<p>I am currently a Senior in High School thinking of applying to this college. I have taken a lot of AP exams, </p>
<p>Physics B-5
Calc BC-5
Statistics-5
US History-5
Biology-5
Psychology-5
English Language-5</p>
<p>This year I am also taking Chemistry & Economics and given my track record, I would guess that I will get 5's on them too. </p>
<p>With this credit, would it be possible to finish an undergraduate degree at UChicago in three years. I don't really want to spend money going to college for four years when I could do it in three.
Also, I would be applying for a Biology degree, so would that be possible in three years?
Thanks.</p>
<p>I think you’d have to take a lot of the science classes again as a premed, but you should at least get the 6 quarter elective maximum from US History and English (see [Examination</a> Credit and Transfer Credit - University of Chicago Catalog](<a href=“Examination Credit < University of Chicago Catalog”>Examination Credit < University of Chicago Catalog)). That would leave you with 36 credits to graduate, and maybe fewer if some of the math and science APs give you retroactive credit that counts towards a major (for Bio, I think you could get another 2 quarters knocked out if you use the Calc BC score for 15100 and 15200, and another 2 from Chem if you don’t have to do those over as a premed). So you’re looking at 32-36 courses total. It would certainly be possible to graduate in 3 years, given that students take 3-4 courses per quarter and taking 4 every quarter would leave you with 36 by the end of your third year. Just don’t forget that you’re still in high school, you haven’t gotten accepted yet, you might not choose to come here even if you are, you might not want to go to medical school or major in biology after all, and you might not want to make the lifestyle and academic sacrifices that come with completing a BA in 3 years. ;)</p>
<p>I’m a bio major so I have some knowledge on this. I guess it’s possible if you start in Organic Chemistry 1st year. But you would be cramming a whole lot of science classes together your 2nd and 3rd year with labs and I don’t know how anyone would survive that. Couple your 3rd year with TONS of science classes with MCAT/application preparations…whoa. I mean one goes to college to learn but staying alive is improtant too, you know? </p>
<p>I can see why you want to finish in 3 years, but it’s really risky and might be overkill. But theoretically, I guess it is possible.</p>
<p>Your ability to get a high GPA, especially at an anti-inflationary institution like Chicago, also depends on pacing yourself correctly. 4 classes per quarter isn’t an excessive amount, but indeed, lab components and psets will make them time consuming, stressful, and perhaps difficult to schedule. In case you didn’t get the memo, GPA matters a ton to med schools as you apply (more than your high school GPA matters when you apply for undergrad) and you need to leave yourself some room to screw up. I’d say you should take classes in the summer, but if you’re hurting financially to the extent that you’d voluntarily give up all your fun for 3 years, you’ll probably need to have an internship or job during that time (and living on campus would end up costing).</p>
<p>If you really don’t want a 4th year, I’d probably suggest a less competitive school that will pad out your college GPA more and also give a greater amount of credits than Chicago does for APs – they’ll place you out of levels if you do well on the tests, but other schools will value them more highly.</p>
<p>I see that you are interested in both Chicago and Princeton. Are you going to college to get a rigorous liberal education that will build a solid foundation for your entire life or are you going to college just as a “stepping stone.” If you are going to college to be well educated I can’t see anything wrong with attending either Chicago or Princeton. They both provide outstanding undergraduate education that will help you grow and develop into a global thinker. On the other hand, if all you care about is going to college mainly as a “highway” for medical school, I would strongly recommend that you apply to an easy state school where you can have advanced standing with your APs, get much easier high GPA (remember, Chicago and Princeton are noted for grade deflation), save a ton of money, and graduate in 3 years…It would be very difficult to graduate in 3 years at Chicago or Princeton. I only knew of one person who graduated in 3 years and he WAS a genius. Think about it.</p>
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