<p>My son just finished AP Physics B last semester. My son’s high school does block scheduling, he will not have the opportunity to take the AP Physics C because he wants to take AP German. So, should my son take the AP physics B exam even though he will not be in physics in the spring? In addition, he feels like he should take his physics classes at Bama because he will be going into the engineering (mechanical or chemical) and the class at his high school will not be as good as the university’s. Also, he will be taking AP Lit, AP German and his Calc AB and BC exams in the spring as well. Any thoughts on this matter would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>My son took AP Physics in hs and got a 4. He wasn’t confident though and as an engineering major decided to retake it at UA last semester as a freshman. He said he was glad he did that as he felt that the lab experience he got in high school was lacking. He ended up with an A-. He says he feels prepared for his Physics 2 class this Spring semester. My oldest son, an ME major at a different university, got an 5 in AP Physics but that U wanted all their freshman to retake it. He did and felt it was a waste of time. In my opinion, if you can afford the AP test cost, have him take the test to see where he stands. If he gets a 3, definitely have him take the class. If he gets a 4 or 5, let him decide in his freshman year (he can review course syllabus or books and see how secure he feels in his knowledge then.)</p>
<p>Just wanted to add something about taking AP language courses. If your son is NOT going to continue in German, then it would be better for him to forget taking the AP German test and just take the CLEP test for it at the local CC. My son could not fit AP Spanish in his senior year, but took the CLEP test and received 14 credits (even though he wasn’t particularly strong in the language). He didn’t plan to continue on in the language so this worked out great for him as I think he earned more credits for the CLEP test than he would have for the AP. Just something to think about…</p>
<p>The lower level AP physics exam is algebra based physics, not calculus based. Only the 2 C exams are cal based physics. As an engineering student, he is going to have to have cal based physics, so the B exam (I didn’t think it was being offered anymore. I thought it was restructured into physics 1 & 2) will not give him in-major physics credit. So if the course is either physics 1 or 2 (or even both), the AP exam will not really be to his benefit.</p>
<p>Also, he will only be taking the BC exam. The AB score is a subscore contained within the BC exam for BC students.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of your feedback! My son will be minoring or double majoring in German at U of Alabama, so he will need to take the AP German in the spring. It sounds like it is not super important for him to take the AP exam for his Physics (it is Physics 1/which I wasn’t aware of) class since it is an algebra based class. I think it would be better for him to prepare for his Calc BC, German AP and AP lit class next spring. I have learned so much from this forum! </p>
<p>Taking the German CLEP test still nets you 4 additional credit hours (101, 102, 201, 202) over the German AP exam (101, 102, 201). See here for comparisons of Credit By Examination: <a href=“http://courseleaf.ua.edu/introduction/academicpolicies/creditbyexamination/”>http://courseleaf.ua.edu/introduction/academicpolicies/creditbyexamination/</a>. For ~$100 the CLEP test is better value than the AP exam (unless your HS is forcing you to take the AP test for a grade?).</p>
<p>My son took the dual credit German 101, 102, 203, and 204 through his high school. I am pretty sure we got college credits, not sure where to look for this in mybama. Does he still need to take the German CLEP test? It sounds like the German AP class is redundant, am I wrong about this? Not sure my son taking the AP German class is that helpful.</p>
<p>I would call UA administration once they are back in session to verify what exactly has been credited (or will be credited). Because you are not yet enrolled, it is probably difficult (and possibly inaccurate) to verify any info online. </p>
<p>It appears to me that the CLEP test will indeed be redundant <em>if</em> UA says he already has credit for 101, 102, 201, 202 (you put down 203 and 204 - is that in error?). Taking AP German in HS 2015 is a personal choice, geared more towards keeping proficiency with the language, than getting credit for anything additional. Taking the AP test might also be redundant. If your son ends up attending another school, however, all of this advice might not hold true for another school’s situation. So, just be mindful of that! ;)</p>
<p>Just found the Degree Works info under the student tab for mybama. It is very detailed and informative! It shows Physics 1, Physics 2 and Calculus 1 listed under the NATURAL SCIENCE & MATHEMATICS section. It seems like Physics 1 is a requirement for Chemical Engineering. If that is the case, he should take the AP exam for Physics 1. The community college lists German 203 and 204, not sure why I don’t see these classes listed on the Degree Works. I will need to call UA administration see what was actually credited for his dual credit German coursework. Glad to have someone to help me with this decision! </p>
<p>No. That is absolutely incorrect. ChemEs require ph 105 and 106 which are the first 2 cal based physics courses. <a href=“http://courseleaf.ua.edu/engineering/chemicalbiologicalengineering/#chembioengecurriculumtext”>http://courseleaf.ua.edu/engineering/chemicalbiologicalengineering/#chembioengecurriculumtext</a></p>
My DS took AP Physics (probably the equiv to Physics I) and AP Calc BC. Received 5 on both. He is a MechEng major. His AP Physics score counted for PH 101 & PH 102. He is beginning with PH 125 Honors Physics w/Calc (PH 105 is non-honors equiv).
For Calculus, he felt very comfortable with the info learned in his AP class and went straight to Calc III. He just finished this class and got an A. You know your student best - many choose to repeat Calc I and/or II.
It sounds like for German, his current class would just be to maintain his proficiency, no advantage for additional credits.