I want to major in CS and Molecular Biology and wrote several strong essays with those in mind, but I have not taken AP Bio. I have taken normal Physics, Biology, and Chemistry, and AP Physics C and AP Chemistry. My grades have been all As in all the sciences, so there is no science that I am “better” at (grades wise). Do you think they will think it is unusual for someone to apply for that major without AP Bio? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
AP courses are not required for admission to most universities. Universities still offer the more basic courses as long as you have the math and science preparation. Most STEM programs required one year of Chemistry and one year of physics from HS. If you want a biology directed major, the one year biology course should be sufficient.
You sound interested in CS and molecular biology… why? This interest may mean more than an AP course. The stronger universities will not give AP credit unless you score a 4 or 5 on the AP exam. Many professors would actually like you to take their course because they believe they will better prepare you for the coursework higher up the course pyramid.
Keep up the good work!
I do have a fair amount of extracurricular combining computer science and biology, so I guess that should cover it. Thank you for quelling my concerns!
Taking an AP Bio class does not give you special powers. Your enthusiasm for biology is all that matters. Besides, taking classes at MIT is when you will truly determine whether you’re interested in 6-7. I’ve noticed the people in 6-7 tend to be the course 7 or 20 who want more $$$ tbh.
You don’t apply for a major at MIT. You choose any major you want. They ask you about what you’d like to major in just to get to know you better. I’m sure that you explained that well in your strong essays.
@user488109213 You can take MIT open Course biology on line if you want to get more biology background. Since you have two AP science classes and regular biology, I think you have the requirements covered to get into most selective schools. But there is about a 90- 95% reject rate at MIT, so getting rejected will mean you are in good company, but probably not because of your lack of AP science classes. Admission at MIT and most selective schools will have to do with what you did over the summers, what kinds of activities you do, how good you are at say math contests, music, etc, and what you submit to MIT to show your talents, are you recruited for a varsity sports team, did your parents attend a four year college and other factors, like your recommendations. MIT offers many seats to first generation college students, but don’t sweat it, you cannot control what your parents did, and its really just an unfair practice thats common for east coast and west coast private colleges. No idea why they judge students by their parents lack of education, but its a powerful trend in today’s admissions teams.
When you apply to MIT, you are applying to the university as a whole, not to a particular major. You are not expected to know what major you want to go into when you first arrive at MIT… I did not declare my major until the 2nd semester of my sophomore year.
Your taking or not taking AP Biology will not impact your ability to go into Course 6-7. If you are admitted into MIT, you can pretty much choose whatever major you want to pursue, be it in your freshman year or sophomore year.
I did not take AP Biology in high school. However, if I wanted to, I could have pursued 6-7 as a major.