Hey everyone!
Official course selection for our school is coming up soon, and I have heard whispers among the teachers that AP CompSci is being offered next year. I was originally planning to take AP Chem, but AP CompSci also sounds very interesting. Can anyone here give any input into what each class is like?
Thanks.
Have you had obits chemistry? Any idea what you’d like to study in college?
What other classes would you take?
Are you talking computer science principles or programming (A)?
I have taken only Honors Chemistry (and did very well in it). I have no Computer Science experience (although this is fine––since it’s new next year, it’ll be introductory material + actual AP stuff).
I don’t plan to major in the sciences in college, but many schools I’m interested in have core curriculum requirements, so AP credits could help in that regard. Also, both of these classes interest me (as of now).
I would stick with AP chem. Chem is often a tough weedout class and if you consider a major where it is required, better to get credit with the easier AP class. Also one of my kids got a 4 on AP CS, and his college only gives credit for a 5. Meanwhile he had to take Chem and it was a very tough class (per both of my kids in 2 colleges).
I took both in high school! AP chemistry is hard…but then once again what AP course isn’t. If you took honors chemistry, that will definitely help! It is a class you have to put in work for, tests won’t be a breeze either…or they weren’t for me! I really like AP Computer science…but I am also a bit bias because that is also my major. Computer science is starting to gain a lot of popularity, so it might not hurt to gain a bit of knowledge in the field regardless. It is also a very interesting topic and it really shows you the powers of technology since it is so relevant nowadays. Out of the two it I feel like it really depends on what you are planning on potentially majoring in…I know its probably really early to think about that but are you even the slightest bit interested in continuing in the sciences and/or something medical related? If so, chemistry is probably the better option. Or are you looking into more of the business/engineering side of things? Then maybe computer science is what you should take. Or…if you are not a senior, take of them this year and the other next year! The more AP courses the better! Also look at the websites of some of the colleges you are considering and see what AP courses they accept and what scores are needed in order for you to get credit. Good Luck, they are both good courses!
TBH, neither course is a good substitute for the equivalent intro course at college, if you have any desire to do further coursework in the subject.
That said, in your situation, I think I would err on the side of taking CompSci. You’ve already taken a chem course - if you were going to fall head-over-heels in love with chem, it would probably have happened. You never know how much you might like CS. My D is in AP CompSci this year, and it has influenced her to go for a more CS-oriented major than she otherwise would have. She won’t place out of anything, but it’s still helpful not to be a complete novice going into college CS classes, especially at the more competitive schools where many kids already have experience. My older daughter (who took Chem and not CS) definitely wished she could have taken CS, and she didn’t get credit for Chem anyway because it wasn’t especially well taught and she ended up with a 3 even though she aced the class. (Only AP of 7 that she didn’t get a 4 or 5.) Even with better teaching than our school has, Chem is one of the toughest subjects for high schools to replicate a college-level experience on the lab side of things.
That said, you need to check out the reputation of the classes at your particular school (noting that you’d be a “beta tester” in a new program if you took CS.). And since it’s really a “YMMV” type decision, doing whichever sounds more fun to you is a perfectly reasonable way of deciding!
To get a feel for what AP CS is like, you might want to check out this online class, which was developed by a sixteen year old: https://www.udemy.com/decoding-ap-computer-science-a/
If you did well in Honors chem, then take AP Chem (but make sure you’ve taken bio, chem, and physics at any level by the end of high school).
AP CS A is based on programming and theoretical, AP CS Principles is about all applications and very project-based.
AP CS A is more time-consuming, AP CS Principles can easily be added to any program.
Depends on what you like and what you intend to major in.
However, I think AP CompSci would be substantially easier.