s/o credit hours, freshman classes

[Matryoshka]

Dd is entering this fall as an Honors CompSci major.  The 'standard' courses they suggest are:

 

Honors Computing I (3cr) + Lab (1cr)  = 4cr 

Calculus I                                             = 4cr

College Writing I                                   = 3cr

First Year Honors Seminar                   = 3cr  = Total 14 cr over 4 classes

 

Every other school with a CompSci major has Physics freshman year; their normal sequence doesn't allow for it.  Also, she would like to try to spend a semester abroad, and probably take other Physics or Math courses that are not in the CS standard line-up - so she's trying to make room.  She's CLEP'd College Composition, which at this school gets her out of two semesters of College Writing, so that's great. She's also planning on taking Calc 2 instead of 1; she took AP Calc AB and felt she was given a very strong foundation and has a solid understanding.  She has to wait to sign up for it till after AP scores come through, but she's fairly confident she got a 5.  If she retook Calc 1 she'd do Honors level but if she took Calc 2 she'd take the 'regular' class (does that make sense?).   The Honors dept. has strongly recommended she take Honors Physics, as it has much smaller class sizes (like 30 vs 300), and the 'best' professor.  But it's 6 credits instead of 4??!  The upside to this is that she'll only have to take two levels of intro Physics instead of 3 to reach the 12 credits required for the major.  The downside is 6 credits for one course?!  Her AP Physics C course was the opposite of the AP Calc -  the teacher didn't know what he was doing and often taught downright wrong info (and there was no text) so she very much wants to retake the level.

 

 

So she'd have

 

Honors Comp Sci + Lab               = 4cr

Calculus 2 (or Honors Calc 1?)    = 4cr

First Year Honors Seminar           = 3cr

Honors Physics (4cr) + Lab (2cr) = 6cr  = Total 17 cr but still only 4 classes 

 

The Intro Comp Sci class should be not too hard for her; she's taken both the AP and another year post AP (Data Structures) but this school teaches all their classes in a different language and strongly recommends not using AP credits to skip.   I'm hoping since it's only 4 classes (isn't 5 'normal'?), and a lot of it is stuff she's familiar with, it will be a reasonable load?

 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Will she have all of the math needed for the physics course in the first semester, or would the Honors Physics assume that students have already completed Calculus 2 by the time they reach that course?

 

Does the school have a math placement test?  Several of the schools I investigated made a big deal out of trusting their placement process.  It seems that they'd had a lot of students who pushed for credit from their high school work/AP exams, but then stumbled in the subsequent college classes.

 

 

[Matryoshka]

Will she have all of the math needed for the physics course in the first semester, or would the Honors Physics assume that students have already completed Calculus 2 by the time they reach that course?

 

It can be taken as a freshman along with Calc 1 for other majors - Calc 1 is a co-req, not a pre-req - so since she's already taken the equivalent of Calc 1, I'd think she'd be fine in the math department.  It's just that the CompSci major's normal sequence is too packed-full to fit till later usually.

 

Does the school have a math placement test?  Several of the schools I investigated made a big deal out of trusting their placement process.  It seems that they'd had a lot of students who pushed for credit from their high school work/AP exams, but then stumbled in the subsequent college classes.

 

 

Yes, she's already taken it and is fine to start with Calculus, which is as high as the test goes - the placement test doesn't give any placement info above Calc 1, so she will still have to wait to get those AP scores back to switch to Calc 2.  They have definitely said they don't think one should use AP CompSci to skip Computing 1 at this school, but I have not managed to get any similar feedback about Calc.  I will attempt to probe further tomorrow when I go to the Parent Orientation (dd's Student Orientation, where she has to sign up for classes, is next week).

[regentrude]

17 hours for a strong student is fine. She sounds like a strong student from your description.

 

I am curious what is different about their honors physics compared to the regular one. Is it simply compressed/faster and they are covering more material per semester, as the credit hours suggest? I have a hard time imagining the level to be higher since the course has calc 1 as a co-requisite...

[Matryoshka]

17 hours for a strong student is fine. She sounds like a strong student from your description.

 

I am curious what is different about their honors physics compared to the regular one. Is it simply compressed/faster and they are covering more material per semester, as the credit hours suggest? I have a hard time imagining the level to be higher since the course has calc 1 as a co-requisite...

 

No, I don't think it covers more material - there's Physics I, II, III at both the regular and honors level?  I'm a bit mystified myself at the not just one but two extra credits for Honors Physics??  Although the descriptions of what's covered do have some different topics... Here, you probably understand this waaaay better than I do :)

 

Description for Physics I:

First semester of a two-semester sequence for science and engineering majors.  Mechanics including vectors, kinematics in one and two dimensions, Newton's laws of dynamics, work and energy, energy conservation, linear momentum conservation, rotational kinematics and dynamics, Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation, oscillatory motion and mechanical waves.

 

Honors Physics I:

Introductory mechanics at a more challenging level and the first semester of a sequence for physics majors. Mechanics of particles in one dimension, kinematics, forces, dynamics; particles in two and three dimensions, vectors, curvilinear and oscillatory motion; conservation principles, work, energy, linear momentum, collisions; rotational mechanics, angular momentum, torque and static equilibrium; gravitation and planetary orbits; wave motion, transverse and longitudinal, standing waves.

 

Honors Physics III is interesting in that it offers an option of one of two labs to go with it - one is 1 credit, one is 3 credits, so in total you could have SEVEN credits for Physics III... dd thinks she'd want to take Introductory Modern Physics instead after Physics II, though (that's just 3 credits, no lab)... she'll also likely have to take a Statics class and a Dynamics class if she sticks with the Robotics minor, but those are both in the MechEng dept?  Aren't those topics Physics-y?

Edited June 7, 2016 by Matryoshka

[regentrude]

No, I don't think it covers more material - there's Physics I, II, III at both the regular and honors level?  I'm a bit mystified myself at the not just one but two extra credits for Honors Physics??  Although the descriptions of what's covered do have some different topics... Here, you probably understand this waaaay better than I do :)

 

Description for Physics I:

First semester of a two-semester sequence for science and engineering majors.  Mechanics including vectors, kinematics in one and two dimensions, Newton's laws of dynamics, work and energy, energy conservation, linear momentum conservation, rotational kinematics and dynamics, Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation, oscillatory motion and mechanical waves.

 

Honors Physics I:

Introductory mechanics at a more challenging level and the first semester of a sequence for physics majors. Mechanics of particles in one dimension, kinematics, forces, dynamics; particles in two and three dimensions, vectors, curvilinear and oscillatory motion; conservation principles, work, energy, linear momentum, collisions; rotational mechanics, angular momentum, torque and static equilibrium; gravitation and planetary orbits; wave motion, transverse and longitudinal, standing waves.

 

Honors Physics III is interesting in that it offers an option of one of two labs to go with it - one is 1 credit, one is 3 credits, so in total you could have SEVEN credits for Physics III... dd thinks she'd want to take Introductory Modern Physics instead after Physics II, though (that's just 3 credits, no lab)... she'll also likely have to take a Statics class and a Dynamics class if she sticks with the Robotics minor, but those are both in the MechEng dept?  Aren't those topics Physics-y?

 

The description does not give any hint why it would be more credits. The topics are not actually different - they just use different words to describe the same topics, LOL.

 

Yes, statics and dynamics are basically physics, but typically taught at the engineering department.

[Matryoshka]

The description does not give any hint why it would be more credits. The topics are not actually different - they just use different words to describe the same topics, LOL.

 

Yes, statics and dynamics are basically physics, but typically taught at the engineering department.

 

Okay, that was my first sense, that they pretty much taught the same material.  Why the two extra credits?  Maybe i can get someone to tell me tomorrow...

 

Now I'm almost back to thinking that just 4 classes seems a bit light... but I should probably just not meddle and let her enjoy a not-too-stressful first semester... ;)

[Pegasus]

Have you tried looking on the college website for the syllabi? That's going to tell you a lot more than a brief course description.  I would guess that the honors physics probably has more project based labs that take more time than just standard labs.  

[Frances]

Is the credit difference between the regular and honors physics due to the honors physics lab being worth two additional credits beyond the class? When my son took organic chemistry, he was in the track for chemistry majors and the labs for that track were worth more credit than those for the regular track. For three and four credit labs, he said he spent over 40 hours per week with lab, lab lectures, and homework, not counting the lectures and HW for the actual organic chemistry class.

[Matryoshka]

Is the credit difference between the regular and honors physics due to the honors physics lab being worth two additional credits beyond the class? When my son took organic chemistry, he was in the track for chemistry majors and the labs for that track were worth more credit than those for the regular track. For three and four credit labs, he said he spent over 40 hours per week with lab, lab lectures, and homework, not counting the lectures and HW for the actual organic chemistry class.

 

They give both the lecture one extra credit and the lab one extra credit 4/2 vs. the regular level which is 3/1

[Joules]

17 hours for a strong student is fine. She sounds like a strong student from your description.

 

I am curious what is different about their honors physics compared to the regular one. Is it simply compressed/faster and they are covering more material per semester, as the credit hours suggest? I have a hard time imagining the level to be higher since the course has calc 1 as a co-requisite...

 

I wondered at the 6 hours of lab a week.  Some of the honors science classes at the colleges ds looked at included a research or special topics component.  Even the freshmen spend 3-6 hours in a research lab each week to begin learning lab skills in a real lab.  I can't really imagine how that would tie in with a mechanics course though.

 

The only other thing I would think about for load *is* the number of lab hours.  With CS and physics, that would be at least 9 hours a week in lab versus the 3 hours a week in a classroom for equivalent credits. (So instead of 17 hrs/wk in class, it is 26 hrs/wk). I think the idea was always that the lab reports are done in lab, so there is no outside work for lab hours.  I've not always found that to be true.  Some labs require extensive time outside class to write up lab reports, particularly honors classes.  

[Kareni]

Now I'm almost back to thinking that just 4 classes seems a bit light... but I should probably just not meddle and let her enjoy a not-too-stressful first semester... ;)

 

For what it's worth: My daughter's liberal arts college allowed four classes per semester.  Each class was one unit whether it was a literature class or a Chemistry class with lab.  Students had to petition if they wished to take a fifth class. 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[flyingiguana]

Most students I know who place out of Calc I into Calc II (or III) based on an AP score find the transition into college calc to be difficult.  Many do fine, but it takes a LOT more work than they anticipated.  So you might want to factor that into the decision.  14 credits might turn out not to be light after all.

 

I had one kid that skipped ahead based on the AP score -- and then worked her rear off to get through Calc III.  She was only taking that and physics so it was manageable, but just barely.  She's really smart, but I still think a full credit load that semester would have been a disaster.

 

I had another kid who didn't want to place out of Calc, so she just started over in Calc I after having been through Calc II in high school.  She is very glad she did it.  She learned calc a lot better the second time around, and while it wasn't an easy class, she wasn't struggling.  I think, because of this more gentle approach, she's come to appreciate math a lot more.  She's added it as a double major.  I really don't think she would have done that if she'd landed in Calc II in her first college semester and found it as difficult as her friends were finding that situation.

 

Meanwhile, I keep seeing other kids skipping ahead based on the AP test and doing terribly in the later Calc courses.  Or maybe doing just "not so well" but having that class take up all their time that semester.  So if she skips ahead to Calc II, you might want to consider that to be more than 4 credits.  That would make taking Calc II and physics together to be a lot of work.  At the least, she might want to be mentally prepared for that -- just realizing that her first semester is going to be tough.

 

Does the Honors Physics move faster or is that just a lab that's the extra 2 credits?

 

If the Honors Physics supposedly has the "best" teacher, that may mean the course will actually be easier.  If someone knows how to teach, it can really help. 

 

eta:  who's her advisor?  Is it someone in the physics dept?  Can they advise on what they see with students placed into Calc II?  They may have more knowledge about how difficult these particular classes are and how students do.  They may tell you the skip into Calc II and taking honors physics at the same time is no big deal.  Or they may have seen a lot of failures.  I'd be inclined to go with their gut feeling about the whole thing.  Because how students do may be specific to a college.

I wouldn't necessarily base it on her being a bright student and the number of credits.  (Where I work, for example, we've seen a lot of bright students skip into later calc and fail miserably.  High ACT scores and 5's on the AP Calc test do not mean all students are ready.  And, to be honest, I can't think of a single student who placed out of Calc I who didn't at least have to put a whole lot more work into the later calc class than they were anticipating.  And who didn't get a lower grade than they hoped.  But... that's the college I'm at...)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 10, 2016 by flyingiguana

[MarkT]

Most students I know who place out of Calc I into Calc II (or III) based on an AP score find the transition into college calc to be difficult.  Many do fine, but it takes a LOT more work than they anticipated.  So you might want to factor that into the decision.  14 credits might turn out not to be light after all.

 

I had one kid that skipped ahead based on the AP score -- and then worked her rear off to get through Calc III.  She was only taking that and physics so it was manageable, but just barely.  She's really smart, but I still think a full credit load that semester would have been a disaster.

 

I think skipping Calc 1 is fine but I would highly recommend not skipping both Calc 1 and 2.  Calc 3 is where it gets hard even for strong math folks. I thought Diffy Q was easy compared to Calc 3.

[MarkT]

 

Yes, she's already taken it and is fine to start with Calculus, which is as high as the test goes - the placement test doesn't give any placement info above Calc 1, so she will still have to wait to get those AP scores back to switch to Calc 2.  They have definitely said they don't think one should use AP CompSci to skip Computing 1 at this school, but I have not managed to get any similar feedback about Calc.  I will attempt to probe further tomorrow when I go to the Parent Orientation (dd's Student Orientation, where she has to sign up for classes, is next week).

I agree AP Comp Sci just doesn't match a typical university level Comp Sci 1.

 

IMHO If she get's a 5 on the AP Calc AB then skip Calc 1  she would be bored

 

 switch ( calc_AB_ grade )

 {

        case  5:   take regular Calc 2

 

        case  4:  flip coin

 

        case  3:  take the Honors Calc 1

}

Edited June 10, 2016 by MarkT

[LisaKinVA]

This is coming from someone who carried a lot of hours (18-24) four semesters in a row, beginning 2nd semester my freshman year.  I took 15 CH my first semester.  There is a lot of acclimating to college life which extends beyond the actual coursework (I was living far from home, and for the first time, everything was truly up to me -- there were tons of activities, lots of new people, lots of things to learn).  My first semester in college I took two courses that were relatively challenging (new content, or weak area of study).  It was also my lowest semester GPA.  That semester gave me time to get to know the system, my university, explore things I wanted to be involved in, and grow up a bit.  By my 2nd semester, I was ready to tackle the world :D  During my final 5 semesters I pulled all A's, except for three classes I received B's (which still chap me, but that's an unrelated personal story...ha!)

 

I don't think 17 credit hours is necessarily too much -- but it's more the actual heavy coursework of a couple of the classes.  If it were my daughter, I would probably encourage her to take Honors Calc 1 (it would probably go into more depth than what she did in high school -- like the difference between AoPS Calc and Larson Calc), and then spend the extra time in the Honors Physics course (knowing there will be extra assignments/more lab work).  

 

I would look to judicious use of CLEP/AP in other undergrad requirements to make room for the study abroad vs. compacting key areas of her major -- history, art/music.  The CLEP tests are fairly straightforward multiple choice exams.  Someone with a good background, and a bit of self study can do well on them.  Of course, I'm not someone who sees a huge value in taking freshman surveys of history in college if you've had solid courses in high school (which mine have or will have), or taking a 3 hour course in music appreciation when you've studied music for 10 years.  CLEP was my friend ;)

[Matryoshka]

Thanks everyone for all the helpful feedback.  I went to the parent orientation and got to talk to advisors in her dept - both a professor and a student advisor that advises kids in her major.

 

They both thought that adding Honors Physics first semester might be a bit much, but I don't think they really parsed that she'd also be dropping a class (College Writing), and that while the Intro Comp Sci class is in C, she's had four years of programming classes in high school, including a year post-AP (Data Structures).  Her friend who took what were essentially the same classes (also Java instead of C) at the CC will be skipping the first two CompSci classes at the Uni.

 

I still think taking Physics at the beginning when almost all the classes she'll be taking are mostly review of stuff she's already done will be easier than taking it later with higher level courses that are all new material?  Every.other. college she looked at started their CompSci majors with 5 classes including Physics the first semester, and they were all higher-ranked schools than this one!  Is the Physics, even Honors, at this state school going to be that much harder than Physics at WPI or RIT??  And she'd be taking one less class!

 

 

Most students I know who place out of Calc I into Calc II (or III) based on an AP score find the transition into college calc to be difficult.  Many do fine, but it takes a LOT more work than they anticipated.  So you might want to factor that into the decision.  14 credits might turn out not to be light after all.

 

I had one kid that skipped ahead based on the AP score -- and then worked her rear off to get through Calc III.  She was only taking that and physics so it was manageable, but just barely.  She's really smart, but I still think a full credit load that semester would have been a disaster.

 

 

Thats a busy schedule if she didnt take honors high school physics and she elects calc 2. The math dept should have data on AP score vs success in suceeding class. My son's U has them repeat if the AP score was a 3 or 4, but they will allow an overload. He has found tnat being strong in writing has saved him a lot of time on project presentations and write ups, both individual and team.

Some schools are doing DiffEq first sem, Calc 3 second of freshman year of college. Keep in mind that students from the better high schools have taken these courses in high school. They may be repeating or they may be going on, so there is plenty of peer help available.

 

eta:  who's her advisor?  Is it someone in the physics dept?  Can they advise on what they see with students placed into Calc II?  They may have more knowledge about how difficult these particular classes are and how students do.  They may tell you the skip into Calc II and taking honors physics at the same time is no big deal.  Or they may have seen a lot of failures.  I'd be inclined to go with their gut feeling about the whole thing.  Because how students do may be specific to a college.

I wouldn't necessarily base it on her being a bright student and the number of credits.  (Where I work, for example, we've seen a lot of bright students skip into later calc and fail miserably.  High ACT scores and 5's on the AP Calc test do not mean all students are ready.  And, to be honest, I can't think of a single student who placed out of Calc I who didn't at least have to put a whole lot more work into the later calc class than they were anticipating.  And who didn't get a lower grade than they hoped.  But... that's the college I'm at...)

 

 

Don't worry, she wouldn't be skipping Calc 1 and 2, just Calc 1.  She only took AB.  The prof and advisor both said she should not bother repeating Calc 1.  I personally re-took Calc 1 in college and was very happy I did - but I felt shaky in Calc; dd feels very solid.  I honestly wouldn't mind at all her retaking Calc 1, especially if it were the Honors level (might go beyond/deeper than what she had in high school).  The Honors 1 class is at 8am and I think that's making her want to skip to the next level more than the potential for boredom!  (Calc 2 is at 12:30)

 

Her high school was one of the 'better' schools (this is my only kid who stuck it out at ps hs).  Kids from her class are going to MIT, Harvard, and Stanford as well as a bunch of other Ivies.  Her Uni is a State school where she'll be well above the average student, although it seems the Honors program is very good and should hopefully appropriately challenge her.

 

 

 

Does the Honors Physics move faster or is that just a lab that's the extra 2 credits?

 

If the Honors Physics supposedly has the "best" teacher, that may mean the course will actually be easier.  If someone knows how to teach, it can really help. 

 

See, this is part of my thinking.  Taking a small class size with the best prof seems a better way to go than with 300 kids and some adjunct.  

 

 

 

This is coming from someone who carried a lot of hours (18-24) four semesters in a row, beginning 2nd semester my freshman year.  I took 15 CH my first semester.  There is a lot of acclimating to college life which extends beyond the actual coursework (I was living far from home, and for the first time, everything was truly up to me -- there were tons of activities, lots of new people, lots of things to learn).  My first semester in college I took two courses that were relatively challenging (new content, or weak area of study).  It was also my lowest semester GPA.  That semester gave me time to get to know the system, my university, explore things I wanted to be involved in, and grow up a bit.  By my 2nd semester, I was ready to tackle the world :D  During my final 5 semesters I pulled all A's, except for three classes I received B's (which still chap me, but that's an unrelated personal story...ha!)

 

One of the advisor's comments was that there was a lot of 'adjusting to college life' and that's why it might be better to take later.  While she will be living on campus, she will only be 15 minutes from home.  Her best friend is also attending this school (although they're in the same major, her friend stuck with hsing/DE and will be taking junior-level classes - and her friend is a year younger than she is).

 

I would look to judicious use of CLEP/AP in other undergrad requirements to make room for the study abroad vs. compacting key areas of her major -- history, art/music.  The CLEP tests are fairly straightforward multiple choice exams.  Someone with a good background, and a bit of self study can do well on them.  Of course, I'm not someone who sees a huge value in taking freshman surveys of history in college if you've had solid courses in high school (which mine have or will have), or taking a 3 hour course in music appreciation when you've studied music for 10 years.  CLEP was my friend  ;)

 

 

I'm very happy I had her take the CLEP Composition.  That gets her out of two semesters of English.  She's thinking of self-studying for the WesternCiv CLEP this summer (she just took Western Civ senior year).

 

But the advisor was looking at our sample schedule and wanting to add back in non-tech classes to 'soften' the semesters where she'd now been able to clear GenEds.  Hmph.

 

I agree AP Comp Sci just doesn't match a typical university level Comp Sci 1.

 

IMHO If she get's a 5 on the AP Calc AB then skip Calc 1  she would be bored

 

 switch ( calc_AB_ grade )

 {

        case  5:   take regular Calc 2

 

        case  4:  flip coin

 

        case  3:  take the Honors Calc 1

}

 

 

 

Yep, this is pretty much what I'm thinking... Honors Calc1 at 8am, or regular Calc2 at a more human time...  and yeah, I wouldn't have her take Calc2 at all unless she gets a 5 on the AP exam (but I have a feeling she probably will).  She will have to register for Honors Calc 1 anyway at orientation next week pending the AP exam results; they'll let her switch if she wants after that.

 

I did also find out that if for some reason the Physics is really tanking, she can Withdraw late and even though it would bring her from 17 credits to 11 (so, not full-time), she'd still be considered a full-time student for that semester as long as she Withdrew instead of Dropped it.  I don't think she'd end up in that situation, but if it did really end up being too much, at least we know there's a safety valve...  she needs to maintain a 3.3 GPA to keep her scholarships and place in the Honors program.

[MarkT]

Thanks everyone for all the helpful feedback.  I went to the parent orientation and got to talk to advisors in her dept - both a professor and a student advisor that advises kids in her major.

 

They both thought that adding Honors Physics first semester might be a bit much, but I don't think they really parsed that she'd also be dropping a class (College Writing), and that while the Intro Comp Sci class is in C, she's had four years of programming classes in high school, including a year post-AP (Data Structures).  Her friend who took what were essentially the same classes (also Java instead of C) at the CC will be skipping the first two CompSci classes at the Uni.

 

I still think taking Physics at the beginning when almost all the classes she'll be taking are mostly review of stuff she's already done will be easier than taking it later with higher level courses that are all new material?  Every.other. college she looked at started their CompSci majors with 5 classes including Physics the first semester, and they were all higher-ranked schools than this one!  Is the Physics, even Honors, at this state school going to be that much harder than Physics at WPI or RIT??  And she'd be taking one less class!

 

 

 

 

 

Don't worry, she wouldn't be skipping Calc 1 and 2, just Calc 1.  She only took AB.  The prof and advisor both said she should not bother repeating Calc 1.  I personally re-took Calc 1 in college and was very happy I did - but I felt shaky in Calc; dd feels very solid.  I honestly wouldn't mind at all her retaking Calc 1, especially if it were the Honors level (might go beyond/deeper than what she had in high school).  The Honors 1 class is at 8am and I think that's making her want to skip to the next level more than the potential for boredom!  (Calc 2 is at 12:30)

 

Her high school was one of the 'better' schools (this is my only kid who stuck it out at ps hs).  Kids from her class are going to MIT, Harvard, and Stanford as well as a bunch of other Ivies.  Her Uni is a State school where she'll be well above the average student, although it seems the Honors program is very good and should hopefully appropriately challenge her.

 

 

 

See, this is part of my thinking.  Taking a small class size with the best prof seems a better way to go than with 300 kids and some adjunct.  

 

 

 

 

One of the advisor's comments was that there was a lot of 'adjusting to college life' and that's why it might be better to take later.  While she will be living on campus, she will only be 15 minutes from home.  Her best friend is also attending this school (although they're in the same major, her friend stuck with hsing/DE and will be taking junior-level classes - and her friend is a year younger than she is).

 

 

I'm very happy I had her take the CLEP Composition.  That gets her out of two semesters of English.  She's thinking of self-studying for the WesternCiv CLEP this summer (she just took Western Civ senior year).

 

But the advisor was looking at our sample schedule and wanting to add back in non-tech classes to 'soften' the semesters where she'd now been able to clear GenEds.  Hmph.

 

 

 

Yep, this is pretty much what I'm thinking... Honors Calc1 at 8am, or regular Calc2 at a more human time...  and yeah, I wouldn't have her take Calc2 at all unless she gets a 5 on the AP exam (but I have a feeling she probably will).  She will have to register for Honors Calc 1 anyway at orientation next week pending the AP exam results; they'll let her switch if she wants after that.

 

I did also find out that if for some reason the Physics is really tanking, she can Withdraw late and even though it would bring her from 17 credits to 11 (so, not full-time), she'd still be considered a full-time student for that semester as long as she Withdrew instead of Dropped it.  I don't think she'd end up in that situation, but if it did really end up being too much, at least we know there's a safety valve...  she needs to maintain a 3.3 GPA to keep her scholarships and place in the Honors program.

She will do fine and you will be happy that you encouraged her to take a more challenging path (it isn't MIT).

[Matryoshka]

Thats a busy schedule if she didnt take honors high school physics and she elects calc 2. The math dept should have data on AP score vs success in suceeding class. My son's U has them repeat if the AP score was a 3 or 4, but they will allow an overload. He has found tnat being strong in writing has saved him a lot of time on project presentations and write ups, both individual and team.

 

I meant to add - she has definitely taken Physics before - we did a high-school level, math-based CPO Physics in 8th, then she had Honors Physics in 11th and AP Physics C in 12th - BUT both of the high school Physics teachers were, shall we say, not good - which is why she will not use her AP score to skip any Physics in college (assuming she even gets a decent score - the AP teacher was kind of horrible - yes, in spite of this being a 'top' school.  The irony is that because many of the kids are so smart and driven the school can get away with some bad teachers because the kids are having outside classes, CTY, EPGY, tutors or self-teaching).

 

They have some great teachers too - she feels her Calc teacher prepared her very well (and she says taught some BC material even though it was an AB class).  The Calc teacher grades tough - dd's heard lots of stories of kids who made C's in AP Calc class and easily made 5's on the exam (dd had a B - and I won't have her skip Calc1 at all unless she gets a 5 on the exam).  The Physics class was the opposite - she got an A in the AP Physics class - she's fairly convinced the teacher just massively curved class grades so the teachers wouldn't catch on he doesn't teach the kids properly.  

 

You're going to get some lemons anywhere, I guess...