I’m a junior this year and currently in the process of changing my schedule so that I don’t have to take Chem. I’m from NY, and our board of regents requires that you take 2 regents exams (1 physical science, 1 life science) and 1 additional science credit. I’ve already taken the two regents exams, and scored a 95 and 96. I have a feeling I’ll be horrendous at Chem, and to my relief, it’s apparently not required. I’m planning to take AP biology instead, which will be my 3rd AP for the year. Do colleges not like it if you don’t take Chem? I’m looking to major in psychology or marine biology.
If you intend to go into marine bio you should take chem.
Concur with Erin’s dad. For NY state students, most viable candidates to the most selective colleges will have 5 science credits (earth science, bio, chem, physics, & an AP such as AP bio). With the grades you got on your first 2 science regents, you would make an incredibly poor decision by not taking Chemistry, especially with your intended major
@csdad The reason I’m so afraid of taking it is that math is my Achilles’ heel, so I don’t really want to tear down my current standing science grade (which averages at around a 95) by taking Chem. By any chance, do you know if Chem would be important to take if I intended to major in psychology as well? I’m more on the fence about marine bio.
Requiring only two laboratory sciences is fairly common among colleges, but I agree with the two above (and others who will probably post) that will probably put you at a competitive disadvantage for admissions, particularly if you are looking at Marine Bio.
Not just for marine biology. The vast majority of applicants to any type of a selective college will have taken chemistry.
The real question is: “Do colleges like it when you don’t challenge yourself?” Not taking chem because you may not do well in it is just a cop-out.
The general advice is to try to take at least biology, chemistry, and physics in high school, if possible, but of course, it depends on where you want to go to school. Will it make you less competitive to not take chemistry? Probably, but it really might not make that much of a difference depending on what schools you are applying to. Marine biology majors will likely be required to take chemistry in college, so it would be beneficial to have taken it in high school. Some psychology majors may be required to, but I imagine that most psychology majors won’t require chemistry.
What level of math are you in and how have you been doing? The math required in a high school chemistry class is pretty basic, all things considered. If you don’t feel like you can handle that level of math, I would be a little concerned about how you did in classes like algebra and standardized tests that require math like the SAT and ACT.
Wow. I didn’t even know school districts could graduate people w/o taking Chemistry…
A lot of college level bio classes will have some chemistry as a prerequisite, so you are not doing yourself any favors by skipping chemistry in high school. Chemistry will also be required if you ever need to take physiology classes. For a psych major, no it is probably not required, but as others have said, it depends on what caliber of school you are looking to attend. You should be wary of just completing the minimum Regents requirements, since I have seen many students regret not taking all of the available math and science course before entering college. Playing “catch-up” in college is not easy and can add extra courses to your degree program.
@baktrax I don’t think I’ll be applying to any extremely competitive schools, I’m looking more at schools like URI/Bryant/Salve Regina. I’m currently in Algebra 2 (the regular level math class for juniors) and I just started school recently so I can’t really guess how I’ll do yet, but I tend to be a high 70s-low 80s math student when I have mid-high 90s in everything else. It’s pretty strange. I haven’t taken the SAT or ACT yet, and I did average in Algebra. I guess I’m just a bit scared because my friends (who are very good at math) have told me that chemistry is difficult for them.
@skieurope I’d say I’m challenging myself plenty, I’m taking AP English Lit, AP Psychology, and honors Spanish 4-possibly even AP bio this year. It’s not a cop out, there’s a few valid reasons that I don’t feel comfortable explaining on a public message board as to why I don’t want to take the chemistry class offered at my school.
I sincerely hope you have plans to take something, anything – even for chemistry for no credit or grade the summer before you enter college. You’ll be seriously slaughtered in your science courses in college – and you don’t want to start your GPA being in a hole. Good luck to you. I hope you figure out a way to manage.
Any kind of biology major in college will need to take biology, chemistry, and physics courses in college (although the physics courses for biology majors may be less rigorous than those for physics majors). It is best to have some high school level knowledge in all three sciences in preparation for the college courses in those sciences.
If you got a 95 on the Earth Science Regents exam, you can get at least a “B” in Chemistry. Believe me, you will significantly limit the colleges you will be accepted at if you do not take Chem.
Taking chem now will give you a way to assess whether or not you should major in marine biology in college. If you can’t handle a high school science class then a science concentration may not be a wise choice.
And a B- in chem may be more favorable viewed than no chem.