If I have an AP credit for biology, which counts as the first class in the two-semester "general bio" sequence at my school, will the second class in that sequence plus another advanced bio class fill the "Year of bio" requirement at most schools? Or do I need to take both general bio classes? Is there any reason not to take them both in the same semester? (I'm graduating next semester -- if I take, say, bio I and chem I I'll have to finish those classes at another school.)
Clarify something regarding AP scores and prereqs...
- Thread starter sarahg
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Not all schools accept AP credit for prereq courses--you have to check with the specific schools you want to apply to. If a school does take AP credits, they generally expect you to take an equivalent number of credits in advanced courses in the same department, so your plan would be OK for such schools. But it's possible that a school you're very interested in would not allow this.
Personally, I'd take the college bio class anyway. I took AP bio in high school also, but when I took the college bio course I saw there was no comparison between the two. (Same for AP chem, BTW.) It's like the difference between a local 5K race and the Olympic marathon. If you don't take bio I at the college level, you could have difficulty with bio II, not to mention the bio material on the MCAT.
Thanks for the info. I actually took AP bio under the then-teacher-of-the-year of my state, and the majority of the class scored 5s (I got a 5 on the AP test, 800 on the bio SATII), so I'm pretty confident I had an above average AP experience. But it doesn't really hurt me to take both, so I'll do that. I just read some posts here implying that if you have AP bio credits, even schools that won't accept the credits will be okay with you using them to take more advanced courses than Bio I-II (or at my school, organismal bio then cell/molecular bio).
I'm a psych major, though, so mainly I just need to build a science GPA. If I wind up knowing most of this stuff it can only help me out!
I'm a psych major, though, so mainly I just need to build a science GPA. If I wind up knowing most of this stuff it can only help me out!
mmmcdowe
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Some schools out right refuse AP credit for a pre-req, with no conditions that you can take higher level courses. Also, its a great way to keep some of the pre-reqs moderately fresh in your head for the MCAT, especially if you take some of the Sophomore year. Plus, easy A's for your science GPA.
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Quite honestly, it's just less of a hassle to take the bios over. You will get a refresher course for the MCAT, it sounds like you're already pretty confident so you should get an A, and you won't have to worry about this crap when it comes time to apply. I applied to some schools that "don't take AP credits" and got interviews with them (vanderbilt being one of them), but if you're early on in your undergrad you should just take the classes over (i actually took bio over despite having a 5 as well, it was some other pre-reqs i'd placed out of).
I'm actually a senior and will be doing most of my prereqs post-bac. I have one semester left with only one required class for my major, so I could do either bio I and bio II or bio I and an advanced bio (I don't want to start physics or chem and then finish the sequence at another school).
