<p>(Sorry if this has already been asked or is supposed to go in another forum, I searched and browsed for a while but it's just no fun to go through thousands of threads with a 56k connection)</p>
<p>Title says it all. A few reach colleges I'm applying to--such as Carnegie and UPenn--won't give you any college credit for most AP tests that you didn't score a 5 on. Most of my scores will not be 5s, and thus will be rendered just a bunch of nice little numbers on my application (not that there's anything bad about that, it's what will help me get in to begin with!).</p>
<p>So my question is, (assuming I can actually get in) would it really be better to a great dream college that will only accept one or two of my tests for credit or go to another good "Top 40" college that accepts 4s? Will the credit really make much difference if I choose the latter and it turns out I won't use the credit anyways b/c it's for a department that's not my own (i.e. AP Gov't credit that I can't use if I were to be in the college's science school)?</p>
<p>Thanks so much for any advice! :-D</p>
<p>Think of your high school classes as educational experiences in their own right. Don't get too hung up on whether you can use your APs for college credits. Most schools have a limit of how many you can use, even 5s, and at some schools you can only use them to help you take a more advanced course. I truly think that AP credit should be one of the last considerations when choosing a college.
Find the school that fits you - has the program you want, the size, the location and the right amount of challenge. If it turns out that your AP courses help you advance in college, great. If not, it's not a problem, as there will be so many great courses you'll want to take in college, and too few years to do it all.</p>
<p>Thanks so much! Right--I really value my APs more for the challenge/college prep/admissions booster more than the potential for college credit, and the fact that my reach colleges don't accept my scores only discourages me a little. </p>
<p>I'm just a tiny bit miffed that I'll have to repeat classes in colleges that don't accept my scores, but maybe it will be for the better. Like, maybe it will ease me in to the college course rigor.</p>
<p>Thanks so much again! :)</p>