AP Biology passed, but want to retake?

[nabilesmail]

Hey guys,

So I'm in a dilemma.

My girlfriend passed out of AP Biology with a 4 and went to UCSD, however, she didn't feel like she really got the material down. Since AP Bio is not accepted at most medical schools, generally upper division bio classes can be taken in its place. She is a human biology major but I recommended for her to take the first quarter of General Bio over again (the stuff with cellular respiration,metabolism, photosynthesis) since that was the stuff she had a lot of trouble with. I knew that it wouldn't count towards her graduating gpa but I felt it was a good idea to raise her gpa for medical school (since you must report all classes and AP Bio doesn't count) and so that she would be able to review the material without being thrown into a more specific upper division class.


My question is pretty much, Will retaking a General Bio class for medical school when you already have AP credit (but you don't feel confident in your knowledge) still affect your gpa for applying to medical school?

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[mvenus929]

... yes.

All classes you take, regardless of whether or not you previously had credit for them, will affect your GPA.

 

[exptherainbow]

The other poster is right... any coursework you take always affects your AMCAS GPA. If you fail O-chem the first seven times, all of those go in your GPA too...

I always recommend taking core courses in college even if you have AP credit because it's all about the building blocks. AP Bio generally does not adequately prepare you for the MCAT let alone upper level bio courses.

 

[Maxwell7301]

The other poster is right... any coursework you take always affects your AMCAS GPA. If you fail O-chem the first seven times, all of those go in your GPA too...

I always recommend taking core courses in college even if you have AP credit because it's all about the building blocks. AP Bio generally does not adequately prepare you for the MCAT let alone upper level bio courses.

I agree completely. I took AP bio and chem high school, and then took all the general bio and chem courses in college. While the AP credits were never used for anything, the knowledge gained did help me get an A in those courses.

Having those grades from the beginning was extremely useful because it was not easy to do as well in organic and upper lever bio courses.

Had I used the AP credits to jump into higher level science classes from the start, my GPA would have ended up much lower, placing me in a far worse position for med school applications.

 

[mvenus929]

Had I used the AP credits to jump into higher level science classes from the start, my GPA would have ended up much lower, placing me in a far worse position for med school applications.

On the flip side of things... I took all the AP credits I was given, didn't have to take calculus or physics (had to take physics lab, though), and only did gen chem at the basic (101) level. I jumped right into Cell Bio (300) my second year (focused on getting gen ed credits out of the way my first year), and managed just fine. The only classes I didn't do (as) well in were non-science classes.

Moral of the story: It depends entirely on what type of student you are and how quickly you learn things as to whether or not retaking gen bio would help for anything besides GPA fodder.

 

[Barcu]

If you are at all hesitant of skipping gen bio, go ahead and retake. I did this, and it was nice to have an easier transition to college (it will be harder than your AP class).

Plus, my school was able to count my AP credit for another lower-division bio elective, so it wasn't wasted credit either.

 

[deleted357625]

move on, just buy a bio book

 

[Reticent]

move on, just buy a bio book

This, or at worst see if she can audit a course for no credit (and therefore no grade to report). Every single thing of relevance in Bio 1 she will see again in upper level courses anyway.

 

[deleted357625]

This, or at worst see if she can audit a course for no credit (and therefore no grade to report). Every single thing of relevance in Bio 1 she will see again in upper level courses anyway.

mhm

 

[kcin]

Is it just me or is high school a complete joke? This whole AP course system seems like a self-esteem booster.

edit: I got a GED a few years after middle school, so I can't be sure. It just seems like a joke when I read messages about AP classes.

 

[JustMeditate]

I honestly wouldn't AP out of any pre-requisites. I, too, got a 5 on the AP Exam and could have tested out of BIO I. However, not doing so ended up being a HUGE advantage to me.

First and foremost, it was an easy A and thus, good GPA fodder. And, really, why wouldn't you want to have an easy A? It'll help make up for any future B's you might get in upper level bio! I'd much rather end freshman year with an insane GPA, in easy science courses, then have to stress over getting straight A's in upper level bio courses, because I messed up my freshman GPA!

Secondly, college is a WHOLE different ball game and doesn't even compare with High School. Starting off college with a relatively easy course load, including BIO I, allowed me the breathing room to really adjust to college life and to become efficient at managing a study schedule. If I had started off with upper level bio, I suspect that wouldn't have been the case.

Thirdly, BIO I is the basis for every other bio course you will ever take. You WILL hear the same concepts repeated over and over again. I've gone over cellular respiration, in depth, in at least 3 classes. And each time it is "re-taught" to me in a high level class, there is a cr*p ton of new details to memorize that weren't mentioned the other times it was taught to me. This means that, if you don't take BIO I at the college level, you are at a disadvantage in upper level classes. They already HAVE the basics of cellular respiration, and only need to go over the new stuff. You'll have to re-learn cellular respiration AND the new details.

Finally, AP classes aren't actually that intense, or difficult. In high school, all the AP kids (including myself) thought we were bad*ss for learning stuff at the college level. But now we've realized what everyone else does eventually. AP courses are HIGH SCHOOL courses taught by HIGH SCHOOL teachers, who usually don't have anything more than a degree in education, and maybe a bachelors in science....no PhDs though, like there are in college. AP Bio isn't going to prepare you for upper level bio any more than GT high school physics will prepare you for college level physics.

Sure, you could just take the AP credit, and you could be fine. A lot of posters here claimed that they had no problem with testing out of BIO I. However, testing out doesn't but you at any advantage (unless you wanna graduate in three years rather than 4, or something). Med schools won't think that you're super smart just because you tested out with AP credit. Why do something that will in no way benefit you but will possibly cause you harm?

 

[Br33zy]

I also tested out of the intro bio sequence with AP credit. I decided to run with it and started taking classes in my major freshman year. Not a huge mistake, but I definitely got B's in a few classes I should easily have gotten A's in. I really did learn a ton in AP bio, but I wish I would have had those easier A's. It has all worked out for me anyways, but if I were doing it again I would probably have gone ahead and taken the intro bio sequence.

I asked my adviser if I should take the honors intro sequence last year (my junior year), but since I had already taken classes that built upon it she advised against it. My adviser isn't really great, but just letting you know what I was told.