<p>Hello, I will be applying to UW this fall. Assuming I get in and do well in my tests (I’m an IB Diploma Candidate), I will have already accumulated over 45 credits once I enter UW.</p>
<p>That means as a freshman, I will be in most probably take second year or third year courses.</p>
<p>I intend to do pre-med, therefore, I need to aim for a very high GPA if I wish to be competitive.</p>
<p>I have heard that in most large public colleges, intro level courses are much harder to excel in than upper level courses. Does that assumption hold true for UW?</p>
<p>What I mean by “harder,” is that its more difficult to get an A because of competition and grade curves.</p>
<p>Would any current UW students care to comment?</p>
<p>I do believe you are getting one or two steps ahead of yourself. My daughter was a full IB Diploma student as well. She received the full amount of credit you can at UW. However, and this is a BIG however, the credit is for general VLPA, I&S, and N&W credit. It does NOT get you out of the generally required science lab courses (i.e. chemistry, biology, & physics) that pre-med, science and engineering students need. I believe that goes for calculus as well, as UW uses placements tests to place you in what level of calculus you should be in, rather than give credit in a calculus class, except for some general math class credit they give for the IB math test. So, the point is, that although you will be getting some college credit, you will not necessarily be taking second or third year classes, but most likely will be taking the same “freshman” level (including freshman English composition) classes as all the other other kids who came in with IB or AP credit. Oh yes, another kicker. If you are in honors and a science or engineering major the IB/AP credits really mean nothing, since your electives have to be honors classes, not the general credits that are given as a result of IB tests and diplomas. However, the experience and rigor of IB/AP in high school is where the benefits lie in this case.</p>