So... what do AP scores actually do?

<p>I know that you get college credit, but how does that factor in to your overall schedule? Do you get to be exempt from the class and fill it up with a new one, leading to earlier graduation (esp. for double majors)? Or if you're simply exempt from it, does it get subtracted from your tuition costs?</p>

<p>At some schools, yes, you can graduate early thanks to AP credit.</p>

<p>At my school, it’s just going to help take some requirements away so I can take more classes I’m interested in as a freshman. And it’ll help me graduate in four years without having to do something crazy like take 7 classes in a semester.</p>

<p>If you get credit for AP scores, then it can

  • Help you graduate early
  • Allow you to double-major or minor
  • Make it easier for you to study abroad
  • Allow you room in your schedule to explore other topics that aren’t necessarily required for graduation</p>

<p>The schools just typically give you credit if you meet their requirements, you don’t pay for the hours or class. Schools however do limit the number of transfer hours, AP hours, exemptions, etc. Each is different.</p>

<p>Extra GPA boost :)</p>

<p>While those are certainly benefits to taking AP classes, another less discussed one is the basic fact that if you take AP Calculus BC, you can go to any college, take Calculus I, and ace it with relative ease. A lot of people skip straight to a more advanced class because the AP gives them the prerequisite to do so, but I do not advise doing that, because college classes are generally much more rigorous than high school AP classes are-- and if you go to a higher level, there is no guarantee you will be as prepared as you would have been had you taken the lower levels at the college. </p>

<p>With any classes that I have to take more advanced versions of (i.e. math or science), I am going to be retaking the classes I could have exempted for my GPA and benefit.</p>