<p>This is my first time posting on this site correctly (at first i put this on the homeschooling forum lol and I need some help picking a class for Junior year. In Honors Bio freshmen year, I fought for an A- and in Honors Chem this year I am getting a solid A. I have no plans to go into a science field when I get out of college. I am pretty good at math and science, but it does not interest me. </p>
<p>My choices are Honors Physics (which I don't want to take because it is not AP), AP Bio (which I don't want to take because I really did not like Freshman H. Bio and it is the same teacher), AP Chem (which i hear is hard), and AP Environmental Science (which people say is a lot of memorization, but overall easy and I am somewhat interested). </p>
<p>Which class would you recommend? I'm leaning AP Environmental because it is easier, but I may enjoy AP Chem more, but I am really sort of lost.</p>
<p>AP Env is a lot of work. At least at my school it is. The concepts aren’t too difficult. But you have to memorize a LOT to do well on the exam. Taking practice tests helped me tremendously. Overall, I foundit to be a very interesting class, and I enjoyed it. Granted I spent hours a night on HW for that class, it was still worth it. The concepts aren’t nearly as difficult as Chem concepts IMO, and bio at my school is incredibly difficult. There are times where the highest grade in AP Bio is a high D. (I took AP Env this year.) </p>
<p>AP Environmental always struck me as the science course one takes when they have no interest in Science at a post secondary level, which is why I’m taking it (along with AP Biology, which isn’t that “type” of AP Science, Senior year, solely because I absolutely love Biology). AP Environmental also strikes me as the type of course that if you aren’t really, really interested in prior to walking into the classroom, you’ll end up dreading it all year. I mean, I have friends who describe it as the intense study of grass, so if you’re up for it, then go right ahead.</p>
<p>That is my fear, that i’d find APES so boring. I mean, I have no particular interest in Chem, but it’s not that boring and I am doing pretty well in Honors Chemistry. APES sounds like it would be interesting, but I constantly hear people telling me its extremely boring. But APES would probably be a lot nicer to my GPA, whereas in AP Chem, it will be very difficult to scrape by with an A-</p>
<p>Well, I can’t comment on that because I absolutely hate Chemistry. I was just never fascinated by Avogadro’s Number or Enthalpy, or anything of that sort. I feel like AP Chemistry to me would be comparable to Capital Punishment. (And that isn’t hyperbolic, I really do not like Chemistry.)</p>
<p>Anywho, it all depends on what interests you specifically. I mean, APES also pertains to Ecology and Marine Biology to some extent, population trends, the whole nine yards, so though it may be boring when some topics come up, I doubt it will be boring every single moment you’re in class.</p>
<p>Chemistry is certainly harder, hence looks better. If you are good at algebra, I’d say take chem. But be prepared for the hard work and enjoy it!</p>
<p>Chem is a no brainer. You’re good at it and your ap score will show off your talent to colleges. Colleges know that many just take ap environmental for a pushover ap unfortunately.</p>
<p>Take AP Environmental. You seem more interested in it than AP Chemistry. Don’t pick the wrong class, that will either, 1) Ruin you GPA or 2) Regret taking.</p>
<p>For the record, Honors Physics looks way better than AP EnvSci. Not taking a class because it isn’t an AP is ignorant.
I’d take Honors Physics over AP Bio, if you can. It’s important to take physics in HS.</p>
<p>i would suggest AP chem. It depends on what you like. Although APES was concept-easy, it had a lot of work. Very very very boring work. I enjoy science myself, but much if of it makes you ask “what’s the point?” It becomes frustrating when you have 4-5hrs of homework for every 2 days and you do not like the concepts. A lot of the textbooks Ive seen focus on why governments should raise the costs of environmentally unsafe products. There is also a lot of memorization. The phosphorous, sulfur and nitrogen cycles must be committed to memory. Chemicals and definitions MUST be memorized. For instance, you have to know what chemicals make up “grey smog” and “photochemical smog.”
The ap exam itself is very very general. A good portion of the questions may not even be found in the textbook (I’d say 10-15ish). Its very easy to get a 4 but extremely difficult to get a 5. Only 5% get a 5 each year; for most AP’s the percentage is 11-12%. </p>
<p>AP Chem, is also a lot of work and very hard. But for people who enjoy science and chemistry specifically, it is a joy. There is very little true memorization. You just generally have to know how reactions work.</p>