AP credits and prepharmacy

[tttaaa]

Hi, I am a high school student interested in pharmacy. I wondered if prepharmacy is the same as premed in the fact that the prerequisites can't be completed using AP credits.
1. Is it true?
2. Because prepharmacy coursework are extremely extensive (and variable), is it feasible to complete a major like biochemistry and still complete the prepharmacy coursework (assuming it can be applicable to many different pharmacy schools)?

Thanks everyone!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[StringTheorist]

I would think it would depend on which school you apply to. I can't say for certain, but I would assume most pharmacy colleges would accept your AP credits. My university did, and I saved myself from taking 4 classes.

 

[Sharwood]

I started college with 41 hours from AP classes. At my college, they do count towards your pre-req's. I knocked out basically a year of pre-pharmacy before I stepped foot on campus. If you pull this off, you can either skip a year of pre-pharmacy or you can take a number of classes you're interested in that you would have otherwise not had room for.

I'm doing the 6-year pharmacy program (2 years pre-pharm and 4 years pharm), so I can't really help you with the other question.

 

[nehe87]

I went into my freshman year with 50 hours of credit, which was really nice, because, like someone else said, I was able to take other classes that interested me, and also a couple extra science classes that beef up my transcript for pharm school apps. A lot of schools do accept AP credits, but you should check out their policy on AP credit by either calling or looking at the website.

 

[tttaaa]

When you talk about schools accepting APs for prepharm prerequisites, do you mean pharmacy schools (and not your undergrad school)?
Because if so, that could seriously narrow down your choice for pharm schools (if some of them don't accept APs), does it (is it a crucial factor)?

 

[lvp0021]

Best way to do these: Contact the PHARMACY schools that you want to apply to and ask them if they accept AP credits as prereq. I was in the situation that my undergrad school accepts AP but the Pharm school I applied to does not. I ended up taking the CLEP tests to satisfy the pharm school requirement as I ran out of time (and $) to take those classes

 

[sdn1977]

Once you've got AP credits on your record, the dye is cast.

For the University of California, AP credits are considered to be a "C" when being evaluated for graduate schools within the UC system. For good or bad, thats the reality. I don't have any idea how they are evaluated in different systems.

So - when my kids were going thru school - they got tremendous advice - only take the AP TEST for courses you absolutely KNOW you don't want to go into as a major - like history for MSIII.

She took AP Calculus, AP Chemistry & AP physics CLASSES - she just didn't take the exam (pissed off the school something terrible because they get $$$ for every student who passes). But, the fact she took the AP courses & got good grades showed she could tolerate the course load. But, the AP credits did not get in the way of her taking the collegiate courses & getting good collegiate grades - thereby raising her collegiate gpa, which is the one that really counts. From our point of view - we have been paying for 6 going on 7 years of college for her & 4 for digital son, so a few quarters/semesters here or there is not significant.

Good luck - AP courses are an unfortunate development for students - particularly in CA!!!! Undergrads don't know what impact it has on graduate evaluations when they're in high school.

 

[creestal]

For the University of California, AP credits are considered to be a "C" when being evaluated for graduate schools within the UC system. For good or bad, thats the reality. I don't have any idea how they are evaluated in different systems.

I got a shock when I read this! I'm only applying to the ucsf and ucsd pharmacy schools and that would suck if my 8 or so ap credits were considered Cs! But I checked the ucsf pharmacy school page and it says ap credit is counted as pass/no pass and doesn't count towards calculating gpa. Maybe ap credits = "C" only occurs in uc grad schools, not professional schools??

To original poster:
It all depends on what school you're applying to, so check on the school's websites. Based on my own experience, I'd take the ap classes/tests, since it might help in shaving off a few easy classes (like economics or statistics).
As for majoring in biochem and fulfilling your prerequisites, it depends on what undergrad school you go to, how many years of undergrad you're doing, and the class load you can take. For my undergrad, I could have graduated with a BS in biochem in 3 years, but it would have meant taking 3 science classes a semester and that was not something I wanted to do, so I opted for more relaxed major. Once you get to undergrad, it helps to just sit down with your advisor and plan out your classes so you can figure out what major you are able to do while fulfilling your prereqs.

 

[sdn1977]

Pass/No Pass is calculated as a C - at least it was 3 years ago when MSIII was applying for medical school in CA. I'm assuming its the same for pharmacy. It may have all changed now though.

She was actually given the heads up about this in high school when her cousin applied for a masters engineering program a few years before her. She asked about it at her UCSD pre-freshman visit & it was confirmed by one of their admissions counselors. She did her undergrad at UCSD & by not taking her AP tests, she was able to start her "series" classes at the first level. That meant she was able to do very, very well. If you get a 3 or 4, you start with the second quarter class. G*d forbid if you get a 5 - you must start with the third quarter class. It won't matter what high school you take calculus at - the collegiate level is much, much harder & its easier to start at the beginning & do well than struggle to get up to speed with how the course is taught at the campus you attend. You are also competing with the very cream of the crop & for the most part, they grade on a bell curve. Someone is on the downslope of the bell. Also, for an incoming freshman, it becomes an "easier" A which gives you time to become adjusted to a collegiate setting rather than a high school setting which gives you a better start.

Be careful in CA with the AP credits!!! They have become meaningless in CA & the UC's know it. Take the exam in classes which won't be your major. If you want to go into a science oriented professional school, start with the first class of your series (for pharmacy it should be the higher level math & chemistry offered) & get A's. Those look soooo much better than high school APs which are inflated.

If you are in high school, visit a professional school campus - it won't matter which type or one. Ask specifically how they calculate a pass/no pass grade when calculating the gpa. All professional UC schools should be the same - medicine, pharmacy, law, etc.. That won't necessarily be the same for the private schools - they may use different criteria & I'm not familiar with those.

Its important to realize you won't get this same advice in your high school. The reason is - the high school gets $$ for each child who is qualified who is enrolled in the class. Then, the school AND the instructor get $$ for each child who passes the test with increasing amounts depending on the score. Its worth it to the school, for many reasons - not just money, to have you take the class & pass the test. It may not be worth it to you in the long run however.

Be careful & good luck!

 

[Farmercyst]

Pass/No Pass is calculated as a C - at least it was 3 years ago when MSIII was applying for medical school in CA. I'm assuming its the same for pharmacy. It may have all changed now though.

She was actually given the heads up about this in high school when her cousin applied for a masters engineering program a few years before her. She asked about it at her UCSD pre-freshman visit & it was confirmed by one of their admissions counselors. She did her undergrad at UCSD & by not taking her AP tests, she was able to start her "series" classes at the first level. That meant she was able to do very, very well. If you get a 3 or 4, you start with the second quarter class. G*d forbid if you get a 5 - you must start with the third quarter class. It won't matter what high school you take calculus at - the collegiate level is much, much harder & its easier to start at the beginning & do well than struggle to get up to speed with how the course is taught at the campus you attend. You are also competing with the very cream of the crop & for the most part, they grade on a bell curve. Someone is on the downslope of the bell. Also, for an incoming freshman, it becomes an "easier" A which gives you time to become adjusted to a collegiate setting rather than a high school setting which gives you a better start.

Be careful in CA with the AP credits!!! They have become meaningless in CA & the UC's know it. Take the exam in classes which won't be your major. If you want to go into a science oriented professional school, start with the first class of your series (for pharmacy it should be the higher level math & chemistry offered) & get A's. Those look soooo much better than high school APs which are inflated.

If you are in high school, visit a professional school campus - it won't matter which type or one. Ask specifically how they calculate a pass/no pass grade when calculating the gpa. All professional UC schools should be the same - medicine, pharmacy, law, etc.. That won't necessarily be the same for the private schools - they may use different criteria & I'm not familiar with those.

Its important to realize you won't get this same advice in your high school. The reason is - the high school gets $$ for each child who is qualified who is enrolled in the class. Then, the school AND the instructor get $$ for each child who passes the test with increasing amounts depending on the score. Its worth it to the school, for many reasons - not just money, to have you take the class & pass the test. It may not be worth it to you in the long run however.

Be careful & good luck!

Perhaps it's a difference between how PharmCAS views GPA and how the Adcom is instructed to view it. PharmCAS leaves Incompletes and Cr/No Cr courses out entirely, but that doesn't mean that the adcom when looking over grades doesn't keep a tally of AP courses when scoring the individual applications. If someone is considering a UC school, I'd say in this case a quick call to the school should resolve any confusion.