Why Should You Join the Avid Academy Biology Olympiad Training Program?

The Avid Academy Biology Olympiad program focuses on four primarily objectives:

• Build a foundation in the frontier of life science.  Biology is the scientific exploration of living organisms.  A large part of the future of biology depends on interdisciplinary studies that incorporate both experimental and computational experiments.  Mathematics, computer science and physical science increasing play an important role in the new frontier of biology.  Through the program, you gain the basic knowledge required to pursue research in various field of biological and medical science ranging from microbiology to mathematical biology.
• Showcase talents in biology competitions.  We prepare you to participate in USA Biology Olympiad, Science Olympiad, and other biology related competitions.  In 2012, two of our students advanced to the National Semifinal Exam of the USA Biology Olympiad.
• Achieve academic success.  We uniquely integrated SAT Biology and AP Biology curriculum with Biology Olympiad exam to achieve the best synergy in learning and effort.  Most students in high school take Honors Biology in 9th grade and then AP Biology in 11th or 12th grade.  Students in Avid's B220 - Intermediate Biology Oympiad class is able to train for both USA Biology Olympiad exam as well as AP Biology exam.  Talented students can take Honors Biology at their school while concurrently taking B220 with Avid.  This means a 9th grade or 10th grade is able to score 5 on an AP Biology exam, providing both the background knowledge, credentials, and acceleration for applying to prestigous science summer camps or taking summer classes at top universities while earning college credit.
• Prepare for success in college. Most colleges, including Ivy League schools, will accept AP Biology exam (4 or above for most colleges, and 5 for elite schools) as college credits.  This program is strongly recommanded for any who are interested in pursuing research in biological and medical science or are interested in a career in medicine.

Success Stories

2012

• Kevin Bao, 9th Grade, USA Biology Olympiad Semifinaist.
• Holly Zhou, 11th Grade, USA Biology Olympiad Semifinalist.

Biology Oympiad Classes

Our training program consists of 3 levels:

• B210 – Introductory Biology Olympiad
• B220 – Intermediate Biology Olympiad
• B230 – Advanced Physics Olympiad
• B110 - SAT II Biology Exam Preparation
• B120 - AP Biology Exam Preparation

Instructor - Dr. James Lin

Dr. Lin received a B.A. degree in Biology from UC Berkeley and graduated with high honor. He also received an M.A. degree in Evolutionary Psychology and Biological Anthropology from UC Santa Barbara. After scoring 15, the highest score possible, on the Biological Sciences section of MCAT, Dr. Lin obtained an M.D. degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin and passed all 3 steps of medical licensing exams. Despite a stint of medical residency, Dr. Lin decided to pursue careers in education and writing. He has taught high school biology and published 2 children’s novels.  He is currently the director of Cambridge Educational Institute and continues to teach biology, write children’s and young adult novels, and work on a book on the evolution of human behavior.

The Biology Olympiad Compeition and USA Biology Team Selection Process

USA Biology Olympiad is the premiere biology competition for high school students in the United States.  About 10,000 students participate in the competition annually.  Our problem solving approach to Biology provides the motivation, study materials, and training necessary to take you beyond your classroom learning to the level of international competitiveness.  A unique feature of Avid Biology Olympiad Program is the cross-training of the USA Biology Olympiad and high school Honors Biology and AP Biology classes so students who participate in Biology Olympiad can also easily obtain a high score in SAT II Biology and AP Biology exams.

The Center for Excellence in Education is responsible for recruiting, selecting and training the USA Biology Olympiad teams each year to compete in the International Biology Olympiad Competition.  The selection process consists of three phases:

• Open Exam is a 50-minutes, multiple choice exam available to any high school biology student (grades 9 to 12).  The exam is structured like the multiple-choice portion of the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) Theoretical Exam.
• Semifinal Exam is a 3-hour exam containing three parts.  Part A is a multiple choice, single answer exam; Part B is a more complex, sequenced multiple choice exam; and part C is a free-response exam on all area of biology.  Top 20 students form the U.S. Biology Team.
• USA Biology Olympiad National Finals: The USA Biology National Finalists will participate in the 12-day, all expense-paid, U.S. Biology Team Training Camp.
• USA Biology Olympiad Team: The top four students and one alternate will constitute the USA Biology Olympiad team to compete at the International Biology Olympiad Competition.