Could someone explain why an AP score of 5 in calculus does not exempt a student from having to take calculus as a business major pre req?
My son was told that as an incoming freshman he still needs to take calculus but at a higher level given his AP score.
This is absurd!
Hardworking intelligent students having to waste precious learning opportunities.
Why is calculus even a pre req for this major? It’s useless for business. I have a business degree and career in business and there is NO application of calculus to my work.
Statistics, yes; calculus, no.
Their school. Their rules.
It is not uncommon, particularly in private universities, to not allow AP credit to be applied to the major or distribution requirements.
Actually it’s not. Mathematical optimization is utilized in many aspects of business from pricing to policy. Maybe your kid will never use it. But similar to how some business grads will never use accounting, it’s still part of the breadth requirements.
Calc AB or BC? Calculus is requirement for many undergraduate business programs.
Wake doesn’t really care about a well rounded education.
It’s completely unfair to not honor a student’s hard won credit. It’s a way for private universities to make sure certain departments have enrollment. For $70,000 per year this is unacceptable.
My son could be expanding his mind with art or music or history or music instead of another useless calculus course.
What it shows is Wake is less devoted to a well rounded education than it says it is.
It is irrelevant what other private universities do.
AP courses are so commonplace that fewer and fewer colleges are accepting the credits. It’s no longer so extraordinary. If he went to a less selective school with a less accomplished student body, he’d be more likely to get the credit and place out of the course. For top universities? Not so much. Besides, in my experience of children in college, college calc is NOTHING like AP calc in high school.
You didn’t realize this before enrolling? Surely the credit policies were on its website.
This is something you check when looking at schools. If it were a deal breaker, he should have chosen another school. There are plenty of college who don’t award AP credit, let alone allow its use toward requirement toward a major. Their school, their rules. Perhaps they want to ensure Calculus is taught their way?
So, at my kid’s university, they had to take a math placement test prior to class registration, among other subject areas. Was one administered at your student’s school?
Also, I agree with brantly, college level Calc, depending on school, can be much more difficult than AP Calc.
As I have said before on this site: To quote Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest: “Ah, but nobody ever said life was fair, Tina.”
Regardless, it is what it is. And he does not lose credit, it just counts as a general elective. And none of this should have been a big surprise; no college keeps its academic policies a secret to prospective students.
I don’t blindly accept what a school sets as its rules. If it’s a systemic issue in higher education then parents should try and change it, not follow unproven educational requirements.
It’s amazing that most parents don’t advocate for a well rounded education for their children and instead meekly go along with whatever the academic powers require or recommend.
If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.
Nothing you or he can do about it. The most successful people in life are those who spend no mental energy on things they cannot control. Like the weather. And AP credits.
Actually, what’s amazing to me is that the parent, rather than the adult student, is concerning himself with minutiae of degree requirements. If the concern was ROI on the tuition, then the time to have investigated and expressed opinions was before DS sent in his acceptance (and ideally, before DS applied).
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It’s A class. One class. And if your student got a 5 on the AP test, then it shouldn’t be too difficult of A class. Putting a positive spin on it, your child could get an easy A in it. 
State colleges are much more likely to give credit for AP classes. Private schools can set whatever requirements they want. I understand your frustration, but in fairness, that should have been a consideration when deciding where to apply. One calc class shouldn’t be too burdensome relative to the many colleges that require students to start with an entire year of core classes.
Not sure what makes taking a math course equate to being “not well rounded”. It’s one course. There are plenty of opportunities to take courses outside of one’s major in college.
Sounds to me that this student didn’t do their homework ahead of time to see what AP credits would be allowed, and what the 4 year curriculum looked like. If this was so important, there are plenty of schools that do accept AP credits, and that information is readily available.
Wouldn’t the calc 2 class help the student achieve the parent’s goal of well roundedness? Agreed that it’s odd that the parent has such as sudden interest in something that could have been known much earlier.
Would you be surprised if Harvard didn’t accept the AP courses? If the medical school required the course be taken at a 4 year college and not a community college?
I’m a big believer that AP courses are NOT ‘just like college.’ As said above, the school gets to decide what it requires for ANY degree. English for an engineer? Yep. Foreign language for a Dance major? Required.
Many Catholic schools require theology classes even if the students already took 4 years of religion in high school, even if the student is majoring in math, even if the student is an atheist. It’s a requirement of the program.
What makes it NOT well rounded to require calculus? To me, requiring math-and English, a history class, and a foreign language - is what makes it well rounded. My daughter’s school requires every student in the school to take Wyoming History. Every student, even if that student will be moving to Japan after graduation, and even if the student will be spend 100% of his time in a lab and doesn’t care about Wyoming history. It’s required for students who already took it in high school (also required) and even if the student went to Boy’s/Girl’s state and was elected acting Governor. It’s a state LAW (which you will learn when you take the class). I wasn’t about to ‘advocate’ for an exception or a change to the law.
I understand that not having to take calculus and getting credit for the AP course may be a top priority. Nothing wrong with that. But if it IS a top priority, then it has to be vetted in the college selection process.
If you are already incensed about a college policy – before your child even attends one day of class – then you have a loooong road of indignation ahead of you.