I have looked at the dean's website and read the Instructions for Candidates Offered Admission, but I am unsure of the validating process. After you take and pass the AP Exam, is that it? Or must you take the validating test in June as well?
I have looked at the dean's website and read the Instructions for Candidates Offered Admission, but I am unsure of the validating process. After you take and pass the AP Exam, is that it? Or must you take the validating test in June as well?
I have looked at the dean's website and read the Instructions for Candidates Offered Admission, but I am unsure of the validating process. After you take and pass the AP Exam, is that it? Or must you take the validating test in June as well?
Was the validating exam similar to the AP Exam? And can you take the validating exam without taking the AP Exam?
I've been receiving contrasting advice on whether or not I should aim to validate as many courses as I can. Most tell me that I should; getting into more advanced courses earlier on can help me out, and my personality and mentality makes me more inclined to choose to do this. However, a close friend and current plebe is advising me to stay in the core classes for the sake of having less stress through the year, as the year is stressful enough without the additional work, and I'd end up with a higher GPA and plebes in all my classes, rather than upperclassmen.
I don't mean to hijack the conversation, but is there anything else that I should take into account before I make the decision?
Take into account your priorities. If you are legitimately interested in your major and enjoy learning about it then validate as much as possible so you can get into it faster and take electives in that major or double major. If you hate academics and are mainly interested in physical or military things then don't validate and have an easier time with school so you can focus on your other goals. Don't base your decision on stress was put in place with a purpose and it will prepare you in your career and life in general.
While I am interested in all aspects of West Point, my strengths are academic, so based on your advice it would make sense to try to validate, correct?
Thank you.
I did not mean strengths, I meant interests. What do you want to develop most? What are your top choices for a major? If you are passionate about that field of study then you should validate so you can learn the most in that area possible.
Validating will advance you academically while not validating will possibly give you more free time to develop yourself in other ways.
PS: If you are an engineering major I heavily suggest validating since it is a heavy course load and it will "even it out" slightly.
History is based on your AP score only if you want to validate. You can get into an advanced class without AP scores, though.
So no validation test for the history classes? I have gotten a 5 on both AP World and AP United States History, so they would just accept that and I wouldn't take a validation test?
For history you fill out a questionairre thing that helps them decide what history classes to place you in. If you have a 5 on an AP test, you will not have to take plebe history.
I am wondering how prior college works for validating classes...
It depends on which classes they are. USMA will not accept transfer credits, but for some courses, getting an A in its equivalent civilian college course will allow the cadet to validate. For example my roommate last semester had an A in an english course and a history course from her prior college, so she validated EN101 and both semesters of plebe history - which meant she ended up being placed in a couple yuk classes.
Some things (such as Psychology) cannot be validated, but many classes can be (EN101, Calc I and Calc II, Chemistry, Statistics, Physics, History), which opens doors for taking easier course loads, lessening an academic overload due to studying abroad, or double-majoring.