Question on which science classes to take

Applying to College
1

Hi all,

My daughter (HS sophomore) took freshman biology, and for various reasons, is not taking a science during her sophomore year. Now she has two years of science left, and she is hoping to take AP Environmental Science as a senior. For junior year, her options are chemistry and biotech (either is needed for the environmental science class). She is more interested in biotech (which has elements of chemistry and biology), but I’m concerned this will look weird if she only has bio, biotech, and AP environmental science.

Does anyone know if colleges have a preference about which science students take? Are you expected to have taken chemistry no matter what? Should she meanwhile, attempt to take physics through some other route, like a community college?

Thanks for any help or advice.

2

Bio, Chem and Physics are the typically preferred science courses.

1 Like
3

Physics is a better choice because APES is generally considered to be an “easy” AP class and most colleges don’t consider it to be on the same level as any of the other AP sciences.

2 Likes
4

For more selective colleges, the preferred high school science is typically biology, chemistry, and physics.

5

What type of major is she thinking of?

In any case, if she wants to take biotech, see if chemistry’s offered during summer school.

Colleges will expect bio/chem/physics. APES senior year is fine for a student who wants to major in the Humanities or Social Sciences, or as an elective to an AP in bio/chem/physics if hoping to major in STEM.

6

Thanks, all. I don’t think she has a major in mind at this point. But this advice is much appreciated. We are getting conflicting information from the school counselor, who told us “colleges want students to take what is of interest to them.”

7

[quote=“CollegeDad303, post:6, topic:3526263, full:true”]“colleges want students to take what is of interest to them.”
[/quote]
This is true to a point, but only after all of the basics are covered. For example, D20 took our school’s standard 10th grade science (Earth Science) in 8th grade and still took Bio/Chem/Phys. Most students on that path take either AP Bio or AP Chem as a senior. D could only take one of those at the expense of a 5th year of foreign language or dropping her instrument and resulting extra curricular activities. She isn’t interested in STEM so decided to keep those other 2 classes. Her classmates who were more STEM focused chose to drop one of those to take the AP. She ended up taking both AP Gov and AP Macroeconomics as a senior which fit her humanities objectives better.

1 Like
8

“… in addition to the base academic expectations.”

9

Yes, it will look weird with biology, biotech and APES. If she wants to take a biology major or any science major in college or leave her options open, she should at least take chemistry and preferably physics.