AP Stat or APCalBC?

[ParentOfIvyHope]

<p>ThisCouldBeHeavn:

AP Calc won’t get you out of Med School math requirements, but you can take the college equivalent of AP Stat, which will tend to be a very easy class.

</p>

<p>This is from the following Harvard Medical College link:

For the math requirement, I hope to apply statistics courses for the fulfillment. Will this be acceptable?
No, statistics will not substitute for the calculus requirement. One semester of the requirement may be fulfilled by AP credit for Calculus AB if your score was 4 or 5, or the full year’s requirement may be fulfilled by AP credit for Calculus BC if your score was 4 or 5.

</p>

<p>Here is the link:</p>

<p>[Harvard</a> Medical School: Admissions FAQs](<a href=“http://hms.harvard.edu/admissions/default.asp?page=admissions]Harvard”>http://hms.harvard.edu/admissions/default.asp?page=admissions)</p>

[CountingDown]

<p>Vicariousparent, S2 is a humanities/social sciences guy and took the opposite tack. Did AB Calc junior year, and in looking at the requirements for the IR/polisci programs at schools he was considering, found he’d have to take a couple of stat courses. Decided that taking AP Stat in HS would give him a good background for the college-level work later. He also realized that if he has to take calc in college, he will want to start at the beginning again anyway since he’ll have been away from it for a year.</p>

[vicariousparent]

<p>^^ That is a reasonable way to look at it too. I don’t think there is one way to go about it.</p>

<p>Looks like OP already has her answer and her D will be doing BC Calc, and it seems to be a good decision for a premed who loves Calculus.</p>

[ThisCouldBeHeavn]

<p>^^^ Interesting. The UCLA math site and everything else I’ve seen at UCLA (though not being a pre-med, I don’t pay much attention to the latter) has said the opposite.</p>

<p>

Pre-med students should be aware that many medical schools do not recognize AP Calculus test scores as college unit credit. To fulfill your various major requirements and medical school entrance requirements we have suggested the courses above for you. If your major allows the 30 Series, you may want to consider taking the 30 Series instead of the 3 Series to satisfy the math requirement for virtually any medical school to which you apply. Most medical schools that do not recognize AP units will accept PIC and Stats courses as a substitute for the year of math. It is the student’s responsibility to check with the individual schools for specific information.

</p>

<p>[UCLA</a> Department of Mathematics](<a href=“Undergraduate Program | UCLA Department of Mathematics”>Undergraduate Program | UCLA Department of Mathematics)</p>

[collegeshopping]

<p>To the post about D taking AP Spanish instead of AP Psych, I do understand what you are saying and it was a struggle for me, but not for her. After 4 years of Spanish, to say she hated it is an understatement. She would spend more time on Spanish than all her AP Sciences and Math put together. It simply was a brain buster for her. She is very interested in Neurology and the workings of the brain. She was unsure of AP Psych but loves this class. The teacher teaching taught on the college level but for personal reasons, now teaches at this High School. Any class that breeds a love a learning is in my opinion worthy. If it keeps her out of a “top school” then so be it, but I am fortunate to have a kid that loves her safety, but is reaching out to other schools too. I guess this time next year we will know if her decisions have paid off.</p>

<p>And just for an update, as of this morning (and certainly this can change) she wants to take Health and Speech via online class through UT and she will double on both AP Cal BC and AP Stats. Totally her decision. I for one wish she would take time to breathe.</p>

[MiamiDAP]

<p>“AP Calc BC fulfill MCAT calculus requirement.” - What is MCAT calculus requirement? D. has taken 2 practice 4 hours MCAT as part of her Kaplan MCAT prep class. There is NO MCAT math reguirement of any sort according to her. She has never taken Calc BC, nor any Calc at college, nor she is planning to do so. She contacted all Med. Schools on her list and confirmed with Admission that she needs only 2 semesters of Math (she will have credit for AP Calc AB - “5” and she has taken 1 semester of Stats at college). Stats at college has been very helpful with much better understanding of Medical Research procedures at Lab. where she is an intern. She has planned to take another semester of Calc at college, but after contacting Medical Schools, she dropped the plan. Math is very easy for her, but also boring, she does not want to take it unless it is reguired. </p>

<p>The conclusion, unless you love the subject, research reguiremnets before taking it. D. much rather spend her time taking more challenging and interesting classes for her. However, there are plenty of people who absolutely love math (I am one of them), so go ahead and take as many as you wish.</p>

[collegeshopping]

<p>From what I have read, there is not a required math course for the MCAT specifically, but most medical schools require 1 year of Calculus. Some will take a year of an advanced math, ie, Stats, but I believe it is a school by school requirement. Maybe people are saying Cal BC meets the MCAT requirement because that level of math is required to do well on the MCAT??</p>

[CountingDown]

<p>My older S stopped Spanish after three years so he could take writing/journalism courses (which actually proved far more helpful to him in the long run). The GC was aghast, but by then he also knew that the PhD programs he’s considering wanted French, German or Russian reading fluency, so he’d have to take new language in college any way. None of hte colleges he cared about attending had a problem with three years.</p>

<p>If she has four years of Spanish, I think she’s fine.</p>

[RobD]

<p>Re: AP Stat. My D (who doesn’t love math, but doesn’t hate it either) took AP Stat this year at my suggestion since I knew she’d be going down the humanities road. She really doesn’t like it because it’s not “mathy” enough. She’s looking forward to taking a “real” math class next year. I loved statistics when I took it in college; feel somewhat guilty that D isn’t feeling the same love :)</p>

<p>So, if you D LOVES calculus, she may not find AP Statistics as enjoyable as she would Calc BC.</p>