My grades for the semester now are: Bio H (A-), English 9 H (A), Algebra II H (A+), Modern World History H (A+), DE Elementary French (A+), and business and finance (both A+).
Next year (sophomore year), I’m definitely taking:
DE Intermediate French I and II
English 10 H
APUSH
PreCalculus H
Financial Planning
Now, I have the option between AP Chem and Honors Chem. My teacher says she definitely thinks I can handle AP Chem and there is no prerequisite except Biology and Algebra II. She recommended me for it. My grade for the semester is an A- because I had a concussion first quarter and I ended up getting a B+ because I fell so far behind, but currently I have an A and have been doing well on tests and quizzes. I think I’d like chemistry a lot, especially since the chemistry of life was my best unit in biology, except I’m more interested in math than science. If I don’t take AP Chem, I would have room to take AP Stats next year, which I was originally going to take senior year. I love math so that might be a better option, but I do want to try AP Chem kind of.
I am a sophomore right now and my schedule looks very similar to the one that you are planning for. I think that if you feel confident in science and enjoy it, you should try for AP Chem. It will be a lot of work, so make sure you are invested and enjoy the material. It is also very heavy in labs (at least in my school).
If you are not as interested in lab-based sciences, let me suggest AP Environmental Science. I am taking that class at the moment and absolutely loving it. APES is very current and the material is very interesting to me. It also ties in some math which has related to my own Pre-Calc class. It also doesn’t have much homework for an AP class which is great because APUSH has a ton.
One more thing: If you are more invested in math than in science, go that route if you have to choose. But, if you can possibly do both, do, it is pretty fun.
Based on your grades, you look like someone who can handle a more rigorous course and thus, I vote for AP Chem over the honors class. Back when I was in high school (many many years ago), I was in a similar situation (for US History) and opted not to take the more rigorous course, rationalizing that my EC’s took too much of my time to take yet another AP course. And now, after all these years, I still regret not challenging myself and not being in a class with my peers. Sure, everything turned out okay and I entered my first choice college, but I felt bad, and still do, for “settling” and not challenging myself. Never made that mistake again. At the end of the day, you know your limits. But if make the decision based not on fear, but on what is the best way that I can grow and challenge myself, I think you’ll be more happy with the decision. Good luck!
Ask our guidance counselor : if you take AP chemistry and realize, after a while, that it’s too tough to handle, will you be allowed to 'drop down’to honors chemistry?
Yes, I would be. Though, you cannot move up due to limited spacing. @MYOS1634
So, the choice with the fewest downsides is AP Chem.