<p>So I just called and got my AP Chemistry scores. This year's exam was a killer so I was surprised I passed. I got a 4. I feel really confident with my chemistry knowledge, which is why I am in a dilemma....</p>
<p>Emory will only take one semester of Chemistry credit...meaning I'll still have to take General Chemistry 2 either way. For GPA purposes, I know it'll be better for me to just take General Chemistry 1 and 2 because both will be easy A's....but being a Biology/International Business double major I need more room in my schedule. So I want to skip General Chem 1 and just take the AP credit. Is that advisable? </p>
<p>The problem with AP credit is that it doesn’t confer LAB credit–which med schools require.</p>
<p>So you will either have take the lab without the lecture (if Emory will even allow that) or take an additional chem class with lab after you complete OChem.</p>
<p>I’d say retaking Gen Chem 1 WITH lab is the simplest solution.</p>
<p>^ aren’t 100 level courses (like chem 1) usually weed out classes? Wouldn’t it be more advisable to take a lab related class that is of upper level? I wasn’t aware that AMCAS requires one to still take a lab course when it isn’t necessary.</p>
<p>A chem major requires an additional semester of Calc plus you’ll be taking PChem (which is basically quantum mechanics for chemists)–which is math intensive. But PChem does have a required lab…</p>
<p>whs2012, I would have the same dilemma, and any sane person would not be particularly happy to take 7 classes their very first semester of college. I know ppl who skipped the chem 1 & 2 and went straight to orgo. I know this is jumping off a planck here for many, but from this example, I believe AAMCAS doesn’t care for the class lvl, but just the quantity of lab related coursework. And I’m saying this because those ppl did apply and get into good med schools. I’m a chem major too, but I don’t know about my prospective outcome. Chem at my institute is really tough…and I believe I made my judgement to simply look good (albeit the fact that I do happen to enjoy this subject) or rather in haste and under pressure. Biology doesn’t get any better for me though because my instructor wasn’t really an AP sort of person. I guess, if this scenario doesn’t apply to you, then either Bio or chem should be just fine.</p>
<p>And as for quantum mechanics…I participated in a graduate school level particle physics course last semester. I found it interesting. I actually enjoy quantum mechanics.</p>
<p>Well, medical schools require a year of general chemistry with labs. </p>
<p>They’ll allow you to use AP credit to test out of general chemistry with labs provided you then take a year of other chemistry classes with labs. You’re going to have to take a year of chemistry labs anyway, so for your GPA’s sake (which is worth protecting), sticking with general chemistry is probably your best bet. An exception to this best bet would be if you really want to be a chemistry major, because then you’ll most likely take a year’s worth of chemistry plus labs as part of your major (eg inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, quantitative analysis…). Then again, departmental rules vary too–so if you want to be a chem major, your school might require you to take general chemistry on campus and won’t accept your AP credit (whereas they will accept it if you choose to major in something else).</p>
<p>If I were in your shoes, I’d take the general chemistry classes, and I’d be sure not to slack off in them. I went into my school’s equivalent of gen chem 1 + lab having scored a 5 on the Chem AP and was pretty cocky about how easy it would be to get another A…lo and behold, B+! Sure taught me a lesson about assuming I’d get an A in a class because I did well in that class in high school!</p>
<p>As for taking 7 courses, that’s insane and definitely not a good idea for your first year. If you must add chem to your schedule, definitely drop another class, or even two! You’re just starting in college. You will have PLENTY of time to take the classes you want and need over 8 semesters and 3 summers. If you’ve already planned your courses out for the next four years, do it with a grain of salt–it’s hard to predict course offerings, professor changes, changes in your interest, and in general…life itself. It’s unlikely you’ll stick perfectly to the plan you’ve perhaps developed.</p>
<p>Just so you know the average course load at Emory consists of 4 classes a semester (each class is worth 4 hours for a total of 16 hours a semester). </p>
<p>How many other ap credits are you coming in with? I had 24 hours of AP credit (6 AP tests) and I only accepted 20 hours (5 AP classes). I decided to retake Bio 1 because I only had a 4 on the AP Bio Test and I wanted to review the material again. So I came in with 20 hours, decided to major in economics, and now if I wanted to, I can graduate in 3 years. If I decide to stay for 4 years, I can easily do a double major. </p>
<p>Its def. doable to do a double major and be pre-med. You just have to plan your classes out and take some classes over the summer.</p>
<p>I’m trying to avoid summer classes. And with 6 courses the first semester, that will bring my total to 18 semester hours. Because PE is only 1 credit, microeconomics is 3, biology is 4, English is 3, Spanish is 3, and calculus is 4.</p>
<p>My D. did not have AP Chem, her HS did not offer one. So, she had to take it at college. It was her easiest science class, that landed her SI job, was hand picked by Gen. Chem. prof. So, she was running her sessions that became very popular over time, sometime she had 40 kids in class. She said that many had AP Chem in HS and still had problem in college. I do not know how you can assess your knowledge of Chem. I would advise with 4 to re-take it. I do not know why you are so sure that you will have an easy time after having 4 on AP exam.</p>
<p>whs, I wonder if you realize how different college courses are from high school courses. Dual enrollment classes taken at your high school that count for college credit don’t count as college classes in my opinion. The pace of college is much faster than high school, and you’re expected to take a much more active and independent role in your education. Gone are the days of reading through a chapter together or spending half the class going over last night’s problem set. In college, your professors will likely expect you to come to class having read the chapter(s) already–and then spend a lecture (or maybe 2) covering an entire chapter of textbook material. Exams aren’t over a chapter or two–they’re over ten or more, and for many classes your grades are determined by a midterm and a final (that’s it). Have three midterms on the same day? No one cares!</p>
<p>Overloading yourself first semester (and I’d say overloading is anything greater than “typical courseload”) is a ballsy move because first semester can be really unpredictable, what with moving to college and starting in totally new living and academic environments and everything. If colleges is right, and 4 is typical, I think you’re either underestimating how potentially challenging transitioning to college can be or overestimating your abilities or both. Keep in mind, the people who recommend the typical courseload have been working at your school for ages–and unless you’re absolutely a superstar, it’s probably best to follow their instructions.</p>
<p>It’s probably in your best interest to start slow (ie, with the “typical courseload”) and increase your courseload for the spring if you had plenty of extra time or wanted an additional challenge. But for the fall of your freshman year, you could be biting off more than you can chew, and it’s really challenging to dig yourself out of a GPA hole (case in point: how many “I got a C in Physics–what do I do now?” or similar threads have there been around lately?). If there are only a few opportunities for “easy” (read: academically light) semesters, I think the smartest ones to choose are first semester and the semester of MCAT prep. </p>
<p>Laying a solid foundation in college is critical to your success as a student and a premed. Much of that foundation (social and academic) is laid during your first semester. Overloading yourself with too many courses during your first semester could negatively impact the rest of your entire college career–and I personally wouldn’t want to take that risk. If I were in your shoes, I’d seriously reconsider taking more than the recommended number of classes.</p>
<p>Your not understanding what I am saying. Calc at Emory will be counted as 4 hours. PE is 1 hour. Bio is 4 hours (even though it has a lab, the lab and the lecture is counted as 4 hours). English is 4 hours. Microecon is 4 hours. The dean won’t let you take more than 17 hours or something your first semester (I don’t remember the exact amount of hours that you can take first semester but its def. not more than 18).</p>
<p>^^^ Its really different from most schools.</p>
<p>I didn’t take the dual enrollment courses at my high school, I took them at the actual community college with every other student.</p>
<p>Also, I didn’t get a 5 because I have a tendency to freak out during standardized test. It’s not that I didn’t understand the information, it’s just that I looked at the FRQ and started freaking out because it was so much different than what I studied. I understood how to do a majority of the questions, I just blanked out on some questions because I was under stress. Immediately after the exam I walked out the room and the answers to the FRQ that I couldn’t figure out came flowing like a river, but you guys have to understand that this test is really stressful. How well you perform on the exam isn’t just based on competency. If competency is an issue, I scored a 5 on every previously released exam that we received in AP Chemistry (in which case I was not nervous at all). </p>
<p>Also, everyone is telling me to not overload my schedule. That’s what I’m trying to do. In order to NOT overload my schedule I will have to take my AP Chem credit. I’m not overestimating my skills. I agree retaking the course wouldnt be a bad idea. If I really had the room in my schedule to take it, I would. But I just don’t. Unless of course I’d be overloading.</p>
<p>Some factors about OP were not mentioned and therefore were not taken into consideration:</p>
<p>He is from Texas, where their public medical schools accept AP credits under some conditions.</p>
<p>I think another consideration is that: Whether or not he was from a competitive high school. (e.g., a high school which routinely produces, say, 30+ National Merit Scholars based on PSAT.) As far as I know, it is often the case (but of course not always) that a student from a non-competitive high school will struggle academically in the first few classes in college. (I believe that almost all premed kids at DS’s college in his class year who were from rural/southern Texas stop being premeds after a few premed classes.)</p>
<p>Another factor is how high his GPA needs to be before the application. If he happens to be an URM, the requirement could be lower.</p>
<p>I do not know the answers to these questions. But I think these factors could be important. In general, not to overload yourself in the first semester (e.g., 2 science classes + 2 non-science classes + 1 PE credit) is beneficial for everybody except the few truly well-prepared.</p>
<p>I don’t live in a rural area (country–if you know that term). I live in a major city. One of the biggest in the nation. My school is “academically challenged” though. Our average SAT score is around a 1300, but that does not necessarily mean I am the same way. When I took the SAT in May (just to try it out)–I got a 2000. When I retook the ACT in June (just to see what I’d make) I scored a 33. I don’t know if I’ve already mentioned, but I graduated high school a year early. If I graduated on time I could have sent off the 33 rather than the 28. </p>
<p>Also, my school isn’t very competitive, but I took learning the information into my own hands. For calculus, I used MIT opencourseware to learn (watched every lecture at least twice). I was in precal last year, but my ultimate goal was to be ready for calculus in the fall. </p>
<p>When I was studying for CLEP Biology, which I later discovered was pointless since no school accepted it, I used UC Berkley opencourseware for biology. I scored a 77/80 on that exam. A 50 is passing.</p>
<p>For chemistry I also watched lectures from UC San Diego and scored a 4 on the AP Chemistry exam.</p>
<p>Needless to say, just because you don’t go to an “ivy-high school” doesn’t mean I’ll find my pre-med courses any more difficult than someone who did. I actually tutored my friends from an “ivy-high school” in my area for SAT Biology. They were all highly ranked as well. Think about it. I was technically taught calculus by an MIT professor. I was technically taught biology by a UC Berkley professor. I was technically taught chemistry by a UC San Diego professor. Guys, with resources being so vast today due to technology, “ivy high schools” aren’t really the only way to get a solid academic foundation. So don’t try that. </p>
<p>As for URM status, I’ll be a able to pull off a 3.7-3.8 just like anyone else.</p>