<p>I'm going to be taking the AP Calculus AB exam tomorrow and I'm basically sure I won't get a 4 or 5. My teacher is basically useless and didn't teach us anything that was on it (he's a theoretical physicist and none of the stuff he taught us applies to the AP). If I get a 4 or a 5 on my other AP exams (which I'm basically sure to get) I will be able to transfer over 28 credits to USC. I was wondering how much it hurt me to not have those last 4 credits. Someone told me it would help a lot during registration but I have an early orientation session and there is no way they'll know the results by then. I'm majoring in Film and won't be needing Calculus in any way. I also don't plan on graduating early (but I am interested in a minor). The 32 would give me sophomore standing but... is that worth anything 1st semester at all?</p>
<p>Should I break my back and try and push for a 4? or just take it easy and focus on the other exams that I do have a shot at?</p>
<p>The AP units won’t matter until you get to Spring Semester, that’s when they order registration by number of units. Honestly, it’s not a huge issue. When I was a student, I never had classes fill that I really needed and sometimes I registered super late.</p>
<p>The only main advantage to having AP credits is to register earlier and to pass out of classes. So if AP Calc wouldn’t get you out of any classes, the only advantage would be to have the credits to register earlier. However, that’d only be like a day, or even a few hours earlier to register. 28 credits would still give you one of the earliest Freshmen registration times. So yeah, nothing to really worry about. But still, do your best, and who knows, you may get a 4 or 5!</p>
<p>Have they changed the score requirements? Last year a 3 would give you the credits. A 4 or 5 was needed only if you wanted to waive out of a course.</p>
<p>As an SCA major, you will meet with an advisor in your department each semester before you register for classes (same at Orientation this summer). For many if not all of the upper division film classes, you will receive a D-clearance (which means the department is granting you access to register for this class). One reason they do this is to make sure those in the major or declared minor get into all classes necessary, so they won’t risk graduation delays. When you’ve got those D-clearances, it doesn’t make too much difference when you officially register. The spots are saved for you. This is also true (D-clearance needed) for TO classes. I’m wondering if it may also be true in other majors, but don’t know for sure.</p>
<p>An earlier registration time may help a bit if you’re set on taking one particular GE requirement at a certain time with a certain professor, but why worry about such a thing now?? You can always take that course the next semester, or instead, there are dozens of other classes that will fill the bill. The benefit of a slightly earlier reg time has struck me as a very very slight advantage. If you intend to spend 4 years at USC anyway, those units won’t even be used, so why worry?</p>
<p>It’s just really frustrating when we took the mock to find out how different the actual college board material was from what we learned in class. I just feel kind of dissapointed that I went through the year and won’t really get credit for it… oh well on the plus side I know a whole bunch of useless physics.</p>
<p>Don’t feel bad - you’ll probably do fine, and even if you don’t get credit, my son has not found it a problem that he had “only” 24 AP credits. His high school didn’t offer AP’s, so all the credits he got were self-studied; the corresponding classes didn’t even pretend to be preparing him for the AP’s. But he did fine in calc BC, and is enjoying the registration advantage even though he’s also in SCA and technically doesn’t need the math skills.</p>