U of Chicago AP credits????

[caseyumbs]

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Well as some of you guys already know U of C emailed their applicants a webpage directing them to the secondary application. After reading thru the pritzker website and going thru the instructions for the application it seems that U of C doesn't accept AP credits. They don't come out and say it blatantly but they mention that:

"If you were excused from General Chemistry and/or General Physics by virtue of AP credits or placement exam, you may fulfill the entrance requirement by completing an additional undergraduate science course, or courses, that have a laboratory. These must total at least 8 credit hours if one of the courses is replaced and 16 if both are replaced."

I have AP credit for G-Chem (3 credits) and G-Chem lab (2 credits) and recently took a 3 credit P-chem course (w/o lab). According to pritzker i still need to take like 5 more credits of G-chem w/ lab which seems pretty ridiculous.

So......my question is how strict is Uchicago with their course requirements and AP credits???? I dont wanna waste time filling out their secondary and find out that they can't consider me because i don't have the right classes. If anyone has experience with uchicago and AP credits please let me know.....

 

[caseyumbs]

bumpity......bump??????

 

[soonerpillow]

I was having problems with this, too. I AP'd out of Gen Chem 1 & 2. What other General Chemistry is there? I've taken 8 hours of Organic, 9 hours of Biochem, but I haven't had any more General Chemistry. I think I'm going to send them an e-mail. They seem friendly and willing to help.

 

[soonerpillow]

Okay, I just checked with their requirements and it says:

"If you were excused from General Chemistry and/or General Physics by virtue of AP credits or placement exam, you may fulfill the entrance requirement by completing an additional undergraduate science course, or courses, that have a laboratory. These must total at least 8 credit hours if one of the courses is replaced and 16 if both are replaced. This alternative may comprise a single course or several, and need not occur in consecutive terms. Courses in biology, physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, physical anthropology, engineering and psychology, for example, are appropriate if accompanied by a laboratory."

So, you can replace Gen Chem with practically any other science and it's lab. You, caseyumbs, would need 8 total hours of science + lab to meet the requirement because you AP'd out of one of them. I would need 16 total hours.

 

[menemotxi]

Vanderbilt is very clear where they stand about this. They do not except AP credit for ANY of the general requirements. It really sucks that they punish people for doing well in high school. I won't be applying there now.


I think I read on Pritzker's website that you can request to waive some of the general requirements if you got AP credit. I was gonna call today and ask them. I'll post when I talk to them.

 

[caseyumbs]

Well thanks for the replies guys.....that's kinda what i thought......I think this rule sux......it seems that even though you passed out of a class you still have to take 8 credits of science.....whats the use of even having AP credits?......menetmoxi please post any new information if you end up calling the addmissions office......cuz i really wannna apply to chicago but am pretty depressed about this whole AP credit stuff.

 

[idq1i]

Most schools that I applied to required that you take upper level courses in a subject that AP'd out of in college. It doesn't sound too unreasonable.

 

[efex101]

That is why you must check these issues before submitting to AMCAS...

 

[soonerpillow]

Originally posted by caseyumbs
.....whats the use of even having AP credits?......

well, I was just thinking about that and the answer is in the name. Advanced Placement. It's not Extra Course Credit. The use of AP credits is to be advanced to the next level of that subject. So if you AP out of Gen Chem 1, you are advancely placed in Gen Chem 2. and so on.

 

[Lab-Rat21]

I just got into Pritzker and I had 34 AP credits from high school, so I started college as a sophomore. I had the AP Biology and a bunch in Social Sciences; I majored in Biology though and made sure to take upper level sciences like Immunology and Human Genetics. PM me if you like, I think it is important to show you can handle upper level science period.

Gen Chem credits are acceptable, but maybe take Biochemistry (not Physical Chemistry) to show you can handle the coursework and did not forget that much what you learned in AP...good luck.

 

[soonerpillow]

This isn't about AP credits, but I thought we could turn this into the Chicago secondary thread. 🙂

For essay 3C, their vocabulary usage is confusing. It says:

"Tell us about a difficult or challenging situation that you have encountered and how you dealt with it. In your response, identify both the coping skills that you called upon to resolve the dilemma, and the support person(s) from whom you sought advice."

But a difficult or challenging situation is NOT necessarily a dilemma. A dilemma is a choice with unfavorable options. A difficult situation could be anything. So which should we write about? A difficult situation or a dilemma?

 

[Lab-Rat21]

OK, just write about a difficult situation/traumatic event. Something you had to overcome...that shows you are strong and determined to study medicine...

Play a lil Christina Aguilera "Fighter" in the back as you do this for dramatic effect maybe...😉

Good luck, Pritzker has a tough secondary, but they also really value your responses and your interviews go more smoothly when they know you so well, at least in my case...😀

 

[soonerpillow]

Originally posted by Lab-Rat21
Play a lil Christina Aguilera "Fighter" in the back as you do this for dramatic effect maybe...😉

lol. I'll be sure to do that.

But am I wrong? I already know what I'm going to write about, but I just thought their choice of words was poor.

 

[efex101]

I wrote about a traumatic event and how I coped and whom I asked for help.....and advice.

 

[Munchkin57]

Will it hurt me if I do not include a letter from my advisor even though the secondary asks for it? I have only seen the pre-med advisor once, and have gone through an advisor in the honors college the rest of the time. So the pre-med advisor barely knows me, so I don't think her letter would be very beneficial to me, but I don't want it to hurt me by not asking her. So do you think it is better to ask her, or just explain that in the paragraph they allow?

 

[AverageMan]

About that difficult situation question, is anyone else having trouble coming up with a suitable difficult situation they went through? When looking at the question my though process went something like :

What have I been through that was exceedingly difficult?
Brain: There was the day Amy broke up with you
That'll make for a lame essay. What about the time my hand was severed and I had to go through months of rehab?
Brain: That never happened, you're confusing your life with television again
Oh. So what was my most difficult situation?
Brain: There was that time sophmore year you had to take 4 finals in one day
That's the best you can come up with?
Brain: Fraid so. Are you complaining that nothing bad or traumatic has ever happened to you?
Yes dammit, I'm getting hosed in this essay. If I had cancer I would be golden.
Brain: That has to be the dumbest thing you've ever said
:::whimpering::: I know...

I ended up talking about a conference I was the chairman for and how much work it involved, but I definately had to stretch the difficulty task. (It was hard work yeah, but careful planning reduced the difficulty significantly). It just feels like I'm behind the curve since I've been lucky that nothing bad of any significance has happened to me. Is it supposed to be this difficult and selective to those with some misfortune in their past, or am I missing the point of the question?

 

[soonerpillow]

Originally posted by AverageMan
(It was hard work yeah, but careful planning reduced the difficulty significantly). It just feels like I'm behind the curve since I've been lucky that nothing bad of any significance has happened to me. Is it supposed to be this difficult and selective to those with some misfortune in their past, or am I missing the point of the question?

See, it was hard work (difficult situation), but you carefulling planned it (coping skills). I think that's what they're looking for. How you deal with stuff.

the hardest question for me is the "relate a time that you TRULY helped someone" question. It's the TRULY part that is intimidating.