<p>While waiting for an admissions decision, we have been clicking all the links on the Howdy site and reading up on all things TAMU. :-) I was looking at the "Credit by Exam" link which shows which classes could be credited based on AP scores. I understand you wouldn't want to accept credit for a class you want to actually take (i.e. Calculus is you are an engineering major). Is there any other reason someone would NOT want to accept all the credits available?</p>
<p>My son is a freshman at TAMU this fall. We too had the same questions about AP credits last year. You will find that the Engineering advisers recommend you don’t use your Physics or Calculus AP credits. Since my son scored a 5 on his Calculus AP test he decided to go right to Math 152. He did decide to take the first Physics 218. Now that he has been in school for a bit, he says the 152 decision was a good one. He feels he is ahead of everyone else and if he had taken 151 he would be very bored. He is also now thinking of using his Physics 208 credit for next semester. He said Physics is not difficult, but the amount of work assigned is crazy. He actually thinks he will need more time on his Chem next semester.</p>
<p>As far as your other credits, there is no reason not to use them. But, don’t accept credits for courses you do not need to take in your major. It becomes a problem if you have too many hours when you graduate. My son’s advisor worked with him before he accepted any AP credits. Also, your credits stay on your account. You can apply them when you need. You only have to be careful on the credits that count for more than one class. For instance, if you score high enough on your Math you can take credit for Math 151 and 152. But if you decide to use the credit for only 151, you cannot go back and use it for 152 later. This is also true with some History and English classes.</p>
<p>@gobluemom85. My son is also a TAMU freshman this year. He intends to graduate with two majors: Aerospace Engineering and History. He took his AP credits that would go toward his majors. He accepted his freshman Chemistry credits and Math 151, 152 (he had post-AP math in high school) He also took his History, English, German, Government, and Psych credits. He did not take AP Physics in high school, so he is in freshman Physics. If all goes well, he will be a junior after this fall.</p>
<p>He was also told not to take additional AP credits that dd not go to his majors. So, for now he has not taken another 20-25 credits. Like @whciv01 said, they are available later if he changes majors or otherwise needs them.</p>
<p>Two things if your son does decide to go to A&M. First, he will still have to take the math placement test. It’s basically at the pre-Calculus level, so many kids blow it off if they have had AP Calculus. This is a big mistake, because if a student does poorly, he will still be placed accordingly. There is a free practice test, so make sure he takes it and brushes up on any weak areas. Also, make sure that A&M actually receives his AP scores. My son was at the very last New Student Conference and found out that his scores were never received. For math he could only register for freshman Calculus. He paid to rush his AP scores to A&M and then go through drops and adds after classes started to finalize his classes.</p>
<p>Finally, I have seen your posts in other forums for other colleges that my second son (HS Senior) is considering, so I know that your son is considering several other colleges. FWIW, my son at TAMU was also accepted by Michigan, Georgia Tech, and Purdue. He loves TAMU and TAMU engineering! And we love the much lower cost and so much more about TAMU. Proud Aggie parents!</p>
<p>Thanks for the information both of you. But I am still confused as to why. Why would a student not accept the credits, even if they didn’t count toward a major and why would having too many credits be a problem for graduation?</p>
<p>For example, son applied to engineering. He got a 5 on his AP US History test. He can claim credit for HIST 105 and 106 according to Howdy. Those classes aren’t part of his major but could be used for the core requirements. He also got a 4 for World History and can claim HIST 104. He doesn’t NEED all of those history credits but what would be wrong with claiming them?</p>
<p>Beaudreau, you mention Michigan. At UM, once you reach Junior standing, at determined by credits, your tuition goes up. So that’s a good reason not to claim credits you don’t need or to claim them later after you are already in upper division. Is there a similar thing at work at TAMU?</p>
<p>And yes, son is applying other places but he is down to three. Actually four since he will be applying to Michigan whether he wants to or not (see user name) 
My older son got credit for all of his APs (at a different school) and it will start really paying off next semester when he can register for classes with Junior priority rather than Sophomore. My son’s AP scores are showing up in Howdy so I know they got them. I know this summer lots of kids we know went to NSCs before the AP results were out for tests they took senior year. There was a lot of dropping and adding because of that. </p>
<p>@gobluemom85. Your question is exactly the one that I asked my son: Why leave all those credits on the table? He could only say that his adviser said so. I thought it would look pretty cool to enter college as a junior and that it might help open doors with potential employers. Anyway, his class standing is academic for now because he will still need at least three and a half years to complete his two major requirements and to study abroad. Maybe @whciv01 has a better answer.</p>
<p>As far as priority registration, it looks like your son has a good shot at the Honors College, which will give him priority registration (except for his first semester, which will be handled at a New Student Conference). The Honors dorms are very nice - two-person rooms with bathrooms.</p>
<p>@gobluemom85. Here is a link to the page that discusses excess credits. When you go to your NSC they will talk about this state rule. It has to do with state funding for resident students. <a href=“http://registrar.tamu.edu/general/excesscredhr.aspx”>http://registrar.tamu.edu/general/excesscredhr.aspx</a></p>
<p>Also, in the end your son will have to decide which AP credits he feels comfortable to use. My son’s advisor told him that since they changed the Engineering major acceptance this year (everyone starts as general Engineering for first semester) the department wanted to see that students had completed specific coursework at TAMU. My son decided to be a little careful his first semester and just retake the Physics 218. </p>
<p>Also, keep in mind that going to college is much different than any high school. Not only are the classes structured differently, but your son/daughter will be in a new environment and on their own. This too takes some adjusting for some kids. </p>
<p>Very informative link, thank you. It does say that credits earned by exam are exempt from the excess credit hour rule. But OOS tuition could be a rude shock at the end of 4 or 5 years. We have been told by students who were class of 2018 that they didn’t get to meet with advisors at NSC this year. That’s why I am trying to do a little advance work. And I hate to see all the hard work that went into those AP classes/tests wasted. </p>
<p>And yes, this is not my first going off to college and I know all about the transitions and adjustments. Son is already planning to be very conservative with his math and science credits since he is studying engineering. It’s the other credits that I was mostly wondering about. </p>
<p>You will want to review your scholarships & financial aid offers to see if they are subject to class status or undergraduate, accepting additional credits can change that. If you are in-state there is a kickback ( I think it is $1000) if you graduate & are below a certain amount of credits. Another issue is that those who need certain GPAs might want to take a course for credit to boost a GPA for certain reasons like admission into upper division, internship/job minimum requirement GPA, change of major, etc. I believe there is a maximum number of credits you can have to still be considered undergraduate (or so I remember being told), irregardless of the number of years you have attended which affects your aid & tuition. The numbers game becomes more of a challenge later in the college cycle, so they advise not to claim credits earlier than needed to keep your options open and your acceptances of credit are not able to be rescinded no matter what dilemma it brings about later. I agree with all of you, I didn’t see the downside since I came from the old school of more credits = better, but apparently there are downsides. Wait for advisors to help guide you through the process & help yourself by mapping an exit strategy for your student ( for mine, 4 years and out!) with courses so you can understand when to take what classes &/or opt for credit. I actually keep a running course plan for my kids, so they know (& I know) what to take when and make room for things like internships, jobs,summer school, addition of a minor, or study abroad. </p>
<p>@AGmomx2. Thanks, you’ve been a great resource, particularly for those of us not from Texas. Another Aggie has also been a great help. <a href=“Lyle Lovett - That's Right (You're Not From Texas) - YouTube”>Lyle Lovett - That's Right (You're Not From Texas) - YouTube;
<p>Great information - I hadn’t thought about the scholarship implications. Son wants to be an engineer but also has a love of history and languages. While I wouldn’t be totally opposed to a five year plan, I want him to have as much flexibility as possible in his schedule - at least what flexibility you can get in engineering. From what I understand, at NSC students meet with advisors after they do registration. Is it advised then to not accept any APs, register as if they weren’t there and then make adjustments later? (I realize I am putting the cart before the horse since he hasn’t even been accepted yet but if I am going to stalk CC, I may as well learn something)</p>
<p>goblummom85 - first, kudos to you for doing all of this work now. I started asking questions when my son was a Junior in High School. Its better to know before you get to your NSC. Feel free to ask whatever questions you have. Beaudreau is right, @AGmomx2 has been a great resource answered many questions we had before our son started this year.</p>
<p>You are right, you may not get to meet with your official advisor at the NSC. My son called his advisor several times during the summer to ask questions. Advisors have full access to change schedule at any time and can even force you into a class that is closed. Also, I recommend you attend the very first NSC. This gave our son plenty of time to workout his concerns. You won’t have your latest AP scores by then, but you can change your schedule once you have them in July. They will not allow you to register for classes without the prerequisite AP credits on file. </p>
<p>By the way, the current degree plans that TAMU has online are not actually right. For instance, Engineering no longer requires kinesiology, but this still shows on the online version. I would recommend you email the Eng department and ask for the newest version. This will help you do some of the planning that @AGmomx2 recommended.</p>
<p>Being from out of state, it looked very convenient for our son to fly to College Station, attend Fish Camp, get early Dorm move-in participate in the final NSC (we flew in for this), enjoy Gig-em Week, and then start classes. I would not do this again. He is still trying to shake the cold he caught at Fish Camp, and spent much of Gig-em week and his first week of classes trying to adjust his schedule. As a result of not being able to add classes until late in the first week of classes, he missed some classes and then could not get his textbooks until the second week. Also, despite what you may read, UPS will not deliver text books from Amazon to his dorm (Lechner). UPS blamed Amazon and Amazon blamed UPS. We ended up having to cancel the orders (three phone calls with Amazon) and then he had to pay top dollar at the Campus bookstore. FedEx will deliver to the dorm, and if the student is not in the room, they will hold it at their store right across University Drive, next to Subway.</p>
<p>I agree that it’s best to do the NSC early if possible.</p>
<p>Thanks for the kind words, glad the information helps Gobluemom85, once your son is accepted, you can ask for help from an advisor - we did that with our oldest. We met with advisors from both of her potential majors which changed her plan completely (she did not double major, decided on just one with a certificate instead). Advisors are broken up by major here, so if you have two majors, you’ll have access to two advisors. We actually did this in the spring of her HS senior year. Some questions are just best to get answered from the university staff (they did appreciate us having specific questions & were very helpful ).</p>
<p>@Beaudreau here’s another Aggie you might really appreciate now 
<a href=“Texas A&M - We Bleed Maroon video (Texas A&M OGS Version) - YouTube”>Texas A&M - We Bleed Maroon video (Texas A&M OGS Version) - YouTube;
<p>@AGmomx2 Great video! I shared it with my Aggie and his two younger brothers along with Mrs. Beaudreau. I couldn’t keep a dry eye. I think your kids are also OOS. We are in Arizona; where are your kids based?</p>