So, I’ve been accepted to Duke through the ED program, and I am planning on running the pre-med track by majoring in biology with a concentration in biochemistry. I am taking quite a few AP classes, so I was wondering whether I should take any of the exams for these classes. I think my school’s teachers are extremely unqualified, so I’m worried I won’t have a strong foundation for higher level classes and that I’ll be overwhelmed with my first year at college.
I know that Duke suggests pre-med students to take APs to skip introductory classes, but I am worried I won’t be prepared enough (esp for math classes). Would it be better for me just to start with intro classes and not use any of my AP credits for the sake of my gpa and a strong foundation?
APs I’ve taken that qualify for credit at Duke: Calculus BC, Calculus AB, Chemistry, U.S. History, Biology, Language and Composition
APs I could take this year: Statistics, Econ (either), Environmental Science, Literature and Composition, Chinese
I don’t think the APs are close to being the same as college classes in most schools. Further, it is possible to get a 5 on the APs in some topics by getting a % correct that is close to a C that would be assigned for that score in most college. Since students don’t get their breakdowns, they often think they nailed the test if they get a “5”. But that may be very far from the truth and a “4” is obviously worse. You can take the AP test but not seek credit for the class I suppose.
@lostaccount Would there be any purpose in taking AP exams if I am not seeking credit? Also, I’ve edited my original post to include the APs I’ve taken that qualify for credit. Do you think that I should use credits for classes that are outside my major such as history courses?
I suppose you can use them if they allow them to be used for things like distribution requirements. I can’t see there being any harm in having them just in case they come in handy for something.I’m not a huge fan of having high school classes count as college classes-it makes no sense to me. But it can’t hurt to have the scores just in case…
I am a graduate of Duke medical school and am on the admissions committee of another top 10 medical school.
You have nothing to lose in taking the AP exams except the little bit of stress that is associated with preparing for them. Unlike many schools, Duke won’t allow you to use AP credit to meet general requirements, but having AP credit can give you an opportunity to take a higher level course that you might find more interesting. Duke will give you up to 2 courses of credit against the 34 course graduation requirement for AP coursework, which decreases the graduation requirement to 32 courses. In some cases, such as the language requirement, placement at higher level will allow you to meet the requirement with fewer semesters, leaving time to study other things if you are so inclined. Getting 4’s and 5’s on your AP exams will give you flexibility in how you meet your major and minor requirements and you might find this helpful once you actually get to school. Also, while you seem to be planning a particularly course of study at the moment, don’t rule out the possibility that you might develop other interests once things get started. You won’t need to declare a major until the end of sophomore year.
If you are really interested and intrigued by biology and biochemistry, go for it, but don’t choose these because you think this is the type of major med school are interested in. Most med schools these days are looking for students with broad academic backgrounds that are likely to include some work in the humanities (particularly psychology, sociology and literature); research experience; practical experience in a medical setting such as hospital volunteer work or shadowing a physician in practice, and compelling extracurricular activities that provide an indication of how balanced and interesting you are. While there is no need to do so, many Duke students end up with various combinations of double majors, minors, and certificates. Good scores on your AP tests provide some flexibility in meeting all these demands.
I wouldn’t worry too much that poor AP instruction in high school will leave you inadequately prepared if you don’t take core courses in college. Just about every med school will require courses in inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, two semesters of physics, single variable calculus, and statistics. Doing well on AP chemistry will let you take Honors Inorganic Chemistry which is one semester instead of two. Getting a 5 on BC Calculus allows you to go right to intermediate calculus, although you could also opt to take the second semester single variable course. If you find that you are out of your league in any of these courses, Duke provides ample time to drop back to a more introductory level.
You will have plenty of opportunity to get pre-med guidance during orientation week and beyond. I’d encourage you to go into this with as many options as possible.
Congratulations on your ED acceptance. I hope you are planning to have a fantastic time at Duke.
As a counter view though: some argue that getting as high of a GPA as possible is needed for med school. In this case retaking a class at Duke which you already took the AP class for is an easy way to get an A.
I had the same view as you @sgopal2, but I was unsure if there was a flaw in my thinking. Would med schools view a schedule with mainly introductory courses as being a cop out method? Does anyone know how big of a role strength of schedule plays into med school admissions?
@ourmutualfriend, I think I will take your advice and go ahead and take my exams. I shouldn’t start slacking off this early.
Mostly right now, I’d encourage you to relax. You don’t need to figure any of this out right now. Once preregistration opens in the summer, you’ll have ample opportunity to get input from a counselor. More importantly, there will be lots of opportunities to get premed advice once you arrive on campus for orientation and thereafter.
In terms of what med school look for in curricula, you’ll need a handful of basic science and math courses and to do well in any major that you are passionate about. Trust me on this.
You won the lottery getting accepted ED. Enjoy the rest of senior year. Once RD acceptances go out, you’ll get lots of info from Duke on housing, registration, room mates, etc. Give some real serious thought to a preorientation experience like PWild, PWaves, or any of the other great activities that get going in August. Look forward to having a fantastic time and then make it happen.
Med schools look at course rigor to some extent but not to the same degree as undergraduate admissions.
They will be especially interested in how you fare in science classes, esp higher level ones. Organic chemistry is one of the big hurdle classes. It’s really to see how well you can memorize, which is critical in med school.
AAMC puts out a book that details the admissions profile for each American medical school. Get a copy and read it.
Your AP credit will only kind of give you placement For placement purposes, because you’ll already go from 34->32 credits for placement.
Calculus BC, Calculus AB- depending on score, this will place you into either Multivariable Calculus (5 on BC) or second-semester calculus (4 on BC) or no credit (3 or loweer on BC, then look at your AB score).
Chemistry- organic (5) or honors chem (4)
U.S. History, Language and Comp, Enviro Science, Lit and Comp, Statistics- no placement credit
Biology- does not place out of intro bio sequence, but qualifies for other 200-level bio credits
Econ- need both for to place out of Econ 101
Chinese- 4 or 5 will place you into a 300-level Chinese course, so you would only need one course to fulfill general ed requirements, and 3 places you into a 200-level.
You’ll be able to talk to people over the summer before you register for classes, and the add/drop period will let you fudge a little bit with your schedule. Med schools care about GPA, and none of the intro courses at Duke are particularly easy- almost all (except for math) are large courses that move quickly and more deeply than any AP coursework.
One other thing you should know is that the pre-med office at Duke routinely advises students to take a gap year after finishing their degree. This is to help build up research and life experiences to make you a more attractive med school candidate. Many of the pre-meds that I know at Duke are effectively spending 5 years after HS before they apply to med school.
This should be taken into account, as some students take extra coursework during the gap year.
