AP scores will be out in about 10 days.
Assuming DS gets 4’s or better on AP Micro and Macro Economics, our plan was to have him place into both EC 308 and 309 and take them both in Spring semester.
After attending Bama Bound, some students and advisors suggested this may not be a good idea.
Their reasoning was as follows:
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high school AP Econ is not as foundational as intro EC 110&111, so one might have an inadequate knowledge base going into EC 308&309 with AP credit alone.
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taking EC 308 in Spring and then 309 in Fall 2016 would be more desirable than doing both together in spring. One advisor said that they were best taken in separate semesters with EC 308 1st and then later EC 309 (afraid we might fry our brains or something I guess, but I figured since much of the material would overlap, it might not be a big deal).
Now, I am not sure what to do.
To those out there who placed into EC 308 and 309 and did them together in one semester, would you recommend or not recommend it?
Would love to hear a few opinions on this! Thanks.
My son, a Bama grad with degrees in economics and political science, had no trouble with EC 308 and 309. In fact, he tutored some students in his class. But, he is also a very strong math kid (has a minor in the subject), and that can make a difference in terms of how well a student does in economics. He took 308 in the spring of his freshman year and 309 as a sophomore. He was done with his econ major before the start of his senior year (lots of AP credit). He also worked in research for three years with a professor in the econ department. My younger son, who is at UAH, also took AP micro and macro in high school. He had no trouble with the intermediate class his spring semester of his freshman year … but, he added, there were plenty of classmates who did. Again, they did not have as strong of a math background as he did.
Just my opinion about AP here: many HS teachers teach their courses to the AP test, without the ‘enrichment’ (for lack of a better word - actually, maybe the word ‘enhancement’ is better?) that a college professor would provide, so, no, you might not always get taught all of the fundamental information in the fullest way as you would at an actual college. For some subjects, that’s ok…for other subjects, it is not ok. Some students pick up what they missed, as they take higher level courses, and others cannot. For every student who uses AP credits successfully, there may be another student who used them and regretted it. No hard/fast rule on applying AP credits! Good luck!
EC 308 and EC 309 are taught in such a way that they build on the knowledge gained in EC 110 and 111, respectively. If a student has difficult with a certain concept from the earlier course, they will just have to study more when it comes around in the upper division course.
Thanks @SEA_tide ! Gonna use the AP credits then if we can!
My daughter is an Econ major, and she used AP credit for EC 110 and 111. However, she did not rush immediately into EC 308 and 309. She’s in CBA, and unless you get a waiver, you need to be admitted to Upper Division before you can take 300 level courses. Is your son in the business school or liberal arts? My D didn’t have the prerequisites and the 60 hours required for CBA Upper Division until sophomore year. She took 308 in the fall and 309 in the spring and did well in both without having taken EC 110 and 111 at Bama. I don’t know why you’d need to take them at the same time, or as a freshman - what’s the rush?
@beth’s mom - thanks! He is in CBA and actually will finish his lower division classes this Fall then do EC 308 and 309 in spring. Definitely we don’t want to rush into anything - I just wanted to make sure doing EC 308 and 309 in the same semester later on would be feasible.
Sounds like it is!
Roll tide!
I have no idea whether doing them both in one semester is a good idea, as my D did them in separate semesters, as did I many years ago. Of course it can be done, and there should be a fair amount of overlap the first week or so, but I don’t understand why you feel the need to take them together, especially during freshman year. What else will he be taking that semester? Is there a class for which both are prereqs that he’s trying to take in fall of sophomore year? I don’t believe in blindly following what the advisors say (I’ve seen them give questionable advice), but if the advisors and the students you spoke with are all advising that your son NOT take 308 and 309 together, I would at a minimum contact the head of the department and get his opinion.