Should I take AP Studio Art or IB Chemistry?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

Hi everyone,
I’m gonna be a junior next year. here is my current schedule (the only other ap offered in my grade is ap computer science, so this is one of the most rigorous courseloads for my grade):

Honors English 10
Honors Chemistry
Digital Electronics (advanced pltw engineering course)
AP US Government and Politics
Honors Precalculus
Honors Spanish 5
Studio Art 2 (for more background, I skipped the introductory art class because i didn’t take art freshman year and since i’m naturally inclined towards art I was ahead anyway)

I am in a pltw engineering pathway, and I’m doing the full diploma IB program junior and senior year. Here’s my current schedule for junior year:
IB Theory of Knowledge
IB Physics SL
IB English HL
IB Spanish 6 HL
IB History HL
IB Math HL
IB Chemistry SL

I was thinking about changing IB chem to AP 2D studio art because I love art, and i’m pretty talented (not to sound pretentious) but I’m worried that it would negatively affect me college admissions wise since I plan to go into a stem field and I hope to attend a top college. Also, I am not taking a science class senior year (but I will take Engineering design and development, which will be seen as a stem class) so if I don’t take chemistry, I will have only 3 science credits, while most people going into stem graduate with four. Additionally, my school will have to combine AP art with studio 2 and 3 next year because of the lack of students registered for art classes, and I think that will be bad for AP art kids. I have had straight As throughout high school so far, and my weighted GPA is a 4.68. If I don’t take AP art, I will join an outside studio or keep pursuing it on my own, but I might not improve as much because of the lack of community and feedback; on the other hand, the class might not be all that beneficial, seeing as it’s combined with two other lower level art classes. Do you think switching to AP art will hurt me in the long run?

2

Chemistry SL (as opposed to HL) is unlikely to get you advanced placement in college chemistry.

3

Is AP art connected with the IB program allowing you to take the IB art exam? If not how will you complete the IB diploma? I’m assuming the IB Chemistry SL was your sixth exam.

4

@ucbalumnus True, but our school is quite limited when it comes to IB and it only offers Chemistry SL and Physics SL :frowning: the other options are Bio HL and SL environmental sciences, which im not taking. But even if I don’t get college credit for chem won’t colleges still view it as more rigorous than AP art?

5

@Darcy123 regardless of what class i choose this year i will be taking IB psychology senior year, so no my diploma is unaffected by this decision :slight_smile:

6

Still not answering the question. If you don’t take chem, how will you complete the IBDP?

If you have a way to complete IBDP and take AP Studio Art, colleges won’t care that you did not take IB Chem. If you take AP Studio Art in lieu of a 6th IB course, then colleges will view it as less rigorous (slightly), but because you are not completing IBDP, not because you are taking AP Studio Art over IB Chem.

7

Thank you, that is helpful. To clarify, we are allowed to take 4 HLs with 2 Sls instead of 3 Hls and 3 SLs to complete our diploma. I am taking 4 HLs, so if i do NOT take chem, my two sls will be physics junior year and psychology senior year, so I will be able to complete the IBDP diploma no matter what. If I DO take chem, I will have 4 HLs and 3 Sls total, so I will have a surplus of SLs.

8

Thanks for clarifying.

Then it’s really your choice. There are no bonus point awarded by admissions for taking more IBs than required, so nobody will expect a 7th IB course (surprised the school would even allow)

9

It is better to take the expected number of IB courses and do well rather than take extra and not do as well.