Hello all! I am 17 and nearing the end of my junior year. However, I cannot decide whether I want to take AP Biology or Anatomy/Physiology. I am a fairly good student, having maintained a 4.25+ GPA the past three years, along with many honors and AP classes. I do plan on applying to selective schools such as UCLA and NYU. I feel as if Anatomy would benefit me greater in nursing school, but AP Bio might look better on a transcript. I would like to be admitted into a 4-year BSN program that admits freshmen into their nursing school, rather than have to apply again my sophomore year.
I have also been given the opportunity to take a CNA class in the fall through an after school program (which I will obviously take!). The class results in a hospital internship in which we get to shadow a nurse for 8 weeks and the eligibility to become a Certified Nurses Assistant. I am also taking AP English 4 and AP Statistics next year, among other classes, as well as being editor for yearbook and volunteering at the local Boys and Girls Club (which I have been doing since my freshman year). I was also selected as delegate for my school to a state leadership conference this summer at Claremont McKenna College.
Do you think I need to take AP Bio to be admitted to these slective schools, or any 4-year nursing program for that matter, or is my course load enough already? I do not want to spread myself too thin, but I also really want to get into UCLA. Thank you!
If you want to go into nursing, I would highly recommend AP Bio anyway. Bio 101 is a “weeding out” course at many schools meant to separate serious premeds/bio majors from people who are not truly passionate. Even if you don’t score a 5 on the exam, you’ll have a leg up over other students that only took freshman/regular high school biology.
Take both classes! It will benefit you because anatomy & physiology will help on AP Bio due to the overlap of some content. A girl my school did that & said it helped her greatly!
Can you do the Anatomy & Physiology (A&P) Course at your Local Community College, maybe through Dual Enrollment? Most Nursing Programs require A&P I and A&P II (both with Labs) for admission into their BSN Program. This is what I see a number of our friends kids do, which makes their pathway to Nursing School a lot easier. In fact, I know a few students who completed most/all of the Nursing Prerequisites through Dual Enrollment and went straight into the BSN Program, bypassing the first 2-years of the Typical BSN program at a 4-year Universities.
^^ The dual enrollment idea is a good solution! I stand by my point that AP bio would be more useful than CP anatomy but best-case scenario involves you taking both.
Do the AP Bio. If you want to go into nursing, AP Bio will help you more.