<p>I have two very different questions, but both affect the life of a pre med student, so I'm putting my questions in this subforum. </p>
<p>1)a) If I take Principles of Biology I at my local college during high school, is it advised that I should not skip to Principles of Biology II when I actually go to college?
b) Is Principles of Biology an into course or the actual pre med requirement course?</p>
<p>2) How do Universities curve exams? If all students recieved a grade in between 90% (or the lowest grade for an "A") and 100%, would the median grade, 95%, be a C, the lower grade, 90%, be an F, and the highest grade, 100%, be an A? What would happen if all students got the exact same grade?</p>
<p>After reading back, there more than two questions, but w/e.</p>
<p>In general, classes that require curves will have a low median %. It is very rare to “curve down” (where a 95% would be a C lol). A more reasonable curve for a science class would be 65% = B, 78% = A, 55% = C.</p>
<p>So curves aren’t set after the results of the test, but rather recalibrated to a certain percent/raw score?</p>
<p>Oh, they are set after the test results. But, I’m just saying, the means on science tests tend to be low. It’s not unusual to have means of 40-65% on a science test. I’ve gotten A’s in classes where I didn’t break 80% on a single test.</p>
<p>Classes where everyone’s scoring 90% on tests tend to not be curved.</p>
<p>Ah, okay. Do universities have a strict policy on curving or does it matter on the professor/school?</p>
<p>Only a few schools have formal criteria on grades/curves. (Princeton? I think caps the number of As awarded in any one class.)</p>
<p>Each department at a college may have its own policies. More commonly each professor will have his own policy on setting curves and grading criteria. Some professors have different grading policies/curves for each different course they teach. Some profs are harder/grade more strictly than others who teach the same class. Some profs set the class average at C+; others at B-, then curve accordingly.</p>
<p>As you can see policies vary widely.</p>
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<p>Please be aware than ANY college course taken, even if you take it while still in high school MUST be reported on you AMCAS application for medical school. Any grades earned at a college (even high school co-enrollment classes) will be included when calculating your GPA for med school applications.</p>
<p>IOW, don’t take a college class thinking you’ll get a leg up on the same class later at your 4 year college. Med schools will see you’ve take the course more than once and you will have to explain why.</p>
<p>Depends on the professor. Some professors curve like NCG mentioned. Some say from the beginning “90%+ = A, and if all of you get As, so be it.” Some say that the top 30% get As, the next 40% get Bs, the next 20% get Cs, and the remaining students get <C and then determine point cutoffs accordingly. Others do it differently.</p>
<p>Going along with what NCG said, it seems like the classes with generous curves tend to be the most difficult science classes (I got a B+ in honors organic chem and never broke 80 on a test) and the ones who have stricter A cutoffs tend to be easier, intro level classes (eg my intro to sociology class).</p>
<p>I guess I’ll just have wait and see how my college curves. </p>
<p>WayOutWestMom, my school doesn’t offer an actual biology class, so I wanted to be exposed to some biology in a classroom setting before going off to college; it seems from what you are saying that if I do this, it will reflect poorly on my med school app. Will getting an A (which I hope to/plan to) help? I also want to take calculus I and physics I. Additionally, I want to take calc II and physics II second semester of my senior year @ college, finishing my physics sequence. Will getting good grades help me at all?</p>
<p>Good grades will always help you when you go to apply. But if you do take these college classes while in high school, you probably ought to skip their equivalents when you get to college.</p>
<p>IOW, if you take Bio 1 at your local college next year, start with Bio 2 when you get to college. If you take Calc 1, then start with Calc 2. (Or better yet with Stats.)</p>
<p>Do not re-take any course you took for college credit prior to enrolling in your 4 year college.</p>
<p>Will I be recognized for taking a higher course rigor by colleges even if the credits I recieve for bio, calc, phys don’t apply to my high school?</p>
<p>What do you mean by recognized?</p>
<p>Will get accolades/special consideration from the adcomms for taking upper level bio, math or physics in college beyond the minimum pre-reqs? No. Most of your fellow applicants will have upper level coursework in these areas too.</p>
<p>Will you get more leaway on your GPA for taking college coursework during high school? No. GPAs are GPAs and the AMCAS rules for calculating them are quite specific.</p>
<p>Will get special consideration for taking upper level or grad coursework in college because you came into college with advanced standing? No. Some of your fellow applicants will have MAs and PhDs; many will have taken AP or IB classes or college co-enrollment classes in high school and come into college with advanced standing.</p>
<p>I could have phrased my question better. I was asking if I will be treated like someone who has taken many/several AP classes; my school has very few APs, so my only option is to take college classes. Basically will taking college classes make me as competitive as someone who has taken the same number of classes through AP at their high school alone. “recognized” was the wrong word haha</p>
<p>depends on the college you’re taking them at vs. the reputation of the high school you go to. There are many prestigious high schools that don’t offer APs and there are many community colleges which are no better than high schools. As WoWMom said, unlike your high school courses (including APs), med schools will see your community college courses whether you want to show them or not.</p>
<p>Have top students in the past done what you’re thinking of doing?</p>
<p>Med school admission don’t work the same way as undergrad admissions.</p>
<p>The first round of applicant screening looks at: 1) whether or not the student has fulfilled his pre-reqs; 2) what the student’s MCAT score is; 3) what the student’s cGPA and sGPA are.</p>
<p>If the student’s record meets the standards the school has set, then the applicant moves to the next round where all the fuzzy factors get considered: letters of recommendation; community service; medical ECs; research, etc.</p>
<p>There is no college guidance counselor who checks off “This student took the hardest courses available” box on your application.</p>
<p>So no, college admissions and med school aren’t analogous in that way.</p>
<p>BTW, med schools don’t even look at high school records or achievements. Only what you do after the first day of classes of your freshman year. The ONLY exception to this is that any coursework you take in high school that generates a college transcript is considered in your GPA. (Or if you get a misdemeanor or felony conviction in an adult court.)</p>
<p>wait, was the OP asking if taking college courses as a high school student would benefit him in the med school admissions game or it it would benefit him in the college admissions game?</p>
<p>Benefit him in med admissions…</p>
<p>I was talking about undergrad admissions. I’m not sure if any students from my school (what I assume you mean by top students) have done what I plan to do although I’m sure someone down the line has probaby taken a course or two @ the local community college. How colleges verify that the courses I will take are? And what qualifies a high school as prestigious? The number of kids who have gone onto big universities? If so, yes. How can community colleges be checked for difficulty?</p>
<p>I was saying that even if the courses taken during high wil not be on my high school transcript, will undergrad colleges give them the same weight as AP/IB courses</p>
<p>^ was in response to WoWmom. Sorry if I caused any confusion.</p>
<p>Yes, undergrad college will regard CC classes as equivalent to AP/IB classes.</p>
<p>Colleges will require transcripts from both the high school and the CC when you apply. When you fill out your college application, you will be asked what courses you’ve taken, are currently enrolled in and plan to take. You will list any CC classes you’re taking and then it’s YOUR responsibility to have the transcript sent from the CC to all colleges you’re applying to.</p>
<p>Prestige is a nebulous factor and depends on a lot of factors. US News/Newsweek rank; rank within state (including how well juniors/seniors score on state competency exams); difficulty of the curricula (no. of AP/IB or other college equivalent classes offered); graduation rate; how many grads go on to a 4 year college; what colleges they get accepted into; average SAT/ACT scores of seniors; how many NMF/NMSF it produces; how well grads succeed in college; reputation.</p>