Descriptions for Psych, Bio, and US - Need to Decide since Schedule Screwed Up

Test Preparation AP Test Preparation
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<p>I just found out a week before school starts that my schedule is ****ed up, so I won't be able to take my original choices of AP US and Hon. Philosophy (which sucks for the latter since I already read three required books - thanks a lot counseling). It is either one or the other, or neither. My choices between courses are independent of each other for two periods, so I can take either AP Psych or AP Bio for one period and then either AP US or Hon. Philosophy for the other. I'm leaning towards taking AP Psych and AP US. My other classes are AP Physics C, Calc BC, and AP English. I'm thinking of majoring in biochem or physics and possibly minoring in whichever one I don't choose. I think AP Psych may be advantageous since I could get out of taking an Intro course in that area in college, but how likely will I be to do that? Is that something pretty much everyone takes? AP Bio could be useful, but I don't necessarily feel like doing two sciences, not to mention I heard it's a joke, and I already got an 800 on the SAT IIm so they'll know I'm good at Bio I guess. I'm leaning towards AP US since I've already had the teacher for another class before and really got a lot out of it, and everyone says they loved AP US with him, and it is very discussion based with him, though it kind of feels like a waste to have read the books for philosophy (though I did enjoy them) and not end up taking the course, and I already started talking about choosing to take that course since I thought it would change the way I think (well, exaggerating), in a college essay.</p>

<p>Can anyone give info on the difficulty of the courses, how hard the AP tests are, how they'd look for colleges, whether I would even need Intro Psych in College, how interesting they are, what'd be most beneficial, etc. I am leaning towards AP US and AP Psych and my choices are either Psych and Bio and either (independent of previous) US or Philosophy.</p>

<p>Also, please don't chide me for coming here with these questions as being a procrastinator - blame counselors, for if I didn't demand to see the schedule that I thought was screwed up once friends started getting phone calls to see counselors to change their own schedules, I would have had a perfect schedule but with the wrong classes on day one. Thanks.</p>

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<p>AP US government?</p>

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<p>^ No, AP US History</p>

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<p>is this ur senior schedule or junior</p>

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<p>One of my friends took the AP Bio class and got a 5 exam. She then self-studied for the AP Psych exam a month before the exam and got a 4. She said that they are very similar. Just a point I wanted to make. Good luck.</p>

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<p>This is my senior schedule.</p>

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<p>And would not taking AP Bio be a disadvantage if I were going to school for biochem? Could that make me possibly fall behind on the curve of an introductory bio class due to people already taking AP and wanting to not take the credit for college in order to get a leg up on the curve?</p>

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<p>Can anyone give info on the difficulty of the courses, how hard the AP tests are, how they'd look for colleges, whether I would even need Intro Psych in College, how interesting they are, what'd be most beneficial, etc. I am leaning towards AP US and AP Psych and my choices are either Psych and Bio and either (independent of previous) US or Philosophy.</p>

<p>AP Bio is usually a very long class. If you are weak at tote memorization, this will be a very difficult class, and hte textbook (at least for my school- i would dare say itsn't going to be significantly lower) is a bout 1000 pages, and you're expected to know a good amount of it (ideally all). (Of course, you could always just use a review book, which is less in pages, but that doesn't help in the class as much as it does for the ap test itself) The AP deals with a lot of material, which makes it difficult to study, but isn't that bad in terms of the types of questions asked.</p>

<p>AP Psych is a much more laidback class imo. It deals with a softer science and the topics aren't as extensive as AP Bio. It's much easier to self-study this, and the AP isn't bad at all. A disadvantage is less colleges take AP Psych credit than take AP Bio credit</p>

<p>AP US Gov- I don't know mmuch about the class itself, but I do know it's VERY hard to get a 5 in this AP, i think its about 6-8% every year for 5, and hte average is about 2.5 or something like that.</p>

<p>And would not taking AP Bio be a disadvantage if I were going to school for biochem? Could that make me possibly fall behind on the curve of an introductory bio class due to people already taking AP and wanting to not take the credit for college in order to get a leg up on the curve?</p>

<p>AP Bio would not be a disadvantage at all. It shows initiative and that you want to learn as much about the subject as you can in your high school career. Well, people always come in disadvantage if the people around him have been introduced to subject material beforehand, in any situation, if that answers your question- that's unavodiable.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the info, though I should have been more clear - It's not AP US Gov but AP US History. How much of a disadvantage would it be to take an intro bio class (or even intro chem class) without having taken the AP?</p>

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<p>Hey, that sucks with your counselors.. they seem to pull that a lot at my school as well.. it blows.</p>

<p>I took APUSH last year and recommend you take it. About 75% of how well you do on the exam has to do with the quality of your teacher imho, and it sounds like yours is a good match for the class (discussions so on). You will have a lot of homework probably, maybe up to a couple hours a night of outlining or reading, and it will be a pain.. but at the end of the year, it's definitely worth it, especially if you're interested in history. You get a lot of the class, more than just facts, like writing skills. If you've been well prepped by your teacher and do some self studying, then the exam should be no problem. The MC is pretty easy if you had a rigorous workload during the year and the essays aren't too bad if you can write and recall facts. I'd definitely take it again if I had the choice.</p>

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<p>^ Thanks for the info on US. Yeah, I've had the teacher before for another Honors American Studies class and got a lot out of it. Most who are taking the class are taking it because they know they can get a lot out of it from this teacher. I don't think I'll be doing history as a major in college, but I'm still interested in it and like that there is discussion in it. Everyone who I've talked to about it says they love the class.</p>

<p>Any info on Psych and Bio? Now that I'm thinking about it more, I really don't know which I should choose. I should be thankful that I came to the counselors before they came to me, since I would've came into school with AP Euro (I don't want to take that) on day one, all because it's easier for them to put you in the wrong class first instead of calling you up and informing you ahead of time (I'm not even deducing this myself since I'm ****ed off - that's pretty much what they told me).</p>

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<p>I would suggest going with AP Psych which will get you out of an intro class like you said, depending on where you are going (usually colleges have that info posted on their websites). At my school, AP Bio is two periods long, one for lecture and the other for lab.. but I take it this isn't how it's run at your school? I haven't taken the class but I've heard from peers that it's not too bad because of the generous curve. However, it sounds like you don't have much interest in the subject, so Psych would be the better choice.</p>

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<p>The thing is that I am interested in Bio and am either gonna major in physics or biochem, yet I don't know if I'd be willing to take two sciences since after all, it is senior year. Don't get me wrong - I really like bio, though I also like chem and physics and still would like to do something different which is why I thought psychology may be good, but if it would put me at a disadvantage not to have bio before college if majoring in it, then that would be a point towards taking it. I'd still like more of a varied education before college and don't want to spend my last year of high school only studying. Physics 1,2 and Calc BC are what I was planning to have the bulk of my work in (both are the hardest classes in the school along with AP Chem), but how hard is Bio compared with psychology? Are they pretty much at the same difficulty level and work load, and are they generally considered easy/medium/hard, and also, is there generally any summer work to go along with Bio?</p>

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<p>Strictly has a high school course, which would be considered more interesting and which carries the greater work load? I'm thinking that the actual material in bio may be harder but the quantity may be greater in psych since I'd assume there are more essays, but I'm not sure.</p>

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<p>I'd say psychology is much easier than AP Bio. Take AP Psychology, it would add a nice balance to your schedule. But since you got that perfect score on the Bio SAT II, you could go either way.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice again.</p>

<p>I'm thinking of taking AP Psych but maybe self studying Bio too. This way, if Psych is as easy as I'm hearing (not just on this site) I would have more time to study bio at my own pace, which could be a more strategic idea, though would this be recommended if I were possibly going to major in bio (I've been flipping back and forth between biochem and physics after realizing biophysics will not be possible), or could it be good for me, at least to maybe get out of a semester of boring psychology? What would be a good book to use if I were to self study AP Bio?</p>