<p>Re: foreign language classes. It all depends on the college. My D wanted to take 2 foreign languages in her freshman year and tested out of both “intro” courses, but after talking to the professors and some students, she decided to start the language sequences from the very beginning. She was very glad she did, because the courses were structured totally differently compared to her HS classes, with much more emphasis on the grammar. Without that knowledge, she would have floundered in the higher level classes.</p>
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<p>Yes, that is a major reason why it is pointless to repeat a subject that one knows well. One goes to university to learn something new (whether one is doing so out of liberal arts idealism or practical professional preparation or both); repeating what one knows well is a waste of time and tuition.</p>
<p>Of course, if one does not know the subject that well (e.g. scored only a 3 on the AP test), or the university’s course is significantly different from the high school or AP syllabus, then there is more reason to start over. But in that case, one is not repeating the entire course, since one is learning new material for at least part of the course.</p>
<p>I still believe, that each subject needs to be investigated, talk to advisor, other students. Each school is different and certainly each major requirement is deffirent. While it migh be advisable to repeat Calc for engineers, it is complete waste of time for pre-meds. They better repeat Bio, Chem, since their into college Bio might be much higher level than AP Bio, and some HS’s simly do not prepare well in Chem. Stay flexible, research, no general rule.</p>
<p>While a good indicator, an AP test score is no “silver bullet” for determining whether you know the material in a class. A score of 5 can encompass a fairly large range of raw scores, and still allow for significant gaps in mastery. I’m not sure if it’s true, but I’ve heard you can get a 5 in some exams with 70 to 80 percent. For important classes, I believe you need to look at the syllabus and gauge how well you actually know each topic, and if you are weak in any area, whether you need a class to learn it or can figure it out by brushing up.</p>
<p>^Yes, as I have mentioned, some intro colleges classes go thru AP material in first couple weeks even when the textbook was the same. But others might be waste to re-take, also depending on college and major. “5” on AP exam means almost nothing. Got to investigate.</p>