<p>Hi all,
I'm planning to take AP Biology, AP Physics AB, AP Language and Comp, and AP Calc AB during my senior year of high school (junior as of now). I was wondering if these AP courses will have the same rigor and/or curriculum as college courses. </p>
<p>But to be honest, I'd rather not take so many APs during my senior year and be stressed out with homework and college apps. However, I'm willing to sacrifice my senior year for that A in a pre-req class like chemistry or physics. But it wouldn't help if these AP courses did not cover the courses in the same depth or difficulty (if you get what I'm saying, haha). </p>
<p>Is it worth it to take all these APs during senior year for the sake of an A in college?</p>
<p>Your A’s in high school AP courses will just become credits in college. The grades will not count for college GPA (or in eventual med school calculations). If the purpose of taking the course is for the “sake of an A in college”, it will be for nought.</p>
<p>D.'s college intro Bio went thru AP material in first 2 weeks. Then they moved to new stuff. On the other hand, she never had AP Chem., was prepared for college Chem. better than those who had it and ended up being offered position of SI in Gen. Chem, job that lasted for 3 years and prepared her well for Gen. Chem portion of MCAT.<br>
Apparently, it depends on HS (and HS teacher) and UG. At D’s UG everybody was advised taking intro Bio and many did not survive this class well or ended up falling off pre-med track.</p>
<p>“Same rigor” is highly dependent on the school/teacher. I was very fortunate to have “certified” teachers at a Sci/Tech magnet school, so the answer for me was YES. (in the case of Bio, it was above and beyond the typical college experience) BTW, do you mean AP Physics “B”? If so, you might rethink taking that. AP Physics B is useless. My advice is to take AP Physics “C” or pick another AP class.</p>
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<p>I took 6 AP classes my last year in high school and did not “sacrifice” anything. I was still able to do many ECs and participate in the senior year social events. It was GREAT training in time management that helped me to be very successful my freshman year in college.</p>
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<p>I don’t understand what you mean here. The ONLY thing your college will look at wrt your AP credit is your score on the AP EXAM. You need to learn the material and get a 5 on the exam. The grade you get in the class matters only to your high school GPA. I know of cases where someone got an “A” in an AP class then scored a 1 on the exam. IMO, if you score anything other than a 5, you did not learn enough and should retake the course.</p>
<p>In general, no, AP classes will not have the same rigor and depth as college classes. </p>
<p>Depending upon the policies of your college, you may or may not get credits for your AP classes on your transcript. (And even if you do get credit, you will ONLY get credit–no grades will carry over.) D1 (state flagship) got credits for her AP classes; however, D2’s school (top 30 research U) does not allow bio majors to use AP credits toward fulfilling core requirements. (i.e. her AP Bio, Chem don’t count toward her degree requirements; for AP Calc BC, she got advanced standing but nothing else.)</p>
<p>AP classes are useful to give you a stronger base of skills and knowledge to move forward from, but they are not adequate replacements for core college classes. (And, most medical schools will NOT accept AP credits in lieu of college credits.)</p>
<p>HINT: if you’re going to take AP Phys C—you need to have finished AP Calc AB first. Phys C assumes you have certain math skills already and trying to teach yourself enough calculus to keep up is miserable.</p>
<p>OP, here’s a handy guide (it’s highly accurate, but not perfect) to AP questions sorted by Medical School.</p>
<p>Note: You MUST have the AP credit on your transcript as if it were a completed course from your UG college. It is also recommended to take a higher level course in residence if you can.</p>
<p>Other than the California schools, MOST medical schools clearly will take AP classes as long as you have them listed on your college transcript as credit.</p>
<p>But they must be listed as equivalent to a particular course at your university— i.e “BIO 103 by AP credit” not " AP biology: score 5–3 credits biology" (which is how it appears on D2’s transcript). The former will work; the latter is absolutely useless and won’t be accepted anywhere.</p>
<p>Oh, sorry for the misunderstanding, but I’m talking about comprehending the material, not the score itself (I’m planning on retaking the course even if I get 5’s). I was just wondering if not taking these science APs will put me at a big disadvantage in college (I’ve never touched physics before, and I haven’t taken biology since freshman year). If I can learn the material in college and do as well as people who have taken the subject before, then I probably won’t take these APs. However, if I am at a disadvantage, I probably will push myself through the classes during senior year.</p>
<p>I think the bigger issue is that if you’re planning on applying to top colleges and you watered down your senior year schedule, it will hurt your chances of getting in to school, let alone your performance once you’re there.</p>