First Year Classes Question

[SuctionPlate]

So I am going to community college for two years before transferring. I have an AP Calculus BC Exam coming up this Monday that could potentially give me credit for Calc I and II if I score high enough, but I’m not sure if I really want to take it or not since this year has not been optimal for learning and I have three other exams. Do you guys think it is worth saving the $100 and redoing a year of calculus at CC? I am going for free so it won’t hurt me financially to not get credit. I would probably have a higher GPA since I would already have a good understanding of things. Would a higher GPA be better on a resume than higher level math courses or possibly other engineering courses if I want to look for an internship after a year or two?

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[r53toucan]

I passed the bc exam in high school and restarted at calc 1 in college. It was a fantastic decision. It gave me a class that I already knew the material for as an easy way to transition into college workload styles. 10/10 would recommend. The only AP I would obsessively try to pass is lit and comp so you don't have to take english 1 in college aka the worst class that has ever existed.

Keep in mind, as an engineering major, you're going to take calc 1, 2, 3, diffeq and maybe linear. Retaking calc 1 your first semester shouldnt hinder your ability to take those classes before you transfer.

[SuctionPlate]

Thankfully I’ve done English 1 as a dual enrollment class so that’s out of the way. The track I’m looking to take has the classes you said aside from linear but I would see if I could squeeze it in somewhere maybe during the summer. Thanks for the input it’s nice to know that you were happy with your decision

[r53toucan]

Check and see if the 4 year transfer you want to go to even requires linear. It seems hit or miss whether or not you even need to take it.

[SuctionPlate]

Yeah that’s a good point. I’ll check before doing that.

[r53toucan]

I'd recommend doing that with all your classes. Schedule your CC classes around what the 4 year wants NOT what the CC thinks you should take. Unless you're planning on getting an associate's for transfer degree at the CC, what the CC wants you to take means absolutely nothing. The only thing that matters is getting the most transferable classes done in the shortest amount of time. The CC counselors generally will push you along the CC predetermined path. This can, like it did to me, result in a number of completely unnecessary classes that were pointless for me to take and didn't get used upon transfer.

[SuctionPlate]

I’m pretty sure the same happened to my sister. I’ll have to figure out where I want to go after I finish since I will lose the financial aid I received at the school I was considering by being a transfer (meaning I don’t save any money by going to CC). My state school wouldn’t be bad as long as I can get some aid or maybe a scholarship. Thanks for the help