Hello
This is my first post but I am really trying to weigh options with my daughter. She is interested in BS/ MD programs but tbh, it’s a long shot. We will still apply but of course would like a back up plan. She has a 4.5 with 1320 SAT and 5 AP’s so far with a 3 more likely in her senior year. A BS/ MD program obviously has its advantages but I think going to a school that is less competitive may accept more of her AP classes and duel enrollment classes. She really like both the Temple and Rowan honors colleges and she shouldn’t have trouble getting into them (I don’t think). If they end up accepting all of her AP classes and 4 scheduled dual enrollments, am I right in assuming that would shave off approximately 3 semesters of college? I know APs transfer in as transfer credits so no grade, how do dual enrollment classes usually transfer? Will she still be able to apply to medical school ? Thank you in advance for the help !
Maybe and maybe not. If her DE and AP courses are part of her high school classes, and they are required courses for medical school admissions, most medical schools will expect that she take a higher level course in that discipline while IN college. If that is the case, really no time will be saved.
I also have to ask…why would you want her to graduate 3 semesters early from undergrad? Would she be applying to start medical school in the fall following her undergrad graduation? If so, she would be on the young side and this is not an asset when applying to medical schools in many cases.
And lastly, the acceptance rates for BS/MD programs are in the single digits.
@WayOutWestMom what have I left out?
Regarding AP and college credit in high school for pre-meds, there are lots of things to know about: FAQ Pre-med courses, AP/IB/etc. credit and college/DE courses, etc.
Students who plan to apply to med school need all their time in college and often need a “glide year” (or 2) on top.
So the goal of AP and DE classes shouldn’t be to accelerate the process but rather allow the student to have an edge in 1st semester courses (AP Bio will provide useful background for Gen Bio1, AP Chemistry for GenChem1 though you should expect the college course to be faster and more thorough; DE Bio1 means the course and grade will be incoporated into the med school application and the student will have to take Gen Bio2) AND allow for more science electives and/or a minor and/or relevant classes of interest in junior and senior year.
Dual enrollment courses usually transfer with a grade that will appear on her transcript , but the quality points earned by those grades will NOT be used by her college to calculate her GPA.
Dual enrollment classes must be reported when applying to medical schools via AMCAS/TMDSAS/ACOMAS and those grades will be used to calculate her GPA for medical school admission purposes.
Also colleges have specific policies about how many transfer credits they will allow and whether those transferred classes can be used to substitute for coursework offered at the college. Some colleges require advance permission from the registrar and/or the student’s major department before accepting transfer credits.
Shortening the time in college is a reasonable goal if there is a financial necessity for it; however, medical schools expect all AP/IB and some DE classes to be supplemented with additional upper level coursework in the same dept as the AP/IB/DE credits if the student wants to be considered a competitive applicant for medical school.
If your student does choose to graduate early, they should plan on doing 1 or more gap years before medical school to develop the EC portfolio needed to apply to med school.
Having the pre-reqs completed is only the very first baby step in becoming a competitive med school applicant. Even having a high GPA and excellent MCAT score isn’t enough to gain a med school acceptance. (A necessary first step, yes, but an insufficient one.)
Having the necessary ECs, LORs, leadership roles, and the demonstrated professional, intellectual, social, personal and interpersonal skills are also requirements for a successful med school application.
See Premed Competencies for Entering Medical Students
Also see p, 14 of Using MCAT® Data in 2024 Medical Student Selection to see what qualities medical school admission officers value most when they make decisions about who to interview and who to accept into their med schools.
Edited to add: not all medical schools will allow the use of AP/IB credits for pre-reqs. Some will accept only a limited number of credits (typically no more than 8 credits/2 classes); others won’t accept any; still others will accept them only for certain subjects–like calculus or psychology.
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