<p>ok, i know i can probably find this somewhere on this forum, but i did a quick search and didn't find it, and i'm panicking right now because i'm still stuck deciding between berkeley and usc and washu, and i've discovered i love all 3 equally so i'm trying to iron out the little details to see which college has an advantage... so if some of you could answer this for me, i would really appreciate it.</p>
<p>Advanced</a> Placement Examinations</p>
<p>so i was looking at the site above, and i will have taken 9 aps before i go to cal (or usc or washu). i've gotten 4s and 5s on everything so far, so, if this is how i think it works, i would have 21.3+ credits when i enter cal. </p>
<p>first off, what does that .3 mean? second, does a score of 3 get the same amount of credit as a score of 5? finally, since most people take 15-18 credits per semester, does this mean i have enough credits to graduate a semester early? if that is the case, how come i hear so many people taking 5+ years to graduate? since cal is a top notch school, most people take a comparable amount of APs right?</p>
<p>thanks for taking the time to read this.</p>
<p>edit: side note, i just came across pass/fail grading stuff here. <a href="http://ls-advise.berkeley.edu/collegepolicies/grade.html%5B/url%5D">http://ls-advise.berkeley.edu/collegepolicies/grade.html</a>
it says up to 12 units of P/NP. what are the disadvantages of this? it seems to be too good to be true, especially if i'm doing pre-haas but wanted to take P/NP organic chem or something along that line. do grad schools frown upon P/NP classes?</p>
<p>Hi Neon green</p>
<p>Units are units. For L&S, the degree requires 120 units and those .3 and .5 add up. For those credits, each college defines the minimum AP score to qualify, usually 3. 3,4 or 5 all earn the same number of units, just like passing a physical course with A, B or C all gain the same number of units towards graduation. The AP score counts more when you use them to waive various requirements. For example, the Reading and Composition set of courses can be partially waived with a 4 on English Lit and Composition, while a 5 on that AP test waives all of the requirement. </p>
<p>The claim that most take five years to graduate is part of the mythology and stereotypes spread around. Wonder if it makes people feel better who didn’t get accepted? Anyway, there are many many posts here debunking that story. Yes, you can be frustrated because a particular class you want to take at a particular time might not be available, but as far as getting through the requirements, most have no problem doing this in four year. A minority take longer, but in those cases it is usually someone who either is double majoring, getting simultaneous degrees from two Cal colleges, or has made a late change of direction, perhaps 2-3 years into their time here, and had to take a whole new set of prereq courses for an entirely different major. </p>
<p>Pass/No Pass is a great way to explore new topics and satisfy your intellectual curiosity without risking your GPA. You can switch courses to P/NP pretty far into the semester even if you start out seeking a letter grade. Also, there is an entire set of student led courses that can earn credit but these must be taken P/NP [url=<a href=“http://decal.org%5DDeCal%5B/url”>http://decal.org]DeCal[/url</a>] for details on that. </p>
<p>Some requirements, such as those for your major, can’t be taken P/NP - the department explains those rules when you read about the requirements ofhte major. The Reading and Composition classes must be taken for a letter grade. Finally, some professional schools require that courses you are taking for them be for a grade - premed courses like organic chemistry need to be for a letter if seeking medical training after graduation, otherwise if taking it purely because it intrigues you, why not go P/NP and remove the pressure?</p>