Just curious, if someone is planning on being a math, science, or engineering major, is it possible to skip the intro STEM classes with AP credit or a placement exam? Can they skip intro classes or requirements in non-major subjects like language or history with AP credit or exams?
The link above is helpful. Cornell seems slightly more stringent about giving AP credit than some colleges. Incoming freshmen will probably want to take one or more placement tests during freshman orientation in August.
Why take a class you don’t need? On the other hand, if you hear that a class is really wonderful, you can choose to take it. My son took one physics class rather than using credit for both halves of AP Physics C. He really enjoyed it and felt he learned some interesting material that hadn’t been covered in high school. He graduated with a math major/philosophy minor. He had credits from 14 AP tests and several college classes taken during high school.
Better schools limit the total # of AP credits. So if you take a large # of AP tests, and do well, you will have to choose which ones to take the course credit, and which ones you want to waive and take an advanced class (without getting credit for the into class if you max out credits). Either way you can waive some intro classes, just for credit or not.
My son’s experience has been that intro Fresh/Soph STEM classes at Cornell Engineering are quite rigorous and may cover more material than at other colleges. OTOH, his classes in social sciences and liberal arts were not that difficult and placing into a higher level class is no big deal for him.
The AP credit is by department. Arts and Sciences (the home department for a math major) lists the credits given here:
http://as.cornell.edu/2015-2016-credit-and-placement-students-college-0
They didn’t limit by credit exactly, but there is a minimum number of credits which must be earned at Cornell toward the degree (I think it was 100).
Engineering is more limiting about the number of total AP or transfer credits, from what I’ve heard. You can start with the school’s page and then look at the engineering department handbook. I don’t think the new one is available yet. The handbook really doesn’t clarify the limitations from what I see.
http://courses.cornell.edu/content.php?catoid=26&navoid=6726
https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/academics/undergraduate/curriculum/handbook/2015/grades.cfm
Yes you can. From my understanding:
-You can place out of Math 1910 (Single Variable Calc) into 1920 (Multivariable Calc) with a 5 on the AP Calc BC exam
-You can take Chem 2150 instead of Chem 2090 by getting a 5 on the AP Chem exam
-A 5 on AP Comp Sci MAY get you placed out of CS 1110/1112, however I knew some students talked to the teacher for CS 1110 and he believed AP CS doesn’t cover some important concepts as well as the course does and didn’t accept credit.
-I didn’t get Physics credit but I’m sure you can place out of PHYS 1112 (the intro physics class) if you took Physics C and scored high.
-Also a 5 on one of the AP English tests lets you place out of a semester of freshman writing seminar. If you get 5s on both it’s still only applicable to one semester.
BTW, these are the primary intro-STEM classes for engineering majors. Other majors can use AP credit for other classes but since I’m in engineering I’m not sure how AP credit applies to CAS (where you can major in Math and various sciences).
You only need a 4 to place into math 1920, actually. I know because I got a 4 on the BC AP and the credit appears on my transcript. I also just looked it up, and that’s still true.
You don’t have to take 2150 after skipping 2070/90 unless you need a second semester of general chemistry and want to take the honors version. But you could also delay and take 2080 instead if you don’t want an honors course. It is true that you need a 5, though.
Physics 1112 needs a 5 in C: mechanics, 2213 needs a 5 in C: Electromagnetism.
A professor can think an AP course like computer science isn’t a good match to the course, but it doesn’t matter what he thinks, that’s a college wide policy. I had to take CS 1110 during the summer after a 4 in AP CS, and I didn’t learn much fundamentally new in terms of OOP or algorithms. I may have actually learned how a computer operates under the hood a bit better during AP CS, though 1110 projects were harder in terms of demands (had to code a graphical transportation simulation with multiple vehicles and roads as a final project). Though I concede not every AP is equal to the course. For example, as a 1910 repeater, I didn’t cover hyperbolic trig at all in BC, and series were better handled in 1910. Though generalizing this at all in any direction is a hard thing to do, as every AP teacher and professor is a little different in what they cover.