Weinberg junior Ellen Bird considers herself lucky to have fulfilled some of her distribution requirements with her six Advanced Placement credits.
Next year’s new students only will be able to count two of their AP credits — instead of six — toward their 12 course distribution requirements for the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. Additional credits can transfer as electives.
“I came in with six credits, and it has helped me out so much,” Bird said. “I can see now that I was really lucky.”
Weinberg faculty early last week voted to make the change, which will affect next year’s incoming freshmen.
Bird said she believes reducing AP credits that count for distribution requirements will put new students at a disadvantage.
“I understand capping it, but if you take the classes then you should be rewarded,” Bird said.
Using her AP credits to satisfy distribution requirements enabled Bird to take fewer introductory courses, take three classes a quarter to juggle extracurricular demands and possibly graduate a quarter early.
“If I leave early, then it is extra student loans I don’t have to pay,” she said. “AP credits give you that option.”
Weinberg junior Prajwal Ciryam, academic vice president for the Associated Student Government, said he and committee members were surprised at new policy.
“We just wished there was more dialogue between ASG and the administration,” he said.
He said ASG does not have a definitive position on the issue yet, but he plans to meet with administrators later this week.
Ciryam said ASG is concerned that students will not feel as challenged taking introductory courses. Students could be taking more upper-level seminars and research courses instead of distribution requirements, he said.
The new AP credit policy still allows students to graduate early because this rule only impacts distribution requirements and not electives. But under the new policy, students can only apply one AP credit to each of Weinberg’s six distribution areas instead of two credits, as before.
Rebecca Dixon, NU’s associate provost for undergraduate enrollment, said the decision does not stop students from taking a quarter to study abroad or pursue internships.
“Students graduate with more courses than they need even without AP credits,” she said.
Dixon said the new policy should not have any affect on admissions. She has not heard any student or parent express concern to the Office of Undergraduate Admission. Many incoming students do not have a major selected when they arrive on campus, she said, so they probably have not even considered exactly how their AP credits would transfer.
“They can’t make that kind of detailed planning before they get here,” she said, adding that some students take AP tests and courses for the challenge and not necessarily to receive credit.
Several of Northwestern’s peer institutions also have reduced the number of AP credits accepted for general education requirements.
Four years ago, when Harvard University limited the number of AP credits that transferred, the change did not affect admissions, said Director of Admissions Marlyn McGrath Lewis.
Harvard’s AP credit policy requires students to score a 5 on several tests to apply to receive credit for their AP scores. About 30 students in each class decide to accelerate their degrees, McGrath Lewis said.
McGrath Lewis said limiting AP credits for general education requirements provides a better college education because students are taking classes on campus. Many AP courses in high school cannot match the material in a college classroom.
“It’s our responsibility to give them the best education,” she said. “We think that (taking class at NU) four years is better than three.”
Reach Stephanie Chen at [email protected].
