<p>So today I heard my friend say he wasn't going to take any AP tests senior year since he wants to essentially "retake" the classes again at college for an easy A in order to boost GPA. He wants to go to medical school and says there's no point in receiving AP credit if it means moving up to higher-level and more advanced courses with the possibility of struggling to get an A. It also saves having to pay 200-300 bucks (most of our kids have 4-6 AP classes)</p>
<p>And honestly, I thought to myself, what a good point. But, I am just a senior in high school after all and I have no idea how the reality of college + grad school is like. Can someone give me some advice as to whether I should take the AP tests for my classes? I'd also like to hear others' opinions on my friend's statement. Here is some tentative info about my situation:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>I am planning on majoring in Electrical Engineering and then going to grad school (get maybe MBA masters or keep on studying for Masters/PhD EE).</p></li>
<li><p>I can take AP Economics Macro, Gov't, Statistics, English Literature, Physics C Mech + E/M, and Biology. (My classes this year; I am confident I can get 5's on all except maybe 4 on English Lit)</p></li>
<li><p>I will most likely go to UC Berkeley, or a school such as Stanford, MIT, Princeton, which do accept credit for most of the ones I'm taking.</p></li>
<li><p>And obviously, my parents do not like the idea of having to pay $588 for my AP tests (I've already taken 7 AP tests as well).</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I have one more question also, is there a point in moving up classes in college? I know in high school, the harder and more advanced your classes are, the better it looks on your college application. But for grad school, isn't it HEAVILY emphasized on GPA as well as standardized tests if required? I guess my point is, is it truly advantageous in the long run to get AP credits and be able to take higher level classes in college (Specifically, for a EE major like me)?</p>
<p>Your friend's logic is flawed. In the sciences the intro classes are often weeder classes, and in pre-med classes in particular there is a very strong competition for good grades (remember The Curve <em>spooky music</em>). Your friend will likely have to work very hard to get an A in an intro pre-med class, even if he is already familiar with the material.</p>
<p>If you have a good grasp of the material, testing out of intro classes is usually in your best interest.</p>
<p>About your situation in particular: After taking Physics C you will probably be bored in an intro physics class (but keep in mind that grading might still be tough). An engineering curriculum is very demanding - spreading your engineering requirements out over all 4 years (rather than retaking intro physics in your first year and then squeezing all the higher-level physics and engineering classes into 3 years) might help you a lot.</p>
<p>Taking the AP exams in your other subjects might come in handy because you could probably use them to fulfill core requirements, which again gives you a lot more flexibility in your course choices.</p>
<p>I've been debating this myself. I think it does help especially with those year long courses that you might get out of. I took APUS and now, I will get out of the equivalent of two intro to us history courses at most colleges. =] </p>
<p>If college you're going to doesn't take the credit, don't even bother taking the test. Waste of money... I was told that.</p>
<p>One of the colleges I got into only takes 8 credits and since I'm taking AP Bio this year and really, really don't want to go through it again, I'm taking the exam, but I'm not taking AP Stat or AP Span. It's really a matter of money for me.
I already have Chem and Calc BC credit but I want to retake Chem first year because I feel I'm not ready to go into advanced yet (forgot everything).
Also when you use your AP credits, do you get to totally place out of a class and just have a free day? I can't waive out of any class because I'll have to replace them with electives.
I heard you should try to take the most advanced course you have in hs, but in college you should NOT waive out of your intro courses and go directly into the advanced ones. You'd be killing yourself. But that was coming from high school students.
It really depends on where you're going. If I decide not to go to this college and was rich, then I probably would've taken more APs and more exams.</p>
<p>My son discovered another advantage to having AP credits - registration for classes was based on how many credits you had. (Don't know if this applies to where you are looking at.) Getting to register a few days earlier was a real benefit, especially for popular classes. And by the time he was a senior he had enough credits so he could take fewer classes which was helpful since he was also really busy with a senior project as well as interviews for jobs.</p>
<p>take all your AP exams- you will know when you have to do registering for classes and guess what freshman usually have last priority. However thanks to my ap credits, i had sophmore standing and was able to choose all my classes with no problems.
2. your friend's idea isnt that flawed in my opinion, since i am doing that, but you might a get a sense like you have just wasted time doing something you already know
3. ap helps because you have like background knowledge on the material, so duh learning the subject will become easier.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Also when you use your AP credits, do you get to totally place out of a class and just have a free day?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>AP scores are handled in two different ways: for placement and for credit. If you just get placement, you would only get to take a higher class but not get credit for the class you placed out of. If you get credit, you can technically enroll in fewer classes and replace that with the AP credits as long as you still remain in full-time status.</p>
<p>However, even if you do get credit for a class you would usually replace that class with another one. Say, one college requires all students to take a history class as part of the core requirements. You place out of that with AP USH and instead take any class you want to take, say Magic in the Ancient World or Cosmological Physics or Personality Theories or whatever you feel like. Trust me, it's nice to be able to pick what classes you are taking.</p>
<p>There are advantages of having some extra credits if you ever need them. As rlm919 pointed out, a reduced course load senior year can save you from a lot of stress. I will also miss several weeks of classes this semester because of some family issue, and being able to withdraw from one work-intensive course (and replacing it with credits from high school work) will make catching up afterwards a lot easier.</p>
<p>Remember to check out the core requirements at your school. I went into college with 28 credits, but I still had to take 6 core classes. 4 down, 2 to go.</p>
Remember to check out the core requirements at your school. I went into college with 28 credits, but I still had to take 6 core classes. 4 down, 2 to go.
</p>
<p>you'll be a l33t I-|34/\/|<0|)\ before you know it!</p>
<p>At a UC school AP credit is like money in the bank. You enroll based on class level, and class level is determined by the number of units you have. Come in with a boatload and you could easily be a sophomore (by units) after the 1st semester, maybe even a junior. BUT you don't have to graduate any sooner or declare a major any sooner because of those AP units. You can look this up on the UCB website.</p>
<p>The drawback is that you sometimes get credit for a specific class you'd like to take in college. For example, you want to start at the beginning in college calculus, but if you have credit for the 1st semester you can't take it again. However this is not random; each UC lists what credit it gives for every AP class.</p>
<p>Lastly, your friend thinking of med school is right to be concerned. Many med schools will not count AP credit towards the requirements of admission, which means you'll have to take an extra calculus or whatever class in college.</p>
<p>Why would you do something foolish like that? Everyone knows that I-banking® is the way to go. I-bankers® are so l33t. Their quantitative and qualitative skills are unmatched and envied by lesser men. Women love them, and men want to be them. MD's at I-banks make six times as much as an average M.D. (think dookie hauser). Your roommate is going to graduate from his extensive career training at his liberal arts school to join the ranks one of the top I-banks as an I-banker as his first full-time job ever, and he'll be making $60 an hour with no prior work experience. Bad F***ing 455!</p>
<p>Yeah, whatever. :D Because finance is overrated. Plus, I think I'll like being a lawyer better. You get to say things like, "objection!". I suck at investing by the way. Maybe I'm an exception because I DON'T envy i-bankers. </p>
<p>By the way, my roommate that never does any work is in Stern, majoring in finance. Of course he'll be an ibanker. When you take into account an ibanker's pay, and the number of hours they work, they make about $25 an hour.</p>
<p>I'm going to be a lawyer. I enjoy reading cases and such. It's interesting. And I like speaking in front of people, though I'm painfully shy. Anyways, this is my pay vs. spending analysis:</p>
<p>I make $150k. I spend $45k.
I make $250k. I spend $75k.
I make $400k. I spend $110k.
I make $750k. I spend $200k.
I make $2.5 million. I spend $200k.
I make $25 million. I spend $200k.
........hence I'll become a lawyer.</p>
Yeah, whatever. Because finance is overrated. Plus, I think I'll like being a lawyer better. You get to say things like, "objection!".
</p>
<p>Not as a corporate lawyer. You sit at a desk and have to read things really fast, and you get yelled at by your superiors with personalities exactly like Vincent Chase's publicist.</p>
<p>
When you take into account an ibanker's pay, and the number of hours they work, they make about $25 an hour.
</p>
<p>Close, but no cigar. I-bankers make BANK my friend. </p>
<p>Let's see....500k a year/50 weeks=$10k a week; 10,000/100hrs=$100 an hour.</p>
<p>....100 hour weeks, sure, but it's all in a day's work for the I-banker....the cowboy of the 21st century</p>
<p>As far as investing goes, I used to do virtual investing, until I got my ass kicked. Then I lost interest.</p>
<p>Again, so what? Have you ever heard of the law of diminishing marginal utility? You get less satisfaction out of your millionth dollar than you do from your 400,000th dollar. Besides, if someone else who spends much more lavishly than I do makes $2 million, they'll actually spend a good majority of their after tax income. I won't.</p>
<p>By the way, luminaire, do you exist to chase me around and convince me that I should go into IB rather than corporate law?</p>