<p><strong>This was also in the AP Science section, but i felt that noone would respond anymore... with ap's over</strong> </p>
<p>Okay, so i have a choice of either AP Chem or AP Bio for next year (junior year).. I want to become a pharmacist and i know the obvious choice would be chem. But from the information that i got, we're getting new ap chem teacher (this year's sucked, apparently). And from what i heard about next year's chem teacher, she's not a very good teacher. Therefore, i feel really uncomfortable learning from a new teacher that may not be helpful. On the other hand, AP Bio has a wonderful teacher (i had her freshman year) and i loved her!! She's was great and her classes scored an average of 5 points higher on the midterms and finals. She's someone that I'm familiar with and do well with (concerning grades). </p>
<p>Therefore, i'm really in a dilemma about which one to take. I know its sad that im basing it on teachers, but i asked my friend and she said it is a personal choice, so basing it on teachers is okay. Which one should i take (with my situation)? Please respond ASAP please!</p>
<p>This is a dilemma. Junior year is quite important and you want a high GPA and a bad teacher could seriously impede that from happening. However, AP Chemistry is seen as a more rigorous course, so I’d take it and get plenty of outside help. Consider going to people who’ve taken it before and know what they’re doing or ask people to tutor you, whether it be friend, teacher, or outside mentor.</p>
<p>As someone who has taken AP Chem, I’d say go for AP Bio. Chem is the more rigorous course and a hard class even with a veteran teacher. AP Bio is apparently more memorization, but it would definitely be worth it for a good teacher who would give you a solid education. </p>
<p>Is there any chance that you could take AP Bio junior year and then enroll in AP Chem as a senior? It would give the teacher a year of experience before you took the class and show your interest without your performance in the class or on the AP negatively affecting your transcript. Plus it would be fresher in your mind when you went to college.</p>
<p>@Mystery101926
Well, the problem is that i want/need to take ap physics senior year… and i would like to double on with physics and chem but i just don’t have the schedule for it, unless i wanted to drop history, which i don’t. @LucrativeLatino
Both of the classes, i did relatively well, so either is fine. </p>
<p>Btw, would it be a good idea to just self-study bio (since its just memorization) or chem???</p>
<p>If you’re going to self study, do it for Bio. It doesn’t really require a teacher or someone explaining concepts to you; my brother did it on his own during his junior year.</p>
<p>I took AP Chem Junior year (which is about to end in a week). AP Chem requires you to have a fundamental understanding of chemistry - elements, periodic tables, ionic charge, effective nuclear charge, periodic trends.</p>
<p>AP Bio however requires far more hands on work. </p>
<p>While AP Chem is more conceptual and fewer labs, AP Bio is a strain on the minds of many juniors (I opted out of AP Bio). I heard stories of my peers waking at 7 AM to finish labs or begin class for AP Bio.</p>
<p>AP Chem on the other hand can also be a pain - the class requires you to stay in for labs; at our school these labs carry on into our lunch period.</p>
<p>Overall, AP Chem labs are harder than AP Bio - AP Bio does far more labwork though. </p>
<p>But you can pull it off. A handful of juniors in my class took both AP Chem AND AP Bio this year. That’s about 5 AP classes for them…only 4 for me haha</p>
<p>As for the AP Test - The AP Chem is much harder; the AP Bio (from what I’ve heard) is far easier than all other ones. I’ve heard the same for SAT II subject tests. I’ve only taken the Chem SAT II.</p>
<p>@vvip002
thanks but i can’t double up since my schedule literally packed… so i really do have to choose between the two. But what’s troubling me is the choice about the teachers… one literally SUCKS and the other one is a VERY GOOD bio teacher… what do i do??? I’m so conflicted…</p>
<p>Take AP Bio then. In my opinion it’s better to take a class that you’ll actually learn something in than take one just because you feel you should. </p>
<p>If you have already taken a year of chemistry, then you could self study for AP Chem because you already know it, you would just need to learn it at a higher level. </p>
<p>Just curious, but if you’re going to be a pharmacist why do you need AP physics?</p>
<p>AP Chem is more important for preparation Frosh year of college since it will be the first course in the pre-health sequence. That being said, go for the great Bio teacher; it’s a no brainer. Hopefully, you’ll earn A’s, a 4+ on the test and a strong score on the Subject Test. The teach might even offer to write you a glowing rec. (Another consideration: double with enviro if your schedule allows. Enviro is just a subset of Bio, and the AP Bio test always covers Enviro topics bcos it is PC. Then you could ace the Bio-Enviro Subject Test.)</p>
<p>Take Chem Senior year, or at least honors Chem if a better teacher is available.</p>
<p>Can you take AP Physics first and then take AP Chem the following year? If you take AP Chem senior year, you won’t have to worry about doing poorly on the AP test, because those results won’t be known until well after you’ve been accepted to your college of choice. There’s also a bit of overlap between parts of bio and parts of chem, so if you were to double up senior year, the cross-knowledge might make it easier to better understand both subjects.</p>
<p>@Mystery101926
Well, i don’t really know why i need to take physics, but i looked at admission requirements for rutgers and they said physics is recommended… @bluebayou
Well i can’t double up because i don’t have the “time” for it… i plan on taking the 5 core classes on senior year (AP Euro, AP Physics C, AP Calc… (? maybe…), AP Spanish, Honors/Regular English IV) and i also have a band period. btw, all science related classes are double periods… so that’s why i can’t fit it into my schedule. But do you think its possible/wise to take a community college class over the summer (just to learn it)? @LoremIpsum
My guidance counselor suggested that i take physics c during senior year…</p>
<p>Physics C will require extensive use of calculus. If you don’t plan on taking calculus, you should take Physics B. There’s a broader range of material covered, but you won’t need calc for any of it.</p>
<p>You won’t be able to take a year’s worth of chemistry over the summer at community college since two sequential semesters are required. You might, however, be able to take one and then take the second semester during the evenings during the school year. My son took chemistry at the local college during the school year while enrolled in AP physics at his high school. Note that it’s a fair amount of work with all the labs and subsequent write-ups.</p>