<p>Haven't been to orientation yet, but would like to ask this (fairly simple) question now to see what answers you all can provide.</p>
<p>Besides placing you in a higher level course (such as Calc 3 for instance if you got a 5 on the Calc BC AP exam), what does AP credit do for you in terms of getting you closer to your 128 credit hour graduation requirement? Does it give you credit for the lower level course?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>[Advanced</a> Placement (AP) Exam Credit; Undergraduate, College of Arts & Sciences, U.Va.](<a href=“http://artsandsciences.virginia.edu/college/admissions/ap_credit.html]Advanced”>http://artsandsciences.virginia.edu/college/admissions/ap_credit.html)</p>
<p>Thanks Dean J.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I know this is from the arts & sciences website, but (having gotten a 5 on calc bc exam), does this mean I can take calc 3 AND get credit for calc 2 (6 hours), or does it only allow me to take calc 3 with no credit hours awarded for calc 2? The CAS website quoted above seems to suggest either one may apply, but I’d like to know which in my situation.</p>
<p>For electives I think it’s easier, since I can use credit I got on other AP exams (Biology and Art History) for science and humanities electives, respectively. Right now I’m trying to see if for Calculus I can get actual credit hours toward my graduation requirement or if it merely gives me the opportunity to take a higher level math course (with no credit hours awarded otherwise).</p>
<p>ryan, check this document - this question was being discussed on the “Signing up for classes” thread: </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.seas.virginia.edu/advising/pdfs/first_semester_fall_2008.pdf[/url]”>http://www.seas.virginia.edu/advising/pdfs/first_semester_fall_2008.pdf</a></p>
<p>Rodman may be able to provide you with some more specific guidance.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot sabaray, that answers a lot of questions I had. According to that document, “Advance standing credit for APMA
111 is earned by scoring a 5 on the calculus BC advanced placement exam.” So if I took Calc 3, a 5 on the Calc BC exam would earn me 6 credit hours for Calc 2 in addition to the ability to take Calc 3.</p>
<p>As far as I know you’ll get credit, but SEAS has a minimum semester requirement of 15 credits (*8 = 120) so AP credits really won’t get you much of a lighter course load…</p>
<p>I guess my question would then be:</p>
<p>In the second semester of your senior year, are you still required to take the full 15 credits even though you’ll have nearly satisfied your requirements to graduate?</p>
<p>Sort of brings me back to my initial feeling that AP credit gives you higher placement, and even helps you meet your graduation requirement faster, but doesn’t really allow you to benefit from it in the sense that you can’t take any less credit hours over four years.</p>
<p>By “15 credits” I guess that does not include any credit you gain from AP credit.</p>
<p>Can someone explain what benefit there is (besides higher level placement in some classes) to using AP credit within the SEAS program? That’s really the question I’m asking above.</p>
<p>You can take more electives… Which is definitely a benefit!
Unless you graduate early, no, you have to take 15 credits your last semester – that is when you write your SEAS thesis, etc.</p>
<p>As hazelorb has pointed out, more electives would definitely be a benefit. Might be a good time to explore an interest that your courseload previously prevented you from exploring. Skipping Calc II is a definite benefit.</p>
<p>I did less than 15 hours, but you’ll need to get the okay from the dean’s office. Theoretically, I could have taken as few as six hours. </p>
<p>But I did want to take some additional electives. Plus, if you take less than twelve hours, I believe you fall into part-time status, affecting financial aid eligibility and potentially accelerating student loan repayment.</p>
<p>Also, AP does allow you to reduce your course load – rather than 17 or 18 hours, you can take 15 (or 14 with dean permission). That was helpful for memory-intensive classes such as organic chemistry. 15 hours rather than 18 is great when you’ve got a job, combined with lab research and the demands of group projects in just about every class.</p>
<p>And again, AP allows you to take classes outside SEAS, or other SEAS classes outside your major.</p>
<p>During your first three years you pretty much have to take 15 credits. Even if you test out of some of your classes first year, they really try to get you to take 15 credits. Second semester is 17, so they may let you drop to 14 then. But honestly, first year classes are pretty much as easy as you get in the e-school (except some higher level courses because the classes are so small). You’ll want to use the time to adjust. Take an interesting, easy elective to fill in the credits. However, the way the courses are laid out, second and third year you can expect 15-18 credits every semester. There’s really no reason to not do 15 anyways…</p>
<p>Your last year, yes, you can slide. I took 14 both semesters (4 classes) and they let me slide because I was over graduation requirements as it was. But the rest of the semesters, unless you’re doing poorly, most of the time they won’t let you drop below the 15.</p>