AP Credits

<p>Ok, for the Arador board posters, sorry for the double post, but I thought some parents might be able to help with this:</p>

<li><p>Do we automatically get credit for our AP stuff? Is this going to magically show up on our ‘transcripts’/records come August? Or is there some icky application process that hasn’t been announced? </p></li>
<li><p>Even though you only use AP to meet one credit of each of three divisional requirements, do you still get credit for all other APs in the same division? Meaning if I have the appropriate scores on both Lang and Lit, I can use one for the distribution requirement, but I get two credits? </p></li>
<li><p>Do we still hafta take the math placement test if our AP scores give us something and we don’t plan to take more math? </p></li>
<li><p>Can one finish the application process (for getting transfer credits from other colleges) in time to register for classes? that is, assuming you start when you arrive for orientation? </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

<p>The answers are (as far as I remember, and I could be wrong):
1) No. You have to talk to your advisor. The credits appear much later, perhaps at the end of the freshman year, or a little before that. It also depends how much of the AP credits you want to use.
2) Don't know.
3) No. You don't have to.
4) Don't know..</p>

<p>Assuming the AP credits and test scores are on you high school transcript, you should get your credits automatically. What credits you get depends on the department. Some give credit for APs. Some give credit only if you take a course in the dept. at Swarthmore. </p>

<p>An AP score gets you math credit without taking the math placement test. Basically the math placement test only needs to be taken if you don't have the AP Calc test scores.</p>

<p>I seem to recall that the AP credits show up on the Swarthmore transcript at the end of first semester.</p>

<p>"4. Can one finish the application process (for getting transfer credits from other colleges) in time to register for classes? that is, assuming you start when you arrive for orientation? "</p>

<p>There is no "application process". Each department decides how/which credits to grant. APs are pretty straightforward, but it can be difficult to get any credit for college classes taken elsewhere (even if it's a well respected university). You would have to talk to the department head about it, and his/her decision will determine whether or not you get the credit. In some cases you might be offered to test out of an introductory class, in which case you might get "placement" or "credit" or both. You will be able to figure it all out before class registration, though it will require some effort.</p>

<p>Oh, and the AP credit does magically appear on your transcript all by itself (but to get your credit for AP history of any kind you have to take an additional class in history department per each credit you hope to get).</p>

<p>I took Intro to Philo and Social Psych at BU last summer, and I'm hoping (foolishly, it sounds) to get some credit at Swat. I emailed Frank Durgin and someone in the Philo department back in April; both said there was an departmental application process involving the course objectives, textbook, written material, etc. </p>

<p>While waiting to see what happens with the Philo credit is fine, I really want to get ahead in Psych and take Abnormal with Reimer first semester. I remember Durgin said that the AP and Social Psych could get me ahead (if the work checks out) as long as I had the professor's permission. That said, I would prefer to start working on this before I get to campus. (It sounds like I hafta wait... boohoo.) Any comments or advice on this matter?</p>

<p>Based on your communication with the Psych Dept., there's a good chance you will be assigned a Psych prof. for your freshman adviser. So you'll be able to work all that out when you meet with your advisor.</p>

<p>I would just think in terms of two options in putting together your list of courses: one assuming you can place out of the Intro Psych course and one assuming that you can't. Intro Psych is one of Swat's only un-capped lecture courses, so getting into it, even late in the game, shouldn't be a problem.</p>

<p>My advice is to go into fall-semester course selection with a list of 8 to 10 courses you would like to take. That way, you can adjust on the fly to the various scenarios (like getting lotteried out of a course, etc.).</p>

<p>What typically happens is that you initially sign up for more than four courses and then let it sort itself out as the results of lotteries and pleading with the professors firm up. If you get lotteried out of a course, you get priority for that course the next time around, so it usually works itself out.</p>

<p>You could try to e-mail Reimer and ask permission to be in his class given your previous studies in Psych. You may still have to take Psych 1 at some point, as it is the prereq for all Psych classes, but maybe you can take it and the Abnormal Psych concurrently...</p>

<p>I would not count on Philosophy credit. They are very stubborn about taking classes at Swat. But if you take Schuldenfrei's intro class, you won't regret it (he will be on leave in the spring though).</p>