Advanced Placement Biology

[dudeimdumb]

ok..i need some advice in schedule planning for my senior year in High school

I hear that this class has a nation-wide curriculum and i was wondering if anyone took it or is taking it (in highschool). Im wondering if i should take it :-/

 

[LadyAurora]

Well, it was many years ago...I graduated HS in 1990. I did take AP Biology, and not only did I enjoy the class, but I got lots of college credit after taking the exam. I recommend it.

 

[phillybeth]

If you are planning on taking up Biology in college, believe it or not this class may not be to your advantage. Not from the knowledge standpoint, but many colleges won't allow you to apply AP credits to your major. I would take it anyway even if I were planning on majoring in Biology for the knowledge and to lighten my burden a bit studying-wise once I got to college.

 

[solotraveler]

If you are up for the challenge, I say go for it.

One thing I would definately take a look at though-- if you are considering specific colleges, take a look at what kind of credit is offered for the AP test. The AP Bio test is a very sticky wicket for many schools-- they may only give you credit for one course, as opposed to two for things like chemistry or physics- especially if you will be majoring in science. (Many schools believe that AP Bio does not give a firm enough grounding in evolutionary biology, selection and behavior, so they only give you credit for a single semester. At least this was how many college handled it.)

Hope this helps!
Solotraveler

 

[ead79]

I took AP Biology (in 1997), and I highly recommend it. I was able to get enough science credit with my AP score to exempt all science in college (business majors had to take 2 science courses, and my AP Bio score got me out of both), which was very helpful in enabling me to graduate in 4 years. Plus, I really enjoyed the class and learned a lot. I say go for it! Of course, as the other posters pointed out, different schools give different amounts of college credit for different AP scores, so you might not get as much credit at one college as at another.

 

[NC Belle]

Hi,
I had AP Biology back in 1989-1990 (I guess LadyAurora took the same test as I did---different schools/what a coincide). It was very helpful--I had a great teacher. I do recommend to read up on botany subjects on the side because the test that I took had a lot of questions that did not occur in the classroom. My teacher thought it would focus on biotech, ethics, and AIDS. I learned quite a bit and got 8 credits (I was 1 of 2 who score high enough in my school to get full college credit). My sister took it two years before me so that help some. Ask the teacher for an appointment to see if it is right for you.






Good luck,
NC Belle

 

[wdwfam]

My DS took it last year, and to be quite honest, I guess it depends on the teacher. While he did score a 4 on the AP, most of his other tests were 5's. The university that he went to would not exempt him from taking General Bio, although he could use the AP score towards electives - he is a Biomedical Engineering major, so he has to take a lot of science, and he goes to a private university. That may be the difference. He simply felt that his teacher didn't teach the curriculum too well.

 

[CRB#33]

I don't know if you should take it or not, but I do have to say that if you are eligible to take AP science courses, your screen name needs to be changed !!!

 

[monarchsfan16]

I'm taking AP Bio, along with 2 other AP courses right now. It's a very challenging class, at least with my teacher. But I've heard she prepares people well for the exam, so the fast paced class is ok, in that respect. However, an A in an AP class, particularly that one can be very hard to attain, so if you are very uptight about your GPA it may not be the best class. However, I've been told that colleges look more favorably at you if you've taken AP courses and done relatively well in them (down to B-, C+ range). I guess whether you take it or not is dependent on whether you want to spend your entire senior year studying, what career path you're interested in, and so forth. It's without a doubt my toughest class this year, and I aced Bio 1 as a freshman. So the choice really has a lot of pros and cons to be considered.

 

[Lynn CC]

DS takes AP courses, he's going to be a senior next year too. So far he took AP English, APHistory, AP Calc, and AP Chemistry....
If you pass the test that is at the end of the year you will get college credit applied. More and more colleges are accepting AP credits.
Take it! You don't want to be bored in a regular Biology Class.
Good Luck, it won't be as hard as you think it is

 

[Snowysmom]

My DS took AP biology last year. His teacher was excellent and he scored a 5 on the exam. He is now freshman in college majoring in biochemistry. The school he is at puts the AP credits towards one of the lower level biology courses but not the main one required as a general education requirement. If you are at all thinking of majoring in science, it is worth taking. DS learned alot and it is making his college biology course a lot easier.

 

[KingKobra]

I'm in AP Bio right now along with 2 other Ap classes. I decided to take it because I wanted to take as many AP's as I could to make my college resume look good. AP Bio is a lot different than regular Bio you may have had it 10th grade. I breezed through Bio then because it was more of an introduction to Biology concepts while AP Biology gets very detailed and in depth and is not an AP class to take if you are just looking to add points to your gpa (as I have found out the hard way). But if you really like Biology and are thinking about doing something Biology related in College then definitely take this class because many colleges use the AP Bio text book and a 4 on the test will get you college credit in most colleges. Just make sure you don’t have too hectic of a schedule because it’s a ton of work and your senioritis will inevitably kick in. trust me

 

[chadfromdallas]

Originally posted by CRB#33
I don't know if you should take it or not, but I do have to say that if you are eligible to take AP science courses, your screen name needs to be changed !!!

Not really, even a moron could make it through AP high school classes.

Compared to college classes, they are terrible.

I was in honors my entire high school years.

I didn't take AP biology my senior year though, I took it in 9th(yes, AP biology in 9th).

I decided to take it because I wanted to take as many AP's as I could to make my college resume look good.

All you need is a good SAT and be in the top 10% of your class.

Nothing else will matter, believe me.

 

[SoonerKate]

I took AP Bio, but I didn't take the AP test because I thought it'd be better for me to focus on the tests I knew I could do really well on. I'm much more of a history/english person than a math/science person, so I knew I was better off with the AP Euro, AP Gov and AP English tests.

I did go ahead and take Biology for non-science majors my freshman year of college, and we used the exact same book that I had used in AP. It was definitely easier the second time around!

 

[KingKobra]

Originally posted by chadfromdallas

All you need is a good SAT and be in the top 10% of your class.

Nothing else will matter, believe me.

Well every college admissions officer I have spoken to has advised to take AP courses becasue they would rather see someone challenge themselves in their senior year rather than take regular college prep classes. And besides, in many cases you need to have a few AP's in order to be in the top 10%.

 

[chadfromdallas]

Originally posted by KingKobra
Well every college admissions officer I have spoken to has advised to take AP courses becasue they would rather see someone challenge themselves in their senior year rather than take regular college prep classes.

Said the exact same thing to me, lol

 

[ead79]

originally posted by ChadfromDallas
Not really, even a moron could make it through AP high school classes.

Compared to college classes, they are terrible.

I was in honors my entire high school years.

I didn't take AP biology my senior year though, I took it in 9th(yes, AP biology in 9th).

All you need is a good SAT and be in the top 10% of your class.

Nothing else will matter, believe me.

I really couldn't disagree more. Many of the AP courses I took at my high school (coincidentally rated the top public high school in the country by Columbia University back when I was in high school) were every bit as challenging as some of my college coursework (and I went to a well respected university). Your high school's AP courses must've been very different from mine if "any moron" could have made it through them with flying colors. Of course, our valedictorian and several other AP students went to Harvard, and they didn't seem to think the AP courses were a joke. You certainly did an excellent job by taking AP Biology as a freshman, but that doesn't mean that any moron could make it through. I don't think that you should apply your personal experience with college admissions as the ruler by which to gauge others' entrance requirements.

SAT scores are not magic admission cards, and neither is being in the top 10% of your class. Colleges do like to see challenging course work, and if you made straight A's in regular level courses you could be denied admission when competing with someone who made A's or even B's in advanced placement classes. Extra curricular activities also play a large factor. Plus, the ability to exempt core level college courses should not be discounted. It was a major factor in helping me to graduate in four years despite having to take a semester off due to illness.

 

[KingKobra]

Well i guess you beat the system!
But i'm gonna stick to believing that AP classes matter when applying to competitive schools where everyone who applies is in the top 10% and has similar SATs. At least I have to so I dont lose my mind for the next few months.

 

[chadfromdallas]

Originally posted by ead79
SAT scores are not magic admission cards, and neither is being in the top 10% of your class.

They are in the state of Texas.

 

[dudeimdumb]

Originally posted by ead79
I took AP Biology (in 1997), and I highly recommend it. I was able to get enough science credit with my AP score to exempt all science in college (business majors had to take 2 science courses, and my AP Bio score got me out of both), which was very helpful in enabling me to graduate in 4 years. Plus, I really enjoyed the class and learned a lot. I say go for it! Of course, as the other posters pointed out, different schools give different amounts of college credit for different AP scores, so you might not get as much credit at one college as at another.

yea i actually plan on going to business school too. The main reason i wanted to take the class is because i love Science and i wanted to take an AP class before i graduate. I'll see how it goes. thanx