<p>I have been told by multiple people that Chem is terrible and super hard and had a really huge workload.</p>
<p>...but, if I didn't take it I would take AP Psych and AP Lang and Lit.</p>
<p>I was thinking of not taking psych and moving down to Honors English to free up enough room to take AP Chem.</p>
<p>Can anyone with some experience taking these courses tell me if the workload balances? In other words, is AP Chem so bad that it is worse than these two courses?</p>
<p>Other factors are that I suck at writing, as you can see by this eloquent thread I am writing. I also pick up science easily and basically slept through my regular chemistry class with a 100 average, but this class was a joke. (regents chemistry if you are in NY)</p>
<p>My son took regular chem and did well and had done trouble at the beginning of AP chem as compared with his chem honors friends. That said he took a 4 in the exam so I have to say that with effort is doable.</p>
<p>I didn’t think it was too difficult, although I did have an excellent teacher. The workload wasn’t terrible, and although there is some memorization it wasn’t too bad. We built on a lot of stuff that we covered in honors Chem though, so that helped. I’m in AP Lit this year and I actually think that even though the class itself isn’t as hard, there’s way more work because of all the reading and writing - it takes up so much time. That’s just my opinion though, and it does depend on the teacher and school. (I got a 5 on the exam, by the way.)</p>
<p>At my school about 1/4 of the people who take it find it really easy, 1/4 find it about moderately difficult but do well because they put in a lot of work, and about 1/2 dropped it or have low B’s/C’s. If you are a good problem solver and can figure things out (like the kind of problems you will be asked to do) without a ton of practice then you will probably find it easy. </p>
<p>Compared to those two courses, though, it’s probably harder in difficulty of the material but possibly less work depending on how the subjects are taught. AP Chem has minimal outside work besides studying at my school.</p>
<p>It depends on who you are. If you are more math oriented, then do ap chem. if you like humanities more, then do ap english and ap psychology. ap chem is way easier than ap bio and ap physics c though</p>
<p>the class may be harder than the test. my teacher told me, to my face, that i was going to fail the test, based on my performance on <em>his</em> tests. i took it anyway, and i ended up passing, with a 4. and that’s really the only reason to take the class - so you can get college credit later. but if it’s likely going to hurt your overall gpa i would avoid it altogether. it’s not worth getting 2 c’s just so you can pick up some college credit. what’s more important, i have been told, is you get into the college of you choice.</p>
<p>It’s been terrible for me. I’d never gotten anything lower than a high B before, and my Chem grade’s almost a C. If you’re not too great at science stuff, don’t do it.</p>
<p>AP Chemistry is a lot of work and it takes dedication. Only take it if you really like chemistry. You definitely have to study, you can’t cram stuff the night before a test or you will fail. I would say study about 5 hours a week and you should be fine. I have a D in the class now and it’s making me rethink me career choice lol.</p>
<p>If you’re a conceptual learner, it’s easy, if you’re more of a rote/facts learner, it’s extremely difficult. It greatly depends on the person, but I would not call it easy; the pace is fast, and it’s a lot of material to cover.</p>
<p>And no. It’s a difficult course mainly due to the amount of work. If you are willing to put in the extra effort and you think that you can handle the fast pace it may be a good class for you. That being said, I am currently taking AP Chem right now. I spent a nice portion of the beginning of the year balled up in a corner crying, but after I stopped psyching myself out and actually started to put the effort needed, the class was more manageable. It also helps to have a good teacher who is willing to give some extra help or does give out enough practice work for you to follow along. </p>
<p>If you are interested in chemistry or in the field, then it’s an excellent class. However, don’t just take it in order to have it look good on your transcript if you don’t actually want to take it. Just weigh your options. If you are interested in the class outside of how it will look on your transcript and you think that you can handle the workload, then by all means take it. It’s a fast pace and informative class, but it isn’t for everyone.</p>
<p>It’s a bit overblown. The Honors Chem class at my school was probably like 75% of the AP Chem curriculum, and it was difficult, but definitely doable.</p>
<p>I’m wondering the same thing. I’m in general chemistry this year, and I have an A without any problems. I really like chemistry and I’m not putting much effort in right now because everything is pretty basic. But everyone says AP Chemistry is a killer… we have a really good teacher at our school though</p>
<p>@Fast: My honors chem class was about 20% of my AP class curriculum. At best. The first 5 chapters of my textbook were all that we learned in honors, and we’re almost finished with the book now (25 total chapters).</p>
<p>I don’t know if it’s just me…but, I have never had to stay up numerous nights over struggling to understand AP Chemistry. Have I had to spend a day going over a topic? Yes. Have I taken a test without even really knowing what it was over? Yes. Have I pulled my hair out, freaking over everything I need to know? No. It’s all about your mindset. If you go into the class thinking its “killer” then you’re going to have a bad time. If you go in and just accept the information that is being given to you, you’re going to have SUCH an easier time. Don’t focus on trying to understand it. Focus on learning. Understanding will follow.</p>
<p>Branching off what lldm said, my school’s regulars/honors class covered about the first five chapters as well. My class is finished with the book. We’re doing practice tests. It’s a great feeling to be able to look back and say, “Wow, I just learned this all.”</p>
<p>It definitely depends on the school. For me, I haven’t felt overloaded, even with both AP Chem and AP Physics for science, and two other AP classes. But, at my school, AP Chem isn’t that big of a committment.</p>