can materials science and physical chemistry supplement AP Physics credit?

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
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<p>What exactly counts as "supplementary credit" for schools that will not accept AP credit? How would the USC schools view the following?</p>

<p>I have credit for AP Physics C and I really would not like to take beginning level physics again, especially since I'm about to get slammed with science courses left and right my 3rd year. P-chem I & II -- 6 credits, solutions chem (4), inorganic chemistry (3), research seminars (6), biochem I + lab (6), plus more materials science engineering coursework for chem specialisation (6). All of this is in my 3rd year. </p>

<p>And 4th year piles on the upper div courses even more. (P-chem lab for 6 more credits, more biochem, instrumental analysis, a graduate level elective, etc. amongst other topics I've scarcely begun to imagine about) I also plan to fit in neuroscience coursework, if I get into the neuroscience program.</p>

<p>So I'd REALLY not like to take physics again, especially since I have to both work outside for money, and plan to be a volunteer researcher in two laboratories (ecology/evolution and materials catalysis). If I don't take any sort of physics ever, at all -- I initially planned to take quantum physics in my undergrad but I really don't think I have any space for it -- can any of these courses "stand in" for physics? P-chem requires physics credit (I'm using my AP credit to pre-req in). I might possibly take quantum chemistry but I don't know if I have the space to do it.</p>

<p>I also have credit for introductory materials science and thermodynamics/kinetics (focussed on materials and phase transitions). Do these count?</p>

<p>Also I'm in an accelerated program that happened to introduce organic chem in the 2nd semester; I'm doing well in other lab courses but I guess I don't write very concise lab reports, so I have 2 C's for two chem labs, but it's in the "accelerated" sequence. I however have As for other labs (intro. atmospheric physics, materials, introductory biol labs). Btw, can weather physics also supplement introductory physics? It's in the environmental science department though. I also have many more labs to go (!) </p>

<p>I actually did lots of microbiology techniques in Singapore (before my last high school) so I was exempted from first semester bio lab -- can I supplement it with my coursework in other labs (for credit), e.g. biochem or intermediate microbiology lab? </p>

<p>Freaked out about med school requirements.<br>
Thanks</p>

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<p>Also can anyone clarify the AP credit situation for non-science coursework, e.g. English? As well as math?</p>

<p>Can dual-enrollment credit (linear algebra, calc II) and abstract math credit stand in for math requirements? Can linguistics coursework substitute for schools that will not accept AP humanities credits? I can’t stand taking any more English courses, unless science is involved (like English linguistics).</p>

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<p>Wow…a lot of questions in one post…</p>

<p>AP credits usually do not count. So I think you do need to take physics and its associated labs. You need to take physics courses offered by the physics department, not courses offered by any other department.</p>

<p>P-chem is NOT considered as physics. BTW, the materials taught in the second semester of p-chem are actually mostly quantum chemistry – you may consider it as Q-mech-lite with heavy emphasis on its applications to chemistry. But it is still considered as chemistry.</p>

<p>Unlike AP credits, dual-enrolled credits from a US college count, unless the credits are from a community college. Since you mentioned Singapore: if some of your dual-enrolled credits happened to be from some colleges there, I think the medical schools usually do not count them as legitimate college-level credits.</p>

<p>In general, you can take upper-division science (of the same kind) courses in place of lower division ones, as long as they are from the same department (e.g. an upper division physics course in place of a lower division physics course.)</p>

<p>You do need to take English/writing in college.</p>

<p>Generally, medical school adcoms like to see how you perform (as compared to other premeds) while taking a full load of undergraduate classes – especially the lower-division so-called weeder classes while you are taking a lot of general education/humanity classes in your first two years in college. If you are interested in very advanced sciences only, my speculation (a very subjective one here) is that graduate schools may be a better fit for you. It is rumored (but I personally do not know whether it is true) that medical school adcoms prefer applicants with a “intellectual gentlemen” quality (that is, also good at one of the non-science disciplines, e.g., Shakespeare, anthropology, economics, philosophy, religious study, and so on.) I think this may be the reason why MCAT verbal is made especially hard; a consensus among many premeds is that the MCAT verbal score is the hardest to improve upon in a short time.</p>

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<p>Well I am interested in everything.</p>

<p>I just absolutely refuse to take literature because it’s so non-scientific and full of BS. </p>

<p>What about English linguistics? Phonetics, historical linguistics, etc. Also I am at a very advanced level in French – so can’t upper division French courses substitute? </p>

<p>Can I substitute the more BS humanities with more scientific humanities like social sciences, etc.? </p>

<p>Can lots of coursework in advanced sciences in the first two years make up for a lower GPA? </p>

<p>Humanities are generally As for me, but I just hate a lot of them because they are so full of BS. What about grad school then med school? I basically am way more interested in research than practice, but I don’t want to be stuck in academia either. Doing research in a hospital environment is what I’d prefer.</p>

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<p>Somebody (likely BDM) who had gone through this medical school application process once posted that AMCAS mostly depends on the department name to tell whether it will satisfy the course requirements. If you want to meet English requirement, take a class from the English department. Ditto for Physics, Chemistry or Biology, except that you need to take courses for science majors, not those for non-science majors.</p>

<p>regarding “…full of BS”: Why so negative about literature/humanities? Granted, there are naturally some lopsided students who are not into this – and there is nothing wrong about their lack of interests in this area. Some time ago, one CC contributor (I think his screen name is “mini”, who sent his daughter to some top LAC even though she was likely an Ivy material; she might have near perfect SAT late in middle school) once said that there is a very heavy emphasis on humanity/writing stuff at top privates. I think he said that this emphasis is the most noticeable difference between a top private and a big state university – except for the equally good humanity majors in a big state (I did not claim the former is superior to the latter here. They are just different in the style of their education.) Actually, you may notice that some lopsided science majors may struggle in some of these non-GUT humanity classes at these so-called top privates just because they are too lopsided toward sciences, especially when they happen to go to a private school where there are more extensive/rigorous core education requirements in this particular area. Heck, one of my child’s humanity friend even thinks that my child, a premed as of today, majors in “trade.” My child of course disagrees with him. (They agree to disagree.) Those humanity majors seem to be very good at producing a high quality paper in a short time, while the science majors seem to be very good at taking tests and crunching numbers or deriving formula. The former discuss/argue in classes; the latter do not. Just a different kind of skills.</p>

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<p>mcat2 is right. For the most part, the evaluation is based on the name of the course (usually defined by the department), NOT by the content. The only way to be sure about this is to ask a premed adviser at your college. Do not ASSUME that you know which courses count. Ask.</p>

<p>I nearly was forced to retake intro chemistry (after three years of biochem), to satisfy the “one year of chemistry” requirement. After much hassle I managed to get a statement from my adviser to the effect that the advanced course I took satisfied the letter of the law for premed. It was close.</p>

<p>English course: Afraid I have no good news. Someone decided you have to take an English course or you cannot be a doctor. So that’s what you have to do. I love literature, but the course I had to take was terrible. Had to do it. So I did. Total waste of time, except that it got me into medical school. By the way, it worked out fine for me to take this first semester of senior year (my last semester), so I was well on the way to med school by the time my pass fail grade came through. Not sure whether that would work today, but it made a horrible waste of time slightly less miserable.</p>

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<p>Young physicians in training have to do a lot of things that are a waste of time. Pick a good literature class and learn to put your ego aside.</p>

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<p>

Since you had a first-hand experience regarding this, can I consult with you on this? So far, my S has had one semester of general chemistry with 1 lab (that version of general chemistry is only one semester long). one semester of biochemistry with 1 lab, and two semesters of organic chemistry with 2 labs. Do you think he may need to take another semester of any kind of “non-organic chemistry” with 1 lab in order to satisfy the requirement? The premed advisor at my S’s school said there is no need; but we are still not very sure.</p>

<p>Another twist on this is that the public medical schools in his home state (TX) accept (a surprise here) the AP credit, as long as the AP credit is listed on the official transcript with a corresponding course name. As I believe, his transcript lists his AP Chemistry credit, but likely without a corresponding course name. (The AP credit is actually a useless credit as far as the graduation requirement is concerned. The school really does not give you any official credit. The school just uses this “AP credit” to encourage the students to start from a more advanced course, like starting the college career by taking one semester version of general chemistry, or orgo or even p-chem.) The equivalent course name for that AP credit is listed in the school’s official course listing/web page though.</p>

<p>He might take another non-organic organic chemistry just to be safe. But he is really not interested in taking another “general chemistry lab” because that lab is very very writing intensive. (I heard that this lab is actually considered as a writing course and satisfies the writing requirement! I think it could not be used as an English requirement for medical school admission though.) – I would apologize to OP here: I use your thread to ask this question because afan happens to mention this point in his post. I hope you will not mind.</p>

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<p>I mcat2: I think you are going to get your best advice on this from the premed adviser. The med school requirements rely on how the colleges classify courses, so the answer really depends on what this particular college says. You could try asking a few medical schools that are on the definite list what they think, but I don’t know whether they would give you an answer.</p>

<p>One of the problems is that some states have decided to dictate medical school admissions requirements. So it is not even up to the schools what they require. The best you can do is ask the local expert-premed adviser.</p>

<p>Obviously, your S does not need to know any more chemistry for medicine, but the rules are pretty inflexible.</p>

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<p>Thanks, afan.</p>