<p>i got in ED, so i've been reading through the Courses of Study book, and it appears that, for CAS, my AP credits will be of little use -- i mean, they give you the credit (even for 4s!), but there's nothing you can do w/ it. like, take AP Physics B: i have a 5 so i get 8 credits, but there's a rule that resticts ANY such credit to fulfill distribution requirements. so what's the deal? are they just for placement?</p>
<p>They go towards the 120 credits you need to graduate.</p>
<p>meaning you can take fewer courses overall...</p>
<p>but 100 of those credits have to be from CAS.. that takes the credits per year from 30 to 25. that means even if you take like 10 APs, you can only save yourself from taking one class a year.</p>
<p>I'm not sure what your point is. Let's say you have 20 AP credits. 20 credits is essentially around 1.25 semesters worth of credits. THis means you can take approximately an average course load each semester (15 credits) and still graduate a semester early. I'm currently averaging LESS than 15 credits a semester and still on pace to graduate a semester early according to the Arts and Sciences registrar's Junior/Senior degree audit report. If you want to take an extra couple of credits a semester (let's say around 16-17), you can graduate a full year early with your AP credits. </p>
<p>This is all assuming that you want to graduate early. If not, then you should be satisfied with using AP credits simply to place out of classes.</p>
<p>here's why i think they're useless (for me):
1) i'm not looking to graduate early
2) most of my credit (Physics, European) is for subjects i have no interest in
3) "elective credit" does not satisfy major/distribution/breadth requirements, which add up to about the 120 credits i wanted to reduce in the first place (i'm looking to doube major)</p>
<p>so in the end, i will have way more credit than i need.. and a good part of it will have cost me $83 dollars (and a whole lot of work) a class</p>
<p>dont forget that those AP courses (and the hard work you put into them) are what helped you get into Cornell since you challanged yourself and took the harder class not took the easy way out. And you do not need to take the AP test if you take the class. Atleast thats how it is in my school</p>
<p>A&S sucks for AP credit and for double majoring... I wanted to do econ as a double but there's no way I'm going to fulfill those inane distribution requirements just to get another degree.</p>
<p>Engineering, contrarily, is more than happy to let you get out of distribution requirements/etc; my AP credit got me out of a LOT of stuff.</p>
<p>I definitely wouldn't call AP credit useless for the reason that Jazz965611 listed and because if you use your AP credit for the intro courses-then, when junior and senior years roll around, you will have room to take electives in which you are thoroughly interested or which pertain to your future career goals.</p>
<p>A&S isn't terrible for double majoring....</p>
<p>You're right, I should have said DUAL majoring - I could double/dual major with pretty much any other school besides architecture and still graduate in 8 semesters with my MEng plus my double/dual major, but at A&S because of the stupid distribution requirements (that AP's don't count for) and the 100 credit in A&S requirement it'd take me a lot longer.</p>
<p>Just use AP credits to take care of intro classes you wont want to take (bio, physics, calc, english). </p>
<p>This way, you can take way more cool electives (like wine tasting and tree climbing).</p>
<p>Also, dont do AP's to graduate early. This is college. It rules. Stay for all four years because you'll never be able to do real college again.</p>
<p>Yeah, there is 0 reason to graduate early - double major, get a BA/BS plus a masters in four years, whatever - but college is one of the last times you can be an irresponsible drunken party animal and not be scorned for it.</p>
<p>For me, it's different. Mother country calls, so I gotta waste 3 years in the army. That means by the time I have a BA and get out of the army, I'll be what... 25? That's why I'm planning to accelerate.</p>
<p>did you get the courses study book in the mail already? i haven't gotten anything in the mail except for the ED letter...</p>
<p>no, i picked it up at last October when i visited</p>
<p>Also, about CAS double majoring.. it's much easier when the subjects are related. econ and gov't work out great: they add up to roughly 25 courses, and if you fulfill the requirements with the right classes they give you an international relations concentration. but w/ this AP thing it looks like i'll be spending my first year in chem labs and writing seminars</p>
<p>sorry if this is a stupid question, but why would one choose to double major?</p>
<p>i'm asking this here because it has been mentioned throughout this thread.</p>
<p>Most students who double major have an interest in more than one discipline. Most schools don't charge more money for double majoring. Many kids then find that they can pursue a graduate degree in a joint program or say apply to medical school or law school.</p>
<p>One would double major if one were interested in two disparate topics, or more likely if one were interested in two interrelated topics. Double majoring promotes a certain kind of breadth of study (while diminishing overall breadth because it limits the number of truly unrelated electives you can take overall because you're taking more electives to fulfill your extra major). </p>
<p>I love English but this year I've taken to Economics. This has led me to consider a double major. In addition, I love Classical studies and a double major in Classics and English would really augment my English and even my writing. The first scenario marries two unrelated subjects that I like. The second scenario involves a synergy of two relatable subjects, which could lead to a more robust portfolio of intellectual growth and skills.</p>
<p>Then you have the pre-med student who loves some subject in the humanities but believes it wise also to major in something like bio or chem--similar to the engineer who might do the same. There are manifold reasons to double major; the question is, do you have a reason to double major, and if so, what are the benefits and detriments?</p>
<p>double majoring probably requires A LOT of work and dedication. Am i right?</p>
<p>i'm in the college on engineering, which is said to be one of the more difficult colleges. </p>
<p>Also, my philosophy is moderation. I need a decent amount of time each day to just relax.</p>
<p>But what about majoring + minoring?
how is minoring different from majoring?</p>