Freshman taking placement tests at orientation?

[DrHoosier]

I am signing up for orientation right now but I'm not sure if I should take all the placement tests. It says the chem test is necessary, but I also took bio and calculus (in high school) and may be able to do good in these. But I think I remember reading somewhere that its a good idea to just take these classes anyway so you learn the info again. Should I try and test out of these classes and get credit, or just not take them?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[steelblue89]

You will learn a lot more in college in these classes than you did in high school. And if you already know a good amount, it can boost your GPA. Also, some med schools want you to take the core classes in college and not have AP credit.

I think it would be a win-win situation as far as learning for MCAT/GPA advancement.

 

[Van Chowder]

I am signing up for orientation right now but I'm not sure if I should take all the placement tests. It says the chem test is necessary, but I also took bio and calculus (in high school) and may be able to do good in these. But I think I remember reading somewhere that its a good idea to just take these classes anyway so you learn the info again. Should I try and test out of these classes and get credit, or just not take them?

You essentially have to take the classes, while some medschools say the AP credit is ok, the VAST majority of them require you to take them.. Just think of the AP classes as prep for college ( and a waste of time).
If you do not believe me you can check the websites of the certain med schools you think you would be interested ( and confirmation will be granted) or hollar at the adcoms for the same schools

 

[Compass]

Take the placement test, see how well you do, and take the class anyways.

 

[peasant05]

Don't even bother with the placement tests. Take the classes and do really well. That way, you'll have the extra As and you will be safe for medical schools that don't want to accept AP credits. I tried to get "ahead of the game" freshman year by passing out of Bio 1 and taking the more difficult Bio 2 instead. Not only did I end up with a C, but I had to take a second, upper level, Bio class to meet the requirement anyway.

In Chem, I got a 5 on the AP test but decided to take the college class anyway. The As I have in Chem 1 and Chem 2 and both labs did great things for my science GPA.

 

[Mattabet]

You'll probably be able to get by with bypassing Calculus more than Chem or Bio; different schools have different rules. To be safe though, I agree with the above. If you really know it, it's a nice GPA bump (and keeps you from starting your college experience too hard, it's much better to ease in with some familiar material). Plus, you'll be covered wherever you decide to go. Win-win-win!

 

[VneZonyDostupa]

You essentially have to take the classes, while some medschools say the AP credit is ok, the VAST majority of them require you to take them.. Just think of the AP classes as prep for college ( and a waste of time).
If you do not believe me you can check the websites of the certain med schools you think you would be interested ( and confirmation will be granted) or hollar at the adcoms for the same schools

Unless things have changed in the last year, the bolded statement is incorrect. I applied to many different tiers and locations of medical schools, and none of them had policies that would refuse AP credit. I used AP for my bio101/102, calc, and English reqs.