<p>What do you guys think?</p>
<p>This question was brought up in my calc class when we talked about registering for the AP test. Also came up in biology as well.</p>
<p>hmm i'd also like to know the answer to this. </p>
<p>i was thinking that if i didn't pass the calc exam, i would do pretty good in the actually class, but if i did pass, calc II might be harder than i though. but i don't really know. i'm pretty sure i'm taking the exam regardless, i just don't know whether or not i'll take calc I or II in the fall.</p>
<p>I'm not sure about math and science classes, but this is definitely not true for humanities/social sciences.</p>
<p>Some classes are easier, others harder. Chemistry is especially hard here even though I took advanced-level chem in high school, it did NOT prepare me very well for the classes. Math was pretty easy here (Pre-calc, and calc) but I don't know how hard the upper levels might be bc I didn't have to go that high. English comp 2 isn't any harder whether you do or don't take comp 1. History can be a weeder course too if it's not your best subject. Unless you're majoring in it, I'd AP it out if you could.</p>
<p>well depensd on ur school, i'd say it's true for most subjects if u go to my school</p>
<p>Got a B in Biology, and a B in Advanced Biology in HS. Currently have a B in Intro to Biology in college. Honestly, should have an A, as I know the material very well, but the teacher throws tricks into the tests and grades on weird criteria.</p>
<p>Overall, though, pretty much the same class.</p>
<p>I got an A in HS Statistics, however. Tell me why I'm failing it in college. LOL.</p>
<p>From what I've heard, it's best to use whatever AP credits you can, even if it is for your major. The lower math and science classes are weeder classes and will kill your GPA. It's best to get out of those and into the upper-level classes to save your GPA, and allow you to either take other classes that you want to take or free up some of your time to spend on the harder classes you're taking.</p>
<p>Myth at my college. In my intro calc class, the vast majority of the class had already taken calculus and had a 4 on the AP Calc AB exam. The grades were based on a curve, so it made it really hard to get an A. Also, the tests were MUCH harder than anything on the AP exam. The average score was usually around a 50%. I made a 4 on the AP exam and wound up getting a B in the class.</p>
<p>ughh see that's what i'm afraid of blahfishcakes. although.. at my school if i get a 3, i'll place into calc II, but i'm afraid it'll be super hard and i'll get a bad grade and ruin my gpa.</p>
<p>Not necessarily easy A. If you end up going to a top ranked school, NOT taking advance placement courses will put you at a disadvantage because most others would have taken them (ie taking college calculus without taking ap calculus in hs).</p>
<p>Tortoise and the hare...</p>
<p>Never underestimate anything.</p>
<p>Myth at mine, and same, intro classes are mostly weedout classes here, so those AP credits are no use. Experienced it first hand with math and biology, <em>sigh</em>. Another thing about college classes is that, for mine at least, my expectations of what was a reasonable GPA got sharply revised after my first semester. Want to pull a 4.0 in college? It's usually at the cost of your social, mental, and physical health.</p>
<p>Could prestige/rank/size of college affect any of this?</p>
<p>Fact as long as they are not sciences.</p>
<p>well at highly ranked colleges there will certainly be a higher percentage of students having taken AP. you choosing not taking it in hs will cause you to be at a disadvantage in those college courses. i know that at berkeley many people retake calculus despite being able to AP out.</p>
<p>It really depends on a few factors:</p>
<p>1-How hard were your AP classes?
I know that my AP history and AP English classes were VERY hard in high school because my teachers made them harder than they needed to be, while my AP Math and Science courses were relatively easier. Now that I'm in college, although I'm only a Freshman, that all of my classes are of equal difficulty or even a little easier because I have a LOT more time, and a LOT more freedoms (my parents and family life was a huge distractions for me)</p>
<p>2-What school are you planning to go to?
There'd definitely be a different in overall class difficulty between going to Duke and going to Michigan State University - at least overall...granted some departments might be comparable.</p>
<p>^ classes hard or not when u go to college you'll have a lot of freedom and time (unless u are commuting from home). it's just that the extra time u can use it to study or do other things.</p>
<p>This has probably been said a lot, but in the sciences, this is more of less true. If you took Calc BC, you can pretty much not show up for the classes when your prof teaches about series (or any before hand). Obviously, if there's an attendance grade, go to class.</p>
<p>The physics class that some of my friends are in is the exact same as Physics C Mech (in fact, it might be a little slower than my HS class). The same applies for Chemistry and Biology. </p>
<p>However, in the softer subjects, you're graded subjectively, so you need to go to class and figure out what the prof wants from you. Taking an AP class can help you remember some of the material, but it alone won't give you an A.</p>
<p>I didn;'t do AP ( we had IB)..but from my experience my Ib credits have helped me skip a couple of courses, and have a better basis for others. But I have to say, I've seen/heard a lot of people who say took AP calc BC or whatever and after the first test in their course had to drop down to a lower level. So make sure that if you place into a higher course you a) can manage the material, b) at least go over your notes on the plane/car to school. (This is especially true if you placed into a higher course, but decided no to take the next level until spring semester).</p>
<p>this is a very stupid question b/c there are so many variables. there are hard classes is college depending on which ones you take. there are harder universities with harder classes overall. these courses might be harder if you're not very intelligent and vice versa. also, "hard" itself is a very inaccurate word. how much are willing to study?</p>