<p>Should I retake the Calculus courses (Math 1A and 1B) at Cal if I'm going to pre-med? I took the AP Calculus A/B test my junior year and went on to Calculus II at a local JC. I got a B in Calculus II, so I was considering taking Math 1B. I was also worried, however, that I should start off at Cal with Math 1A first since I hear med schools prefer you take the courses at the college rather than using AP scores. What should I do...? :(</p>
<p>same situation here!
also, should i test out of basic bio (Bio 1A, i think?) using AP credits if i am considering med school?</p>
<p>you know i have the same question! but im def. leaning towards testing out of bio 1a and taking math 53...the thing is, med schools do not specify what kind of courses they want as long as you fulfill the minimum number of "bio" semesters...so i dont think it matters which course you take....
so better to take a higher course and learn new stuff</p>
<p>Practically all med schools will not take AP credits to replace coursework. If you're nervous about Math 1A/B being weeder classes, med schools will take Math 16A and 16B to fulfill the one year math requirement. The 16 series is generally much easier than 1A/B</p>
<p>Just remember that Math 16A/B is terminal math at Berkeley, meaning you don't go forward with any more math courses after the 16 series.</p>
<p>For bio, same situation, you cannot use AP credits to fulfill most med school requirements.</p>
<p>Med schools are all different in their requirements... so you have to talk to an adviser or research med school application requirements yourself. But in general, AP credits are not accepted. To play it safe and ensure that you have a wide range of med schools to apply to, don't substitute AP credits for coursework.</p>
<p>yea but for med schools you can still take math 53 the first year and not 1a or 1b...its just a jump you're making...they dont care...
i guess for bio since they require "general bio" it is better to start off with the basic stuff</p>
<p>Correct, for math the 16a/b, 1a/b, 53/54 count towards the math req. If anyone is interested in a major in MCB keep in mind that Math 16a/b will not satisfy the math req for MCB. </p>
<p>I have heard some people use a 5 on BC calc to fulfill the MCB req for math and then take 16a/b for med school as a GPA boost. I don't really approve of this... but apparently it works.</p>
<p>For the jump between BC calc you pretty much have to cover second order differentials, a little hyperbolic, and how to use series to solve differentials. All this is just one to two chapters, so definitely doable if there are others interested in the 53/54 series.</p>
<p>Re: suigenL's post about the JC math class</p>
<p>As quoted from Berkeley's career center in the pre-med FAQ section:</p>
<p>Q: I'm a second year student and have only completed Chem1A, so I feel a bit behind in my premed requirements, so I was wondering if med schools would frown upon this if I took the equivalency of Math 1A/16A at a junior college this summer.</p>
<p>A: It is fine to take Math over the summer at other than Berkeley. You should take the vast majority of your pre-med science work at Cal as the med schools are aware of the level of the course work here, and good grades will mean more that way. How much is enough is hard to pin down exactly. But, taking a semester of math somewhere else when you have a good record at Cal should not be any sort of a problem.</p>
<p>This site is really helpful for prospective pre-med students:
Career</a> Center - Pre-Med FAQs - Preparing for Medical School - Getting Organized</p>
<p>Of course a Cal counselor is even better at helping you answer questions! Send an email or visit in person to ask them about med school.</p>
<p>wow ethancc....the strategic bc waiving of all math for mcb and then taking the 16 easy ass series is pretty slick...does it work though?</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure it does since med schools will take the 16 series while MCB will take 5's on BC calc... so assuming you get a 5, this slick trick does work.</p>
<p>I personally think this trick is somewhat lame... but that's just my opinion... whatever people decide take at Berkeley is none of my business =)</p>
<p>yea i have a 5...but "top tier med schools" will not care too right? now what if i want to double major in Comp Sci...will this strategy still work?</p>
<p>Med schools ALL differ in their requirements so you have to check their admission policies regarding coursework accepted. I can say the majority of med school will take the 16 series. Definitely verify this strategy with Cal counselors... I won't take any blame if you don't get in to the med school of your dreams.</p>
<p>For Comp Sci, I believe you have to take Math 54, but not 53. The strategy won't work here since you still have to take Math 54 for comp sci so you might as well take 53 to fulfill the 1 yr math required by med school instead of taking 54, 16a, 16b</p>
<p>For Bio 1a, IF you are a bio major and you are taking more upper div bio, you should be able to opt out of the bio 1A course and take more interesting upper div courses instead</p>
<p>If you are not a bio major and have no plans to take upper div bio, then you probably want that 1A series.</p>
<p>My D got AP units for calc, but could not get into the next calc class fall term, with the gap in time she decided it would be smart to start at the beginning of the series, she took math 1A then 1B, then the multi variable calc, she was happy she did not skip the 1A as it covered things she had not previously learned and allowed her to have a strong foundation. She did not have to take the extra math, but wanted to see how far she could go comfortably</p>
<p>@somemom.....is your D a pre-med student? so she also skipped bio 1a and went straight to upper div courses?</p>
<p>ethancc2, the link to the Pre-Med FAQs was very helpful, and I am definitely going to try to contact a Cal counselor soon. Thanks!</p>
<p>For now, I've decided not to retake Calculus, but I am still a little hesitant with my decision. I'm not using any of my AP credits for any of the science courses. I took biology and chemistry when I was a freshman/sophomore (respectively) and therefore feel like I should definitely start with the basics.</p>
<p>If I do actually opt out of taking Math 1A/1B, will my jc credits for Calculus II satisfy the one-year math requirement?</p>
<p>SB- yes, D is premed, though she did not know that for certain as a freshman (she doesn't like to be tied down to a plan) and she skipped Bio 1A against the advice of Berkeley advisors, but we have found them to be rather formulaic and by the book.</p>
<p>If you read this link, which I just saw today, you will see that it can work just fine:</p>
<p>D is not big on doing what every one else is doing, she wants to take the classes in which she is interested and if those don't get her into med school then she figures med school is not the place for her.</p>
<p>"If I do actually opt out of taking Math 1A/1B, will my jc credits for Calculus II satisfy the one-year math requirement?"</p>
<p>You can use the following site to see if the classes at your jc fulfill 1A/1B:
Welcome</a> to ASSIST</p>
<p>If your jc isn't listed or you can't find Calculus II on the site, calling the math department at Berkeley would be the next step. They'll usually ask you to show your class syllabus to them and then they'll try to match it up with a similar math class at Berkeley.</p>