If you are going Pre-med and are taking courses required for medical school applications, you should not retake the same courses again. You should take higher level courses in the same areas.
@WayOutWestMom explained better. But you do not want retakes of the same courses when you apply to medical school.
So circling back to your question….the pre health advisor at your four year college will tell you how your courses will be viewed not only by them, but also for medical school admissions.
That student was taking math courses much more advanced than AP courses, so it is not like that student could have chosen AP courses as an alternative in math. Looks like the OP is similar in math, being in calculus 3 (more advanced than AP calculus BC) in 11th grade.
Others have mentioned the implications of repeating courses for medical school admissions. In general, check for college policies on advanced placement based on college courses taken while in high school, even if the college will not give credit for them, so that you will not be forced to repeat courses based on college policies.
But note that pre-med generally does not require a high level of math unless you are a math major or other major that needs high level math (e.g. statistics or physics). Calculus-based statistics will be useful, however.
Not sure what you mean by this:
Are you saying I should be taking APs rather than DE for top privates?
This post is not about helping me decide - I’m already in the program and applying to college next year - rather helping me figure out how I’ll be viewed vs my peers.
My belief is that DE is good for going to a state school that will grant you credits but AP better for the top colleges. Of course, not every high school offers these.
In regards to how you are viewed by your peers - in some ways since you’re in the program, it doesn’t matter - but what does matter is that you have a balanced list.
But that’s why I said up front, for a Tufts, for example, I would be in AP.
Best of luck.
Here’s one online write up. But you can find various info in many places.
Many students are eager to get a jumpstart on their college education while they’re still in high school. And today, that’s becoming all the more possible, with Advanced Placement (AP) and dual enrollment courses.
If both options are available to you, which one do you choose? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the programs? Let’s take a closer look.
The College Board’s includes courses across English, the arts, math, sciences, history, foreign languages, and other topics. Each year-long course mirrors a semester-long college class.
At the end of the course, you may take a standardized exam evaluating your knowledge of and skills in the discipline, graded on a scale of 1 to 5. Many colleges award credit for scores of 4 or 5 for APs in certain subjects. Others may grant credit for scores of 3 or above.
Top colleges generally don’t award credit, but some use AP scores for course placement purposes.
Similarly, programs allow students to earn college credit while they’re still in high school. Generally speaking, high schools partner with community colleges or local universities to offer college-level courses at the high school or online. Sometimes, students will take the courses at the college itself, with other college students.
If you participate, you’ll be awarded a grade and may receive college credit, without needing to take a special exam (like in the AP program).
While both programs have been around for decades, AP courses and exams are still more generally accepted by colleges, perhaps because of the standardized, rigorous curriculum.
In some cases, you might be required to drive to a local college to take dual enrollment courses. AP courses, meanwhile, are taught at your high school.
Community colleges tend to have less rigorous curricula than that offered through the AP program. The exception to this is if you’re taking a course not available in your high school, such as multivariable calculus, or if the course you’re taking is at a university known for particular rigor in that topic (i.e. taking a STEM course at Georgia Tech).
Dual enrollment makes it possible for you to go beyond your high school curriculum and advance to higher levels in certain subjects. You can also explore subjects that may not even be available in the AP program.
One example is Ohio’s College Credit Plus. The program has a Transfer to Degree Guarantee, meaning that many of the credits earned at an Ohio public college are guaranteed to transfer to any other Ohio public college.
Meanwhile, you aren’t guaranteed to earn college credit with AP exams, even if you receive a high score on your exam. (Plus, AP exams cost extra money at $93-123 a pop.) Policies vary by the university and the course.
If you’re taking courses at a college you’re considering attending, you’ll get a feel for the classes at that school. You’ll also get the chance to meet your potential future peers and professors, helping you decide if the school is a good fit for you.
If both AP and dual enrollment options are available to you, APs are usually the safer choice. Not only could you potentially earn college credit, but you’ll also be exposed to rigorous coursework. This will demonstrate to admissions committees that you’re willing to take a challenging curriculum.
However, if you’re planning to go to college in-state and are positive that you’ll be able to transfer credit, then dual enrollment is a good option for you. Just make sure to check the rules about earning college credit in your state.
My son is about to graduate from high school with his associates degree through dual enrollment classes. He had very good college results and his college will take most if not all of that dual credit. I don’t know if you mentioned what state you’re in, but the UCs and out of state public’s my son applied to seemed to have viewed dual credit favorably.
Yes. I would love to skate jr/sr/elite 12 in college but I’m also looking at the collegiate options. I know it’s a huge time commitment especially when premed, but I want to at least try. It’s been my dream to skate for Hayden so I’m focusing on Boston area schools. I don’t think I’m going to end up staying as a pre-med, I just know that want to do something related to biomedical science or medicine and right now medicine sounds most appealing to me but that could change.
How were his results with out-of-state privates? I’m in the midwest and looking to go out of state but I won’t be applying to any out-of-state publics (maybe 1 or 2 that offer great merit) because they give 0 need based aid.
University of Virginia and University of North Carolina Chapel Hill both meet full need for all accepted students including OOS ones.
The problem is…they are both very very difficult admits for OOS students!
And there are some of public universities that give guaranteed merit aid to qualified students…Alabama, Arizona, Miami (Ohio), University of New Mexico….for example.
He didn’t apply to any out of state privates. We don’t qualify for need based aide.
He was accepted to Alabama, Purdue, and Arizona, all with significant merit. They were all safeties as he’d hoped to stay in California.
You may want to explore this site to see what other vocational areas might be of interest, as that might influence your college search if one of the careers expects a particular undergrad degree: Career Explorer
For others reading this, merit aid at Purdue is not the norm. The university has focused on keeping tuition/r&b frozen for everyone for the past 12 years. And for certain majors, should not be considered a safety for even the strongest student.
Our son received 10k in merit, bringing the cost down to 30k, which would have been cheaper than in state options.
I’m just pointing out to others that this isn’t the norm at Purdue and shouldn’t be counted on.
Totally appropriate and I appreciate that. My D17 and S23 were both accepted out of state with a scholarship, so I wasn’t aware that was unusual.