Hey guys, placement exams open Wednesday, but I don’t know what to expect.
Does anyone have any idea how difficult the writing may be? i.e. is it like NYT level articles or shakespearean old english text?
I got a 5 on AP lang junior year, but at this point I’m ruling that irrelevant bc the harvard placement exam seems light years harder.
Also, for the math, I’ve only taken AB but we were really behind and needless to say I don’t really know what the entirety of section III of the math even means. (what’s integration lol)
I’m planning on taking the lowest level of math (although currently I’m a COS major–someone let me know if that’s possible)
But does anyone know how it would hinder me if I start in the lowest level of math? Hopefully I test into expos20…
Any insight as to the difficulty of each exam and what to expect would be much appreciated, thanks!
@compmom yeah I totally get that!! (: I think knowing what to expect would just help me
also if anyone has any insight as to how my college years might be affected starting at the lowest level courses would be much appreciated—i.e. will I have less freedom to take art classes because I’m still taking pre-reqs to prepare me for required courses?
From looking at college requirements in general when I was researching, you need much more credits than what you’ll get from gen eds and major courses. You’ll probably lose out on an elective or 2 at the absolute most. It’s not a disadvantage to not be accelerated from the jump. I lot of people will test into high level math and end up with a D in multivariable calculus because they weren’t completely ready. Also keep in mind you obviously don’t have to take EVERY math class. Depending on your major you might be done with math after 1 or 2 classes.
Don’t stress. Most students from the US get placed into Expos 20. There are no brownie points to scoring higher than needed to get into Expos 20.
The placement for math is a recommendation. If you want to take a lower class, go ahead. If you want to take a higher level, go ahead (but you should probably talk to an advisor when you get to campus).
A lot of the kids I know who got 5’s still took the intro math classes (and physics). Every college is a little different and they wanted to start the sequence at their school, from the start. And during the first year transition to college, you want to keep stress down anyway. Stay healthy!
Your admission will not be revoked, @ixxheartxxcandy, no matter how you do. Do a competent job, your best without Herculean efforts, because you want to be placed in the right level of writing, math, and language.
A bit off-topic since the OP did not mention physics, but almost everyone who needs physics for the concentration takes the course at Harvard - there is no placing out based on AP scores. Instead, there is an option to take Physics 16, the honors version of 15a. The very rare exception may be made for the student who took an intermediate mechanics class at a 4-year university. But yes, it is not uncommon for students with 5’s on AP Calc to take Math 1a and/or 1b.
Repeating senior year of high school as a college freshman might help a student’s GPA, but that’s about all it does.
Some concentrations with honors eligibility require a large number courses as it is.
Retaking classes already mastered can really curtail one’s academic universe
I’m in complete agreement on this. Harvard offers 2000 courses a semester, so I don’t know why anyone would voluntarily retake a class (Well, I do know - for the GPA boost, but I don’t concur. To each his own).
That said, if one feels that one has not mastered a topic in HS, regardless of AP score, and one is planning additional study in the field, then by all means retake the class at Harvard. Walking into Math 21a or Econ 1010a (as examples) and having a shaky understanding of the foundational material will not help in the long run.
Sorry I used physics as a specific example because it is in the realm of personal experience. So to be more general: when there is a concentration with sequential courses, with the intro level as foundational, it is sometimes wise to start that sequence, at a particular school, from the beginning. There are exceptions of course. The main message here is no reason to stress.