Hi,
I am undecided on what to do for my schedule for next year. I have one free period and I am not sure if I should take AP Stats or APES.
This is my schedule for next year:
AP Bio
AP Lang
AP Calc AB or BC (undecided)
APUSH
AP Studio Art (Self study/submit)
Student Government
Spanish 103 (Dual enrollment)
Free period
I want to major in Pre-med or Biology but I am conflicted because AP Stats is considered more rigorous than APES. Also, I would have to take APES online because my school doesn’t offer the class, so I would miss the lab component. However, I will already graduate with 5 years of lab science without APES so I don’t know if that missing lab would still be looked down on. I am also open to taking something else besides AP Stats or APES during that period. Please help me!!!
FYI This will be for my Junior year.
Neither AP statistics nor AP environmental science is considered a “harder” AP course like AP calculus BC (which you should be capable of handling if you are two grades advanced in math to be taking calculus in 11th grade). Chose whichever one is more interesting to you. Note that you will probably have to take a statistics course (possibly calculus-based) if you want to major in biology or go into medicine, since lots of biology and medicine research papers make use of statistics.
I would shy away from online classes if you have other options. You have other options - AP Stats. That said, it’s okay to take a study hall or “fluff” class (even an “AP lite” class) when you’re taking four major AP classes. Not every class has to be a heavy, major AP course.
You already have 5 AP courses. No one is going to think you aren’t taking a rigorous schedule if you take ES instead of Stats. I would just take the one that you find most interesting.