<p>I'm going to be a bio/cell bio major at wherever I get accepted. I was wondering if people actually used their bio or chem ap scores to skip certain classes relating to bio. Im not entirely into doing it, because I want to study my major thoroughly from scratch. But, if skipping these classes didn't harm in any way, I'm down for it.</p>
<p>So, my questions are</p>
<ol>
<li>Do schools allow bio majors to use bio/chem ap scores for classes relating to bio?</li>
<li>If they do allow, should I use the ap scores or would this harm me?</li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>p.s. for those who were rejected by UCLA, we'll get good news soon!</p>
<p>1.Depends on the college</p>
<ol>
<li>Again, depends on the college. Some colleges have a stepped-up intro course for those that have done well on the AP test. If in doubt, get a past final exam. If you can do well on it, use the AP credits. If not, retake the class. AP classes are not typical off all college’s intro courses.</li>
</ol>
<p>Agree with checking the college’s old final exam for the course that may be skipped when deciding whether to go directly to a more advanced course using AP credit.</p>
<p>If medical school is a potential plan, be aware that many do not accept AP credit for pre-med course work. If you skip, you may have to make sure that you take acceptable advanced level courses in those subjects to cover the pre-med course work requirements of the various medical schools.</p>
<p>I was a Biochemistry/Cell Biology major, and I used both my AP Bio and AP Chem scores to skip the intro sequences. I never had a problem in any of my courses, and after going back to take notes in one of the intro bio courses, I was glad I had skipped it–I would have been bored stiff.</p>
<p>But really, it depends on you. If you got easy 5’s in those AP classes, then I would feel comfortable saying that you could skip. If you struggled through it or got a lower score, I’d be more concerned. See if your school has placement tests that you can take to get an idea of what level you should be at. If you’re interested in professional school later with prerequisites that you need to complete, I’d recommend retaking the intro levels. It’s often a lot easier to take the intro classes than to take advanced courses in those subjects, unless you’re planning on taking them anyway for your major.</p>