Different schools have different policies regarding Advanced Placement credit. Most will accept advanced level courses that supplement AP to satisfy requirements, but double check specific schools of interest and your public state schools for the most recent guidance. The recommendations below will satisfy the majority of medical schools. For questions regarding other professions of interest, contact HPA.
Recommendations by Academic Discipline
-
Biology
-
- Many medical schools require (or strongly recommend) two semesters of Biology with Lab.
- All students should take MOL 214 as one of the two semesters.
- For the second biology course with a lab:
- All students who may be interested in the EEB concentration should take EEB 211.
- Past students have taken advanced lab-based biology courses including Core Lab (MOL 350, NEU 350), Comparative Physiology (EEB 314), Ecology (EEB 321), Human Adaptation (ANT 215/EEB 315).
-
Chemistry
-
- Students with advanced placement credit in chemistry should take at least one semester of advanced chemistry coursework (in addition to two semesters of Organic Chemistry and one semester of Biochemistry).
- Students with one unit of credit should take CHM 202 or CHM 215 and one semester of advanced coursework.
- Students with two units of credit should take at least one semester of advanced chemistry, but some medical schools may ask for one additional semester of chemistry for every semester of advanced placement.
- Past students have taken advanced chemistry courses including Drug Discovery in the Genomics Era (CHM 440), The Quantum World (CHM 305), and Physical Chemistry (CHM 306). Other courses with a chemistry prerequisite are also likely to satisfy medical schools.
- Students with advanced placement credit in chemistry should take at least one semester of advanced chemistry coursework (in addition to two semesters of Organic Chemistry and one semester of Biochemistry).
-
Mathematics
-
- Students with advanced placement credit in math do not need to take further calculus; your advanced placement credit in this subject, without more advanced coursework in college, will be accepted. This is the only exception to the recommendation about supplementing advanced placement with advanced coursework.
- Princeton does not offer credit for advanced placement in statistics (although ECO offers an exemption from statistics for concentrators with a certain AP score, this is not the same as offering credit). Students should plan to take statistics.
-
Physics
-
- Students with advanced placement credit in Physics should take at least one semester of additional physics coursework, preferably with lab / research experience.
- Past students have taken physics courses including: Physics for the Life Sciences (PHY 108), CHM 305, CHM 306, Topics in Modern Astronomy (AST 204), Global Geophysics (GEO 371).
- Most medical schools be satisfied with one additional semester of physics for students with two semesters of advanced placement. A few may require that students take one Physics course for every AP credit earned.