Yes, I see that. Whether it’s fortunate or unfortunate, it does seem that the colleges and majors on D’s list are less likely to award useful credit for Physics C, compared to Bio, Chem, and Calc. This would mean that a student could still take the college intro Physics sequence suitable for premeds, without overlapping with AP credits… however, it’s unclear to me whether a med school would see this as “grade-grubbing” (taking intro Physics after taking Physics C)?
For example (looking at a couple of neuro majors):
UCB’s new Neuroscience major allows AP credit to be used for Bio, Chem, and part of the Math requirement, but doesn’t apply AP credit to the intro Physics sequence: Major Requirements | Berkeley Neuroscience
Every medical school has its own policy about accepting AP/IB credit for pre-reqs. Some accept zero AP credits. Some accept AP credits in one area, but not others. Most med school limit the number of AP credits they will accept (6 is pretty common) as fulfilling pre-reqs. Some will accept AP credits for the lecture portion of a class, but still require the student to take the lab part in college.
There’s not much consistency EXCEPT all med schools strongly recommend (and in med school speak recommend = require ) all AP credits to be supplements by additional upper level coursework in the same department as the AP credits.
So—getting AP credit for Bio 1 and 2 is fine because a bio major will be taking additional UL coursework anyway. Ditto for chemistry.
Physics is the tricky one. As alluded to above. the next higher class in physics is typically modern physics–which something that physics majors and engineers take. It’s a calculus-based class and considerably more math intensive and faster paced than AP Physic 1.
The reason why adcomms don’t like unsupplemented AP credits is that:
you were in high school. It’s generally assumed the course was slower paced than a college class and covered less material.
High school classes are less competitive for grades than college classes (which sometimes have hard or soft cap limits on grades). Also your college peers are likely to be more competitive/stronger students than your high school classmates were.
AP credit doesn’t carry a grade and isn’t calculated into your GPA. Adcomms really like comparing apples to apples, but they can’t without a grade attached. (AP scores are not equivalent to a class grade. An AP score of 5 does NOT mean you’d get an A in a college class.)
So, relying only on AP credits to fulfill admission requirements makes you a much less competitive and less desirable applicant than someone who aced all their college classes.
However, using AP credits to get advanced standing (starting at higher level than the freshman intro level) will not be held against you.
If the student does NOT ask for AP credit when they are admitted or matriculate (I am not sure when in the process one submits for AP Credit), would med schools know that they took the class in HS? Student is a currently a junior and has just decided to consider pre-health profressions so we are learning what we can now.
All courses taken in high school will be listed on the kid’s transcript. BUT to get college credit, you need to send the AP scores. No AP scores…no college credit.
However, some HS list AP classes with AP scores earned on the transcript they send to colleges. Each college will handle this information according to their own policies. Some will automatically add AP credits to the student’s college transcript, but most colleges will not do that unless they also receive an official score report from College Board.
Thank you for the reply. I will send this question to the guidance counselor so that we are at least aware of what our schools policy is. The school district includes SAT on the transcript so I have asked about SAT scores in the past and was told that these are removed at the state level prior to being sent to colleges in order to be compliant with FERPA, so will specifically ask about AP scores also.
S26 is currently in Calc AB and planning BC (and potentially AP Bio) next year. They do not want to take Calc 3 in college though, so I am not sure how this would work then if decides to eventually apply to med school. Although I think they will do fine with higher level Calc, they do not have that same confidence, and although they do well in Calc currently, it’s not because they love it. Hope this makes sense.
Only a handful of med schools require more than Calc 1. These are mostly engineering or research focused schools. I can only think of 2 program that require Calc 3 (and both are special programs for engineering/physics/math/computer science majors who want to become physicians).
Instead of calc 3, your child should take statistics and/or biostatistics in college.
Stats is included on the MCAT. Additionally, many med schools now require a stats or biostats as a pre-req. Please check the requirements for all your state med schools since some schools specifically require biostats instead of a more general statistics class.
I am not sure, but that is what I was told when I asked about SAT scores being on the transcript. Maybe she meant the county. I reiterated what she said in my email to the counselor today when I sent it asking about AP, so will see what the reply is.
Thank you. Are you a Med School admission officer person or with a med school advisor company? I see your note as being a “specialist” and you are very active here. Just curious.
I apologize if this was already discussed above… Student is asking me for an answer NOW
Do Dual Enrollment core sciences taken in high school become a problem for some medical schools like the AP cores do? Student is considering taking DE Bio 1 and 2 senior year (instead of taking AP Bio and not asking for credit for the AP regardless of exam score).
I’m not @WayOutWestMom . Any college courses, even DE ones, will need to be sent to medical schools if your student applies. Because they have already taken a lower level college course (in high school), I believe most medical schools will expect the student to take a higher level course in the same discipline.
Any and all dual enrollment classes must be reported when applying to med school AND an official transcript must be sent. (No transcript-- AMCAS/ACOMAS won’t process your application.)
All dual enrollment classes will be included when computing GPA and sGPA for med school admission.
DE classes only become an issue if the student does poorly (GPA hit) or the college they eventually attend won’t accept the transfer credits (which then necessitates retaking the class).
Students do not get a choice about whether or not they will “accept” credit for DE classes. That policy is set by the university’s registrar.
Students should plan on supplementing all DE classes with additional UL electives in the same department if they want to be considered a strong applicant for med school.
Thank you both! When I looked at some medical school(s) requirements, it appears they take the credits, but like you said, they will want the student to then instead take higher level courses. That will help student make a decision for senior year so I appreciate the quick responses!
Many med schools put “expiration dates” on pre-reqs and will not accept pre-reqs that were taken more than 5 years prior to matriculation.
Of course, if a student had subsequently take additional UL electives in the same department–then the expiration date is moved to 5 years from the latest bio/chem class taken.
Sorry to ask a question that has already, sort of, been answered. But .. I need to check my thoughts. What would you suggest that he accept for AP credit and be done, accept but take a harder class, or just not accept?
My son is pre-med and looking at several schools. He has 9 AP classes. He is going to be a dual major is BioChem and Music. His AP classes are as follows:
|AP Credits|College Equivalent|
|AP Calc AB | Calc 1 - Still needs to take Calc 2. Schools suggest it’s okay to use this.
|AP Chem |Chem 1 and lab. Still needs to take Chem 2. As a biochem major, schools said this is okay to use.
|AP Physics |Physics 1, would need Physics 2. Unsure here. He does not want to take a harder class beyond Physics 2.
|AP Psyc| covers Psyc requirement, but needs to take Sociology, is this okay|
|AP Stats | Stats requirement, is this okay to accept? He could take BioStats.
|AP Spanish| Spanish requirement that covers a SPN minor, should be okay|
|AP Lang |ENG 1 - should be okay|
|AP Euro|Humanities Requirement - should be okay|
|AP Gov |History Requirement - should be okay|
Your son will need to check the policies of specific med schools. Requirements differ a good deal among specific schools.
There are many med schools that absolutely will not accept any AP credits as fulfilling the writing requirement. (More will not accept AP English credits than any other subject.)
Also your son will need to check the admission website of all med schools he plans/hopes to apply to since a number of med school limit the number of AP credits they will accept. (6 credits from AP classes is pretty typical.)
He also needs to check with the registrar of the college he plans to attend to see if he will get credit for the lab portion of his AP chem and physics classes. Some colleges give lab credit for AP scores; some don’t. If he doesn’t receive lab credit, he can still use the lecture credit he received from AP and just take the corresponding lab at college.
AP Psych credit will be fine. He still must take intro sociology. (Or the sociology of US healthcare if it’s offered at his university.)
He will also need to look at the policies w/r/t humanities and social sciences at every med school he plans/hopes to apply to. There are 60+ med schools that require or recommend humanities, social sciences or English language lit classes beyond the classes your son has AP credits for.
I’m sorry I can’t be more specifics, but there are over 200 US MD/DO medical schools in the US and every single one of them has different policies about AP credit acceptance.
Your son wants to be doctor–it’s his job to research the course requirements of those schools he hopes to attend.
Also be aware that admission requirements and policies can and do change–often without any advance notice. (Ohio State infamously added a new required pre-req DURING the application cycle one year, leaving hundreds, maybe thousands of med school applicants scrambling to find a human anatomy & physiology class at the last minute for spring semester AFTER they had already applied.)
Some med school specifically require biostats and will not accept stats as a substitute. Please check the admission webpage of every med school your son is interested in or consult MSAR.
If he wants to be strong candidate for med school, he will need some UL bio electives. Genetics. Cellular or molecular biology. Human anatomy & physiology. Neuroscience. Some or all are strongly recommended/required.
Double majoring as a pre med is tough. It’s easier if the 2 majors have some overlap. Biochem and music won’t have any overlap, therefore it’s critical that your son use the university’s course catalog and plan out all 8 semesters of undergrad to make sure he can fit in all the classes he will need for his double major/minor/pre-med pre-reqs/GEs. Use a spreadsheet and list alternative acceptable courses in case something happens. Like professor goes on sabbatical or a popular course fills before he can register for it.
