Send AP Scores?

I

IrishDancer

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I just got my AP scores back but I don't know whether to send them to the academy or not. Do they look at them at all for admissions purposes? I got a 5 on english and US history but I only got a 3 on chemistry-- I'm afraid that my chemistry score will hurt me since I only got a B in the class.
 
irish,

I recommend that you send your scores in ASAP. Getting 5's in both history and English is outstanding. Congratulations!

Don't worry about a "3" in chemistry on the AP exam. It's still a passing grade for the AP. What it means is that you are unlikely to test out of the 1st semester of chem at USNA (you can't use an AP score for that, even if you had a 5), but most people don't test out of chemistry.
 
I know of only a handful of people who tested out of chem completely, but validating 1st semester is entirely possible. Just keep it fresh in your mind. Hard to do by the time the testing comes around, i know, but if I did it, then by God there's hope for everyone.
 
Interested on your feedback on this. DS just did his Blue & Gold officer interview, who told him that it was not possible for anyone to test out of chemistry. He does have two kids at/graduated from the academy so we took his word for it.

Is it possible to test out though? DS took regular chem and then AP chem and got a 5 on the exam. He is scheduled to take Organic Chemistry at a local college next year (wants to major in Chem Engineering), but if he has to start over from scratch either way, then it seems kind of like a waste.

He sent in all his AP scores - found out that one report included those from last year as well.
 
marciemi said:
Interested on your feedback on this. DS just did his Blue & Gold officer interview, who told him that it was not possible for anyone to test out of chemistry. He does have two kids at/graduated from the academy so we took his word for it

Is it possible to test out though? ..
Click to expand...

It is not possible to "test out" of USNA chemistry using AP or SAT subject test scores. However, it IS possible to "test out" of one or both semesters of general chemistry, based on the results of the USNA chemistry placement exam. The link above shows validation options for other courses.

marciemi said:
DS took regular chem and then AP chem and got a 5 on the exam. He is scheduled to take Organic Chemistry at a local college next year (wants to major in Chem Engineering), but if he has to start over from scratch either way, then it seems kind of like a waste.

He sent in all his AP scores - found out that one report included those from last year as well.
Click to expand...

Your son should be aware that USNA has excellent programs in both chemistry and engineering, but they do not offer a specific chemical engineering degree. However, by validating several courses, it should be possible to take a higher than usual number of electives, and thereby have a body of coursework that is very similar to chemical engineering programs.
 
We plan to send our son's scores to the academy. We also spoke to his guidance counselor who said she would make a remark about his scores in her recommendation letters, and we should make sure that his calc teacher (he scored a 5) and physics teacher (he scored a 4) remark about it in their letters as well.
 
Thanks for the link to the validation process and for the information. My son is actually going back and forth between Aerospace and Chemical. Unfortunately no public schools in our state offer any type of Aerospace or Aeronautical, so I think he really started thinking of the chemical as a backup, but really has enjoyed chemistry. I think at either AF or Navy, he would love to major in the Aerospace, but, as you said, take as many chemistry classes as possible as well. Although I think taking Organic Chemistry this year may test just how much he loves chemistry! :wink:

I'm curious how flexible those standards are. For example, it says a 4 or higher on a Calc BC exam allows you to test out of Calc 2. But if he didn't take the BC exam, but took Calc 2 and Calc 3 (Multivariate) at an actual college and got A's - would that be sufficient? I realize no one probably knows for sure, but I guess I'm just wondering if those standards are absolute or they make exceptions. They have kids coming in from a year or two of college so they've probably seen some higher level classes before. Or if he just has to do well on the tests. Hope he doesn't forget all his calculus this year!
 
My understanding for college students is that they don't take "transfer credits" and students still must validate the courses at USNA via tests because there is no guarantee that Calc II at College X is equivalent to USNA's Calc II. If the course is not listed on the link, the student will follow up with the relevant academic department during the Ac year.

Believe me, USNA has no interest in students taking material they have already mastered. However, it may be the case that the student has not mastered ALL of the material covered by USNA for a particular course. So, some of the course may be "review" and some new. That's not all bad.

There is the "mass validation" for most courses and, for others, it is very individualized. No need to worry about it til you get there.:smile:
 
Son took the validation tests this summer, Day 2 of Plebe Summer to be specific. He validated Calc 1, and scored well on Calc 2, but said he opted to take the class because there were some things on the exam he had not yet learned.
 
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