<p>I have been looking at USC engineering curriculum and ap credit, and I am pretty disappointed. There is no waivers given for physics B or Physics C for engineering. There is also a limit of just 32 credit units. That little AP credit?</p>
<p>My main question is for any engineering students, is the coursework in physics at USC different from Physics B and C? I really do not want to take the same courses again.</p>
<p>Physics B doesn’t have calculus, Physics C doesn’t cover enough material. You still get elective credit, and priority when it comes to registration.</p>
<p>
32 units is a full year of credit, so students who enter with the maximum AP credit (32 units = 8 APs) enter as Sophomores.</p>
<p>How is 32 units little?</p>
<p>also, usc does not give credit for a 3 on the ap test for most subjects.
in engineering they also don’t give credit at all for some of the ap tests</p>
<p>They give credit for 3’s on AP Tests taken Spring 2008 and earlier.</p>
<p>I just have a load of ap credit, some schools I am looking at iwould come in as a junior</p>
<p>32 is a ton. Besides, what are you going to use all that credit for? Graduate in 3, or even 2 years? You’ve got required courses for your major and for USC as a whole, and AP credits aren’t going to help you out there.</p>
<p>or a senior</p>
<p>The physics courses do have you learn new material though?</p>
<p>Material is the same but AP Physics =/= College Physics. You’re graded on a few tests and lab is a substantial part of your grade. Its not like the Physics C AP test where you can get 50-60% of the points and get a 5. Physics is the gateway to engineering and USC obviously wants you to have a strong base in it before continuing. I’m 120% sure they know they are doing as many top schools do not give a lot of AP Credit.</p>
<p>If you don’t want to take more Physics at USC, you can take lower division Physics in summer school (ex. take at a community college) and transfer the credits pending all approval (advisor, department, and articulation agreement/course equivalency transfer approval, acceptable grades). AP credits is one factor among many things to consider when selecting a college.</p>
<p>AP Physics C is weak, especially the E&M part. You hardly need to know any calculus at all to do well.</p>
<p>If you really feel like USC’s physics is a waste of time, take 161/162 (honors physics) instead. I guarantee that you will think AP physics C was ridiculously watered down after taking that.</p>
<p>If you can do more than 10 of the honors physics Kleppner/Kolenkow homework problems on your own, without help, any 10 for the entire semester, then you are better than anyone who took honors physics 161 this semester. The class is hard, but the homework is just evil.</p>
<p>I’m curious now about the Kleppner/Kolenkow problems…when I took 161/162 back in the day, Bickers used Ohanian…</p>
<p>Ohanian are the Webcast problems, which were still tough, but manageable. K/K is this: [Amazon.com:</a> An Introduction To Mechanics: Daniel Kleppner, Robert Kolenkow: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Mechanics-Daniel-Kleppner/dp/0070350485]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Mechanics-Daniel-Kleppner/dp/0070350485)</p>
<p>I don’t have my book with me or else I’d give you a sample of some problems.</p>
<p>Of course, it’s always about choosing the right reference frame, right :)</p>
<p>For everyone else: Kleppner & Kolenkow is the book used for MIT’s 8.012 honors physics. A class where, almost guaranteed, everyone in the class received 5’s on both AP calc and AP physics (or rough equivalent), and still those students find it difficult as well.</p>
<p>Yes, K&K is a hard book, but to do well in Bickers’ class, you don’t need to nearly be as good as those MIT students.
Bickers is an amazing professor who makes sure that you are only tested on the foundation but allows better students to go as in depth as they want to.</p>
<p>I found 161 to be no more difficult than my HS AP course, and didn’t need too much help on the HW but I am particularly strong in Kinematics (Comparitively, I suck at E&M and modern physics)</p>
<p>Yes, this was one of those classes where the tests are far easier than the homework problems. And Bickers gives you so much help in his wide-open office hours that it’s kind of ridiculous.</p>