<p>I'm having a dilemma whether I should drop or continue AP chem. A little about myself...I a junior who just transferred from an international school to another international school (Christian one) midyear, for reasons out of my control. I was in first year IB chem HL in my old school and now AP chem. Long story short, the AP chem at this school is significantly more work than my old school.
If I decide to continue AP chem, I might risk a B and probably will spend most of my time finishing up lab reports (2-4 labs per week). Overall I've been spending almost all of my homework time doing chem, which means dropping it will loosen a lot of homework.
My other option though might be self-studying it, which means no lab nor high school credit for it (and losing a possible teacher rec). This however means I will have time to self-study other APs (8 of them), most of which I probably won't have time for otherwise. The downside though is that my high school transcript will look possibly less rigorous (only other AP being AP calculus, out of the 5 APs that the school offers). I guess now it all comes down to what will be better on the college application. Will college admission officers take into account the circumstances for a less rigorous course load if I make up for it for self-studying AP exams? ( I was taking 4 HLs and 2 SLs in my previous school) My current schedule is AP chem, AP calc, USH, English, Chinese, speech, Christian service.</p>
<p>What are you planning to study in college? If you are going to major in premed, you will be fine to drop AP Chemistry.</p>
<p>Actually, for a pre-med, it is best to take the strongest available chemistry course in high school, even if it may not be worth taking the AP test (because medical schools tend not to accept AP credits for pre-med requirements), since it will be better preparation for university-level chemistry courses than regular high school chemistry or no chemistry. Of course, if you are concerned about possibly getting a lower grade that jeopardizes admission to a desired university, that can make the decision more complicated (though some university admissions give bonus GPA points for AP courses over regular high school courses – check with each university).</p>
<p>@zMatrix</p>
<p>Sorry to say, but WorrygooseB just gave you the WORST advice possible, so disregard. </p>
<p>I absolutely agree with the good advice Ucbalumnus gave. For Pre-med major, you will be taking a countless number of different chemistry courses ranging from basic Chem, adv. chem, P-chem, O-chem, etc. and various variation on that theme. Hence, it will absolutely to your advantage to have a head start in chemistry in general. </p>
<p>Your ability to excel in chemistry and your overall undergraduate GPA will have a profound impact on your ability to gain acceptance to a medical school. </p>
<p>Also, MCAT will test your knowledge of chemistry and chem related knowledge extensively, hence having a strong foundation will be essential for MCAT as well. </p>
<p>Also, watch out for questionable advice here on CC, there are lots of high school kids giving advice on pre-law, pre-medical, and pre-engineering admission process.</p>
<p>Taking AP Chem in high school will definitely help you transition into college level chemistry courses. It’s more important for you to take the course to learn the necessarily analytical skills used for problem solving. I feel you will get a lot out of taking an AP chem course, like learning how to write analytical papers (this being from your lab section). It’s kind of expected that the things you learn in AP Chem like stoichiometry, kinetics, redox potentials, thermodynamics, etc are almost second nature to you. It’s a hard class, and I don’t know if you’re going to take more chemistry courses in college, but once you take organic, physical, inorganic, etc. chemistry courses, you will gain an appreciation of how chemistry is everywhere. </p>
<p>Also it’s the International Year of Chemistry. This field is always growing. I would say taking the course is more valuable than self-studying for an AP test since you’re actually taking time to do the lab portion of the course.</p>