<p>I heard that only 5s on Calculus BC, Physics C, and English Lit. are counted as scores you can use to pass some intro. classes at MIT. Are AP classes like Chem, Micro/Macroeconomics, Psychology, Gov, US History, and World History not useful at MIT for getting out of some classes?</p>
<p>Thanks for any help.</p>
<p>You can find the MIT AP policy on their website. MIT lets you take exams during orientation if you think you know the material of a class. So you can take exams during orientation for any class, and if you do well you will be able to skip the class/get credit for it. I believe that a lot of people actually end up taking the class - only about 7% pass the orientation exam. Most intro classes at MIT tho are much more rigorous than AP courses. Look at 3.091 on Youtube, and you’ll get an idea of the difference between AP and MIT chem.</p>
<p>The AP score policy is [here[/url</a>].</p>
<p>For a 5 on a humanities AP exam, you’ll get 9 units of general elective credit, but no credit for a particular class. And a 5 on AP English (Lit or Lang) doesn’t get you out of a course, it just gets you an automatic pass on the Freshman Essay Evaluation.</p>
<p>vaibhav is right that advanced standing exams for many subjects are offered during orientation, and you can pass them to get credit in subjects you believe you should have credit for. Some of the advanced standing exams have historically low pass rates, and others do not: last year 7% of test-takers passed the chemistry ASE, while 31% passed the biology ASE, and 43% and 59% passed the physics mechanics and E&M ASEs, respectively. (Numbers for the past few years [url=<a href=“http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N37/freshmantests/ase.html]here[/url]”>http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N37/freshmantests/ase.html]here](<a href=“http://web.mit.edu/firstyear/2013/subjects/ap.html]here[/url”>http://web.mit.edu/firstyear/2013/subjects/ap.html)</a>.)</p>
<p>mollie, how many general unrestrictive elective credits do you need for graduation.</p>
<p>You need 180, which is what you would get if you took all 17 GIRs at MIT and took four classes per semester:
12 units * 4 classes/semester * 8 semesters = 384 units
17 GIRs * 12 units/GIR = 204 units
384 units - 204 units = 180 units outside GIRs required for graduation.</p>
<p>So taking around 4-8 APs and getting 5s will not allow you to get ahead that much?</p>
<p>So 180 units in your major, basically?</p>
<p>Also, do “general electives” fall into the 180 units category, or GIR?</p>
<p>Taking many APs could let you graduate a semester early, or even a year early, or you they could help you take sophomore standing second semester freshman year (more info about sophomore standing [here](<a href=“http://web.mit.edu/uinfo/academics/programs/progress/frosh.html]here[/url]”>http://web.mit.edu/uinfo/academics/programs/progress/frosh.html)</a>).</p>
<p>The 180 units are units taken outside the GIRs (so general elective units count in this measure). Your major program may require 180 units officially, or it may require fewer. If you’re in a major that requires fewer than 180 units to complete the major program, you can make up the extra units by taking elective courses in your department or in other departments, or by having AP credit coming in.</p>
<p>It used to be that AP credit was most useful for prospective double majors, which required 270 units outside the GIRs, but now the dual degree is going the way of the dinosaur, and double majors will be awarded only one degree and be required to complete 180 units after completing two major programs.</p>
<p>Thanks mollie for the reply.</p>
<p>So APs might not help if your major requires 180 units in classes you never took APs in.</p>
<p>Also, how many classes per semester would I need to take to double major? and what do you mean double majors are now reward with one degree?</p>
<p>I think most majors (with course 10 and course 16 being the only exceptions of which I’m aware) require fewer than 180 units, so you have room to take some elective classes. It can be nice to have those extra AP units as a cushion, so that if you need to drop a class at some point, you don’t have to make up the units later.</p>
<p>The new double major system will only require 180 units outside the GIRs (4 classes per semester if you take all 17 GIRs at MIT). The old system, under which I graduated, required 270, but students were awarded two degrees at the end – I have two bachelor’s of science degrees, one in biology and one in brain and cognitive sciences. Under the new system, I would have been awarded a single degree with majors in biology and brain and cog sci.</p>
<p>So functionally, you need only to complete 180 units outside the GIRs to double major under the new system. Practically, you need to finish two major programs, which could require taking more than four classes per term, depending on the requirements of each major and when you can fit certain classes into your schedule.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply.</p>
<p>Double majors requires the same about of credits as single majors?</p>
<p>They require the same number of units outside the GIRs, but you have to complete the classes required for the major. </p>
<p>So the classes required for major 1 plus the classes required for major 2 could add up to more than 180 units, unless the majors overlap such that some classes could be used to fulfill requirements for both majors.</p>
<p>
Hardly. Only the most closely overlapping majors require a low enough number of different classes that a prospective double major will only have to fulfill slightly more credits than a single major.</p>
<p>Most of the time, the additional credits that have to be undertaken by a double major can be quite a few.</p>
<p>I came in with a bunch of unrestricted elective credits for APs, and I will say that they were most useful as a cushion, so that I never had to worry that I had too few units. I don’t think I ended up needing them, but it was nice to know that they were there.</p>
<p>Ditto on the cushion idea. I am very grateful for my 12 units of testing out of 8.01, and my 9 units of general elective credit. Um…I might actually be needing them. =)</p>