<p>Hello all, first let me apologize, I tried Searching the Coursework sticky thread, but it's long and I couldn't find this exact situation.</p>
<p>D1 got credit for AP Chem and it shows up on her transcript as either gen or inorg Chem plus lab. As a result, she went straight to orgo and took a year of that with lab. For her second year of Chem, she took BioChem and since her school doesn't have a lab along with the class, she's taking the lab this semester. The question is, does she have to take the full semester of lab (which is equivalent to a year) or will half a semester plus her AP Chem lab credit fulfill Med school requirements? [Note: she has fulfilled her Bio requirements with other classes, so this is strictly for Chem.]</p>
<p>I know that Med schools vary as far as what they will take, but unfortunately she hasn't taken the MCAT yet and won't be applying until summer of 2012, so she doesn't really have a list of schools. The reason she's asking is because she was planning on taking the full semester, but several people she knows who have the same AP credit and classwork are only taking half because they believe it fulfills the Chem requirement. Are they correct, or misinformed or maybe just applying to schools that DO accept AP credit??</p>
<p>Any thoughts are appreciated. It's her sr year, so she wouldn't mind a slight break towards the end of the year, but definitely doesn't want to shut any doors by not doing this relatively small thing.</p>
<p>Some of the 300/400 bio and chem classes don’t have labs. So, son has purposely picked some that do have labs to cover these bases. Hopefully, that will do the trick!</p>
<p>BTW…As many colleges do, my kid’s college offers BioChem in the Chem dept…and it offers BioChem in the Bio dept. I dont’ know if they are seen as the same? or what?</p>
<p>Think I got my answer, D1 looked up the specifics of a couple of schools she’s very interested in (Vandy & UChicago) and both only take credit to let you use APs to take advanced classwork, not towards credit for requirements. Her friends must be lucky enough to be applying to schools that accept the credit. That’s OK, a small thing, and now won’t have to worry that she’ll come short up due to not taking that half a semester.</p>
<p>Same deal, you can use AP credit to take higher level classes but not to meet requirements.</p>
<p>I warned D1 about using AP Chem but she wouldn’t listen, that is until she started taking Biochem classes :rolleyes:. D2 is taking AP Chem sr year and I will not even let her take the exam. She’s thrilled, but of course her friends think her mom is crazy, crazy like a fox :).</p>
<p>I remember BRM once posted that, to avoid any potential problem, it is better to take the AP Physics and Chemistry classes but not taking the exams. (This may be especially a good suggestion for those who are non-science-major premeds. – BTW, many high schoolers who strongly believe they will be science majors before college may change their mind after they are in college.)</p>
<p>However, like mom2 posted: “some schools (like my kids’ school) required that students take the AP exam.” This is a mess that is created by multiple parties: the current medical school admission system, College Board, and the policy in college and high school. Also, depending on what kind of college you intend to apply to, having the AP credits/scores may be a necessity, or at least a tipping factor (no matter how small the tipping factor it may be. These days “AP score 5” are a dime a dozen. It really does not help you stand out much.)</p>
<p>How would a naive high schooler know this?</p>
<p>BTW, a related topic: Many academic adviser in many science departments may strongly urge students to skip the introductory science classes and take, for example, orgo, in freshman year – This is a good suggestion for some (e.g., for those who are destined to a graduate school or science majors, esp. those who may be an MD-PhD applicants) but a bad suggestion for others (who just want to take “enough” science classes and would rather do medical/volunteering ECs rather than spending too much time as a lab slave.)</p>
<p>I really think that those who are attending colleges that won’t let you retake a science class for which you have AP credit need to be appealed to for a policy change. I would think that by appealing to the provost (and pre-med advising for backup) this would be a change that could happen. </p>
<p>I think a reasonably worded appeal that fully explained why pre-med students may need to repeat these courses would not fall on deaf ears. Certainly, the issue that a student may have taken the AP course a few years earlier should definitely result in the right to retake the course…simply to refresh.</p>
<p>Probably not an option at most schools that have this policy; for example, at UNC it is considered an Honor Code violation…</p>
<p>My S was unable to take AP BC calc due to scheduling problems his senior year of HS. His calc teacher told him that her AB course actually taught about 80 % of BC anyway and that she would be happy to tutor him for the BC exam…he and three others took her up on that offer and all scored 5s on the BC exam.</p>
<p>When he went to register for the equivalent of BC at UNC they would not allow him to take it because of the 5 on the BC exam…he appealed in person to the Dept Chair explaining that he had really NOT taken the class and he was told about the Honor Code implications and was placed into a higher level class intended for Math and Chem majors. When his adviser saw what was happening he had him drop the class and take a stats class instead which fulfilled his math requirement for most Med schools.</p>
<p>It is interesting to see the different policies within HS’s and colleges. D’s college doesn’t give any credit for AP or IB exams, and in hindsight I am glad they didn’t so she wasn’t tempted to opt out, or forced out of those general bio/chem/physics classes.</p>
<p>Yes, I recognize that some HSs require AP tests to be taken. Our HS does not, but sometimes teachers try to get students to take the test with incentives like not doing a final project, etc.</p>
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<p>We planned for her to take both AP Physics & AP Chem sr year so that AP test scores would not come into play for admissions. I agree that this is not a strategy that can be applied to APs taken earlier in HS.</p>
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<p>I agree that that can’t be expected, and while I realize that the present company are exceptions, I think that this is one of many areas that GCs and parents could gain better insight in order to help their students/children.</p>