Tests I already took:
Calc BC (5)
Comp Sci (5)
Stat (5)
Chem (4)
U.S History (4)
World History (4)
Spanish Language (3)
AP tests i can take this year
English Literature
Government: U.S
Macroecon
Physics C: Mechanics
Physics C: Electricity
Psychology
Just in general, which ones would get me out of general ed classes? I know some schools only accept some number of AP credit but aside from that, which AP test will get me out of classes for pretty much every college in engineering major?
All of those classes would get you gen ed or major credit at my school so take as many of those as you can stomach. AP physics C is definitely the one you should take before adding on anything else. That is a very important pair of courses to get credit for coming in.
Look at the AP conversion chart at your school and compare it to your curriculum chart. Pick the ones that substitute for named courses rather than unspecified GE. You can get more GE than you need then they are effectively wasted.
@jimmyboy23 What i heard though was that most schools if you’re going in for an engineering major (mechanical engineering specifically for me) they’ll make you retake physics.
@eyemgh
AP conversion chart as in what classes each AP test is worth at each school, correct?
What is my curriculum chart?
And do you guys know about how many credits of GE most engineering undergrads require?
Look at the colleges you are interested in. Colleges do vary quite a bit in their AP credit policy. Some limit the total number of AP credits, some limit by subject, some accept only 5’s, etc.
Some general ed classes at the college level can be quite interesting. They also provide a break from the more rigorous engineering classes.
Do remember that college isn’t a race. It is a chance to learn skills that will propel you for the rest of your life and have some fun doing so. And not all the skills you learn are in the classroom. You need to develop your social skills, learn to work and function as a team (almost all engineering projects involve teaming to some extent) and develop interests outside of engineering. You’ll have 30+ years to grow as a professional.
As usual, I concur with Puck and ucbalum. I think it is best to use it to advance in a series like math and/or physics. As @ucbalumnus will tell you though, don’t assume testing out means you are ready for the next level. Get old tests from the classes you’ll be skipping and make sure you know the material. Then it’s good to use for things that are required, can be a drain, and you have no interest in going any further than the minimum required. Chemistry is the classic example. Then, as @HPuck35 said, don’t miss the opportunity to take cool stuff like philosophy and psychology and art history or whatever else strikes your fancy. Good luck.
In the “general education” subjects, if the AP credit allows you to skip the introductory course, and the introductory course is not particularly “cool stuff” at the school in question, consider whether more advanced courses in that subject are “cool stuff” that you can take instead of the skipped introductory course. (Of course, the usual caution about trying the introductory course’s old final exams applies here, just as it would apply to math or physics courses that you may be allowed to skip.)
For AP Physics C, the courses are very comprehensive and in depth. If you get a five on those exams then you should be good to go for physics one and two. You can check out the college’s finals but I would be very surprised if a five on those exams wouldn’t give you mastery of the material required by your university. As for the college not allowing you to go further or force you to retake, I would advise you to fight like hell against it. Most schools “strongly encourage” that you retake courses but it is not beneficial to the student and you usually have the final say over your scheduling or can get the adviser to override for you.
I took AP chem and AP Calc BC in high school and scored 5 on both exams. The one thing that has prevented me from being as accelerated as I would like to be is not taking AP physics C. My school did not even have a consistent regular physics teacher let alone an AP teacher. It would have been a huge benefit to have taken that course in high school because the mechanics section can get you on the path of unlocking a lot of pre req chains and free you up to take other classes.
If anything AP physics C will prepare you very well for the mechanical engineering major.
I think you should take all of them. If they are your only core courses then it shouldn’t be too heavy of a course load. That would be my advice.
AP physics C credit may not result in subject credit at some schools because:
The first two physics courses may include material not in the AP syllabus (e.g. thermodynamics).
The physics course with E&M may use multivariable calculus (often a co-requisite), which is not assumed in the AP syllabus (this is specific to the E&M part).
My D took AP Calc BC, AP Chem, and AP Physics C. She got credit for Calc1 & 2, General/Inorganic Chem, and Physics 140/141. The next level of Physics required for her engineering school is 240 and she will take it in a community college over the summer. So she may start all upperclassman and major related course in her sophomore year. She got pretty much all required credits for GE from APUSH, AP Eng, and AP Spanish. The only GE requirement left is a 3 credit course at 300 level and with that she would exceed the requirement by 2 credits. It turned out to be most cost effective for her that all AP credits are useful but she needs to pay upperclassman tuition in the first semester of sophomore. If she took a couple more AP classes with credits granted, she would have started paying upperclassman tuition in the second semester of freshmen and it would not help her to graduate any faster.