<p>Alright, so I want to take four years of science, (I took Physics H, Chem H, Bio AP) and for my senior year I signed up for AP Environmental Science. My other options are AP Physics B and AP Chemistry, the former is not my forte and the latter is rumored to be extremely harsh on one's GPA.</p>
<p>I'm worried colleges will see AP Enviro as an "easy" class out- it definitely doesn't align with my trend of classes getting more difficult as my school year goes on.</p>
<p>Will colleges care? </p>
<p>If it makes any bit of a difference, all the kids in my school who have gotten into really elite colleges did AP Chem, AP Physics, or AP Biology their senior year (just a scary trend I've noticed)</p>
<p>When you apply to college, your guidance counselor fills out a Secondary School Report (SSR) that asks them to rate the rigor of your course load as compared to all other college bound students at your school. For selective college admissions, your GC needs to rate the rigor of your course load as “Most Demanding.” Will your GC be doing that if you take AP Enviro? I would ask your GC on your first day back at school, and if the answer is no, then I would ask to switch into AP Physics B or AP Chem.</p>
<p>Generally speaking though, I think colleges put a higher value on AP Physics and AP Chem than on AP Enviro. If you have a choice of all three, and choose AP Enviro, then yes that might be seen as a cop-out.</p>
<p>I’m just worried about the potential tradeoff. So far, my GPA is not that hot (decimal points away from a 3.5 GPA unweighted, and like a 3.6 weighted), and I’m worried that AP Chemistry would tank my grade. My class load is generally easier than my junior year (albeit more APs), but I’ve heard some frightening things about that class.</p>
<p>I would assume that since Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Physics are all AP classes, than your guidance counselor wouldn’t say that one is more or less demanding than the other, they are all seen as demanding because they are AP. So I would say just take the easiest of the demanding courses, which in your case would be Environmental Science</p>
<p>At our school AP Environmental Science is an considered a “light” AP. The other science classes are definitely considered more rigorous. That being said, my son has found that one of the most difficult AP classes he has taken…I’m not sure if that was due to the teacher. I have heard AP Physics B is not that bad if you are coming from Honors Physics, so that may be the better option (assuming you did well in Physics).</p>
<p>Well, AP Environmental Science wouldn’t be an easy 100, and the difference between an A or a B in the class with the same amount of effort in my school depends on which teacher you get. Either way though, I’d say AP Chem would easily be 3-4x more difficult, so I’m really not sure. I’m also taking AP Econ, AP English 12, and AP Art History (which is sort of a cop out class)</p>
<p>Last year I took AP Biology, AP English, and AP Gov, and while Biology was a strange class (not easy, but not impossible, probably like a 7/10 on the hardness scale) AP gov was a subject I was naturally interested in. The courseload was still hard though</p>
<p>If AP Chem is going to be 3 to 4 times more difficult, then your GC may rate the students that take AP Chem as having a more rigorous schedule than you – even though both of you took AP classes. And it may, or may not, be worth you getting an 89 GPA instead of a 90.</p>
<p>Much is going to depend on what your GC says and the colleges you are applying to. This really isn’t a discussion that makes sense with anyone but your GC.</p>
<p>Gibby, I go to a very large public school, in which each guidance counselor has to manage several dozens of kids (several hundred if you count the other grades), and it is in the middle of the summer. If I wanted to switch into AP Chem, it would have to be before the school year begins.</p>
<p>Now, I could shoot her an e-mail but that is not personal and it seems a bit desperate in my eyes (“If I take this harder class, will you make me look better on my college app?”). My schools values character, which includes taking a class because of genuine interest, not to look good. That actually kind of goes directly against what I’d be doing, so asking her to put me in AP Chem only if she’d check a box would make me look pretty darn bad in her eyes.</p>
<p>Each year I have taken as many AP classes as I possibly could fulfill with my prerequisites (which just so happens to be 3 my junior year and 4 my senior year, plus 1 self studied AP junior year) but I don’t have the absolute best relationship with her- so we’ll see how that goes. My school is full of overachievers who take many AP Classes, but in terms of quantity, I’d say taking 8 AP tests by my senior year is within the top 10% of my school.</p>
<p>AP Physics and AP Chem are harder because they represent a full year of college work (2 semesters). AP Environmental Science represents only one semester. </p>
<p>Those are the facts. </p>
<p>Now what should you do? Frankly, I would err on the side of your sanity and take AP Environmental Science if you’re not really a hard science person. Might it affect your entrance to highly selective colleges? It might. So what. But it probably won’t unless you’re applying for hard science or engineering. </p>
<p>In the scheme of things, take a balanced load, do your best, and write the best applications that you can. You shouldn’t let the fear of college rejections force you into a situation that’s going to make you hate your life.</p>
<p>I think you’re putting too much thought into the whole process. The important thing is you’re taking an AP. Admissions people know that the difficulty of AP classes will vary from school to school. AP Psych might be the hardest class at your school, but an easy A at another. For all they know, AP Environmental could be really really hard at your school, and Chem could be really easy. Plus you don’t even have to send AP test scores paired with your grades. </p>
<p>I know Chem will be harder than AP Enviro- but if colleges I’m applying to Early Decision don’t see my grades and only see that I’m taking the class, wouldn’t it benefit me more to take AP Chem?</p>
<p>^Part of my rationale is that I’ve had a pretty shabby GPA, and I want to prove that I can do it. The AP classes I’m taking senior year are not challenging (Art History, Literature, Enviro, and Economics) or not as challenging as my junior year ones (US History, US Gov, English Language, Biology). I don’t want it to look like I’m retreating, when my entire record so far has been increasing in difficulty (application wise)</p>
<p>Do all colleges Regular Decision see your mid year grades? What about Early Action, do they even want to see anything from your senior year other than your course load?</p>
<p>^^ All colleges ask for mid-year reports and end-of-year repots – that’s true even if you apply early and are accepted. Your senior grades are very important, as your EA and RD acceptance is contingent upon your grades maintaining their trajectory and not tanking.</p>
<p>^But are mid year reports factored in the admissions process as a basis of acceptance? Or is it just used as a disqualifying factor if it is low enough?</p>
<p>Ah, alrighty! Wait, important question though, is the first semester of your senior year then factored into your GPA? I know some scholarships set their line at a 3.5, and I am literally at like a 3.47 – would that mean applying RD would put me on the right track?</p>