Can you place out of core requirements?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Fordham University
1

<p>I know they have info about AP credits on their site, but that info is fairly confusing to me. </p>

<p>My AP scores as of now are:
US History-4
English Language and Composition-5
Psychology-5</p>

<p>I plan on taking:
Government
Economics
Biology
Calculus AB
English Literature and Composition</p>

<p>From the info that the site provides, it seems that I can satisfy core requirements with Biology, Calculus, Economics, and Government. Is this true, or do a score of 4 or 5 on these tests not satisfy any core requirements?</p>

2

<p>If a Gabelli student, Calculus, Economics should be accepted as Core if you get a 4 or 5 on AP. I know of someone who waived math requirements with a 5 in Calculus. Others will be counted as Liberal Arts Electives, again 4 or 5 score. The Psych might count as a business elective, but it depends on your major. If not a Gabelli student, I am not sure how they all count.
It is all a bit of a mystery and they don’t really explain it well until you are already accepted and registered. Then you have access to the website that lets you play with major requirements and shows you how your APs count. Bottom line, get those 4s and 5s. </p>

3

<p>@mexusa‌ thanks for the input, that clears things up a bit! </p>

4

<p>Fordham changed their core a bit a few years ago. But generally, they use AP courses to help place you. Testing out is usually a function of language courses. </p>

<p>You DONT want to test out, even if possible, of the Fordham core in History, English, Philosophy, Theology, and even some math and science. Why? Because you are cheating yourself. AP courses, despite being sold as college credit (which is usually granted credit at state schools, but not generally the highly competitive liberal arts colleges and not at all in the Ivy League), is really just a prep course. No high school matches the content or depth or experience of a college course. Fordham’s core is not to be avoided, but to be embraced. Its what helps make Fordham a superb liberal arts college, and what makes Fordham graduates prized when entering the work force: depth, clarity, vision, breadth, compassion etc. </p>

<p>My kid was able to graduate one semester early. That wasnt planned initially. But graduate school is VERY expensive. She was done with major/minor and only further electives…while fun…were remaining that last semestey. She wanted to stay with friends and enjoy senior spring semester. But she needed to work (had a job) and needed to save money and not pay another semester of tuition in order to afford graduate school living expenses (had a scholarship for tuition.) She did make all the events for Senior Week and Pre Graduation. She was granted credit for some electives with her AP courses…but not the core, as I recall. That was then (2007-11). </p>

<p>But overall, since you are going to be at Fordham for four years, and paying tuition, you may as well enjoy the ride. Select some challenging electives and some challenging core choices (there are many). Learn something. Grow.<br>
My kid placed out of language, but elected to take upper division and graduate level language courses…which were wicked hard but very very helpful and incredulous in depth (e.g. Medieval French, as in language of that era…omg hard…but so amazing.)</p>

<p>My daughter wasnt bored in any course at Fordham…not one. Most in fact stretched her to the max and she embraced it and dove in head first. (You can always aim for a gentleman’s C and skirt along superficially in many courses…but thats an expensive way to attend college…and you learn almost nothing and certainly never gain the support of faculty. That is presuming you dont flunk the course either.)</p>

<p>Every year people come in loaded with AP courses or IB courses and expect trumpets to blare and red carpets rolled out and core requirements waived and well…everyone at Fordham has that coming in…and you are among thousands with AP courses…which are valuable as PREP courses primarily. Trust me. This was true in Chemistry and Math and English and History for my kid who came in with all 5’s and 9 AP courses. You will be well prepared for college,but it wont replace college courses. Plus, many faculty are ‘famous’…that is very popular at Fordham…and many teach those amazing core classes. My daughter had an adjunct who was earning his PhD at Fordham under the late Cardinal Dulles, S.J. He (professor) was the Lutheran Minister at Princeton. He was simply amazing…she wouldnt trade that for anything. Among many other professors. </p>

<p>Embrace the Core. Its your friend. Its a transitional experience. A buffer before your major. Relax…you will get your major completed ontime…in due time. ;-)</p>

5

<p>Yes:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.fordham.edu/admissions/undergraduate_admiss/applying/advanced_placement_a_29654.asp”>http://www.fordham.edu/admissions/undergraduate_admiss/applying/advanced_placement_a_29654.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

6

<p>Thanks for the link Mata. Helpful. It as as stated by everyone a mixed bag, depending on what level and what courses you took, and what score on the AP or IB exam you got. Some courses, such as Psychology and History and English dont count towards the CORE. But many count towards electives, which is precisely what they have always done.</p>

<p>My kid wasnt a braniac in science or math…she said…though her grades belied it…and she didnt take AP Level Chemistry or Physics or Calculus. Just Honors Level in high school and did very well…95+. So it goes.</p>

<p>Again, I think placing out of too many courses deprives you of many things at Fordham, not the least of which is meeting new people, meeting professors who have a huge influence often over what happens later…etc. And at the end of the day, you still have to attain certain credits to graduate and pay tuition…</p>

<p>It helped us at the very end of the game, when we unexpectedly decided to graduate a semester early but walk in May, to save money for graduate school expenses. </p>

7

<p>It depends. I am in Honors so my core is completely different and a fourth of the size of the normal one but a lot of my friends in high school took sacrifices to make their college years easier. For example, non-math people took AP Calc and tried their hardest because the schools they wanted to go to required Calc for freshmen and also allowed you to use AP credit to skip them. Although a lot of college classes are often actually easier than high school ones, they wanted to make sure, I guess. Or they’d rather take college classes in their major.</p>

<p>I would not skip humanities core courses at Fordham, because I have yet to meet bad professor or course in them (stuff like history, art history, english). However, I would glad skip core courses that simply don’t interest me (social sciences, for me). Taking them might be “part of the experience” but at the end of the day I am paying money and time in something I don’t need nor like. That’s just me though.</p>

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<p>Certainly a rational point of view. But the core has many purposes and benefits. Like meeting people, meeting professors, introducing students to a department, helping in the transition from high school, broadening one’s perspective (even in areas that are not a personal interest), and many times content gratification (the surprise epiphany that often occurs when taking a class where you had lower expectations). </p>

<p>My kid got her math and science core requirements done and while not her interest in life, she did very well, and experienced all of the above. Forensic Science was fascinating. </p>

<p>One can always say, “some high school classes were tougher.” That is an axiomatic comment from a subjective point of view and experience. Certainly valid and possible. But overall, depending on the instructor (my kid had a US History teacher in High School on the AP National Board who graded the AP exams who was wicked hard and often unforgiving, demanding and so forth. But it was relative to her age then, her experience level then), one can say a course was harder in high school, but was it really? Some professors at Fordham are known for being harsher graders, or more demanding for material. But at the end of the day you get out of it what you put into it. Its impossible at any college to say that 100% of the courses you took were satisfying and satisfactory and “worth every penny.” But at Fordham a very high percentage will be worth it. And kids sign up for courses and sometimes cant get in, or the course isnt offered every semester and so it goes. Part of the growing up process, that life is not always a red carpet and welcome wagon. </p>

<p>Most kids can get a decent college education at a local state school. We are blessed where we live with outstanding (top 10) state universities. But my kid didnt want to continue the high school crowd, be at a huge state school, and be a number…and then at graduation be just another alumn with Big State School on her resume. She wanted something different and special. And it has worked fabulously because several of her interviews people stated that seeing Fordham on the resume caught their attention, out of respect, but also out of curiosity. And part of what makes Fordham special is its depth in the core. </p>

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<p>Scoring a 4 or a 5 will most likely only place you out of electives for the respective course. My daughter scored a 4 in APUSH and only got credit towards and elective. Still had to take the “Understanding Historical Change” Core class and luckily it was in US history and her professor was really good. </p>