<p>Hi, I am going to be a Junior this September. I am having trouble debating between AP Chemistry and AP Biology. I plan to go into Pre-Med programs after high school. I have NEVER taken AP Classes before and I don't know what to make of them! I had Chem Honors AND Bio Honors as a sophomore and passed with HIGH As. I got the recommendations from my teachers and I really LOVE Chemistry. I'm scared however. I stress a lot and this is really freaking me out. I also have extracurriculars next year such as clubs and events ETC. I am also taking AP Lang and AP Psychology. Are those classes good? I am a straight A student and I do NOT plan to drop to a B. I want to take at least THREE APS next year and I don't know what to do! This is REALLY stressing me out and I can't decide. AP Bio is very SAFE as I know that I WILL have an A BUT AP Chem is where I've heard stories about it being hard. Also, with AP Chemistry I KNOW that its teh SAME teacher as my Honors Chem class from last year. He is an awesome teacher and he's the only one that teaches it. However, if I take it senior year I may NOT have him as a teacher for the class. This has been very hard for me to decide. The rest of my classes aren't so bad as,I am SURE that I can keep an A in those classes. Also, the college board AP Exams for Chem and Psych are on th SAME DAY (although not at the same time) so that's something to consider as well. Is AP Chemistry really that hard? I heard they made some changes to the course last year? I DO know some people that have had an A in the class before but they said it was very difficult. Also, if I take it this year; at least its still fresh in my head from last year as well as I never threw away a huge chunk of my notes. I also stress quite a lot so will AP Chem give me additional stress? Also, the people that took AP Chem and told me it was hard had way other (hard courses) in addition to Chem like Calc. I am not taking Calc next year. Do you guys think I should take them both at the same time and maybe drop Lang and Psych? I would really appreciate honest answers and whether or not you guys think I can get an A in the class. I had an A the whole year in Chem and Bio btw but I'm gonna take both of them either way by the time I graduate. It's just a matter of when... I would also like answers from those that got 5s on AP Chemistry exams and perhaps those that have taken these 3 APS in the same year? Also, I AM willing to put in lots of hard work and dedication as I am a very dedicated student and even study all throughout weekends but I will have lots of ECs this year and be preparing for my SATS... Please let m know which one I should take and thank you so much. </p>
<p>PS: What is AP Lang like? I know this is a SCIENCE thread but I really want an A the whole year... :P </p>
<p>How hard or how easy an AP class is will depend on the teacher. Students at your school who have taken both can provide insight into the workload. In my experience, the workload for Bio and Chem are similar and fairly demanding. As you are planning on taking them both at some point anyway, I’m not sure it really matters in which order you take them.</p>
<p>One caveat: the AP exam for Chem was redesigned last year and the one for Bio the year prior. In both cases, the percentages of students getting a 5 plummeted, so expect to do a lot of prep work for the exam.</p>
<p>For your other classes, AP Psych is very easy. AP Lang totally depends on the teacher.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Well I haven’t taken AP Chem yet (taking it this year) and it does have a reputation of being hard. I took AP Bio last year, and yes, it was definitely manageable and the Exam itself was pretty easy if you have a good teacher.</p>
<p>Since you’re going to take both classes anyways, I’d go with Chem. Since you like you’re chem teacher alot and he’s gonna be the AP teach next year, I think you won’t have a hard time getting an A, opposed to taking it later with the possiblity of a crappy teacher. You could always take Bio 12th grade or something anyways. That’s what I’d do atleast</p>
<p>I took AP Chemistry last year and it’s not that bad if you put in the time to actually study and make sure you understand all of the concepts. For me, the homework load wasn’t too much but there were a lot of labs and studying for Chemistry tests could take a while longer than for other classes. The AP exam was changed last year and shifted more towards conceptual knowledge/analyzing than math/memorization. In my experience, how you did in honors is a good indicator of how you’ll do in AP (that is, if you put in the extra effort and especially if the same teacher teaches both classes). I can’t say much about AP Biology yet, since I’ll be taking that next year. </p>
<p>I took AP Chem class last year, and I loved the class but was the most stressful test because of the new test this past year. I decided to not take AP bio this year myself to give myself a break! But the key is to study, AP Chem is more Math, and AP Bio is English.</p>
<p>If you want to take both, I’d recommend taking AP Chem junior year and AP Bio senior year. I’m going to be a senior this year and that’s what I did. AP Chem was difficult for me because of the new changes last year and the fact that my teacher was new to teaching AP, but I still had an A in the class both semesters. Also, you said your AP Chem teacher would be one you thought was good for Honors Chem, so you should be fine. There was less work in AP Chem than any of my other AP classes, but a lot more studying required because the material is pretty difficult. And I didn’t take AP Calc with AP Chem; it isn’t necessary because I believe the most difficult math you use in Chem is stuff from Algebra II. You don’t need to stress yourself even more by taking another hard (in my opinion) AP class.
The AP Lang exam was extremely easy and the class shouldn’t be too bad if you have a good teacher. I’ve heard AP Psych is really easy as well, but I’m taking that this year too.</p>
<p>Also about the Chem and Psych tests being on the same day: three of my friends did this last year and they were fine! You should get a small break between the two exams to have a snack or do a quick study session. If you do this, just make sure to be well-rested and keep calm. It is definitely possible to do. :)</p>
<p>This was a similar problem I was facing, Im also a junior stuck in this situation. Im also wondering if I should take physics one year instead of Ap bio or chem but im not too sure. since I only have 2 years left, i can only take 2 of those classes so im wondering which ones are the best to take to prepare me for a biology major</p>