AP Credit for pre-med prereqs -- worth using?

[malfee]

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I tried searching for the answer to my question, but I only found other unrelated AP credit threads.

I would like to know if, hypothetically, one were to gain credit for AP Bio, Chem, Physics, and Calc, should he/she make use of the credit once in college, or should he/she retake Gen. Bio/Chem/Phys/Calc in order to have the material for the MCAT fresh in one's mind? I believe I've heard people recommending undergrads retake the courses, but I would like to hear the general conensus. Thanks.

 

[KillingMeSmalls]

It's been awhile since I applied for med school, but if I remember correctly, you have to be careful with AP credits. Some schools don't accept college credit earned for med school pre-req. courses. A lot of the time, you can find this information on the med school's website. Of course, policies vary from school to school. When in doubt, contact someone from the school. Things might've changed in the last 4 years, though.

 

[malfee]

Hmm, so would a college-bound high school senior have to start worrying about these things right away? Hypothetically speaking, if I were to get credit for AP Physics B and AP Calculus AB, of course I would love to use them and skip general classes, but if this might cause future problems with medical schools, I wouldn't dream of doing this.

I'm still concerned about whether or not it's academically smart for a pre-med student to move on to advanced classes, whereas the MCAT tests only basic knowledge of its subjects. Not to mention, retaking classes you already excel at would be great GPA boosters, no?

 

[Thrombomodulin]

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[HumidBeing]

The AP courses in the sciences are not the same as the college courses for science majors in those subjects. Having the AP course under your belt really makes whichever class a breeze, though. As Thrombomodulin said, getting off to a strong start with your GPA freshman year, takes a lot of the pressure off.

Many med schools don't accept AP credit for the prereqs, but often allow upper level courses in those same subjects to substitute for them IF there was AP credit granted. You're much better off having taken the college basic science courses as preparation instead of relying on the AP courses to prepare you for diving into those upper levels, though.

Each school handles how it accepts prereqs in its own way. Most don't require a year of calculus, but many require a year of college level math. Statistics can often be used to cover at least part of that requirement. You're going to need to take Stats for just about any major. Many require two semesters of English, but don't accept AP credit, and many of those will take a writing intensive course in lieu of at least one semester of English.

As you can see, the requirements of the individual med schools aren't exactly uniform.

Even though the MCAT tests what is covered in the basic courses, it does not hurt to take upper levels in those subjects. You are going to wind up doing a heavy review of the basics before you take the test. Move on to the upper levels when you are ready, but don't jump into them before you have a solid framework to prepare you.

 

[malfee]

Hmmm, great advice. Yeah, I was leaning toward not really using any of my credits (should I earn them), except for maybe my English credits. I scored a 4 on the English Composition/Writing exam, and I'd like to do the same this year with Literature, but now you're making me worry that even those credits won't help much on the road to med. school. Aw, haha.

 

[HumidBeing]

You can still wind up taking a class in Lit. once you're there. You'd be surprised at how many interesting Lit classes there are in college. There is something offered for just about any interest.

 

[HumidBeing]

None of this is saying not to take AP classes in high school. You DO want to do that because the colleges will be judging you not only on your GPA, but whether you took the more challenging courses offered in your school. You don't want to pass them up just because they won't reduce the number of courses you'll have to take to get to med school.

Always concentrate more on your current work, and the step that follows than you do on what is far down the road. Keep in mind what you will need later to meet those goals, but the priorities are the more immediate goals.

 

[Algophiliac]

Well, I wouldn't use the AP credits for several reasons. First off, you really should review this stuff over and over again for MCAT, and retaking classes works into that.
Second, GPA boost! Come on, you know you need it.
Third, most med schools won't take AP credits, simply because college and high school are different in terms of course load and material covered.

Now, classes like economics or goverment I'd go ahead and use AP credits for, since I'm not likely to need those as med school pre-reqs.

 

[Narmerguy]

Generally as a premed you won't need any crazy acceleration into your major so there really isn't that great a need to jump into the high level science courses so soon. Also many of you took the AP test for the certain courses earlier than Senior year. For me, I took AP Chemistry my junior year and even though I did extremely well on the test, by college I had forgotten a lot of it. Don't underestimate the benefits of retaking courses.

 

[Caesar]

I tried searching for the answer to my question, but I only found other unrelated AP credit threads.

I would like to know if, hypothetically, one were to gain credit for AP Bio, Chem, Physics, and Calc, should he/she make use of the credit once in college, or should he/she retake Gen. Bio/Chem/Phys/Calc in order to have the material for the MCAT fresh in one's mind? I believe I've heard people recommending undergrads retake the courses, but I would like to hear the general conensus. Thanks.

If you plan on being a bio and/or Chem major you can take and use the AP credits. Since you will have to go above and beyond the intro level classes it won't be a big deal to med schools. Or you can retake them and get an easy A. If you don't fully understand the material 100% think about retaking. Calc I wouldn't retake. As long as it will show up on your transcript the schools tend to accept it. I can't think of any exception. Physics you may consider retaking as well since it will probably be the only physics instruction you get in college.

 

[Caesar]

Well, I wouldn't use the AP credits for several reasons. First off, you really should review this stuff over and over again for MCAT, and retaking classes works into that.
Second, GPA boost! Come on, you know you need it.
Third, most med schools won't take AP credits, simply because college and high school are different in terms of course load and material covered.

Now, classes like economics or goverment I'd go ahead and use AP credits for, since I'm not likely to need those as med school pre-reqs.

That's not really true. As long as it appears on your transcript as being an equivalent to a campus course, they tend to accept it. There are a few exceptions that I have heard rumors about though.

Some schools do require humanities course work. U of I for example wants 2 semesters. That's a perfect time to bust out the old AP credit. Also they help with college course work since you won't have to take a class you will have more time to focus on your bio classes.

 

[I'm No Superman]

Bump

 

[Lil Mick]

It's a big help to have AP credit going into college, especially at a rigorous or large university, as it allows you to bypass the 300+ people lectures with harsh grading curves. That being said, you'll have to take upper division courses to supplant the intro classes if you decide to use your AP credit. If you're willing or plan to take upper level courses in some subjects, go for it. You can always review the material through an MCAT prep course, on your own, or through tutoring others in those intro courses.