Anonymous
Post 07/30/2025 09:07     Subject: Premeds at Ivy/T10 schools
Anonymous wrote:No skipping chem at kid's ivy, freshmen premeds start there, take orgo as soph. One semester of Bio can be skipped with AP of 5. Most skip and take Cell bio, biochem, physiology, genetics as upper levels. That is not typically freshman year but could be. freshmen tend to knock out genchem x2, maths x 2, most place out of at least one if not 2 semesters calc ie some take multivariable plus stats as the 2 maths. Psych is common freshman too. Sophomore is orgo x2, physics x2, Bios if needed, junior is phyiscs x2 if not done and biochem/UL Bios
That is the standard for premed non-engineers who plan no gap year or want to do a masters as a gap year (4+1) which is common for MD-phD chasers.
BMEs move moreintros to first year to have room for the E courses though a lot of BME courses overlap with premed req.
There are a few juniors who are in orgo usually people who came in behind or slowed down the pace/spread out the stem or did a withdraw early as a soph and are retrying orgo.
There is no "easy A" redo intro commonality, most prefer to want to get the coursework done so they can take mcat may-june after junior and apply or at least have it out of the way. However this ivy has medians of B+ for intros as well as for orgo and C grades are rare. Upper level bios often have medians of A- so it is honestly better to skip intros if placement test/AP credit lets you. There are adv/honors versions of some intros (genChem honors requires 5 on the APChem) with "high" medians and very small cohorts of under 40 yet the workload is onerous for these classes


Thanks for answering the question! I probably worded it poorly and should have made more clear this wasn’t about choosing courses. At their Ivy you skip bio 1/2 and they tend to take cell-mo and genetics instead. Only chem 1 can be skipped and they take orgo 1 spring freshman year.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2025 09:05     Subject: Premeds at Ivy/T10 schools
Anonymous wrote:There is a pre-med group for parents?? LOL. Mom…


Who on earth would make fun of this? It’s okay to guide your kid through HS graduation but not thereafter? I asked my parents for advice my whole life. You’re obviously on this board to guide your adult or almost adult.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2025 09:04     Subject: Premeds at Ivy/T10 schools
Anonymous wrote:No skipping chem at kid's ivy, freshmen premeds start there, take orgo as soph. One semester of Bio can be skipped with AP of 5. Most skip and take Cell bio, biochem, physiology, genetics as upper levels. That is not typically freshman year but could be. freshmen tend to knock out genchem x2, maths x 2, most place out of at least one if not 2 semesters calc ie some take multivariable plus stats as the 2 maths. Psych is common freshman too. Sophomore is orgo x2, physics x2, Bios if needed, junior is phyiscs x2 if not done and biochem/UL Bios
That is the standard for premed non-engineers who plan no gap year or want to do a masters as a gap year (4+1) which is common for MD-phD chasers.
BMEs move moreintros to first year to have room for the E courses though a lot of BME courses overlap with premed req.
There are a few juniors who are in orgo usually people who came in behind or slowed down the pace/spread out the stem or did a withdraw early as a soph and are retrying orgo.
There is no "easy A" redo intro commonality, most prefer to want to get the coursework done so they can take mcat may-june after junior and apply or at least have it out of the way. However this ivy has medians of B+ for intros as well as for orgo and C grades are rare. Upper level bios often have medians of A- so it is honestly better to skip intros if placement test/AP credit lets you. There are adv/honors versions of some intros (genChem honors requires 5 on the APChem) with "high" medians and very small cohorts of under 40 yet the workload is onerous for these classes


What school?. It’s a public forum with people from DC area, in addition to CA, NYC, Boston, etc. Naming the school won’t “dox” your kid LOL
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2025 09:01     Subject: Premeds at Ivy/T10 schools
Id definitely see what your school advises and base the decision on acceptance rate….. Whether it’s the norm with most other schools may be irrelevant. Maybe a school that does option A has fewer kids get accepted to top programs than the school who recommends option B.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2025 09:01     Subject: Premeds at Ivy/T10 schools
No skipping chem at kid's ivy, freshmen premeds start there, take orgo as soph. One semester of Bio can be skipped with AP of 5. Most skip and take Cell bio, biochem, physiology, genetics as upper levels. That is not typically freshman year but could be. freshmen tend to knock out genchem x2, maths x 2, most place out of at least one if not 2 semesters calc ie some take multivariable plus stats as the 2 maths. Psych is common freshman too. Sophomore is orgo x2, physics x2, Bios if needed, junior is phyiscs x2 if not done and biochem/UL Bios
That is the standard for premed non-engineers who plan no gap year or want to do a masters as a gap year (4+1) which is common for MD-phD chasers.
BMEs move moreintros to first year to have room for the E courses though a lot of BME courses overlap with premed req.
There are a few juniors who are in orgo usually people who came in behind or slowed down the pace/spread out the stem or did a withdraw early as a soph and are retrying orgo.
There is no "easy A" redo intro commonality, most prefer to want to get the coursework done so they can take mcat may-june after junior and apply or at least have it out of the way. However this ivy has medians of B+ for intros as well as for orgo and C grades are rare. Upper level bios often have medians of A- so it is honestly better to skip intros if placement test/AP credit lets you. There are adv/honors versions of some intros (genChem honors requires 5 on the APChem) with "high" medians and very small cohorts of under 40 yet the workload is onerous for these classes
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2025 09:00     Subject: Premeds at Ivy/T10 schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Curious what norm is on skipping Bio 1/2 or Chem is? Do students use AP credit to bypass and then take higher level bio classes instead for pre-reqs? Any clue what norm is at your particular school?

The commonly held advice is to take intro classes for easy A to preserve gpa. This is not norm at my kid’s school and curious what is at others.


So your kid is in college already?
Why care then??


I’m asking because I’m in a Pre-med group and this question pops up constantly and everyone says repeat. The schools attended aren’t shared. I know what our school says, I just find it hard to believe this isn’t majority at the other schools too. The group isn’t an anonymous place and don’t want to offend anyone by asking there and sounding like I think it’s a bad choice to repeat as I don’t. Just curious what norm is at other top schools.


You need to think independently, not looking for norm. Whether to repeat or not highly depends on the individual student, there is no one-size-fit-all answer for this.

Is your kid really smart? I know kids who are Olympiads in chem or bio skipped all intro classes still got As in the higher level classes. But it doesn't need to be Olympiad level.

Is your kid more mediocre and only took AP classes in high school? In that case, yes it's better to repeat to have a solid foundation.

If the former, don't look for cliques, norms, and whatnots. If the latter, yes, it's called conventional wisdom.


My kid is already in it, this isn’t about choosing. This is also what their peers choose. I am purely just curious what norm is at other schools, I find it very hard to believe their schools in unique in this.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2025 08:58     Subject: Premeds at Ivy/T10 schools
My son’s school only takes AP credits for language so he’ll need to repeat some courses.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2025 08:56     Subject: Premeds at Ivy/T10 schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Curious what norm is on skipping Bio 1/2 or Chem is? Do students use AP credit to bypass and then take higher level bio classes instead for pre-reqs? Any clue what norm is at your particular school?

The commonly held advice is to take intro classes for easy A to preserve gpa. This is not norm at my kid’s school and curious what is at others.


So your kid is in college already?
Why care then??


I’m asking because I’m in a Pre-med group and this question pops up constantly and everyone says repeat. The schools attended aren’t shared. I know what our school says, I just find it hard to believe this isn’t majority at the other schools too. The group isn’t an anonymous place and don’t want to offend anyone by asking there and sounding like I think it’s a bad choice to repeat as I don’t. Just curious what norm is at other top schools.


You need to think independently, not looking for norm. Whether to repeat or not highly depends on the individual student, there is no one-size-fit-all answer for this.

Is your kid really smart? I know kids who are Olympiads in chem or bio skipped all intro classes still got As in the higher level classes. But it doesn't need to be Olympiad level.

Is your kid more mediocre and only took AP classes in high school? In that case, yes it's better to repeat to have a solid foundation.

If the former, don't look for cliques, norms, and whatnots. If the latter, yes, it's called conventional wisdom.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2025 08:50     Subject: Premeds at Ivy/T10 schools
Anonymous wrote:There is a pre-med group for parents?? LOL. Mom…


Glad there is, especially for families with no knowledge of system or that never went to college. Free resources are always good.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2025 08:48     Subject: Premeds at Ivy/T10 schools
There is a pre-med group for parents?? LOL. Mom…
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2025 08:45     Subject: Premeds at Ivy/T10 schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Curious what norm is on skipping Bio 1/2 or Chem is? Do students use AP credit to bypass and then take higher level bio classes instead for pre-reqs? Any clue what norm is at your particular school?

The commonly held advice is to take intro classes for easy A to preserve gpa. This is not norm at my kid’s school and curious what is at others.


So your kid is in college already?
Why care then??


I’m asking because I’m in a Pre-med group and this question pops up constantly and everyone says repeat. The schools attended aren’t shared. I know what our school says, I just find it hard to believe this isn’t majority at the other schools too. The group isn’t an anonymous place and don’t want to offend anyone by asking there and sounding like I think it’s a bad choice to repeat as I don’t. Just curious what norm is at other top schools.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2025 08:42     Subject: Premeds at Ivy/T10 schools
Why are you assuming intro classes are easy As? Aren't they depend on the curve? In general the curve for higher level classes is more lenient.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2025 08:41     Subject: Premeds at Ivy/T10 schools
Anonymous wrote:Curious what norm is on skipping Bio 1/2 or Chem is? Do students use AP credit to bypass and then take higher level bio classes instead for pre-reqs? Any clue what norm is at your particular school?

The commonly held advice is to take intro classes for easy A to preserve gpa. This is not norm at my kid’s school and curious what is at others.


So your kid is in college already? Why care then??
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2025 08:40     Subject: Premeds at Ivy/T10 schools
Ask the pre med advising office at your particular school. They know what it takes to get kids from your particular school into med school.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2025 08:37     Subject: Premeds at Ivy/T10 schools
Curious what norm is on skipping Bio 1/2 or Chem is? Do students use AP credit to bypass and then take higher level bio classes instead for pre-reqs? Any clue what norm is at your particular school?

The commonly held advice is to take intro classes for easy A to preserve gpa. This is not norm at my kid’s school and curious what is at others.