<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I'm looking for advice on what our science our daughter should take junior year. She isn't a strong math student and she's worried about chemistry. Another option is environmental science which seems like a more interesting and better fit for her. She could always take chemistry her senior year if she finds out she needs it. She's worked hard to keep her GPA up and chemisty could change that. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>What is really more important when applying to college (we're talking average students not Ivy league bound) - a higher GPA with standard college prep classes or a lower GPA with some honors classes?</p>
<p>Unless she's so bad she can't do simple algebra, being bad at math generally won't affect how well you do in chemistry. Granted it's much more math based than biology, but it math doesn't start to play that big of a role until physics.</p>
<p>Hmm, it really depends on how big the gap is, I'd say, but I'm hardly an ad officer. I personally had the latter (but not just with some, I took all the hardest AP/honors classes - 3.64 UW) and still managed to get into UCLA. If you have a low GPA with just some honors classes, I'd worry, but it depends if you mean average-average or CC-average.</p>
<p>Hmm...well you have two separate questions (I'm a teenager, btw)</p>
<p>I'm taking chemistry now as a sophomore, and...it's not horrendous math-wise. It's basically plugging in some numbers to a formula. Not that big of a deal, no trig, etc. I would say to DEFINITELY take the chemistry course. Chemistry is standard-most colleges require it, in fact. As well, she probably needs 2 lab sciences (if she took earth science, bio...she'd only prob have 1, and envior isn't a lab science). Limiting your daughter by not letting her take a class doesn't seem right. </p>
<p>Your second question-The adcoms always say "high scores in hard courses". That said, there is a balance. If your daughter can take a few honors classes in her strengths, and maintain her other grades, good. If one class stresses her out to the point that everything else drops, bad. Your daughter probably knows by junior year whether she wants to take honors, I'd let her decide.</p>