<p>I have to make a decision very soon on which of these APs to take. I am going in to my Junior year of high school this August and am signed up for APUSH and AP Chem, but I still have the option of switching in to APES. I am scared that I will not be able to understand the concepts in AP chem, and i've heard it is an extremely hard course and nicknamed "the GPA killer" and I currently have a 4.5 on a 4.0 scale. On the other hand, APES i've heard is practically a joke. As a sophmore, I have taken honors chem and have gotten A's or A+'s in the class for the four terms. In algebra 2 honors i have an A (i heard AP chem is very math based). While I have good grades in both classes, I wouldn't classify myself as a "science person" who is very strong in these subjects- for me it's more I can do the work well, but don't always understand why I'm applying certain concepts or fully understand the concepts, for example.
I was wondering how big a difference it makes to colleges between these two courses. I do not know what field I want to major in in college, so I want to keep my options open.
Also, I'm worried if I take AP Chem, i'll spread myself too thin because I also play sports year round [volleyball, basketball (switching to indoor track next year) and outdoor track, with dance on the weekends].
Would I be able to handle AP Chem with my schedule, or should I take the easier class?</p>
<p>I stopped at 4.5 on a 4.0 scale.
are you serious.</p>
<p>I was in the same situation coming into Junior year and I decided to take APES. I don’t regret it at all. I found the class very enjoyable. APUSH is an interesting but highly time consuming course. Taking APES allowed me to maintain better school/life balance.</p>
<p>I would only advise taking AP Chem if you know you’ll have a good teacher who actually teaches the material.</p>
<p>4.5 on a 4.0 scale…seems legit</p>
<p>Don’t take AP Chemistry if you have no clue what you’re doing and applying concepts. You have to know why you’re doing this math equation, how does it fit with concept. Honors Chemistry only skids the surface of the General Chemistry I curriculum. If I were in your position, I would take AP Environmental Science.</p>
<p>well that’s why I don’t want to mess up my GPA… I want to keep it at that level but i dont know if I can with such a challenging course while also doing ECs like sports</p>
<p>AP Chemistry will require students to link and create connections with the concepts and math they learn. It can be very time consuming. Colleges won’t look down on someone if they don’t take AP Chemistry or a challenging science AP, so don’t feel that way. Do you want to major or do something science related in the future?</p>
<p>Why don’t you take both? I took APES junior year and next year I’m taking AP Chem. APES was a hilarious, fun class. Met the best types of people in there.</p>
<p>I mean i think I can grasp most concepts, im just worried that as the difficulty level increases that is when I will no longer be able to keep up! In honors, it wasn’t really a problem though but knowing that I’m not as science oriented as others is where the concern comes from. I know colleges won’t look down on those who dont take chem, but does it make you stand out if you do take it?
@ Niquii77: Yeah i probably will take the other AP senior year (my schedule is full with these 2 APs, wont allow me to take any more this year) or AP bio- most probably AP bio though. Since I just took chem my soph year, im thinking it would be better to take ap next year.</p>
<p>Of Course. Taking AP Chemistry will surprise the admission offices because AP Chemistry is suppose to be one the hardest AP’s under AP Physics. Think about it, there are TONS, I mean TONS of students out there that haven’t taken AP Chemistry and have gotten into a good institution, my brother, my cousin, and some of my friends haven’t taken AP Chemistry and they’ve gotten accepted into wonderful institutions, and one of my cousins went to Princeton and he hated science lol. I’m not telling you to not to challenge yourself, but if you have doubts about the class, that’s fine, don’t take it. I’m taking AP Chemistry my Junior year, because I feel confident that I’ll do well in that class. I got an A/B in Honors Chemistry, and my Chemistry teacher recommended me to take AP Chemistry, because I was able to retain the material. Even though I’ve got a B 4th term, I knew what we were doing most of the time. Don’t force yourself into the subject because it’s AP Chemistry. You might not feel 100% ready for AP Chemistry, but you still have Senior year, and you can take AP Chemistry then, when you think you’re ready. I’ve talked with the AP Chemistry teacher about the curriculum and all that good stuff. If you have any questions, PM me. I’ll be happy to answer any of your questions :)</p>
<p>FantasyVesperia, Thank you so much for your time and really thoughtful posts!! I took the day to really sit down and think about my priorities and what I wanted to do, rather than what looked good neccessarily. I have come to the decision that I am going to try AP Chemistry next year because if I didn’t, I would always regret not doing it. I want to prove to myself that I can and I feel that inside, I am ready for it; I was scaring myself and thinking about the course in the wrong mindset. I’m confident in my decision now, and hope it goes well! Thank you so much again :)</p>
<p>Your very welcome. Good Luck to the both of us with AP Chemistry lol. :D</p>
<p>Okay, I need help. I am going to be a junior next fall, and I need to decide my classes for junior year.
I am taking AP US history.
I’m not not sure whether to take AP Calc AB or BC!
Also, I am not sure whether to take AP Chem or AP Environmental Science.
Would AP Stats be good junior year also?</p>