ARE AP CLASSES WORTH IT

<p>Do colleges care about AP classes if it doesn't have to do with your major? Right now as a sophomore in high school I need to choose if I want to take AP Physics or Honors Physiology. Is it better for me to take Physics for the AP credits even though it has nothing to do with my major in humanities (Psychology) and suffer the workload, or is it okay to just take physiology?</p>

<p>Course rigor is important to some colleges. If you take the easiest classes, your 4.0 isn’t worth as much as someone who got all A’s in AP and dual-enrollment classes.</p>

<p>One component of this decision has to be how many APs you already have and how many your school offers. Another is how rigorous the Honors Physiology is.</p>

<p>You’re looking at this the wrong way. You don’t take AP physics necessarily because of the AP credit. You take it because it’s a challenging class, and colleges know that is a challenging class. If you are thinking of applying to selective colleges they want to see students that have shown they can take and excel in a tough courseload.</p>

<p>First, if you took AP Physics, would you be certain to get at least a B in it? Colleges aren’t “impressed” with a C in an AP class. Go talk to your current science teacher.
What colleges are you thinking of applying to? In particular, do you have favorites and which ones would be your “matches”?
For your state university, it doesn’t matter - flagships typically look at GPA’s first and then count AP’s and Honors roughly the same in terms of rigor.
In isolation, we can’t tell you you must take AP Physics or not - it also depends on your schedule.
Even for an elite college, Honors Physiology may be a perfect choice if combined with AP psychology, leading to an independent study senior year combining both, or a neuroscience dual-enrollement class from a local college.
So, how do these classes “fit” with your academic plans?
Have you already taken Physics as a Sophomore? Or would it be AP Physics 1?</p>

<p>But if you are concerned about maintaining an A/B in AP Physics, and you are not aiming for a Math/science major in college, then perhaps taking the honors physiology won’t hurt you. Just be sure to take the most rigorous courses in the subjects where you’re strong and have serious interest.</p>