<p>I'm going to be a senior in the fall and I'm considering the pre-med path. Basically, my schedule for next year is:
AP Govt/Econ
AP Lit
ASB (student gov't)
Spanish III
AP Prob & Stat
AP Psych
H Anatomy & Physiology
However.. after asking around and looking up different sources I've decided to take Sp. III during the summer and take AP Sp. IV senior year. I'm also considering taking AP Physics as opposed to H Anat&Phys. Am I at a loss if I don't take AP Calculus and anatomy next year? And is my new senior schedule okay grounds for pre-med in college?</p>
<p>I’d take AP Calc over AP Physics. The physics on the MCAT is algebra based anyways. If you do decide to take AP physics, DO NOT take the exam. You only need general physics for med school and you don’t need the ap credit or the hassle it might create (I have no idea what upper level physics entails, but it’s overkill and probably pretty difficult). </p>
<p>Anatomy doesn’t really matter. There are lots of medical students who start med school having never taken Anatomy at any level.</p>
<p>I think your original schedule is fine.</p>
<p>Take AP Physics, and see if you can squeeze in AP Calc as well… You’re still going to have to take Physics in undergrad, and its good to have a solid background in college, as opposed to going in cold with no knowledge of the material whatsoever. Maybe drop AP Prob/stat and put AP Calc in – and Drop H Anatomy/Phys and put AP Physics in… Anatomy in HS wont do you much.</p>
<p>It’s not like general physics, non-calc based, is that difficult. </p>
<p>The issue comes down to AP credit or not. Some HS’s require that you take the AP exam. Many colleges do not let you cherry pick which AP credit you utilize (ie, use AP Bio, AP English, but not AP Calc and AP Physics), leaving you with an all or nothing decision. For some people that’s an important consideration. What makes Physics a particularly poor choice, if you get a qualifying AP Score, is that whatever advanced physics is (quantum mechanics? time travel? intro to string theory?) is likely going to be SUPER difficult and with no application on the MCAT or medical school. AP chem runs into a similar problem, but at least we know that analytical chem and physical chem are the next in sequence, and while difficult, you could argue they potentially might run tangentially to something asked on the MCAT. And if you’re lucky, depending on the med schools you’re applying to, you may be able to substitute in biochemistry if you credit out for gen chem.</p>
<p>That’s the issue. AP physics, specifically the credit, is problematic and thus should be avoided.</p>
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<p>? what colleges do this? Every college i’ve ever looked at has let you choose which AP classes you want to opt out of. Not, okay i have to either opt out of every single one, or none of them… That even sounds ridiculous. Anyways, it seems as most people end up not opting out of the intro classes (gen chem/intro to bio/physics 1) in college bc they are college classes and will, most likely, be harder than your AP class in HS. </p>
<p>So basically the only real issue is you looking competitive to college adcoms. At the end of the day, you want to say that you’ve taken the most rigorous coursework possible at your school.</p>
<p>1) I promise you it’s prevalent enough to consider it the default option. The better question is why even risk the possibility in this case.
2) We’re talking about senior year credit anyways, so appealing to admissions committees with this credit is irrelevant.
3) The OP can still take AP coursework if their school will allow them to opt out of the exam.
4) The OP has not mentioned which colleges they’re considering applications.
5) Taking AP Calc is certainly a reasonable tradeoff and with a known entity beyond the intro level.
6) There’s never anything wrong in taking classes that a student has an interest in. If the OP really wants to take Anat and Phys, that’s fine.</p>