I am trying to decide whether or not to take chem either junior year, over the summer, or not at all. I would like to not take it at all, and instead take AP bio which to me is much more interesting and a class I will have a better time in. At my school, I need 3 years of lab science in order to graduate which I would fulfill if I only took AP bio. I do not want to go into a STEM related field in college. I want to pursue either law or English, so my question is, is it necessary to take chemistry in high school? If I want to pursue an English or law career, will colleges not accept me because I haven’t taken chem?
Check the requirements online for each college you are interested in.
Most colleges make you take chemistry as one of your GEs freshman year. I haven’t taken chemistry either but plan on taking it next year as senior so that i can have some understanding instead of going blank in college
@Ballestlavie Do you recommend that I take it senior year? And junior year I would take bio?
I took Bio as a freshman, Physics as a sophmore, currently taking Human Anatomy/Physiology. It’s all a personal preference. I held off so that I would retain some of the concepts going into college
Neither my H nor I took chem in HS and both became lawyers. However, things are different now and whether you should take chem depends on the requirements of the college you attend. None of my children had to take chem as a gen ed but all went to SUNY’s.
I will be happy to stand corrected if there are in fact any colleges that require chem in college unless needed for the major, but it is certainly not “most.”
For the OP, it really depends upon the colleges you are targeting. From other threads, it looks like you are targeting top colleges, many of which suggest a year each of bio, chem, and physics. Will it be an automatic disqualifier if you don’t have it? No. But most applicants will, since it’s a fairly typical sophomore HS class.
If you decide to take chem, it does not matter when you take it from an admissions perspective. I will also say that AP Bio might be slightly easier with some background in chem.
@skieurope At my school, we are required to take two years of integrated science throughout freshman and sophomore year, which covers the chemistry, physics and bio basics, however we do not get an individual credit from those. So, no one at my school is able to take chem, physics and bio all in high school. I am sure colleges consider that to be fine because people of course get admitted to top schools every year from my high school. I was planning on doing a little more chem practice before AP bio. From your perspective, does this fulfill the usual science requirements?
@malaalenase That, as they say, is how you bury the lede. 
You should have mentioned that up front, because, yes, that makes a difference.
HS requirements trumps all; no college will expect a student to meet its requirements/recommendations if it is at odds with the HS curriculum. Regardless, the integrated science that you have completed covers you. So taking AP Bio is fine. Good luck.
Most colleges expect either chemistry OR physics taken in high school.
If you want to take AP Biology, I’m all for it. But, if you’re taking that course, you should take Chemistry first. It meets college readiness, and prepares you for Bio
I think all well educated people should take Chemistry, Biology and Physics at least once.
If you can handle AP bio, you can handle some form of chemistry.
It’s required in all high schools basically.
^^ yeah, in my high school it’s required and most people usually take it in sophomore year (and then some go on to take AP Chem in jr./sr. year if they’re really into it)