AP Chemistry/College Chemistry Dilemma

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

Hello everyone, I am currently facing a dilemma and I am seeking for any advice/feedback. Currently, I am taking a Generl Chemistry course at my local community college (titled Chemistry 1A) that is considered to be equivalent to AP Chemistry. However, after researching the AP Chemistry curriculum and comparing it to my Chemistry 1A course, AP Chemistry covers about 3-5 additional chapters. In other terms, AP Chemistry would completely cover all the topics in my Chemistry 1A course and a little bit of the next General College Chemistry course (which is CHEM 1B). Originally, I had plans to proceed to Chemistry 1B in the fall after this course. However, my CHEM 1A professor is not good at teaching. She gets confused herself with the material, is unable to answer our questions, and therefore is very confusing to follow. As a prospective Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Major, I am afraid that not having a solid foundation of Chemistry 1A will hurt me in the long term. This brings me to my dilemma: 1.) move on to Chemistry 1B in the fall or 2.) take AP Chemistry first and take Chemistry 1B next summer.

If I were to move on to CHEM 1B in the fall, I am concerned about not being prepared for the course and not building a solid foundation of all topics in General Chemistry. I am afraid that this will hurt me in higher level chemistry courses and in the work field. I am afraid of being behind other Chemistry/Chemical Engineering majors.

If I were to take AP Chemistry and postpone taking CHEM 1B, then I will be able to gain a solid foundation of General Chemistry. This is because the AP Chemistry teacher at my high school is phenomenal. However, this option also has its downsides. AP classes have a reputation for giving a lot of busy work and I know that this class will be no exception. As a rising senior, I will also be applying to colleges this fall. I am afraid that taking AP Chemistry in addition to 4 other APs would be too much to handle. I also am afraid that it might raise a question when I apply to college. They will wonder why I took AP Chemistry after taking Chemistry 1A (which on paper, are equivalent). I have already asked the University of California Admission Office and they said that it won’t “negatively affect” my application and that it won’t be the deciding factor of admission. However, I am still afraid of the fact that the admission officers will question my decision.

What I was thinking is that I should attend the first couple of lectures in the CHEM 1B class and get a feel for the environment. I would look at the syllabus and determine if I would take the course. I would then make my decision to either take that class or take the AP Chemistry class. Currently, I am leaning towards taking the AP Chemistry class because I want to learn. I don’t simply want to complete a course just to earn credit for it. I also would be able to build a stronger relationship with the teacher and would ask for a letter of recommendation later on.

What would you guys do if you were in my situation? All answers and advice/feedback are appreciated!
Thanks in advance!

Another question that I have is: Will there be a place on the college application that will allow me to explain my theoretical decision of taking AP Chem?

2

Take AP chem with the phenomenal teacher. You want to have the best understanding of the material possible.

3

So you are taking Chem 1A as a summer course? Why?
If so, I would also agree to take AP Chem. Would you even need to take 1B? Are you trying to place out of it? Would the college you are going to accept the community college credits?

4

Take AP Chemistry - when in doubt, always choose the great teacher.

5

@bopper I am taking Chem 1A this summer originally to get ahead. My inital intentions were to get ahead and finish all of General College Chemistry in order to move onto Organic Chemistry asap. As a possible Chemistry/Chemical Engineering major, I do need to take Chem 1B. Additionallly, Chem 1B is required for most engineering majors anyways. I am taking the Chem 1A course at a California Community College. Therefore, it is very easy to transfer my units to most California universities, including the UCs, the CSUs, USC, etc. Really, my main concern is when I apply to colleges and they see a “repeat” of a course, it might affect my chance of admissions. I was wondering if there’s a section on the college application where I could explain this repeat, especially to private colleges (since the UCs do not seem to care too much about this).

However, after everyone else’s response, I think I will take AP Chemistry, even if some of the material will be repeated. I think it will be better for me in the long term.

Thanks everyone for the advice!