APP2 and APUSH are during the same period, so I can only take one.
I took APP1 this year & did… not that great. I got an A minus first quarter, and a B+ in both Q2 & Q3. Q4 was pass/fail because of Covid, and I passed, obviously. However, I did get a bout of depression during the winter i.e end of Q2, beginning of Q3 and I wasn’t motivated to do ANYTHING, so I wasn’t putting in my full effort - I’m sure I could’ve done a lot better. The teacher (who will also teach me APP2 next year if I choose to take it) really likes me, and she’s been teaching a for a really long time, so I think it would make a really strong recommendation letter if I do well in APP2 - improvement, dedication, blah blah. She also keeps saying “See you in AP Physics 2 next year!” in all her emails to me, so… I don’t know. Pressure.
I am fairly confident re the AP exam, bc I studied really intensely the entire month before the test, but I’m also not 100% sure I got a good score.
The AP Physics kids in my class are also the “smart” kids–in other words, the AP Physics group chat is where all important information regarding volunteering opportunities, test prep, etc. is shared. All the people in that group chat have 1) been in my school since kindergarten and 2) older siblings/parents/family friends who have graduated from my school. They know a LOT more than I do, and I’m not close enough to any of them to get any of that info sent to me privately.
One more thing: since I took APP1 sophomore year, junior year is basically the ONLY time for APP2. APUSH, on the other hand, is a class I can also take senior year with no huge repercussions (well, except for the school counselor knowing me thing… more on that below).
HUGE point: !!!I am also taking AP Chem (and AP Psych and AP Lang and Honors Pre-calc…) in junior year, so I don’t know if it would be overkill to take APP2 AND AP Chem.!!!
Now the case for AP Psych: my high school counselor teaches AP Psych. Writing, critical analysis, etc. - i.e. the DBQ skills - are strong points for me (much, much stronger than Physics lol). My counselor has been a counselor FOREVER, and her rec letters have a very heavy weight. If I take her class, I have a huge advantage in the regard over most of my classmates, who don’t really know her that well (especially since our school doesn’t have any mandatory meeting process with our counselor). I’m hoping to apply ED for my dream college, and she won’t know me super well by Nov 1st if I take in sr yr instead.
However, there’s obviously no guarantee I’ll do well. My APP2 teacher already likes me a lot & is willing to be lenient with me, while the APUSH teacher won’t be willing to let my absent-mindedness slide. And I have ADHD & our school does not provide any accommodations, so, honestly, leniency is great.
HOWEVER, I think I have million times better chance of excelling in APUSH than APP2. Plus, APP2 and APP1 are pretty similarly weighted college-wise, since they’re both just algebra-based physics. APUSH, on the other hand, is the only college-level history course our school offers.