I’m an incoming junior and I struggled to choose between ap bio and ap chem. I got high As in both honors bio and honors chem. I personally like bio more but I also find chem easy to learn because I’m pretty good at math. Also, I find ap chem actually has a higher rate of getting 5 even though it is said to be harder. Considering the other ap classes I’m taking next year (APUSH, Calculus AB, and computer science), which class should I choose for a good balance?
It doesn’t matter. Choose the course with the better teacher/has better performance on the AP exams/pick your own parameter. If you still can’t decide, flip a coin.
I was in a similar situation. I excelled in both bio and chem and debated for awhile over which AP course I should take. I ended up choosing AP Bio mainly because I looked carefully at my busy school and extracurricular schedules and realized that taking AP Chem would add a lot of unnecessary stress to my life since at my school, AP Chem is known for being one of the most challenging classes and it is very difficult to earn a high grade in that class. AP Bio, on the other hand, is known at my school for still being challenging, but earning an A in that class is a lot more feasible than it is in AP Chem. I ended up scoring a 4 on the AP Bio exam, which I was very happy with, and I don’t think I would have earned any higher if I had opted to take AP Chem instead. I think a lot of it has to do with how the course is taught at your school.
If you enjoy a class, you’ll probably do better in it. Not because it’s easier material, but because you are simply more motivated. For example, last year I took AP Bio and Honors Precalculus. Precal was technically the easier class, but I finished out the year with a 93 in Bio and an 89 in Precal (honors points bumped it up to an A thankfully). To me, math seemed like a chore while I was actually excited to take notes, do homework, etc. for Bio (not that it was easy all the time… there were definitely days that I really didn’t want to do my Bio work).
Moral of the story - if you choose a class that you like, you’ll be more motivated and likely more successful. So I’d advise you to choose the class that sounds more interesting to you.
Also, consider the workload. Ask students who have taken either class (or both!) about how much is expected of you outside of class. Don’t overload yourself.
Personally, I really loved AP Bio, but I know lots of people who hated it (mostly people who used it as a resume padded).
It’s your choice to make.
Good luck!!
Personally, I have always been better at Math than English even though they are both easy. I took adv bio and chem freshman and sophomore year. I enjoyed both classes, but if I look at my grades I did better in Bio (Straight B’s throughout the entire year, whereas with chemistry it was C,C,A,B. I only did better the Semester because I enjoyed the math portion of it.)