I’m currently a sophomore in high school determining my schedule for next year.
My current schedule and grade for the first semester is:
Honors English 10 (94)
Honors Algebra 2 (95)
Honors Chemistry (92)
Honors US History 1 (In my school they split it up so this so this is really the first half of APUSH but we can’t get AP credit since we won’t be able to take the AP test until next year) (89)
AP Physics (98)
Spanish 3 (96)
PE/Health 10 (100)
So far for next year I have:
Honors English 11
Honors Precalculus
Honors Biology
AP US History
Honors Spanish 4
Either Peer Group Connections (A prestigious leadership class at my school that I would love to do if I get accepted around 100 apply and only 26 are accepted so I’m not sure I’ll get in) and if I don’t, then probably yearbook
PE 11 (mandatory)
and either AP Chem or AP Stat
In my school for nearly every AP there is a prerequisite (for example freshman year I took honors physics so this year I was able to take AP Physics). In addition to AP Physics this year I took Honors Chemistry, so its not like if I don’t take AP Chem I won’t have taken Chemistry. AP Chem is arguably the hardest class my school has to offer. This year only 8 kids are taking it (5 last year) and even the top students struggle. To make matters worse, the teacher is not great. He’s not horrible (like my Chem teacher this year) but he’s not anywhere near as good as my AP Physics teacher this year (arguably best teacher in the school and the reason I have a 98 compared to a 92 in honors). Every kid I talk to that has taken says don’t do it, its GPA suicide, etc. But I do love science and I enjoy chemistry, despite how much I hate my teacher. I also want to be a doctor so I feel like it looks better to take AP Chem than AP Stat. I don’t want to kill myself but I also want to know whats good for my future. And AP Stat is by no means a cake walk, it still requires a great deal of work but is no way near the caliber of AP Chem.
I will likely take whichever class I don’t take junior year senior year, but that’s not set in stone by any means. I’m also nervous about forgetting chemistry knowledge which would set me back at the start of AP Chem.
What would you recommend? What do you think colleges would think of me taking an easier class to lessen my stess (I am a very stressful person lol) or should I take the leap and take a very challenging course?