#ap credit

[ggsstudies]

7/23/19

i guess you could say i’m pretty stoked that i never have to open this god forsakenapush binder ever again. well at least for the class. 

but this was some hard work so catch me not throwing it away ANY time soon

xo- gg

[antistudyblr]

Heyo! Incoming senior here!! Idk how I managed to do this but i got a 4 in AP physics 1, a 4 in computer science principles, and A 5 IN AP STATISTICS!!! Also I have a question: do AP score credits really help in college? What really happens with your scores?

that’s so awesome! i’m sure you put in a lot of hard work and dedication and it looks like it’s definitely paid off. 

to answer your question: it depends. Some schools don’t accept any AP credit at all, but I think most will usually accept 5s, (sometimes) 4s, or (occasionally) 3s for different levels of credit. High scores might get you out of an intro class as well as give you credits toward graduation while lower scores might just give credit or help place you. It really depends on the policy of the school and department.

As for how useful that credit is, I’ve never heard of someone who has been hurt by AP credit when they received it (though it’s probably happened to someone out there maybe), but the amount it helps varies. To briefly use myself as an example, I got 9 credits toward graduation, which allows me to comfortably take 4 classes a semester and graduate on time. I also was immediately placed into Advanced Spanish and my language requirement was waived, all of which make my life easier. I know some people accrue enough AP credit to graduate early, which can save money in the long run, but it really depends on what the policies at your school are. As you’re working on applications, taking a look at the AP policies at those schools never hurts.

When you do start college, make an appointment with an adviser to go over the policies and figure out what’s best for you. If you’re worried about skipping an intro course or if you need to take a certain class to receive your credit, that’s the time when you should be able to work out the kinks.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

[realtalk-tj]

Do you get the AP credit for an AP class, without taking the AP test? Like i suck at my lang class, but it's too late to back out now, but i still want the ap credit so...

Response from Firenze:

I’m not sure what you mean by AP credit. Sure, even if you don’t take the AP test, you get the GPA weighting boost. But I’m not even sure you can opt out of taking the AP test at TJ. I wouldn’t worry too much if I were you. Colleges don’t care nearly as much about your actual AP scores as the rigor of the courses you took, according to every college presentation I’ve ever been to. I took AP Music Theory as a sophomore, got a 3 on the AP exam, and my counselor hasn’t freaked out or anything.

Response From Fleur:

You can opt out of taking an AP test if you’re in the class. I’ve done it. To be honest though, if you go to TJ, you can score a 4 or 5 on the AP exam with some studying from a prep book. You have nothing to lose, colleges don’t require your AP scores and you can withhold a score I believe if you want to send them your scores anyways. And personally, I just ended up sending my college my AP scores after I was accepted and accepted their admissions offer to get some AP credit.  

[northeastern-allison]

hey! my friend actually got to AP out of physics for pharmacy with AP Physics! idk what specific physics it was, but yeah. and i have a question too; how hard is physics for pharmacy compared to AP physics?? i absolutely suck at physics so i'm really scared of taking it next year.

Hi anon!

It’s really not that bad compared to AP Physics. The experience ranges because the professors seem to switch every single year but the material covered is definitely not any more difficult than anything encountered in AP Physics. If you can pass AP Physics (the class and the exam) you’ll be just fine in this course. Don’t be scared! :) 

[smithbysmithies]

Hey, class of 2021 here! I've been looking at the course catalog and have a quick question - does AP credit allow you to place out of entry level classes at Smith? For example, would a four or five on the AP Psych exam allow me to place out of Intro to Psych? Thanks ☺️

Hi! Yes it does!!

If you have a 4 or 5 on your AP exam, or a 5, 6 or 7 on an IB exam, you can use this to place out of an intro class for that specific subject. I did this for Psychology so…it worked! What I did was meet with my Liberal Arts Advisor, which you are required to do during orientation this fall, and tell her that I got X score for Y exam. She then called the head of the Psych Department to confirm this was possible. One thing to remember though is that you do not get the credit for that intro class, and still need to complete the credit requirement for the specific major.

Hope this helps!

Naomi ‘19

[northeastern-allison]

Hi! I'm a high school senior and have just committed to Northeastern as an incoming PharmD student. I was reviewing all of my AP credits and what courses I will be able to opt out of. Do you happen to know if I will be able to opt out of the Physics for Pharmacy course/Lab with my AP Physics credits? I wasn't very sure because it sounds like the course is more specific to the pharmacy practice and did not know if my AP credits could apply to that. Thank you so much for your help!

Hi anon,Judging from the equivalency database it doesn't look like the Physics for Pharmacy course corresponds to any AP exams. So it doesn't look like that's one of the courses where you would be able to use AP credits. That being said, it's definitely something that you can double check with the advisors about when you come to orientation (since that's when you'll get a chance to adjust your schedule). If anything the course is relatively low stress so if you did well in AP Physics, this class shouldn't be a struggle.Hope this helps. Let me know if there are any other questions!

[northeastern-allison]

Hi, I'm going to be attending NU as a PharmD major next year and I'm debating whether or not to take my AP Statistics exam. I'm not sure what my minor will be and so I'm not sure if the credit I receive for stats will be useful or not. What do you suggest I do?

Hi anon!

From what I can tell in the equivalency database, the corresponding course for AP Statistics is Statistics and Software. I don’t know if this course would be in line with any minors or not. 

That being said, I would recommend taking the exam anyways (as long as the exam fee isn’t too much of a burden - those things are pricey). Why?

1. Even if you don’t exchange it for any courses, the exam will still count towards your elective credit requirements as long as you score a 4 or 5. Every student needs a certain number of elective hours (outside of major coursework) to graduate and AP/IB test scores are a good way to count towards that.

2. Bringing in more credits from the start actually boosts up your standing and that comes in handy when it comes time to select classes for the spring semester and beyond. For example, I came in with the maxed out transfer credits in my first year, so in the university’s eyes, I was actually at sophomore standing instead. 

I took the AP Statistics exam way back when and brought it in as transfer credit so to be honest, I would recommend taking it. Still useful in lots of different ways :)

Hope this helped. Let me know if you have any other questions!

[realtalk-princeton]

Hey! I'm an incoming freshman for next year, planning on doing engineering (probably electrical or comp sci). I'm just wondering what other engineering students have done in the past with placing out of physics and Calc requirements. I'm currently taking AP Calc BC and physics C so I'm going to take the tests. Pretty much, my question is: do a lot of BSE students place out of these classes? is it beneficial? if they do place out of them, do they succeed or is it best to take them at Princeton?

Response from Bateman:

Place out of anything you’re able to, especially as an engineer. Most BSE students use placement for math, but physics is much less common. You’ll have a lot more freedom in terms of scheduling your freshman year, which is great. 

Response from Pichu:Place out of as much as you can. Especially physics, it has class like everyday and is super annoying and is not useful for most BSE majors, so try your best for a 5 on the ap tests