Hi guys,
I’m planning to take AP Chemistry and AP Biology next year. However, I’m a bit worried since everyone is telling me how crazy it is to take 2 AP Science classes in a year.
To be honest, all these talks are scaring me. However, I know I can do it. Chemistry comes naturally to me, same with Biology. Besides, I think that the two subjects might share some similarities that make studying them easier. But I still want some second opinions from fellow students.
This is my schedule sophomore year:
Honors Algebra II
Honors English 2
Chemistry
AP World History
Intro to Medical Careers
French 2
This is my proposed schedule junior year :
AP Junior English
Pre-Calculus
AP Biology
AP Chemistry
AP US History
French 4 (If my guidance counselor approves of my jumping class)
Can you give me some feedback? I want to know your thoughts on this.
This gets asked so often, I really should do a FAQ:
The cons outweigh the potential pros
I would not recommend taking both AP Bio and AP Chem concurrently. In addition to the time commitment required by virtue of being AP’s, each requires a lot of time for labs and lab reports. For many schools, these classes are either double-periods, or require additional time before/after school. Save one for senior Year.
When are you planning on taking physics?
That’s really a question for your French teacher, unless your GC speaks fluent French.
Bio & USHx are very content-heavy classes- you may be well able for the level of the material, but still struggle with the sheer volume of material that has to be mastered. Lab classes carry an extra load of work, and you are trying to jump a level in French as well. In addition, your ECs should be moving up a level in terms of your role in them, and you should be easing into the roles that will turn into leadership roles the following year. Most students find that the work load goes up in grade 11, and the grades are really, really important for college applications.
That’s a lot.
So: what is your goal in doing bio + chem in the same year?
It really depends on your school. At my school, AP chem is one of the hardest classes, but AP Bio is a breeze. I took chem last year and I am in bio this year. Personally, I would have had no problem taking both classes simultaneously; I’ve taken 2 science classes together since sophomore year. I would personally do it, but I can only speak from the context of my own school. Ask some of your friends what they think. It also depends how difficult the rest of your schedule is. From my perspective it looks very doable, but again, I can’t guarantee that it would be the same for your school. Good luck.
@skieurope
I’m planning to take AP Physics my senior year. I’ve heard that it’s the hardest AP Science class at my school so I’m saving it for senior year. It will be my only science class senior year also. That’s why I want to take AP Chem and AP Bio next year.
About French, my French teacher is fine with it. However, I’ve already skipped French 1 so I’m not 100% sure my school will let me skip another level again. I’m planning to take French 4 junior year and have an independent study for French 5 with my teacher senior year for the AP exam. I’ll be the only kid in French 5 anyway.
Thank you for your feedback. I really appreciate it.
@collegemom3717
I want to major in Biomedical Engineering so I’m choosing to take the classes that will make my college application stronger.
Also, I go to a rather expensive religious school so I’m just trying to make it worth my parents’ money.
Thank you for the comment.
Also, do you have any suggestions on how to move up into leadership positions in my EA?
@AnthonyZ
If you don’t mind me asking, did the easy AP Bio class prepare you for the exam?
I’ve heard mixed reviews about AP Bio in my school. But generally, people think that it’s doable, just a lot of work. However, they complain about the teacher’s teaching style a lot. Personally, I like the teacher. I had him for Freshman Biology for 1 semester and he wasn’t a bad teacher.
Thank you for the answer. Your input is greatly valued!
Your current schedule does not prepare you for the rigor of the schedule you’ve planned. Colleges won’t be impressed, they’ll think “immature and stubborn/hubris” - because that schedule + test prep + increasing leadership + 8+ hour of sleep is just impossible. Choose either chem or bio. The schedule’s jump in rigor will be hard to handle already, without adding two AP sciences with lab.
Similar to an FAQ, I’ve seen threads by normal users regarding classes to take in high school (such as the “college prep base” and “what to do when you’re not doing well in a HS class”) stickied on these forums; I think it would be great to start a new thread with a list of mistakes when choosing courses–taking multiple AP lab sciences would be one of the most obvious to include.
And OP, no, it’s not wise. At all. I am a senior with experience with both courses (never took them at the same time, though) and they are extremely demanding.
@HopefullyBrown24 I am currently enrolled in AP Bio so I could not speak for whether or not it prepares me for the AP test yet. From what I can tell, I think I will be able to get a 4 without too much effort, but to get a 5 I will have to put a little bit of work in. Unfortunately my teacher is an embarrassment; a couple years ago she revealed to one of her classes that she took the AP test and got a 3 on it… Don’t know how she is a teacher. Don’t get me wrong, AP Bio can be difficult, esspecially for most of the people taking it, and esspecially given that my teacher’s abilities are so poor. However, I’m doing well because I stick to my own learning style and ignore my teacher’s elementary style of teaching. If you really are a hard worker and you payed attention in bio 1 you should do great. I’m currently a senior, and I remember absolutely nothing from the bio class I had during freshman year (and tbh I didn’t pay attention in that class) and I’m doing great. So overall, just stick to your own learning style and I think you should be ok.
@AnthonyZ
Not to say your teacher is good, but what she did as a high school student and that 3 on AP Bio means NOTHING AT ALL - she survived many, much harder science courses in college.
It’s as if middle school students judged someone who got As in AP English based on the C they got one quarter during 8th grade.
@MYOS1634
I agree that the jump from 1 AP class to 4 is a lot. However, AP World History is the only AP class offered to Sophomore in my school.
The regular Chemistry class at my school is offered as a junior level class and I’m taking it as a sophomore. So, I think the jump wouldn’t be so drastic.
If I manage to do well, do you think college will still have that view of me being immature and taking on too much?
Thank you for the feedback btw.
@MYOS1634 I think you are misunderstanding what I’m saying. She took the test after becoming a teacher and teaching for a year, not while she was in high school.
@AnthonyZ: That’s not possible (teachers with college degrees can’t take AP tests) - it’s highly likely your teacher was joking then or trying to reassure students who found the class difficult. She may be a bad teacher thought-out see what you can find online (crash course biology, Kahn academy, a college biology textbook…)
The question is moot. If you get all A’s, then it’s fine, but right now, you’re just wishing-and-a-hoping. In general, the odds are greater that a student moving from 1 AP to 4, where they are all high workload classes, will crash and burn than that s/he’ll get a 4.0. Maybe it won’t happen to you.
I highly doubt that taking only 2 AP sciences rather than 3 will cause your GC to rate your schedule as anything less than “most rigorous.” There is no higher category called “super-duper rigorous” and AOs are only going to go by the GC rating. So a schedule that will kill you really has no long-term advantages.
@HopefullyBrown24 : the odds that you’ll do well with such a schedule are close to zero. Your question is akin to ‘if I jump from the third floor and don’t break anything, won’t colleges think me a risk taker?’
You’ll be going from one AP and a rigorous but normal sophomore schedule to 4 APs + a foreign language where you skipped a level + precalculus (perhaps honors, to boot). Add to this the fact you want to combine two lab sciences that should not be combined due to the sheer amount of time they require, not to mention amount to memorize and, for chemistry added conceptual difficulty, and you have a surefire recipe for disaster.
@HopefullyBrown24
Keep in mind that taking anything above six to eight of a combination of APs/Dual Enrollment/IB throughout all of high school does next to nothing to someone’s overall course rigor in context of admissions. Once you have reached around eight college or college-level high school classes and have satisfied the basic breadth requirements commonly requested by colleges, which include:
-Foreign language of at least level III
-Four years of math, preferably up to Pre-Calculus
-Four years of English
-One of each of biology/physics/chemistry
-Three units of social science; US history is very important
–(these can vary somewhat, but these are the courses a significant amount of schools recommend incoming students to take in order to show they are well-rounded and their preparedness for college material)
you really don’t “need” extra APs. Since you do, however, want to go to Brown, you should be taking the most rigorous courses that are offered to you, but this doesn’t mean you need to double up on AP lab sciences or that you should go out of your way to take APs that have nothing to do with what you want to do in college. Honestly, outside of double AP lab sciences and skipping French 3, your junior schedule looks pretty reasonable for someone who wants to go to a competitive university.
Also, just a caveat: you need a strong A in Honors Chemistry or a very strong background in chemistry in order to be successful in AP Chemistry. I am enrolled in AP right now and even the students who did somewhat well (high B-low A range) are consistently failing tests and are lost in class. The class can be brutal if you don’t have a strong foundation.
The students I know in CMU & JHU BME did not do double AP lab sciences. They got in just fine and they are handling the workload just fine. Call it anecdotal- or proof of concept.
Anyway: the response from CC is pretty clear- it’s a very high risk strategy, with little reward.
