Intro Science vs Advanced Science

[Kaizer]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I have a question as an incoming freshman in college.

Would it be better to take an intro level science course (i.e. Bio 101) despite taking IB/AP Bio then going directly into more advanced bio courses like Cell Bio or Genetics to fulfill the pre-med requirement?

Apologies if this seems like a question that has been rehashed before.

 

[JJMrK]

I have a question as an incoming freshman in college.

Would it be better to take an intro level science course (i.e. Bio 101) despite taking IB/AP Bio then going directly into more advanced bio courses like Cell Bio or Genetics to fulfill the pre-med requirement?

Apologies if this seems like a question that has been rehashed before.

IMO, yes. Since you've already seen the material it should be a good chance to start your college career off with some A's.

 

[rbnsafsadgf]

Yes, take the intro sciences even after IB or AP classes in those subjects. College classes, especially for the major, should cover more material with more depth than IB or AP ones.

They will still be (or at least should be) challenging even after IB/AP prep.

 

[linkorn12]

Depends. At my school the intro bio class only gave out 15% A's (brutal!) whereas the upper level classes gave around twice that amount.

 

[Narmerguy]

Take the intro class. It's not best to jump into college taking the advanced classes until you have a good handle of the studying techniques you'll use and such. It's also a good chance to get to know fellow freshmen during labs and what not.

 

[Quaero]

Take the intro class first. Believe me, don't graduate with a bunch of AP credits only to realize many medschool won't accept them. 🙁

 

[Kaizer]

Alright, thanks guys! Big help from all of you!

 

[Web MD]

Pretty much just repeating what others said but take the intro courses. Should be an easy way to pick up A's/A-s and the more science credits you have, the less "hard" classes like orgo/physics/whatever you have trouble with will be able to significantly impact your sGPA. Also, you probably don't know how to study coming out of high school since you either didn't study or cracked a book for an hour before a test, so it's a good chance to see what college courses are like and ease into things. Finally, unless you get a masters/PhD in bio, admins won't care that you took advanced analytic chem 502 or p-chem 6000 with genetic embryology while all the other applicants stopped at o chem and cell bio...

 

[vanillabear55]

Depends. At my school the intro bio class only gave out 15% A's (brutal!) whereas the upper level classes gave around twice that amount.

My school does this too!!! Screwed me over with the second sequence of bio.
where do you go ???

 

[sonia1177]

I have a question as an incoming freshman in college.

Would it be better to take an intro level science course (i.e. Bio 101) despite taking IB/AP Bio then going directly into more advanced bio courses like Cell Bio or Genetics to fulfill the pre-med requirement?

Apologies if this seems like a question that has been rehashed before.

I took AP Bio in high school and scored a 4 on the exam and could have taken the credit and taken an upper level course like GEnetics instead of Intro Bio. IM SO GLAD I DIDN'T. Intro bio was still challenging despite having AP credit. and im glad I took it for the strong foundation that I could carry with me to other classes. So I would stay take the INtro course. Better to be safe than sorry. Good Luck!

 

[GUH]

I got a 5 on the AP Bio exam and then a C- in Intro Bio 1. Not for a drop in effort, either. I'll probably have to take the course over again. Not cool.


My suggestion would be to ask around and go with whatever class hands out higher grades. With some schools and professors, that may be the lower division course. With others, it may be the higher.

Get the best grades you can. If there's one piece of advice I would advocate for students looking to apply to grad school (med school or otherwise), it would be to take whichever courses and professors fulfill the requirements while doling out the most A's and the least C's, D's, and F's. Rate My Professor can be an excellent resource in this regard.

 

[chman]

Take the intro class. It's not best to jump into college taking the advanced classes until you have a good handle of the studying techniques you'll use and such. It's also a good chance to get to know fellow freshmen during labs and what not.

For some reason the bolded made me lol. I write like that too.