<p>My son has taken a lot of AP and IB courses, I heard he can get credit at Tufts University and graduate a semester earlier is this true? Can anyone tell me if they have gone through this experience and ho it works? JHU does not take many of the AP and IB courses my son has taken. This is holding our decision.</p>
<p>IMO, I don't think this should enter into your decision at all. At the better colleges, AP & IB are NOT equivalent to their courses. More important to use these for placement if appropriate.</p>
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At the better colleges, AP & IB are NOT equivalent to their courses.
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<p>Please get a hold of yourself. A big percentage of kids graduate a semester or year early at Penn due to accelerated credit. Is Penn not a "better college"?</p>
<p>Accelerated credit helps get by some of the distribution credits—not major requirements nor high-level courses of any kind. Why should a kid who got a 5 on Physics Level C have to take an intro to physics course in college?</p>
<p>Schools who give accelerated credit do so only contingent on excellent (read: perfect) scores on AP/IB exams. They are doing so not because the courses they offer at their institution are not rigorous, but because they recognize that many college freshmen come in with college-prep-level studies that may have prepared them for courses past the intro level. This is beneficial to both the university and the individual student.</p>
<p>This situation varies from college to college.</p>
<p>At Cornell, the one thing you cannot use AP/IB credit for is distribution requirements. You can count it toward most majors, though, and you can count a limited amount of AP credit (in the College of Arts and Sciences, at least, there is a 20-credit cap) toward graduation requirements.</p>
<p>If a particular university's introduction to physics course is substantially more rigorous and extensive than the AP Physics C course, it would make sense for the hypothetical student who got a 5 to take the university's introductory course. But if the courses are roughly equivalent, it would not make sense. So it's important for students to find out what the situation is at their particular school.</p>
<p>That's interesting, how accelerated credit is used differently at either schools. Thanks, Marian.</p>
<p>Yeah, I mean regardless, I don't think accelerated credit is in indicator of how good/bad a school is. Both Tufts and JHU are really amazing schools and quite comparable academically.</p>
<p>"A big percentage of kids graduate a semester or year early at Penn due to accelerated credit."</p>
<p>Where did you get this info?</p>
<p>From a few professors and department heads at Penn I met the week we dropped my brother off there. By big percentage, I meant more than at most comparable/peer schools. I'm sure you can find the exact numbers on their website or by contacting someone at the school.</p>
<p>Anecdotally, I also know four people (of the 12 total grads from there I know) who graduated one full year early from Penn.</p>
<p>I doubt that a big percentage of students at ANY school graduate early for several reasons.
First of all, scores of 5 (and sometimes 4) will get you credit at most, and a waiver at least. On top of that, if the AP is in your major, it may not count towards the major requirement.
Of the 31 AP classes that Penn lists, it gives NO credit for 5 of them, and only a waiver (with no credit) for 4 others.</p>
<p>Many students coming in with a ton of AP credits still desire the full 4-year college experience, and to graduate with the friends that they have been with.</p>
<p>Really, a student should take AP courses only if they wish to challenge themselves.</p>
<p>Is graduating early important to your son? If that is the gameplan, then go for Tufts. It is certainly an excellent school, and not any lower caliber than JHU. He may still find enough of exciting courses that he wants to take, once there, that would necessitate him staying the entire 4 years. Or, he may want to go to Graduate school, in which case he could possibly get both degrees in 5 years.
There are just so many possibilities, and so many unforseens down the road.</p>
<p>"Really, a student should take AP courses only if they wish to challenge themselves."</p>
<p>Agree 100%. The idea is to make the most of your college experience, not rush through it. If AP/IB credits allow you more latitude for higher level courses, research or study abroad, that's another story.</p>
<p>My D was accepted at both Tufts and JHU and had the max AP courses. However, this did not play into her decision to go to Tufts. She has used her AP to get her placed into more advanced level of courses and has the credits applied so that her standing may help her get a little better advantage for getting the classes she wants at reg time. However, she is not in any hurry to graduate early; her AP credits should help her graduate in 4 years and get the most out of her time in college. Plus, it makes taking a semester abroad a little easier for finishing in 4 years. </p>
<p>By the way, she chose Tufts for a whole host of reasons, and has had the most incredible freshman year. She is already excited about next year. She spent A LOT of time looking at both schools and comparing. The most strikiing difference she found between the two campuses was in the intensity of the students. She did NOT see many smiling faces at JHU........... After a year at Tufts, she finds the kids really bright, hard working, interesting and not at all cut throat competitive. They strive to excel/compete with themselves more than with the others on campus. She also found the faculty more approachable at Tufts.</p>