<p>Hi! First of all, let me say THANK YOU for reading this….I really need help and I appreciate your advice.<br>
Just to give you some background on me and my capabilities (this is relevant, promise): I am a sophomore now, 1st in my class, 4.0 GPA, and have done very well in prior academic competitions (2nd in state) and I am accustomed to having to independently study things….self-studied 3 APs this year because our school only offers several AP classes.<br>
That being said, I have 2 options:
1. For my AP Science Course take AP Chem which is a very demanding course @ our school, so it would be better to
take Junior Year due to course load circumstances. Also, I took Chem 10 this year so it would be better to have the
continuity.
2. Take AP Bio. The benefits of this (correct me if you feel I am mistaken):
a. AP Environmental Sci…..I have heard there is a close correlation between this and AP Bio so I would more easily
be able to self-study for this test
b. SAT II Tests….I am better at Biology so it my SAT II scores would be better than if I took Chem (plus there’s
both E and M)
c. And the BIG One: USABO (disregarding this one, I would probably take AP Chem)
USABO is something that I’ve wanted to attempt for quite some time. I would take college classes over the summer and I am willing to put in the time necessary.</p>
<p>Problems:<br>
1. AP Chem (as stated above)</p>
<p>2.Someone told me that people have been studying for USABO/IBO since 8th grade so I would I even stand a chance? I have taken classes before but no extensive study. So would it be better to devote my time to Academic Decathlon (my main EC), classes, and other ECs, instead of even attempting USABO (even though I would very much like to )</p>
<p>So here’s where your advice comes in! Thanks again….I’m from a small school and no one even knew what SAT II tests were, let alone USABO/IBO so I really appreciate any advice?</p>
<p>Additional Questions that may influence decision:
1. How much of USABO is focused on humans vs. plants and animals?
2. What are USABO labs like?
3. Hooks….(yes I know I am probably going to get lectured for letting college admissions play a factor) but I would like to
develop a biology hook and really all I have so far is volunteering @ hospital so I feel like I need this
4.You are allowed to take college classes and still be eligible for USABO/IBO correct? Is there a limit?
5. Again college apps….but I have to ask. Say that I only make the highest 150 (something like honorable mention is it?)
would that be impressive or a skim-over type thing (but I’m hoping to do better than that)</p>
<p>And I would like to stress that I’m not doing this simply for college apps but because I enjoy biology and such competitions. (Btw, I did post a prior thread about IBO but this one is not redundant…so I apologize if you previously read that one). Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Any advice greatly appreciated….</p>
<p>Oh, I forgot to mention that I am planning to major in ore-med, if that helps at all :). Sorry my post is so long!</p>
<p>Really…any advice?</p>
<p>Well, I would recommend AP chem. Colleges know this is a harder class.</p>
<ol>
<li>AP envi-sci is so easy that you can self study it without any prior knowledge.
2.SAT II - you can always take sat chem after ap chem.</li>
<li>USABO is… strange. I’ve made it with only freshman biology experience. A lot of people at my school guess their way in…while AP biology would help, it is hardly a guarantee.</li>
<li>Semifinalists (top 500~) in USABO is supposed to be decently impressive. Interpret as you may.</li>
</ol>
<p>Now if I seem biased towards AP chem, it’s because I feel that most pre-meds think that biology is more important than chemistry.
Strangely, BS/MD programs want to see SAT chem, not SAT bio.
Med school requirements are 2 years of chem, 1 year of bio.
funny huh?</p>
<p>You can always self study AP bio, or take it online. It’s better than self studying chem because you need the labs in chem.</p>
<p>Cyberchodriac, sorry if this seems naive of me but I thought that USABO involved a 2 wk training camp with 25 people and then the top few people went onto IBO…sorry would you mind explaining :)</p>
<p>And I did not know this about Chem and pre med…that’s very interesting! However, I would be taking AP Chem my senior year if I do not take it next year. </p>
<p>And thank you very much for taking the time to help me :)</p>
<p>I was under the impression that things like USABO required more problem solving than raw knowledge… so if you know the required material, the fact that other people have been preparing for years shouldn’t matter. One of my best friends made the national IChO team for my country… and he literally signed up for the qualification exam on the day.</p>
<p>Actually, the camp you’re referring to is for the finalists. It goes Open Exam -> Semifinal Exam -> 2 week training/finals -> IBO</p>
<p>and the chem thing…is just my own observations. I’ve never seen advice from other CCers, but its on the college websites…</p>
<p>Thank you everyone!!!</p>
<p>So USABO is not difficult to make? Then what about making it to the training camp. I apologize if I seem ignorant about USABO and IBO, it’s just that no one at my school has ever hears about it and then when I posted a thread about IBO earlier i was told that it was a near impossibility for me to attend considering that I had not previously had advanced study in it. So I guess my question is where exactly is “USABO” on the “Scale” Cyberchondriac made, and what are the chances of making it to the training camp/ IBO?</p>
<p>alright so tbh I didn’t read all of your long post, I’ll just address the USABO stuff. Several things.</p>
<ol>
<li>Don’t expect classes to teach you anything. To do well in USABO you have to study on your own. I read Campbell more times than I can remember, Raven’s biology of plants twice, Sadava’s life twice, and the section on research technologies from Albert’s Molecular Bio of the Cell. Buying all of this gets expensive, so try to find stuff in libraries/ borrow from your school if they have them.</li>
<li>As for the starting late thing, don’t worry about it. I read Campbell once and then reviewed a couple important chapters my soph year and made semis just on that (so semis isn’t hard). I didn’t do bio seriously until the summer after my soph year (I’m a junior right now). One year is enough to get into finals, if you’re serious enough.</li>
<li>Practice questions are useful. Floating around on the internet are 160 usabo study questions, the 2004 open, and the 2006 open. Google is your friend.</li>
<li>Don’t use AP or SAT II review books, they aren’t nearly comprehensive enough. I found a GRE review book to be useful for reviewing some stuff, but most of your reading should be from actual textbooks. GRE practice tests are useful.</li>
<li>Did I mention to study? If you can get an hour of bio into your daily schedule, you’ll have a good shot at finals. Ideally, you’ll want to have Campbell memorized cover to cover. Don’t skim over and ignore the little examples they use to illustrate principles.</li>
<li>Semis is all theoretical, but you’ll have a good number of questions which require you to simulate specific research techniques. Most of the techs should be covered between Alberts and Campbell.</li>
<li>Wikipedia is a surprisingly good resource. A good bit of my anatomy knowledge (there wasn’t a lot of it this year, but there was last year) came from Wikipedia.</li>
</ol>
<p>Oh yeah, I’m a finalist btw</p>
<p>Haha very understandable MeSslaH!! Thanks for your help! Would you recommend taking a college class (although the only one available would be Intro to Bio)? It would mess up my schedule but if it is necessary I would do it. Would it be necessary to learn lab techniques? And what are the labs exactly? And what about content of humans compared to plants & animals? Thanks again!</p>
<p>-Don’t take intro to bio, you won’t learn anything not in Campbell. Biology (at least at our level) is a very self taught subject. It’s nice to have someone around who can explain stuff that you don’t get to you, but you have to do most of the work by yourself. </p>
<p>-Lab techs are important. There are a bunch of protein, DNA, and cell culture techs in Campbell and Alberts, read up on it. Usually on semis you’ll always have one set of questions about (insert direction)ern blots.</p>
<p>-its similar to the ibo, you can find the ibo breakdown online.</p>