Whether BSC 2010c (Biology 1) is worth it

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Central Florida
1

Hello, I am a freshman at UCF that is majoring in Biomed-neuroscience track.

After already signing up for BSC 2010c (Biology 1), I found out that I got a 4 on the AP Biology exam, which gives me credit for the course. However, I am still considering taking it so that I know biology very well for the MCAT (I am planning on becoming a neurosurgeon).

My question is, do you think BSC 2010c would give me enough new information to be worth taking, or should I swap it for another course?

I am also enrolled in CHM 2040 for the fall, so an option could be to swap that for CHM 2045c so that I can knock out Chem 1 in one semester rather than two.

Thanks for your help.

2

I have a D who is just starting at UCF as a double major BMSci and Eng pre med. We also struggled with AP questions. I think it splits into two issues.

  1. Does skipping the class leave you unprepared for some next class. The best advice I heard here was to take the credit and think about it as some breathing room to take a lighter load for that next class (give that next class more study time). That said, check out the syllabus for the class and then check yourself. Do you feel confident that you have that knowledge or could study it yourself if needed in the future?

  2. Will it hurt you for medical school? Look at the AP acceptance criteria for medical schools you are likely to attend. Most will accept a 4. Some will not. Some advisors will tell you to always take the class and get the A. I’m of the opinion that most adcoms are comfortable with AP credit for some freshman classes. You can always go take it later.

fwiw my D choose to us her AP credit.

Good luck. I’m impressed with UCF so far!

3

Does the price of books factor into your decision at all? We were at the UCF bookstore today and I was looking at some of the books my son will need. There were 3 books required for that class, 2 of them were $170 each and I didn’t look at the 3rd one.

4

Some books cover more than 1 semester

I don’t know about bio, but check it out.

Also if I may put my 2 cents in…4th year mom here…lol:

Consider renting or buying used…never been disappointed in this option. If the book is too used…take it back and have then swap out.

Also…and this is big…IF you can get the book from other than ucf…look on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The college BN store at ucf can be much more expensive than the regular BN store online. Ucf says they will match price of both Amazon and regular BN.

GO KNIGHTS!