<p>I'm really contemplating AP Chem for next year since it's usually offered 0 period, freeing up my AP Bio slot for AP Macro/Stats.
My question is, can AP Chem be self-taught when you're in the class? I'm in honors chemistry now, and my teacher's rather boring, so I tend to doodle in class, and then just read my textbook and get the important tidbits during mini-reviews. It's worked well on simpler things (basic plugin formulas), and not so well on more complex things (mostly since my teacher emphasizes different points than the book).
If AP Chem comes out boring, can I self-teach it with the class using Zumdahl's/YouTube? Or is the math just that unbearable?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Yeah, you can. Zumdahl is great, and you can use those YouTube videos for when you don’t “get” some things.</p>
<p>Thanks for the response. Anyone else with a more detailed response?</p>
<p>As a senior, I took AP Chemistry as my first chemistry class. My teacher was utterly incompetent, and students who got Cs and lower were students who tried to learn by listening to her abysmal excuses for lectures. Instead of ever paying attention, I read/outlined the pertinent chapters of the Brady / Senese textbook (the one our school district assigned for AP Chem) before being “lectured” on those chapters. Not to sound arrogant, but I was by far the most prepared student in the class for the AP exam, and I thought it was one of my easiest exams this year. AP Chemistry is not hard. Teachers just fail at communicating the material to their students.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: I have an affinity for science that a good number of AP Chem students seem to lack.</p>
<p>Zumdahl is great. Only thing I’d say is it goes into a couple things that are confusing and unimportant for the AP exam, which is where having a knowledgeable teacher is useful.</p>
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Exactly. When I really get down to it, my honors chem course is awesome, but my teacher’s refusal to do nothing but make funny jokes and write random stuff on the board is fruitless.</p>
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I was actually just strolling through some older threads on which textbook to use for AP Chem, and read about Zumdahl’s difficult wording/details. I’ll probably just buy a copy of ‘Chemistry: The Central Science’ on my own to use. Obviously, online videos/PR prep books will be guiding me through the material as well. </p>
<p>I’ve heard AP Chem’s math gets difficult/tricky at times, anyone else concur? So far, I’ve only seen plug-in formulas that needs remedial Algebra at most.</p>
<p>The math itself isn’t particularly difficult. Titrations can get pretty frustrating though. After honors chem, it sounds like such a simple topic, but there’s a lot more to it.</p>
<p>Yeah I’ve just seen friends’ chem homework with lots of odd numbers and got freaked out. I guess once you yourself are actually doing it, you realize that it’s no big deal.</p>
<p>Easily. In fact, I’d bet you could teach it to yourself during honors chemistry, as over half my class did. The math is basic, I think you might need the quadratic formula for one thing but other than that it’s just a matter of plugging things into your calculator.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. Most people I’ve talked to about AP Chem definitely mention it being not that big of a deal. I’m guessing it’s just the AP test that’s the sucker?</p>
<p>HONORLIONS - honestly, it’s kids who kind of suck at science and math that find AP Chem to be a killer class. It’s too much science-based that it can’t be memorized, but it’s not mathy enough that it scares most non-science kids away (that would be physics C). In terms of actual science education though, to borrow a phrase I once heard, the AP Chem curriculum is a mole wide and a molecule deep.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your replies guys! At this point, after taking advice from lots of AP Chem kids, I will probably be taking AP Chemistry next year. Though I predict it’s going to be a long year filled with YouTube videos and Chemistry: The Central Science.</p>
<p>Hopefully, this will not be a decision I regret.</p>