Hi everyone,
this post should’ve been made earlier, but my school had AP/Honors Science applications due today and I didn’t really know what to choose. My experience with AP Chemistry this year has dampened my excitement on science…
SO:
AP Biology, Honors Physics (AP exam optional), or regular physics?
my counselor said I should take regular physics because (a) I suck at math (C- in Honors, then dropped to Regular, where I have an A- right now), and (b) apparently colleges prefer the biology-chemistry-physics sequence more than a bio-chem (with corresponding AP classes)?? I had no idea about that
thanks 
I shared a similar experience with AP Bio this year. I loved science and really enjoyed bio freshman year but AP made me not like it as much. The class was pretty boring and my teacher just stormed us with a lot of packets and worksheets that she didn’t even grade seriously. I don’t think the content is too difficult. I was able to pick it up better when I read it by myself in the textbook. Sometimes it was like the more I went to class the more confused I became…
Hopefully it’s better at your school. It would help to ask other students who have taken the course. There’s some math in AP Bio but not too much and the math is kind of straight forward too. Basically just knowing how to use formulas. I have no expierence with the other two classes.
Physics–even regular–is very, very, very math-based. If you’re not comfortable with math (which math are you in, by the way? why do you think you did badly?), don’t take Honors Physics.
@topaz1116 My school’s top math class for 11th grade is Honors Pre-Calc (Math Analysis), so I dropped into Math Analysis Regular. I think I did badly because I was swamped with other AP classes…
My friends said it was basically plugging in numbers, but if Physics is more closely related to AP Chem, then I’ll pass…
I’m already taking 4 AP classes next year- Lit, Gov, Spanish, and Bio (if I do AP) … so I’m not sure if I want to do physics in lieu of AP Bio
You will significantly limit your college choices if you don’t take physics at all. I would take regular physics since you are not great with math.
@guineagirl96 How does not taking physics limit college choices?
There are some colleges that require one year each of bio, chem, and physics. Many recommend one year each and, when it comes to college applications, these “recommendations” should be treated as a requirement. Basically, you need a very good reason for not taking it, otherwise you’ll be penalized for it. With how competitive admissions are at top schools, this can be enough to keep you out of the running.
@guineagirl96 exactly what my counselor said but what if you’re slightly leaning towards applying as biology major?
Most top schools give little weight to students’ proposed majors, especially when weighng high school course rigor. Princeton expects calculus out of classicists. Harvard wants computer scientists with four years of Latin.
@NavalTradition definitely not applying for top schools like Ivies. Do you know if UCs / CSUs are like that too
^ It looks like most of them have two years of science required, three recommended - at least one biological science, at least one physical science (physics or chem). It appears you can skip physics and squeak by the published requirements/recommendations at UCs/CSUs. Feels risky to me, but it’s your schedule.
If you’re not the biggest fan of math, AP Biology would probably be better for you. It’s a lot of memorization, but at least there is not a ton of (confusing) math involved. And any math involved will most probably be easier than what you had to do in AP Chem.
But if you do want to take Physics, take honors. I can’t speak for all schools, but from what I’ve seen, honors science classes are generally taught by better teachers, which will not only make the class make sense, but it’ll be fun at the same time.
Or depending on what grade you’re in, you can take both…
Since UCs (while less than other publics) are quite numbers-based, they focus more on the number of weighted classes, so AP Bio is your best bet.
For UCs, AP Bio is the best, and CSUs won’t care as long as you have 3 years of science, except for Cal Poly SLO (which admits by major), although even for SLO good grades in AP Bio would definitely trump low grades in physics.
For other colleges, not having Physics may not matter, but based on your AP choices, it looks like you’re leaning toward Social Sciences (Economics), so it’d matter less; if you’re aiming for UCs, do apply to other colleges to see how the FA shakes out - look into Occidentall, Pitzer, Scripps if a girl, Mills if a girl and political, UPugetSound, Whitman, Reed, Colorado College, URedlands, Chapman, Whitier, LMU, Willamette…)
@MYOS1634 thank you 
Umm this is a general update but my application to AP biology got rejected. I was talking to my counselor yesterday and she said I should go in the direction of English because it looks like I have been stronger in that area compared to STEM.
So now I am faced with the option of taking AP Environmental science or no science at all…honors physics is definitely NOT an option.
APES then…
what would be your “Humanities/social science” options? Any chance you can take philosophy?
@MYOS1634 no class for that at school. There’s an honors humanities seminar but I’m not eligible for it since I didn’t take art. My humanities/social sci classes next year would be AP Lit and AP Government.
I don’t think colleges would want to see a whole year without science, so I think you would be best off taking APES. I’m planning to self-study it for next year, as I’ve heard it’s that easy.
But if you plan to major in something completely unrelated to science, and all your other classes show that, you could take more English instead.