<p>My son is on his way home from orientation. I spoke to him and he said that there were no more sections of chem lab available for anyone. The advisor said it would have to be done at some later point. How does one do a lab without the classroom work to base it on? This doesn't make sense to me.
And he "placed" out of english. What exactly does this mean, that there is no credit given, just that he can move on to the econ class he's taking and needs to take an extra class along the line?</p>
<p>You just take chem lab second semester, they don’t have enough sections for everyone to take it first semester. Chem lab doesn’t correspond terribly well with the lecture and isn’t nearly as difficult (lots of fluff points given out) so I wouldn’t worry about it. The only trouble spot would be later in the course when it starts testing more obscure memorization topics that you may have forgotten (e.g. VESPER, redox reactions, etc.)</p>
<p>As far as English goes, if he has taken any AP/IB exams he may have credit for English. High SAT scores might also give credit, but don’t quote me on that.</p>
<p>ymon, can’t 2putters’s son keep checking online when it reopens and see if more spots become available as students add/drop? I think I remember ours getting into a section that was originally filled by doing this. I may be wrong but I also thought they had to save sections/spots for the kids who go to the later orientations.</p>
<p>2putters, if yours is like mine, your son’s AP placement exam scores (4 or 5) allowed him to "“place out” and thus receive credit or for 6 hours (two courses) of freshman English. As far as I know, these credits count the same as actually taking the classes at VT and are acceptable as a prerequisite to take higher level English classes down the road. They also count toward his CLE requirement.</p>
<p>He actually didn’t take AP English. As ymon stated, I think it had to do with his SAT’s and grades. That’s why I was wondering about credit. There seems to be a difference between placing out and receiving credit through AP exams. I’m not clear on how it works.</p>
<p>I guess he’ll have to keep trying to get into a lab if one becomes available. I think this was one of the first engineering orientations, so it’s a little disheartening that this has happened. But, I’m sure he’s not the only one and will figure it out. Thanks!</p>
<p>Yeah that’s true, you may be able to get into a lab through drop/add, but it’s pretty tough. Good luck!</p>
<p>Since they already make up a basic version your schedule before you get there, they don’t “save” spots in chem lab for people in later orientations.</p>
<p>What’s the old saying? It’s good to learn something new every day. 
I didn’t know about the SAT/grade place out situation, only the AP one. I hope he still gets credit for all of his hard work. Good luck with everything!</p>
<p>Thanks! He had a great time at orientation. It sounds like, despite the issues I’ve mentioned, VT did a great job making everyone feel comfortable and informed. He’s looking more like a Hokie everyday (especially with 3 new t-shirts from orientation)</p>
<p>Only because I am hoping my son never has to take Chem/lab again due to AP, I checked…here’s the link to AP credits and scores needed for each class:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.registrar.vt.edu/registration/documents/ap_equivalency_1011.pdf[/url]”>http://www.registrar.vt.edu/registration/documents/ap_equivalency_1011.pdf</a></p>
<p>Here’s information on the English Language placement based on AP/IB/SAT Verbal & Writing Scores/Class Rank. It’s not completely clear (ie necessary SAT Score is not listed) but there’s some information.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.english.vt.edu/undergraduate/area1.html[/url]”>http://www.english.vt.edu/undergraduate/area1.html</a></p>
<p>Let me tell you a story about placing out of english.</p>
<p>Four years ago at about this time I went to my orientation and began filling out my schedule. I didn’t have an english class listed so I asked why, and my adviser told me it was because I’d tested out of it. I said that was weird since I hadn’t taken any AP or IB or whatever, and she said it was because of my high SAT scores. I was pretty happy because hey, no more english classes.</p>
<p>Fast forward about a year. I’m trying to transfer from general engineering to my department in engineering. One day over the summer I get a phone call informing me that my application can’t be processed because I haven’t taken the required english classes. He was very confused when I said I’d tested out, since according to him (and most anyone I talked to) there exists no way to test out without AP or IB credit. I read that blurb on the english page but haven’t been able to find anyone who knows what it actually means. </p>
<p>To understand why this was such a big deal you also have to remember that I was an out of state student, but due to MSE not being offered in WV I would get in-state tuition as soon as I got transferred in. And I couldn’t afford another year of OOS. So I called everyone up the chain until I finally got ahold of the dean of engineering who was able to get them to make an exception for me as long as I took the classes ASAP, but an idiot adviser who had no idea what they were talking about in regards to testing out of english almost forced me to have to transfer out.</p>
<p>So yeah, I’d pentuple check on that english thing.</p>
<p>Wow, chuy, I remembered posts from the past regarding your had issues with class choices due to advisor errors, but you were never specific. Thanks for sharing this story with everyone. Hopefully there are advisors who have a better understanding of requirements, but bc of your warning, I have told my kid every year to double check his course planning/requirements after he meets with his advisor. No one wants to have to spend more $ on an extra semester bc of a screw up. </p>
<p>Now this has me thinking of another related question. Does anyone know if AP credits, ex. Envir. Science AP score of 5 = two 1xxx ENSC courses (6 cr), count as part of a student’s electives for their major? Gotta have mine check into that one. It gets a bit unnerving reading stuff like this and knowing that the years are going by quickly…</p>
<p>chuy, Thank goodness for the Dean that saw a mistake had been made, and that exceptions are needed in certain circumstances. This is something that larger schools are not always known for.
On a side note… it does make me feel a bit better to know I’m not the only one that didn’t find any logic on the blurb on the english page. :)</p>
<p>Chuy,</p>
<p>Being in the same situation (OOS engineering, placed out of English by an advisor, read and told a C- in the 2nd freshman English will give credit for Fr. English1), what would you advise we do? </p>
<p>I sure don’t want that to happen to my son next year. The advisor didn’t give him a choice, just “you placed out and you can’t sign up for the next English until the spring.” So, he is taking another class in its place.</p>
<p>I read the info blueiguana referenced and it looks like it says either AP/IB (of course) or the C- or better in Engl. 2 will give credit. Was this info available when you had the problem or is it something new? I was feeling pretty good after reading that last night and now I’m back to worrying! But thanks for the heads up, I’m just not sure what to do to make sure he is covered, if that’s possible.</p>
<p>Putters, I think we’re talking about two different things. There is a way to take the second semester of english (or english honors or something like that) and have it count for both. I was told I’d tested out of having to take english entirely. He should be fine as long as he take the right english class to count for two. I’m pretty sure sections of that are offered first semester too, but they might be full.</p>
<p>blueiguana, yeah, Dean Benson is actually a really cool guy. He’d always come by our MSE tailgates and hang out a couple times a year. Of course it probably didn’t hurt that I already knew the department head and had him pleading my case as well, but it’d probably have gotten done either way.</p>
<p>Chuy, thanks for clarifying.They do offer it first semester but the advisor was adamant that he must take it in the spring. Why, I don’t know, but that’s what he plans to do.</p>
<p>We just returned from orientation also, and had a great time.</p>
<p>Our son seems to be in a similar boat – no chem lab until second semester and placed out of Eng first semester. My read on the website is as long as he takes the freshman Eng second semester class and gets a C- or better (sure hope he does better than that!), he gets CREDIT for the Eng first semester.</p>
<p>Also, our son got a 5 on both AP Calc AB and BC exams. He decided to accept the Calc credit and take Linear Algebra and Vector Geometry first semester. I hope that was a wise decision. My worry is only that college Calc is harder than high school Calc, and he may be missing something. Should I put my worries away?</p>
<p>I have a friend who placed out of Calculus II because of his score on the Calc BC exam, but he felt rusty so he decided to take Calculus II in college. He definitely regretted that decision, because not only was it pretty boring and monotonous to him, it was also a lot of work that didn’t really better him. Unless you’re really, really, <em>really</em> not confident in your Calculus ability, I wouldn’t bother retaking the introductory Calculus classes. Multivariable doesn’t even really use any of the more advanced techniques (e.g. trig substitution).</p>
<p>I took multivariable second semester and I ended up with an A-, it’s not really a difficult class relative to Calc II. In addition, there are a lot of resources available online:
[YouTube</a> - MIT’s Channel](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/user/MIT#g/c/4C4C8A7D06566F38]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/user/MIT#g/c/4C4C8A7D06566F38)</p>
<p>Same as Chuy, about 4 years ago I was told I didn’t have to take first semester english because of SAT scores and AP credit however I did have to take the second semester english my first semester of college. I didn’t bypass english entirely. </p>
<p>As for english at tech, it’s pretty much how it is at most AP programs in High School, however with my particular instructor, I found he graded papers more harshly than I was use to and found myself getting C’s and B-'s even with a fair amount of effort. It all depends on the instructor though and there are so many of them including new ones each year.</p>
<p>hey ymon: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/960958-math-placement-vs-ap-test.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/960958-math-placement-vs-ap-test.html</a></p>
<p>Ive seen plenty of other threads who reccomend the exact opposite in the engineering forums.</p>