Classes

[DiamondBar]

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I know it's different for all medical schools that I may apply to, but I have been receiving conflicting answers.

Getting 5's on AP Calculus 1&2 allowed me to obtain credit for two quarters of math classes. By taking one more math class, does that fulfill the common "1 year of math" requirement to apply for medical schools? Some upperclassmen have told me that these requirements are not strict and is flexible. Is this true?

I sometimes regret taking AP tests for AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and AP Calc I and II because I would rather have taken these classes during college for credit. Does anyone agree? 🙁


Let me know your thoughts!
Thank you everyone!😎

 

[NickNaylor]

The policy is school-dependent. Some schools don't accept AP credit for pre-reqs under any circumstances. Others want you to take the same amount of hours/credits in each subject area but in different courses. Others will do something like you described. You have to look at each school individually.

I was in the same boat as you but decided to retake the courses because 1) I don't trust the College Board and 2) the classes were easy As. I'm really glad I ended up doing that at this point.

 

[DiamondBar]

The policy is school-dependent. Some schools don't accept AP credit for pre-reqs under any circumstances. Others want you to take the same amount of hours/credits in each subject area but in different courses. Others will do something like you described. You have to look at each school individually.

I was in the same boat as you but decided to retake the courses because 1) I don't trust the College Board and 2) the classes were easy As. I'm really glad I ended up doing that at this point.

Same. I don't trust College Board at ALL either, those money-whoreing degenerates. Anyways, I want to take general bio, but it would be a waste of a year if I can go straight to upper-divs. BUT I will fail MCAT's biology section miserably, since I took Biology during sophomore year of high school.

UGH

 

[Hejman]

Same. I don't trust College Board at ALL either, those money-whoreing degenerates. Anyways, I want to take general bio, but it would be a waste of a year if I can go straight to upper-divs. BUT I will fail MCAT's biology section miserably, since I took Biology during sophomore year of high school.

UGH

This is why I am so angry with the whole ****in system. They make you take a billion AP classes in high school to be "competitive" and when you come to college, you realize that paying the $80+ fee for each test was a total waste of money, either because

A) The AP test wasn't comprehensive enough, and doesn't actually mirror the difficulty of the college class.

or

B) Taking the credit would be foolishness because professional and graduate schools want to see you do well in the classes while in college.

This whole system is a giant mess. People with access to test prep get higher scores, people who go to rich high schools take more AP exams, etc. Its a never ending cycle that only serves to harm those who dont have the opportunities. And even if you do get the opportunities, as is demonstrated in this case, they turn out to be utterly useless.

 

[DiamondBar]

This is why I am so angry with the whole ****in system. They make you take a billion AP classes in high school to be "competitive" and when you come to college, you realize that paying the $80+ fee for each test was a total waste of money, either because

A) The AP test wasn't comprehensive enough, and doesn't actually mirror the difficulty of the college class.

or

B) Taking the credit would be foolishness because professional and graduate schools want to see you do well in the classes while in college.

This whole system is a giant mess. People with access to test prep get higher scores, people who go to rich high schools take more AP exams, etc. Its a never ending cycle that only serves to harm those who dont have the opportunities. And even if you do get the opportunities, as is demonstrated in this case, they turn out to be utterly useless.

I agree. I feel angry for my hard-working parents that wasted money on all of this mess.

 

[mvenus929]

Same. I don't trust College Board at ALL either, those money-whoreing degenerates. Anyways, I want to take general bio, but it would be a waste of a year if I can go straight to upper-divs. BUT I will fail MCAT's biology section miserably, since I took Biology during sophomore year of high school.

UGH

You won't fail the biology section of the MCAT if you take upper division courses instead of general biology. You just might have to brush up on the topics you don't cover in the upper division courses.Most people study for the MCAT extensively even after taking the undergrad courses, so relax.

 

[NickNaylor]

I would recommend "wasting a year" (protip: it won't be a waste) to take all of the pre-reqs at your institution. Unless you're double or triple majoring, you will likely have plenty of time to do your courses. I'm in an honors program that required extra courses and am working on a minor in the humanities and was able to fit all my pre-reqs in for the MCAT no problem. You just have to have a plan in place.

It makes more sense to me to retake these classes than run the risk of not being able to apply to some schools because of something stupid like AP credit.

 

[DiamondBar]

You won't fail the biology section of the MCAT if you take upper division courses instead of general biology. You just might have to brush up on the topics you don't cover in the upper division courses.Most people study for the MCAT extensively even after taking the undergrad courses, so relax.

Oh okay, thanks for the input! 🙂

I would recommend "wasting a year" (protip: it won't be a waste) to take all of the pre-reqs at your institution. Unless you're double or triple majoring, you will likely have plenty of time to do your courses. I'm in an honors program that required extra courses and am working on a minor in the humanities and was able to fit all my pre-reqs in for the MCAT no problem. You just have to have a plan in place.

It makes more sense to me to retake these classes than run the risk of not being able to apply to some schools because of something stupid like AP credit.

Oh I see. Thank you! I was also wondering if it was "bad" (sorry for such a broad word, my vocabulary is very limited 🙁 )to take the two math classes that I already have AP Credit for. I already took a math class that is above the two I already got credit for ;;

 

[nisarg2010]

This is why I am so angry with the whole ****in system. They make you take a billion AP classes in high school to be "competitive" and when you come to college, you realize that paying the $80+ fee for each test was a total waste of money, either because

A) The AP test wasn't comprehensive enough, and doesn't actually mirror the difficulty of the college class.

or

B) Taking the credit would be foolishness because professional and graduate schools want to see you do well in the classes while in college.

This whole system is a giant mess. People with access to test prep get higher scores, people who go to rich high schools take more AP exams, etc. Its a never ending cycle that only serves to harm those who dont have the opportunities. And even if you do get the opportunities, as is demonstrated in this case, they turn out to be utterly useless.

You had to pay for your AP exams? Anyway, I agree with you. The whole ****ing system sucks!!!