<p>I know this has been asked a billion and one times but I can't get any clear answers from all the other threads.
My situation: Incoming freshman at University of Florida, 5 on AP Bio, English, and both Calc AB&BC; 4 in AP Chem. Bunch of other APs not worth mentioning.</p>
<p>The AP chem credit gives me 4 credits for CHM2045/L(GEN CHEM I n LAB).
I can either take CHM2045/L or CHM2046/L(GEN CHEM II n LAB) or CHM2047/L(One-semester Gen Chem)(5 credits). I want to get a full review of chemistry though, so it's either CHM2045/L or CHM2047/L. However, how would 4 credits from ap chem plus the 5 credits from chm2047/L look to med schools? I'd also be planning to take higher level chemistry courses as well.</p>
<p>The AP Bio credit gives me 8 credits for Bio I & II, so should I take the credit and also go into higher level bio courses or take it again? I wouldnt consider taking only Bio II seeing as it's focused on the ecology part of Bio, and it wouldnt be much of a review, more of a bore for me. </p>
<p>For calc, I'm taking the 8 credits I get from calc AB&BC and taking Honors Calc 3 this Fall. That's fine right?</p>
<p>dont use ap credits for the science courses. maybe for calc, but i would just retake it so that it wont limit your options in the future</p>
<p>I’m definitely using it for calc, but why not chemistry?</p>
<p>With a 4 in AP Chem, you probably should retake.</p>
<p>Why would you retake? Getting AP credit for chem is a gift. Take it.</p>
<p>A 4 is a sign that you probably haven’t master the material sufficiently to go on to make As in subsequent chem classes. College chem classes are usually much harder than AP Chem.</p>
<p>The other problem is that AP credit for science classes doesn’t confer LAB CREDIT. You will still have to take additional chem classes that have labs in order to fulfill the 4 semesters of chem lab credits required.</p>
<p>Many medical schools are no longer accepting AP credit for science courses. If you place out of a lower level AP chemistry, math, or biology course, you will need an upper level course to replace it (aka an extra two 200/300 level chemistry courses if you don’t take general chemistry course). This could be a huge pain, especially as the lower level courses will be the easy A, versus physical chemistry at the 300 level, which is considerably more work. </p>
<p>I took AP calc credit to place out of AP Calc I, and had to take Calc II and III for med school credit instead. Getting an A in Calc I is easier than getting an A in Calc III.</p>
<p>Also, ditto on what WOWmom said, AP credit may or may not confer lab credit, depending on your school (they did confer lab credit at my school). This will also be a problem come med school requirements.</p>
<p>The only real reason to place out of a class is because you truly want to take upper level courses that you’re interested in, or if it helps you complete school or major requirements earlier.</p>