rest, up to 6, are counted as elective credit. Elective credit usually isn't that important. Even for the scores that do fulfill requirements (language, math), you can just take the placement tests on campus for the same results. You'll be taking the math/calc placement test no matter whether you have AP credit or not, and if you have AP credit you're almost certainly going to earn the same credit while taking the placement. So, AP credit can be useful, but it's not as important as high school students tend to imagine.</p>
<p>corranged, what you say is not quite true. You can meet the Natural and Mathematical Sciences requirement by (1) getting a 5 on the BC Math AP exam and doing well on the calc placement test for 3 quarters, and getting a 5 on either the AP Chem exam or the Physics BC exam, if you took both mechanics and EM. </p>
<p>You could also place out of the language requirement by scoring a measly 4 on the French, German Latin or Spanish AP exams.</p>
<p>So right there you could place out of a year's work if you are not majoring in math or science. Math and Science kids have a host of complicating factors, such that most kids in these majors forgo some or all of their AP science credits in order to take more advanced classes. For instance, in some of the courses designed for those that score well on AP exams, like honors Chem or the AP5 bio sequence, the course reviews essentially all the AP material in less than a quarter. </p>
<p>Note that you cannot test out of or use AP credits for any of the Humanities, Civilization Studies, and the Arts (6 Quarter-Courses). You might say these are the "core" of the core, since all students, math, bio, literature or psych major, take the same courses in this part of the core, whereas in science and math, they don't: "The College takes steps to make sure a History concentrator isn't in a class for Biology concentrators." </p>
<p>The beauty of education at places like Chicago is the electives, though. One has small classes taught by stellar faculty with motivated students. That's why the OP's desire to plow through in as short a time as possible is sad.</p>
<p>Um, we're in agreement, NMD. Most AP scores (everything except Bio, Physics, Math, or Language) grant only elective credit, which isn't important for students looking to graduate in 4 years and take advantage of electives. Out of the other AP tests, the placement test you take on campus can give you the same credit. So while those AP scores may be convenient, in that you can skip your language test for example if you don't want to continue studying the language, you can also achieve credit/placement by simply showing that you know the material.</p>
<p>Here's what the [url=<a href="http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/pdf_09/Curr.pdf%5Dcatalog%5B/url">http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/pdf_09/Curr.pdf]catalog[/url</a>] says:
[quote]
Students take six quarter courses in the following areas: at least two quarters of
physical sciences (see sections A and C); at least two in the biological sciences (see
sections B and C); and at least one in the mathematical sciences (see section D).
Students may meet the natural sciences requirement with a two- or three-quarter
sequence in the physical sciences and a two- or three-quarter sequence in the
biological sciences, or with a four-quarter natural science sequence that integrates
the physical and biological sciences requirements. Students meet the mathematical
sciences requirement with one or two quarters of computer science, mathematics,
or statistics. Students should choose among the following options based on their
major and/or preparation for the health professions.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>A 5 on Physics B gives me two quarters of 10000-level physics, so I have that part of the natural science requirement covered. A 4 or 5 on Biology will give me only a single quarter of biology. A 4 on Calculus BC will give me a quarter of math, a 5 two quarters. If I were to receive a 5 on both exams, I'd have to take one quarter of biology to fulfill my six-quarter natural science requirement. If I were to receive a 4 on Calculus and a 4 or 5 on Biology, I'd have to take a quarter of math and a quarter of biology.</p>