<p>Hi! im going to dartmouth and im stoked but i have a question</p>
<p>Im able to get credit/exemption for a couple of classes like
writing 5 (if 760/780 standard is same for 13s)
the language requirement
1 biology credit
probably math 3</p>
<p>um, im wondering if it would actually be a better idea to take the courses that I could get credit for in order to be better prepared for the more advanced classes
Esp writing 5- it seems like a solid class for strong foundation writing
and biology- i dont remember anything
and who could forgo the Rassias method?</p>
<p>are there any substantial benefits of skipping the classes that high AP scores cover?</p>
<p>I’m actually wondering the same.
I can get higher placement in Art History courses if I get a 5 in my AP Art History exam (self-studied). But is it worth it to trade a nice introduction class (ARTH1/2) for something more esoteric–say a specific course on Renaissance art?</p>
<p>Also, I’ve seen in other threads about how hard the Math 8/13 classes are. People who have near-800 SAT math scores and 5 on AP Calc are at least “good”–though not necessarily talented–at math, so what seems to be the problem with getting a decent grade (A-/A) in these classes? Is it the pace, the content, etc?</p>
<p>writing 5 - you shouldn’t take it if you can get out of it. generally not that helpful anyway, and any real writing concerns you can take up/fix/realize during your seminar</p>
<p>language requirement - ummm … why would you retake? move on in your language of choice, or start learning a new one if you like… but if you don’t have to take intro language classes, i would advise against it, unless you have severe deficiencies in the language but are good at hiding behind scores…</p>
<p>You don’t get anything concrete out of a bio credit, you still have to take BIOL 11 if you want to take any other Bio class (for the most part). You just get an ambiguous credit to count towards the 35 you need to graduate. So don’t worry about not knowing anything, there is technically no assumed knowledge in BIOL 11 or any other course outside of the prereqs.</p>
<p>Math 8/13 are not that hard. People tend not to study effectively or get help when they need it, and cower behind excuses. The pace is quick, yes, but welcome to Dartmouth.</p>
<p>Yes, definitely avoid Writing 5. It’s a near-worthless class. Take an intro language class if it catches your interest, but there’s no need to take the whole first-year sequence. I narrowly missed getting credit for Math 3 and didn’t bother with the placement test, but in retrospect, I really should have.</p>
<p>The serminar you will take Fall term will also be writing intensive. You have the top third (humanities wise) of the class in seminars that term so they move fast and expect a lot. DS thought it was a good fine tuning writing experience.</p>
<p>Yes, if you don’t have to take writing 5, don’t. My son took his seminar fall term as did about a third of the class that had the scores not to take 5.</p>
<p>AVOID AVOID AVOID Writing 5. Most of the Writing 5 sections don’t teach you anything worthwhile. A freshman seminar suffices for the vast majority of people, and even then I think it’s not all that unless you get an excellent prof who treats it seriously as part of the writing program.</p>
<p>Writing 2 and 3 do teach you worthwhile things, but almost all that you learn there is stuff you already know if you got into Dartmouth – the vast majority of people in Writing 2 and 3 are international students and/or non-native English speakers. Writing 5 as it stands is a pointless course – I don’t know anyone who has something good to say about it.</p>