AP Lit vs AP Physics vs AP Research

Hi, I am a junior and am currently trying to decide what classes to take next year. I am for sure taking AP Chem, AP Spanish, and BC Calculus. I am very undecided about what to take for my last AP spot. The decision is between AP literature, AP Physics 2, AP Physics C, and AP Research (an independent research class that is part of the AP Capstone program). For my possible college major, I am going back and forth between biomedical engineering and molecular biology and was unsure if it is worth it to take Physics C if I am not sure about engineering since I am interested in going into medicine.

This year, I took AP Physics 1, AP psychology, AP Microeconomics, and AP Seminar, and in my sophomore year, I took AP US History.

If anyone knows which classes would be the most helpful in college or would look the best for college applications, please let me know!! Any advice is appreciated!

Does your school have a cap on the number of APs you can take? If not, for the sake of continuity, I would definitely take both AP Physics C and AP Research, both of which seem to make sense based on what you took last year and what you want to do in college. From the wording of your post, it does, however, seem as if it’s not possible.

Also, be aware that you might run into some trouble if you double up on AP Chem and AP Physics 2 or C. I am a current senior in AP Chemistry and that class is no joke. The class averages on tests in my period are always Fs (before the curve), and the other period of students does even worse. I have also heard that med schools (if you are interested in them) usually do not accept AP credit to fulfill tracking prerequisites, so you may have to retake chemistry in college even if you pass the exam.

To me, something to keep in mind:

You want Senior Year to be rigorous.
But, you also have to deal with College App season in the fall, Any sports/bands you may have, Leadership positions, Senioritis in the spring, and having enough time to study and do well on the AP tests so you can possibly get college credit.

So think about the load you took last year, how you did in those classes, and how much additional ECs + College Apps you have this year before you load up too much.

I would counsel against two lab sciences at once.

Take AP Research. AP Lit takes a lot of time and AP Physics is not relevant to the medical field.

Physics is a prereq for many medical schools, though, so you will probably have to take it in college.