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In junior year of HS I took 3 APs and am taking 1 this year. I got a 4, 4, 5 on the ones in junior year and 80, 80, 85 in each class respectively (school is grade deflated + gives number grades). This year, I'll probably get a 1 on my AP (senioritis ) and an 85 in the class. Will this all be counted in my LSDAS GPA?

Since you declare your major during your second year, doesn't that mean you can declare engineering and take only one year of it without it dragging down your GPA too much and get a decent shot at IP law? It's basically a one year deal since you get accepted into law school early senior year. (Not sure if engineering is only offered as a four year program at some schools)

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What?

Um, I'll give it a go.

AP classes will only be factored into your LSDAS GPA if your undergrad school factored them into your undergrad GPA. My school, for example, only counted them as pass/fail credits, so they didn't affect my GPA.

One year of a declared major doesn't qualify you for IP (I assume you're talking about being able to take the patent bar exam). You have to actually have the engineering/hard science degree, pass the Fundamentals of Engineering exam (which you can only take with a degree) or have completed a certain amount of coursework (much more than one year) in engineering/hard science. Just pretending you're a chemistry major for a year doesn't get you anything.

1) No. Your AP credits that you receive credit for at your college will not be counted in your GPA calculations. Nor does your undergrad institution give a squat about what your class grades were in your AP classes. They're just looking for that 4/5.

2) No, you cannot get away with just 1 year of engineering. Indeed, many if not most engineering programs will have so many requirements within your major or as prereqs that doing the bare minimum for your degree (once non-science distribution courses are factored in) you will have to have over 120 hours to graduate.

3) Just a word of advice, if you're going to competitive undergrad school, do not think that because you took the AP course and passed the exam that you have done the same as taking their freshman calc/chem/physics... especially if you intend to major in engineering or science. Take them again. (I know a few people who got away with skipping those classes at a top 15 school, but the vast majority of people who tried ended up as history/poli sci/sociology majors. Those that did get away with it, well, I'd wager their class grades weren't 80-85.)

zozin wrote:What?

Glad you finally came out from under the rock! A lot of catching up to do I must say.

For those who answered, thanks. Guess I can get that 1 on my AP and forget about I.P. law (good riddance). I'll just take accounting for job stability.

I'm not going to a competitive undergrad per se, but I might retake my AP classes. The APs I took were U.S. Gov, U.S. History, and English Composition. Only interested in English Comp though; good writing = $$$$

JimmyHuang wrote:I'm not going to a competitive undergrad per se, but I might retake my AP classes. The APs I took were U.S. Gov, U.S. History, and English Composition. Only interested in English Comp though; good writing = $$$$

No need to retake those. There will be plenty of classes that allow you to explore aspects of those in more depth which will not require you to retake them.

Why do people keep indulging these seemingly numerous "high school" students in the past few days? Obvious flames.

JimmyHuang wrote:good writing = $$$$

stillwater wrote:Why do people keep indulging these seemingly numerous "high school" students in the past few days? Obvious flames.

Contrary to your elief, I am actually a high school student. Hit me up for private chat sessions. Ditto on the former, kidding on the latter.

Besides, Yoko Ono once said, "Some people are old at age 18 and some are young at 90...time is a concept that humans just created."

I'm mature enough to learn what I'm getting myself into and using it to get an advantage (if you would call it that).

zozin wrote:

JimmyHuang wrote:good writing = $$$$

Every time I see good writing, I jizz inside. Wish I could write as well as Mr. Savage (why did he even go to YLS and become a politics reporter?)

tinychat.com/goodwriting

i'll be waiting. clothing optional.

1. For most 4-year colleges, AP credits do not factor in your college GPA and they wouldn't even appear on your college transcript. All AP credits do is to allow you to take less classes in college to graduate.

2. You don't "declare" your engineering major as a sophomore, you start taking specific engineering classes (such as EE, ChemE etc.) as a sophomore. However, you will need to take a number of pre-req as a freshman (calculus 1 and 2, maybe 3 + linear algebra + other math classes later; freshman engineering 1 and 2; general chemistry 1 and maybe 2; college physics 1 and maybe 2; maybe some biology classes) in order to take those specific engineering classes.

My advice #1: Do you like math and science? Are you capable of doing well? If you worry about your college engineering GPA while still in HS, then engineering is probably not for you. But if the answers are "yes", then try to get ready right now. You mentioned AP classes, and if I were you, I would try to take as many math/science related AP classes as possible.

My advice #2: Gunning for IP law while still in HS, and using an engineering degree as merely a means to an end is probably not the best thing you want to do now. You may change your mind in college, and a lot of things could happen in the next 4 years. If I were you, I would keep my options open, and try to actually learn something in engineering and hopefully enjoy it. At the end of the day, making 70K + with an engineering BS (non-civil) is not bad at all.