Hi! I want to be an environmental engineer but I am unsure if I want to take AP Chem or AP Bio. I’m going to take engineering next year, but I want to take another core AP science course.
Have you taken Bio, Chem and Physics? Make sure you take that. Chemistry and physics are common Freshman engineering classes so taking an advanced class in one of those is good.
I have taken Honors Bio and Honors Chem. I’m planning to take Physics senior year.
Some engineering majors at some colleges require a semester of chemistry, but allow a high enough AP chemistry score to fulfill that requirement.
I would actually recommend taking neither, and exploring the field with your own projects by self-studying multiple fields of engineering, including environmental instead.
If you are sure you want to be an environmental engineer and insist on taking the class, take AP Physics and take Chem NEXT YEAR so it will be more recent if you have to take Organic Chemistry I.
@Waterborne Neither? Any future engineer should have four years of high school science.
A year each of bio, chem, and physics, plus one more course.
@AroundHere If high school science actually had the labs to help engineers, I would agree. If he does take it, I would recommend that he supplements it with his own study. If he studies on his own, he can apply his skills that he gains and will be able to handle a college level course easily. If something is personalized or even designed specifically for engineers (i.e. an internship), it would help him much more. He could also take it at the college where they have a 3 hour lab if possible. Otherwise, he would be missing a crucial component of the engineering curriculum. Engineers solve problems and that requires application and not just theory.
My AP Chem class prepared me very well for college chemistry, labs included.
@bodangles Did you start with General Chemistry? If not, this might not apply as much there.
@Waterborne Yes, I took Gen Chem 1 and 2 (freshman year), Orgo 1 and 2 (sophomore year), and Pchem (junior year). Labs in Orgo and Pchem; skipped the labs for gen chem with my AP credit.