<p>a little background:
I'm a junior in honors chem right now (physical science freshman year, honors bio sophomore year). So in January when we did course selections I decided to do Physics honors as well as AP Chem for senior year. I wasnt really thinking when I did this.. AP Chem in my school is a junior class. its like 30 juniors and 5 seniors. This is because we have a "AP track" where they go straight into AP Bio sophomore year, then Chem, then Physics. I wish I had done that but my teacher freshman year didnt let me -_-</p>
<p>ANYWAY, my friends are in AP Chem now and hate it. Most of them have 60s and 70s (even the top of the class) The 3 seniors in their class are doing low 80s. I dont want senior year to be hell [everyone hates the teacher and says she cant teach] so last week i spoke to the head of the department and the teacher of AP Bio (who everyone loves) and switched into it instead of Chem. </p>
<p>My current chem teacher finds out and gets really annoyed with me. He says that theres no point to do Bio and should be doing Chem since chemistry in college is a killer subject. I want to do science in college for sure but no idea what.. Is my chem teacher right in saying that I will regret doing bio instead of chem?</p>
<p>Um nooo, of course not!! Bio is so much better than chem :p. Tell your teacher that there’s a possiblity that you’ll study chem in college, so in order to major in chemistry you’ll probably have to retake the chem course anyway, whereas if you do well in AP bio you can test out (haha, kidding. It’s probably not true, but it may make your chem teacher happy).</p>
<p>DO NOT TAKE CHEMISTRY UNLESS YOU ARE A GENIUS.</p>
<p>I’m taking AP Chem as a sophomore. I’m considered to be a top student. I might end up with Cs both semesters. And I hired tutors, etc. Don’t underestimate it. It’s insanely difficult for those not gifted in it.</p>
<p>Tell your current chemistry teacher that you changed your mind and are going to take AP chemistry (even though you really aren’t going to take it). This way the teacher will like you more for the remainder of this year and it may be more benneficial to your grades. Then you can still take AP Biology if you like for your senior year. I took honors chemistry last year and made about a 95 each grading period and in AP chemistry I have made 98+'s each grading period by sleeping through class and never studying. This is only because the teacher makes it easy but uh I think either AP Bio or Chem will be fine for next year just take whichever one you think you will enjoy more or make a better grade. If everyone is doing poorly in AP Chemistry then probably go ahead and take AP Biology but ask people you know that are in it or have taken it.</p>
<p>why would you do AP Bio if you didn’t do a first year course of it (Biology)
that seems pretty stupid not to do AP Chem considering you have done classes highly related with Chemistry</p>
<p>Guys. I’ve taken both, so I can talk from experience. (I’m a junior.)</p>
<p>AP Bio is wonderfully fun, but only if you really like biology. If you moderately like it, you’ll find that it’s not too bad. If you don’t like it at all, you’ll find it to be a whole bunch of senseless cramming.</p>
<p>AP Chem is wonderfully fun as well, but in a different way. It depends on how much you like math and physics. If you really like them, you’ll find the first half of the year difficult and the second half extremely easy. If you don’t, you’ll find the opposite.</p>
<p>I can’t recommend which one to take, because as a USABO finalist I’m hugely biased towards biology. :P</p>
<p>I like Biology a lot, and I had the worst, smelliest, weirdest teacher in it. I was one of two kids to get A’s in my freshman bio class. I CAN’T WAIT til AP Bio.</p>
<p>I think it’s just a personal matter over which you do better in or like better. </p>
<p>This is me:</p>
<p>Freshman year - Pre-IB Bio. Quarter grades were 3 B’s and 1 A. I got C’s on many unit tests (admittedly from a bit of falling asleep during class) and a 710 on my SAT II. Bio for me felt like a whole lot of useless (though I know it’s not) information to cram into my brain, and I hated it.</p>
<p>Sophmore (this) year - Pre-IB Chem. Straight A’s in all quarters. I am amazing at stoichiometry, if I may say so myself, and everything actually makes sense and relates to one another! I suck at science overall, but I can deal with this. And I really dislike math.</p>
<p>And I’m taking AP Chem next year, partly because I love the teacher for it. I’m not a science person overall, but I think what is “harder” really depends on the person. If you like it or at the very least can understand it easily, your grade will reflect that. If you don’t get either of them, pick the one that relates more to what you want to do in college.</p>
<p>^ Yeah I had B A A A in Bio. 2nd qtr I was on fire. 3rd Qtr I was hot. 4th qtr I was steaming. in Biology.</p>
<p>I love it, but not as much as Chemistry.</p>
<p>Chemistry, with an average teacher who sucked at the beginning of the year but is a true chemistry genius, is a joke. I had a 100 first qtr, B+ because I didn’t do work 2nd qtr, and Had High A’s the rest of the time.</p>
<p>Now I’m taking Physics, IB Bio HL, and IB Chem HL.</p>
<p>dont listen to Saugus… he sounds like one of those arrogant people who don’t think anyone else can do something well unless they can. a ton of my friends don’t have a knack for chemistry, but just try hard at it and pull As.</p>
<p>Biology gets my vote (for what it’s worth), although taking an introductory course would certainly be recommended. That said, AP Bio changed my entire view of the sciences and can be a wonderful experience.</p>
<p>20 of 31 original students dropped AP Chem at my high school this year…</p>