<p>There is still plenty of time in the day to take one college class and enjoy summer vacation. Many kids entering college have taken AP Chemistry. Laughwithme’s son had a bad high school chemistry teacher, and LWM is being proactive and trying to level the playing field for her son when he begins college in the fall. I am sure he would do fine without taking the equivalent of AP Chemistry this summer at the local college, but he will have to put in much more time than the kids who have already seen the material in high school.</p>
<p>As for my son’s case, we homeschool, and he will have completed all of the AP level science and math classes by the time he is 15. I am merely looking for him to continue on with his science education since he will still have two more years of high school.</p>
<p>It is your/your kid choice. IMO, it is waste of time and money and actually can put child at disadvantage. Med. Schools DO NOT like when requirements are taking during summer, even if they are taking at the UG where kid is enrolled. My D. did not take single summer class ever, she was able to graduate in 4 years with unrelated minor and college GPA=3.98. I am proud, but it is not the point. Point is that they do have time to complete everything in 4 years and not everybody remembers everything from their HS years. In addition, kid might get Merit Scholarships and taking summer classes would be not only disadvantage in regard to his record but also waste of $$. D’s tuition was covered by Merit Scholarships, but only one summer was covered by Honors deal, which she has used to get credits for her trip abroad. </p>
<p>Again, this is IMO looking back at very successful jorney. You are free to do whatever your heart deem appropriate for your child.</p>
<p>I disagree with your post #20 miami. I believe it foolhardy to enroll in Calculus with a weak background in math and/or enroll in premed Chem with a weak background in HS Chem. Depending on the college, and the curve, it could make earning an A all but impossible. There are just too many students in that class showing up with 5’s on AP Chem test, dual enrollment courses, and … A student with a weak background is starting way behind the (mandated) curve. Could they catch up? Sure, but at what (study) cost? Not all colleges offer tutors – free. Plus, they may only be open during drop in times, and result in long lines.</p>
<p>A summer Intro to Chem course and two A’s in Frosh Chem will look a WHOLE lot better on a transcript than a summer at the beach/working retail and two B’s in Frosh Chem, or a B/A. ONE summer prep course prior to matriculation just won’t matter for 100+ med schools, and might not even matter for the other ~20. Heck, it probably won’t even be noticed according to a real adcom on sdn. (Yes, a bunch of easy science courses and several summers of prereq work WILL be noticed, but one course taken prior to matriculation?)</p>
<p>^ We have different experiences, so we have different conclusions. Talking about 15 years old, who still have to develop his social skills (yes, they are extremely important and get you much further in life in any area of life than additional science class), I would never push my D. to take ANY classes in a summer. She managed w/o AP Chem. perfectly, ended up working for GenChem prof., teaching up to 40 kids in her sessions. No she is not Chem. genius, she has awesome communication skills developed thru various EC’s and being surrounded by friends. Students loved her sessions, prof. praised her many times for improving grades in his class. One reasons that she did well was because she did not do academics during summers, she did something else. </p>
<p>Again, everybody is different and free to do whatever, but if they are asking for advice, here is mine.</p>
<p>I am so glad that I asked this question …everyone has been so helpful…I will call a few med schools and ask their opinion… I have a hunch that auditing a course before matriculation to improve a chemistry background due to a poor high school teacher will not be viewed in a negative way… the benefit will be a much better understanding of chemistry…and that is worth something on the positive side of the ledger for any future science courses…it seems to me that a very good explanation could be given to any med school as to why he audited the class…it is really just taking care of business IMO (which does not mean much…lol)</p>
<p>Laughwithme - will you please post when you receive an answer from the medical schools you contacted? I also e-mailed a few today and will post what I find out.</p>
<p>to Miami- It goes without saying that social skills are important. But how is that relevant to the discussion of taking additional science classes? Also, why do you assume that if a child wants to take a science course at the community college that they are being pushed?</p>
<p>I believe that he might with a little incentive…lol…I have already asked someone to find the ISBN# for the book to be used in the fall…It is not available yet…I know this may be extreme to some of you and to be honest it seems somewhat extreme to me…my child took the class in the 10th grade (one year early) and made a low B for the year with a teacher who was very weak and tested strangely…I just wanted to give him the benefit of a good teacher…I know where one is 30 minutes from our home and he can audit the class…however, if it may be seen as negative, then he probably will not do it…he can self study the book and do some problems in the back…I was hoping for something with a little more structure…</p>
<p>I understand your concern. My older son (not the pre-med son) had a LOUSY chem teacher. She had been great the previous years, but then her H left her (without any warning) right before the school year started and she literally just sat at her desk in some kind of fog and told the kids to “read from their books.” They did NO labs at all. Luckily, his AP Chem teacher was aware of the situation and made up for lost time with her classroom of unprepared students. </p>
<p>You mention not being able to get the ISBN #. Isn’t the book being used for this semester or will it be a new book used for Fall 2011? You might have your son email one of the Gen Chem profs and ask which book will be used in the fall. </p>
<p>Even if you can’t get this particular book, you probably can get a college Gen Chem book used on Amazon for a good price. Perhaps someone here can recommend some good ones that were “well written” and could easily be used for self-study. Also, the high school AP Chem class probably uses a college chem book, so you might see if you can borrow one for the summer. </p>
<p>Another option…get a couple of the better APChem study books (get them used on Amazon). They often have a front section that does a pretty good review. He then could do the practice tests in the back. </p>
<p>Since he will be taking Gen Chem in the fall, he doesn’t need to completely know all the material…that’s what the real class is for. This is just to make sure he has a similar foundation as the other students who had better high school chem teachers.</p>
<p>Laughwithme - will you please post when you receive an answer from the medical schools you contacted? I also e-mailed a few today and will post what I find out.</p>
<p>I will be glad to post any new information …</p>
<p>showbelt,
"to Miami- It goes without saying that social skills are important. But how is that relevant to the discussion of taking additional science classes? Also, why do you assume that if a child wants to take a science course at the community college that they are being pushed? "</p>
<p>Well, IMO, the more time one spends on academics, the less he has for everything else, and that “everything else” was very crusial in my D’s development (by own admission of 21 years old D., who is graduating in May Summa Cum Laude and has been accepted to few top Med. Schools in a country). I have never met 15 years old who “wants” to take a class in a summer, so you are correct, I have assumed that “he is being pushed”. I might be incorrect in my asumption, every child is unique.</p>
<p>To Miami - You are incorrect in your assumptions. He is not being pushed, and he is not taking the class during the summer - he will be taking it during the regular school year. (He is too busy working at his summer job to take a class in the summer.)</p>
<p>Well, good for him! Wish him great fun in all of his activities.</p>