<p>The human body has always fascinated me (i'm a sprinter) so i decided to take Anatomy and Physiology Honors this year (btw im a senior). I thought the class would be a challenge for me but it's not. I really do enjoy the class though. Because i have an A in the class and chose not to go into an AP science, I'm worried that colleges will think i decided to slack off and lessen my courseload. </p>
<p>*I'm thinking i should have taken AP Bio, but it's too late to switch my classes. Should i self-study for the exam? Does it even make sense if college apps will be long done by the time i take the test?</p>
<p>AP Biology is a lot of more challenging than Anatomy and Physiology and covers much more content beyond just the human body at a much greater depth, so don’t expect it to be a cake walk like Anatomy. </p>
<p>Self-studying is definitely doable for AP Biology, considering that it’s mostly massive memorization (and assuming that you are not afflicted with senioritis, then perhaps, this won’t be a problem). But another thing to consider are the labs and only the reason I’m emphasizing this is because a portion of your FRQ will be based on them - so you need to work around it somehow. </p>
<p>As far as college apps go, I don’t think you should go crazy over whether colleges will perceive it as slacking off (and truthfully, a lot of people slack off in senior year). I really doubt taking AP Biology would have much bearing in the admission process at this point, but it does depend on how rigorous your current schedule is. </p>
<p>I personally think if you’re planning on taking just for impressing colleges - I don’t think it’s worth sacrificing your senior year for that sake (especially if you are bogged down with other [AP] classes). If you could use an extra challenge and willing to put effort into it, then go ahead…</p>
<p>And it sounds like you actually like Biology (or human anatomy to be more specific) - it might be a more richer experience if you take it in college than having to cram everything in months without getting a real sense of it and then spewing it out in May. Of course, then again, this depends on your interests…</p>
<p>I will be self-studying AP Biology this year, starting the day after the Dec 5 SAT. I will be studying the CliffNotes 3rd Edition which has everything you need to know for the exam including labs. It is very doable.</p>
<p>AP Bio kids at my school constantly complain about how long the assignments take, and how many they get. A lot of them are taking the minimum courseload my school allows. And they got an EASIER teacher this year than before.</p>
<p>I was in a similar situation last year. I was taking Anatomy and Physiology and decided in early Feb. to study for it. It’s certainly doable, and if you started now you’d have even more time that I did. I used Cliffs exclusively (it is the best, hands down) and got a 5. </p>
<p>And as for labs, reading the Cliffs section on labs 3-4 times worked for me. </p>
<p>I was very interested in Bio and enjoyed the study, even though it did take time. (although, not as much time as a few friends spent IN THE ACTUAL CLASS and they did NOT get 5s)</p>