<p>How does MIT do this? Would you just have to take a test when you're there to place out of a class? (I'm thinking 18.02/18.03/8.02 in particular, where there is no AP test to get a 5 on to prove you know the material).</p>
<p>I've heard you can place out of them by taking a challenge test (they're not too difficult). </p>
<p>I have also been told NOT to place out of courses since once you get in the upper level courses, you WON'T be able to manage.</p>
<p>Although I don't go to MIT, and never applied there, I can tell you that I am pretty sure zking786 is absolutely correct. DON'T place out. You never know what you might gain from the MIT versions of courses you've already taken.</p>
<p>You can place out of 18.02 and 8.02 with equivalent college transfer credit (it has to be sent in with curriculum approved by MIT). If you've already learned/know the material, place out of it. It gives you freedom later on to take more classes you enjoy- sure, you may struggle a little bit at first in a higher level course w/o the MIT background, but if you know how to learn, you'll figure it out soon enough anyways. When it comes to 18.03, I'm fairly certain that in order to get credit for the course you need to do all of the problem sets and take the final exam. Diff EQ is kind of important in nearly everything you do later on, so unless you're seriously solid in that, it's generally not recommended that you place out of it.</p>
<p>I hope I'm coming across as coherent right now since I'm tired and it's nearly 5:30, but I will say that it really depends on the individual- how well you learn and how you WANT to learn. Many people who intend on majoring in physics and have already gone through calc-based physics courses in high school and have the credit for 8.01 still opt to take 8.012 for the excellent foundation it gives you in mechanics that you're unlikely to get anywhere else.</p>
<p>And that's incorrect- most advanced standing exams are actually quite difficult- especially some of the freshman ones (such as chem).</p>
<p>actually, it's probably better to place out (unless if you feel like you don't actually know the material) since it allows you to take more interesting classes :-)</p>
<p>Hm. If placing out of 18.03 isn't recommended, maybe i'll study linear alegebra next semester and test out of that.</p>
<p>What pebbles said- one funny story about the chem test. I write for The Tech (MIT's newspaper) and one of the editors was compiling data about the numbers of students who took placement tests and the percentages who passed (I'll try to find this info later and post it here), and she was surprised to see that so few students took the chem test. I hypothesized that the upperclassmen scared us away. Seriously, during orientation, I think I was told by at least 5 different people to just not bother taking the chem test because it's so insanely hard that like, 3 people pass every year. I had no intention of taking the chem test anyway, and I don't advocate taking that advice and not even trying, but the tests are definitely HARD.</p>
<p>Also, deciding to place out of subjects is totally up to you. I was strongly advised to do so, because it does free you up to take other things. I chose to us my AP credit to skip 8.01, and once I start taking 2.001 (not until next fall though, sorry), I'll let you know if I regret the decision. =)</p>
<p>Some info about advanced</a> standing exams and transfer</a> credit.</p>
<p>It's totally up to you if you choose to use your credit or not. Some things to consider that haven't yet been brought up:
1. Some people advocate re-taking courses you've taken in high school so you can get an A. If you have, say, calc BC credit, but you choose to re-take 18.01, you won't get an A -- you'll get a P. First term is pass-no record, and is intended to be both a time to challenge yourself and a time to get used to MIT.</p>
<ol>
<li>Know thyself. :) For some people, it's not a good idea to pass out of 18.03 since it's used so heavily in some majors. Some people are well-grounded in it from their high school classes and don't need a refresher. Some people would be excited about the opportunity to take 18.034, which is the more theory-oriented version of diff eq. You should decide which sort of person you are.</li>
</ol>
<p>I wouldn't repeat the standard freshmen courses just on the theory that MIT's version is going to be totally different. I think you have to trust the exams to tell you if you know the material in a particular course well enough to skip it or not. My son placed out of a boatload of required stuff with no problems so far, and has been very happy about getting to more interesting courses sooner. (it's apparently much easier to get credit by taking AP or MIT's own exam than it is to get transfer credit for the same subjects if you have taken them as college courses while in high school. My son got zip for his college courses)</p>