Currently, I’m a Freshman enrolled in AP Bio. Coming up in the next few weeks, we will need to do our course selections. Our school does not offer AP Chem for Sophomores based on experiences with sophomores taking AP Chem this year. Our school does not recommend it but really if we want to, they will allow us to take AP Chem. As a Freshman, my course load isn’t the most extreme but it’s not relaxing either. I’m taking 1 AP and 2 Honors courses, 2 regular courses (Engineering can only be regular and there’s no Spanish 2 Honors), and I’m involved in a sport. The thing is, how hard is it to “jump” from AP Bio to AP Chem without any previous Chemistry knowledge? If any of you guys have done this or had friends who have done this, please give me advice. The alternatives (the actual options) are Chemistry Honors and Chemistry CP (Regular). This year, I’ve been blessed with an amazing AP Bio teacher which made the transition much easier from Middle School courses to an immediate AP Science as a freshman. But I don’t know about the Chem teacher. Anyways, please give me any advice. Thank you!
My son’s high school offers AP Chem for sophomores, and students do not take ‘regular’ Chem first. We’re in CA and most of the students in my son’s class are on the Math 1, Math 2, Math 3 Common Core Sequence. Kids who tested out of that sequence and are taking Pre-Cal and higher are doing fine and enjoying the challenge of AP Chem. Students on the Common Core track are finding that they have not had sufficient math for AP Chem. The teacher and the students are frustrated.
I myself have also been affected from Common Core. But luckily, our school still retains the traditional Algebra–>Geometry–>Algebra II–> etc. Do you think concurrent enrollment with Precalc Honors would help with AP Chem?
AP Chem math is pretty easy. Anyone can do it. You don’t need Precalc. All you need is basic algebra. Everything you will learn is through dimensional analysis! Anyways, If you had never taken Chemistry, then AP chemistry can be a little hard. The math isn’t bad, what people struggle is the concepts. Why do you want to take AP Chem in freshman? If I were you I would choose one of either Chemistry Honors or Chemistry CP. If you decide to take Chemistry honors or regular, can you take AP CHEM later? I know at my high school, many students take biology in 9th grade and then in 12th or 11th depending on how advanced they are in science take AP Bio.
Based on my son’s experience yes. Keep in mind my sample size is small. I would recommend talking to your math teacher and the future AP Chem teacher who would be able to give you advice based on your specific situation.
My school requires you to take regular chemistry before AP chemistry. You must get a A- in regular chemistry, AND have taken algebra 2 and gotten an A in order to be recommended to AP chem by my school.
AP chem is the second hardest AP class at my school. (AP physics C being the hardest.) It is not for the faint of heart. My teacher (who teaches chemistry) says it was the hardest class she ever took in high school, and she struggled through it.
Do you want to take AP CHEM? You can take either honors chemistry or regular.
AP Chem as a sophomore would be very tough, and it is impressive you are in AP Bio and considering AP Chem as a tenth grader! At my school, AP Chem is considered the hardest AP excluding English Lang, World History, and Physics 1 and C. Also, they require you to have taken either regular or honors chemistry beforehand, yet people think it is one of the hardest APs you can take. You also can not take it until you are a junior, and they recommend you take at least a year of regular physics or some harder physics class alongside the course or have done a year already. If you’re doing very well in AP Bio right now, and getting a good grade in your current math course, then there is a good chance you have a good chance of success in AP Chem. However, I would advise that you think about it. You could take AP Chem as a junior or senior. Also, College Board designed people to take AP Bio and Chem in senior year, so it is something to take into consideration. (Then again, you’re in AP Bio as a freshman, so that’s cool!)
I am sophomore in Honors Chemistry right now, and from what I’m hearing, Honors Chemistry is nowhere close to the difficulty level of AP Chemistry. Personally, I don’t find Honors Chemistry that challenging, but hearing that AP Chemistry is much more difficult, I can see AP Chemistry being a very challenging course. I would recommend asking any upperclassmen you know who are in or have taken AP Chemistry beforehand and going to the AP Chemistry teacher and asking for a syllabus or requesting information. The AP Chemistry teacher can probably tell you if you have a good chance in his or her class if you let him or her know your current state.
Let me know if you have any more questions. I’m very sorry I can’t provide much detail. There’s a lot I don’t know about AP Sciences and AP courses, in general.
Best of luck to you and have a good day!
It’s a lot of information that will probably feel overwhelming if you have no background knowledge of chem. Maybe self study HS chem or take an online course over the summer. Why is it essential for you to take AP chem now? What other sciences will be available besides AP physics for your senior year?
Our school was hit hard by Common Core and NGSS standards which pushed my year into an interesting situation. Some may wonder why I am taking AP Bio as a Freshman. The reason is because our school’s curriculum is heavily based on the requirements and criteria of UC schools and CSU schools. UCs don’t really recognize Bio and Bio Honors to be any different causing our school to remove the option of taking Bio Honors and allowing us to either take Bio or AP Bio. This new shift started this year and my grade is the first ones to try this. There are approximately 100 Freshman students taking AP bio this year and we’re doing pretty well. The curriculum is still challenging but we can still do well. I got an A- for first semester which really can be bumped up since the initial adjustment was a little bit brutal.
To address one of the replier’s post, our school has 5 AP science courses. AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, and AP Environmental Science.
I essentially want to take AP Physics 2 in senior year.
Anyways, I’m thankful for all your comments and advice. If you guys have any other things to add, please feel free! Thank you.
I would speak with and follow the advice of your guidance counselor and the science teachers at your HS. Not every science has to be taken at the AP level. FWIW, at our HS AP Chem is taken until after honors chem.
As someone who currently is taking the class, if you have never had any Chemistry before, it’s going to be ROUGH! We have to take Chem 1 H sophomore year and had the opportunity to take AP Chem junior year, and I am so thankful for the first year. It gives a good foundation and confidence to build off of.
Our school requires that you take basic physics, bio, and chem before taking ap science or science electives. Most people take physics freshman year and double up in bio and chem sophomore year. That way, you can take ap sciences as a junior and senior.
How are you doing in AP Bio?
One thought is to sign up for AP Chem and then see how you do on the AP Bio test. If you get a 5, then great! Your school is preparing you. If you get a 2, then you have grade inflation.
Maybe go talk to the Chemistry teacher and see what s/he thinks.
AP bio at your school seems to have been designed for freshmen and must include some of the honors material to help you transition from middle school biology to AP biology.
However AP chem is a second level chemistry class. You really should take honors chemistry first, unless you speak with the Head of chemistry and s/he assures you that AP chemistry has been adjusted to students who have no chemistry background. Otherwise you’d miss all the building blocks of the subject.
I know someone who took AP Chem as a freshman & AP Bio as a sophomore. He took a chem class online the summer before he took AP Chem to prepare.