<p>I'll be a Mechanical Engineering major. I'll be going in to college with somewhere between 30 and 60 AP credits (depending on the school - mostly varies by how many humanities they'll accept). What would you kind sirs/madams recommend using my extra credits for? I'll definitely be able to skip Calc I & II, Mechanics and E&M, and chem. My freshman year would just be the first year intro to eng/intro MechE courses, and every semester there'll (likely - this part varies by school) be 1 - 2 courses I can credit out of. I really don't like the idea of graduating early. Would it be advisable to pick up a double major in Computational and Applied Mathematics (I'm really interested in computational science)? Load up on tech electives and grad courses? Enjoy a reduced course load?</p>
<p>EDIT: If it's relevant, I'm planning on attending grad school.</p>
<p>Use the added free elective space to take any courses you are interested in that you would otherwise not be able to fit into your schedule.</p>
<p>Yes, that is a broad category, but that is what free electives give you the chance to do.</p>
<p>However, it is best to review the old final exams for your college’s courses that you can skip with AP credit, to make sure that you really know the material from the college’s point of view (at least for courses that are key prerequisites for other courses, like math and physics). If you have small gaps in knowledge, consider self-studying the gaps. If you have large gaps in knowledge, you may find it better to retake the course in question. Old final exams are often on the college’s web site – search for “[course number] final exam”.</p>
<p>Take them, unless you want an easier (yet potentially boring) 1st semester.
As for graduating early, you can always just minor in math or something. Idk, take some classes you like!</p>