Ok…I am in 8th grade–
Before you report me or anything, please answer my question.
I am almost done with my first tri in school and reality is hitting me about the fact that I will almost be in highschool. I don’t know what classes I should take when I get in and years after that. I want to be a pediatrician/want to go to med/pre-med school. What normal and AP classes should I take to get me in?? Right now all I know is that I need AP and non-AP bio. Thank you!
Pre-med is not a degree at virtually every school (Penn State is the only exception ik of,) it is an advising track. You can go to medical school with any major as long as you fulfill the pre-med requirements.
You do not need both AP and non-AP Bio, unless your HS requires that. Definitely make sure you are taking all the core classes (science, math, social science, english, and foreign language) as well as anything else required by your school. If your school allows you to take AP classes as a freshmen, you might consider that AS LONG AS you’re confident you can handle the coursework and do well in your courses----talk to upperclassmen and your HS counselor or 8th grade teachers for advice.
I go to Brown and Admissions provides some helpful advice: https://bulletin.brown.edu/the-college/
"Subject Requirements
Brown’s commitment to fostering a liberal education assumes that a candidate for admission will profit most from pursuing a comprehensive college preparatory program. A strong background in English (both literature and writing), foreign languages, mathematics, science, and history will enable students to benefit from the intellectual opportunities offered by Brown University. Brown considers the programs listed below to be a desirable secondary school preparation.
English—four years with significant emphasis on writing, continued through the senior year;
Mathematics —at least three years of college preparatory mathematics, preferably continued through the senior year;
Foreign Language—at least three years, preferably continued through the senior year;
Laboratory Science—at least two years of laboratory science above the freshman-year level. Prospective science or engineering students should take both physics and chemistry, and as advanced a level of mathematics as possible;
History—at least two years, including American History;
The Arts—at least one year of study in music or art;
Elective Subjects—at least one year of elective academic subjects;
Information Technology—facility with computers is recommended for all applicants.
Exceptions may be made. The Board of Admission encourages the growth of innovative programs and welcomes applications from students of varying educational backgrounds who have shown outstanding intellectual promise."
I agree with the above post. Pre-med is a pretty outdated major, as is Pre-law. Most students use undergrad as the opportunity to get more involved in a specific area of study; think Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, etc. Once you choose a major you can look at the classes they recommend and use those as a guide.
You don’t have to take Bio before AP Bio because AP has time allotted specifically to cover the basics. If your school allows it, AP Bio is a very common Freshman course and Chemistry is typically a sophomore course. WITH THAT BEING SAID, you need to be positive that you are prepared to handle the rigor. As much as I would love to share my experience with AP Bio, it likely won’t help you; you’ll have different teachers, different daily assignments, and a different overall experience than me. It would be best to talk to your current/future counselor as well as students who’ve taken the class and maybe ask the current AP teachers some questions as well.
Check out this: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/2055289-faq-high-school-college-prep-base-curriculum.html
Try to get to Calculus by Senior year. If you are not already taking Algebra, talk to your GC about what Math classes you can double up (usually Geometry and Alg 2).
Try to take Bio, Chem, Physics and then an AP Chem or AP Bio.
If you are interested in pre-med, I would also do some volunteering at a hospital or the like (once Covid allows it) to see if you like the medical field.
(EDIT: duplicate of much of the above)
Read the thread http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/2055289-faq-high-school-college-prep-base-curriculum.html which discusses the standard HS curriculum expected of college applicants.
Talk to your counselor who knows you better than anyone here. If your school is like my D’s, there’s a set of standard course sequences for Honors/Core/Alternative that provides guidance.
College Board says of AP Bio:
I would not recommend trying to take AP Bio in 9th grade without either a Chem or Bio course. I suggest taking Chem/Bio/Physics and then selecting the AP course of the one of the three you preferred to add to it.
Basics:
You should have 6 academic classes each year, including 1 each in English, Math, History/Social Science, Foreign Language, Science.
Freshman aren’t supposed to take Ap’s and this is not offered everywhere but AP Human Geography is the class a freshman COULD take if it’s offered and it’s part of the regular history/social science curriculum. In other school systems, freshman year is World History Honors then AP World History sophomore year.
An advanced/honors student would be taking, freshman year:
Honors English
Honors Geometry
Foreign Language 1 or 2 (perhaps not Spanish if offered, so that you’re in a smaller class, but only if the language goes through level 4)
Honors Biology or chemistry
Honors World History or AP Human Geo
a graduation requirement (health/PE, art/music…)
You’d start volunteering in various settings and with different types of people (soup kitchen, nursing home, VA…) You can even have a part time job a couple hours a week if you can find one. You should read as much as you can, join clubs to figure out what you like. Music or sports are good but you can really try and do whatever you want… as long as you try to excel.
Very important: 9 hours of sleep through sophomore year. 8 hours after that.
By graduation you’ll likely have
Honors English and AP English Language
Foreign language through level 4 (or AP if you’re really good)
Biology, Chemistry; Physics (Honors or AP Physics 1); AP Bio (could be in 10th or 11th grade), AP Chemistry (senior year, very hard).
World History, US History, European History and/or Us/Comparative Gov and/or Economics (either Honors or AP)
Math through calculus AB or BC (honors calculus fine) - typically: Geometry, Algebra2, Precalculus, Calculus
Art/music
Health/PE, graduation requirements…
some electives you find interesting
senior year 1 class that looks fun and that you’re taking for the heck of it (culinary arts, theater tech) because it’s your last year in HS
Note that you have 6 to 8 AP’s by graduation, that’s it: that’s all it takes, even for Harvard, Stanford, or Middlebury!