Why I took so many AP tests

I took over ten AP tests in high school, many in subjects for which I hadn’t even taken the class. Here’s why:

Like you mentioned in your last post, AP tests are a way to get a head start in college academics. I knew that AP courses and tests would not only prepare me for the rigor of college academics, but also grant me credits or help me test out of introductory classes.

Because of all the AP tests I took in high school, I enter IU with around 42 credits. Students at IU are required to have a minumum of 120 credits to graduate. Depending on how my AP credits apply to my various requirements, it is very feasible for me to graduate in two, or maybe even three, semesters early.

Although I don’t plan on graduating early at the moment, the extra semesters of flexibility give me a whole slew of options.  I can double or even triple major. I can study abroad without having to worry about taking classes for credit. I can take a semester off to pursue travel or an internship while still graduating on time. I can take fun electives or classes outside my major while still satisfying my requirements. I am very excitedly considering all these options.

AP credits were one of the tipping factors that made me decide to attend a state school over a private school. Most highly selective private schools grant little to no credit for AP exams. If they give anything at all, it’s only if the score received was a 5 (or in rare cases, a 4). In contrast, most state schools are required to give credit for AP exams. Indiana law, for example, dictates that all scores of a 3 or above must be given some kind of credit. At IU, a score of a 3 usually gets one unit of general undistributed credit, while a 4 or 5 gets up to 6 units of credit that can actually be applied towards a major.

Here’s IU’s breakdown of how AP scores are applied towards credit:

http://admit.indiana.edu/apply/freshmen/standards/ap-exams.shtml

In my next post, I will discuss how exactly to go about taking a double digit number of AP tests while still having a life.

 

Good thing we were allowed a head start in high school…

With move-in day fast approaching, though not as quickly as yours, I’m finding myself swamped with information to read, forms to fill out, and classes to research. This would all be fine if it weren’t for one small detail: the online system’s interface, or should I say, interfaces. As of today, I already have three different online accounts, one for standard information, one for academic info, and another for payment. I have no doubt in my mind that Dartmouth will be kind enough to aument this list for me. Complaints aside, I’m sure having separate systems will make it easier for me once I get the hang of it.

My tangential intro leads into what is causing the most confusion of all: placement tests. Most of this panic is being caused by the science courses. Luckily (ironically), students in the years to come will not face this problem nearly as much since Dartmouth will stop accepting AP credit starting next year (bummer...).

First and foremost, havoc is being wreaked by biology. Do we take Bio 11, the normal intro course or skip right to Bio 12, which consists of specialized, Foundation courses? Usually confusion ensues when there is too little information, but not at Dartmouth. There’s a good list of suggested prerequisites to help you decide your bio placement: 5 on bio AP test, 5 on chem AP test, an optional placement test, and about four other benchmarks. I think our indecision boils down to whether we want to be safe and relearn a lot of material, or push ourselves, possibly beyond our bounds. Chemistry and math classes are posing similar problems. We can use our AP credit to test out of them, but do we want to?Here’s a list of what we get for which scores.

Luckily, with the quarter system moving so rapidly, great classes, easy classes, and awful classes alike will all be over within 10 weeks, gone as quickly as they came. Furthermore, we have an add/drop period of a week right after orientation where we can do just that–add and drop classes with wild abandon. Several schools that implement this system call this a shopping period. At Dartmouth, I think only first years are allowed to do this their first term so it’s really a one time deal. Some of us will inevitably have to rely heavily on our advisers suggestions, which in some cases should be taken with a grain of salt (I hear).

Nevertheless, I am excited and enthusiastic about getting to choose my first few college courses in a few weeks. And now I realize I’m on a pre-med track… this should be fun!