<p>Is it possible to graduate an engineering major in 3 years do you think if I will have around 9 AP classes, though probably mostly GE req + Phyiscs B and Chem, AND IF I take community college classes in summers to fill GEs early and possibly take some engi classes? Or is engineering simply too much to finish early?</p>
<p>It depends on the school.</p>
<p>Shaving off an entire year due to large amounts of AP credit will be a tight fit unless you are willing to overload. Shaving off a semester may be more doable, though that may still depend on the school (e.g. what AP credit is accepted for what, whether needed courses are offered every semester or just once per year, how long the prerequisite sequences are, etc.).</p>
<p>AP physics B will not give any useful credit. AP calculus BC with a 5 should get you out of freshman calculus. AP chemistry may get you out of a semester of chemistry if you are not a chemical engineering major. AP English may get you out of freshman composition. That may be about a semester’s worth of courses.</p>
<p>If you go to school non-stop, when will you have time for an internship or co-op? These are very important in the world of engineering.</p>
<p>It depends on the program, but I think that it could be possible. What you should do is look at the school(s) to which you’re applying, and for each one, determine what course credit you will actually receive. Then, for each school, get the program requirements for your intended major(s), and proceed to determine what courses you will need to take in college.</p>
<p>Once you do that, we can finish off this question: we’ll need the prerequisite structure, course load restrictions, etc. to determine whether there’s an ordering of the courses you need to take at college that can feasibly be binned into six semesters (if you’re planning on staying the Summer as well, the answer to your original question is a simple “yes”, assuming you can find enough courses to take every semester).</p>
<p>What aegrisomnia said - prerequistes, prerequistes, prerequistes. If you have to take Cal I before you take Calc II and Physics I. And you have to take those before you take Calc II and Physics II, and you have to take those before you take Thermodynamics…<br>
It completely and totally doesn’t matter how many AP history or English classes you have taken. Not a single bit. Because until you take your prerequests you have to take something to get to a minimum of 12 hours per sem. And it doesn’t matter how many AP science and math classes you have taken if you don’t pass the placement exam and get permission to skip something. And keep in mind if you do get permission skip something like Calc I that only increases the chances are you will get a B in Cacl II. High School is not college. Everyone in that Calc 1 and Chem 1 class with you will have graduated in the top of their class. You know you and the 3 other people at your high school who are always blowing the curve. Imagine a lecture hall full of 150 people who all did that. It was my favorite thing about college - I found my people! But man it sucked not have it all be easy anymore.</p>
<p>ok, good posts. now what about the possibilities of a minor? Is there room for a minor with ap credit to graduate a semester early?</p>
<p>Again, it depends on the school. Note that minors are much less standardized than majors in terms of how many courses are required.</p>
<p>My daughter is also looking at three years for engineering by taking community college credit her last two years of High School. She is starting the Calculus sequence by taking Precalculus this summer between her Sophomore and Junior year. The class will duplicate a alot of what she has already had in Honors Algebra II/Trig, but it will get her feet wet towards college with something maybe not so difficult. Next year as a Junior she will have Calculus I and II, Chemistry I, and Physics I (Calculus based - she will skip taking non-Calculus based Physics). Her High School also offers a Project Lead the Way Intro to Engineering course which will count towards the equivalent course, and she will be taking that course her Junior year as well (we are kicking ourselves about not having her take that course this year instead of her music which has not gone well).</p>
<p>Between her Junior and Senior year she will have her Programming course. Her Senior year she will have Calculus III, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, and Physics II. She should have time to also pick up two Humanities electives as well. All of the courses taken her Senior year and the Physics I should be paid for by the school as well under PSEO. We are hoping for a true internship between her Senior year and the start of her Freshman year in college (she will be designated as an entering freshman for scholarships but as a 1st semester Sophomore for taking classes).</p>
<p>Most engineering programs have course maps which you can look at to determine if you can do the critical path. In my daughters case she will be deficient a 1 hr survey engineering course which is a prereq. to nothing and a 4 hour Rhetoric course which is not a a prereq. for anything she would take her first semester. Other than that she will have the entire Freshman year done, and have one extra Humanities in the process. Actually she will have two of the five technical classes she would take her 1st semester Sophomore year already done (Differential Equations and Physics II) which will be nice because that semester is a killer (in addition to Diff Eqn and Physics II you have Thermodynamics, Statics, and Electrical Circuits). She will take 2 Humanities in their stead leaving her 3 Humanities up from the recommended schedule at the end of the 1st semester (she is thinking of possibly double majoring in a Humanities subject, but that will only be done in the context of finishing her engineering degree in 3 years - she will decide whether to return for her Senior engineer to complete that second major or start making money).</p>
<p>Be careful of AP classes and how they apply to engineering school. For example you only get credit for one semester of math from AP Calculus (either AB or BC) at the college my daughter is considering (Iowa). Also you need a 5 on the Chemistry to get credit for 1 semester of Chemistry (which sucks since you cover two semesters in the AP course and the exam covers 2 semesters). The AP English Language does absolutely nothing for you - you will be placed in the Rhetoric class anyway (you need 3 community college classes to satisfy this class - it is better to take it your first semester at Iowa). AP Physics C classes will give you credit for Physics I (Mechanics test) and Physics II (Electricity and Magnetism). The AP Physics B test useless for engineering credit. I would argue to go straight to Calculus based if you can.</p>