AP Credit?

Question

okay, can someone please explain to me what AP credit does for you? I am totally lost.

like lets say I got a 5 on the AP Biology exam, and I want to major in pre-med and eventually get an M.D. as a biology major.... and lets say I want to go to the University of Miami (where apparently they give 10 credits for a 5 on this exam).... does this mean I won't have to take bio again, or that I will be placed in a harder class? Can these 10 credits actually count as something?... and will I actually end up saving time/money in undergraduate school? Thanks in advance....

Answer 1

Okay, for a Pre-med major you would have to take more Biology classes anyway, but DISCLAIMER: take the credits for the test, but many med schools don't like seeing prospective students have AP scores for their core courses, so you might want to retake the class that you would normally be entitled to skip!

Answer 2

well... it depends on the university, but some require you to retake courses required for your major even if you have passed the AP. If that is the case, then your 10 credit would show up only on your transcript as how many credits you have towards graduation. However, if the 10 credits do get you out of a bio course that corresponds to AP bio in high school, then you will get credit for this course and you will not have to take it again. You can then move on to other courses for your major. However, there is always the possibility that the AP credits are assigned to a class you don't have to take for your major OR that the credits are not assigned to a class at all. For example, at my university, AP statistics are not assigned a class. I just have 5 units of credit for a general math subject. It does nothing, but it did help bump my academic rank to a senior when I was a freshmen, which is helpful since I get to choose classes before people ranked below me.