How easy or difficult is it to graduate in 3 years from UCs in the following majors? I would love to hear if this has worked for anyone. Son is Junior so doesn’t know which UC he will go to, if any.
Biochem
Physics
Chemistry
All with the intention of graduate school.
He will likely have the following credits when he graduates and I’m not sure how well these transfer for GEa at UCs. My son at cal state was able to use almost all AP and DE credit.
AP English Lit
AP Spanish
AP Bio -5
AP Chem
AP Physics C Mechanics
AP Calc AB
DE US History
DE World History
DE Calc 2
DE Comp Sci
DE English (likely take 202 or critical thinking that satisfies Cal State A3)
Are some UC better at accepting AP and DE for GEs than others?
AP credit at UC: AP credits | UC Admissions (click each campus for specific subject credit; for UCB L&S majors like MCB, IB, and physics, check departmental web sites as well)
For DEs, you need to check assist.org That is where you can find the articulation agreements between CC and UC campuses which will show you how each CC class transfers to the UC (and what, if anything, it will count for).
Thank you! I have looked at these sites and know the classes transfer but all the UCs have very different GE requirements and putting it all together is so time consuming. I’m guess I was hoping for someone to tell me their kid had similar APs and was able to do it.
My other child will take 4 years as he is engineering and it’s near impossible to finish the sequence even with many credits.
Soooo, how are the sequences for these majors? More possible than with engineering? Maybe that is a better question.
Yes, there are 27+ possible major / campus combinations (more than that due to different residential college general education requirements at UCSC and UCSD). But it may become more manageable for the student and you to evaluate if the student decides which type of science is the main interest.
Also, 3 years (6 semesters or 9 quarters) may be a tight fit in some cases, but 7 semesters or 10-11 quarters may be easier to do.
Graduate school or professional school? Is he looking at health professions? If so, many schools want students to complete their pre-req requirements at the university level. They do not want students using AP in lieu of taking pre-req courses.
Yes, if pre-med or similar, there are various considerations with respect to AP credit and community college course work in the areas of pre-med requirements: FAQ Pre-med courses, AP/IB/etc. credit and college/DE courses, etc. . The usual expectation is that they not be used to reduce the number of courses / credits taken in pre-med science subject areas in residence at a four year college (i.e. if used for subject credit or advanced placement, expect to need to take additional advanced courses in that subject area).
He would like to pursue a PhD and do research, not healthcare. As of today he says Biochemistry but has many interests and goes between these 3 options. Just trying to get an idea if it’s possible. Thank you all for responses. I will take a closer look once he is more sure of his major. Makes sense that grad schools would want actual college courses rather than AP
As a parent of a student that recently graduated from a UC in one of the sciences you list, might I suggest that once you’ve narrowed down the campuses you’re interested in, to also look at recent course schedules, as that plays a significant part in the feasibility of a shortened undergrad career. Some UD courses might be offered alternate years, or only certain quarters/semesters.
PhD programs are mainly concerned about upper level course work and undergraduate research, not whether lower level courses have been taken through AP or community college. This is different from medical schools, whose required or preferred pre-med course work is mostly lower level courses that are possible to take through AP or community college but which medical schools do not like done that way.
Also, what is the motivation for graduating a year early? Cost?
If cost is not a constraint, staying the full fourth year as an undergraduate can allow for taking additional upper level and graduate level course work to help the student determine what subareas of the major are of most interest in PhD study. It can also allow for more undergraduate research opportunities.
Whether he takes the actual college courses or their AP equivalents isn’t going to matter when he applies to a PhD program. What matter will be his research experiences and how well he will do in research and higher-level courses that are relevant to the field he ultimately chooses to pursue his PhD in.
If the intention is to go straight into a PhD (as opposed to working in a lab for a year or two first) then it is often very helpful for PhD applicants to have done an honors or departmental thesis. This may be difficult to fit into three years, and it will also be harder to win one of the various scholarships and prizes that UCs offer for a thesis.
All of the UCs are pretty generous with dual enrollment credit, but I wouldn’t count on AP tests counting for degree requirements. My son will be a freshman at UC Berkeley coming in with 60+ units of dual enrollment. With what they’re accepting, it will be difficult for him to stretch his physics degree to three years.
Thank you for additional info. I am asking for cost reasons and have not actually discussed with my child. just wondering if it is a possibility and whether that would affect his school choice when we get there. He loves learning and would likely rather take 4 years and take more interesting classes outside his major than graduate early. You make good arguments for taking the whole 4 years.
