<p>My S is planning to take Honor Chemistry and AP Biology for his sophomore year in a public high school. If your children had taken two science courses in sophomore year, I would like to hear from your experience and thought.</p>
<p>I didn't take two science sophomore year, but I did take three junior year (AP Bio, AP Chem and Honors Physics). What other classes is your son planning to take? If science is your son's strong point, unless his schedule is loaded with tons of other AP classes, I don't think it will be a problem. The two courses are taught in different ways. In general, Biology requires tons of memorization while Chemistry involves a lot of problem solving. Your son will need to make sure he is ready for the style of teaching that is common in AP Bio. Most AP Bio classes involve full period lecutures and lots of reading from the textbook and I've seen people get caught off-guard by this "style" of learning that (at least at my school) is not used anywhere else. My advice: Buy a copy of CliffsAP Biology and use it alongside the textbook to study.</p>
<p>Edit: Is it common for sophomores to take AP Bio in your school district? My school has Chemistry I as a pre-req for AP Bio, so the earliest you can take AP Bio is junior year, but I've heard that in some schools many sophomores take AP Bio.</p>
<p>My son took Honors Chemistry and AP Physics C as a sophomore. He had always enjoyed science and math, and did outstandingly well in Honors Physics as a freshman, so we felt it would be appropriate for him. He did very well in both, perhaps because he was interested in the subjects. It's entirely possible, depending on the student.</p>
<p>i think its all about time management and dedication. if he's taking 2 science courses then i'm guessing he must love the subject? Which, if that's the case, he will enjoy partaking in both courses. i have had friends who've taken AP Chem and AP bio at the same time, and others who've taken AP Chem and AP Physics B at the same time (both in public high schools)...both of them did very well, so as long as it's something he likes to do, the hard work will be worthwhile and beneficial in the end.</p>
<p>I took 2-3 science classes a year sophomore through senior year, and I never for a second regretted it. It opened up a ton of opportunites for me in college, and helped me to determine what I should major in. Encourage it if he wants to keep up with extra science classes!</p>
<p>Lots of kids do this at my school, especially those who find them easier than classes in humanities, languages, etc. As long as he's good in sciences in general, it should be fine.</p>
<p>D took honors chem and honors bio soph year, AP chem and AP bio jr year (and AP USH). Had very busy years, especially Jr. year. At her HS, each of these courses had a lot of homework.</p>
<p>Bottom line, depends on the kid, and the school. Don't underestimate the mass of detail to be mastered in each. While Bio may have a reputation as more of a details course, there's a lot of terminology and concepts introduced in chem. Acid base equilibrium, for example. Much depends on the level.</p>
<p>I took three pre-IB sciences freshman year (chemistry, biology, physics) and two sophomore year (chemistry, physics). At my school, that distribution is mandatory, and some even choose to continue with all three sciences sophomore year, with the third as an elective (I chose journalism instead). That was manageable for me, but my school only offers pre-IB, and later the full IB diploma, so I'm not familiar with AP or honors classes.</p>
<p>if he is smart and he likes science a lot it should be fine. i wish i could take math classes all day wooohooooooooooooooo</p>
<p>most i have had is 3- not enough!!!! lol</p>
<p>Depends on the kid. My son took AP Bio and Honors Chem 1 in 10th gr. He got special permission to do so (only 2nd kid ever to take AP Bio in 10th gr) then told us of his plan. In his HS, you need to take honors level first (Bio 1), then AP is the 2nd yr of Bio. Chem is a prereq but they let him take it concurrently. Most kids only take one AP Science course if they are recommended for 11th or 12th grade. My son wants to take AP Bio, AP Chem and AP Physics so he must double up in order to do it. He wants the AP level because the classes cover so much more material. He likes science and is trying to determine what type of science interests him the most (so he can pick a college major). </p>
<p>As for your question, he did well in the Bio class - probably one of the top students (A avg). He got a 5 on the AP exam and a 760 on the Bio SAT II. Judging by how little studying he did for the SAT, I would say the class/teacher prepared the students well. I believe the average grade was a C in this class since the teacher was very demanding. I believe my son had an A in Honors Chem also, but his grades weren't as high as Bio. I think he really pushed himself in Bio to prove he deserved to be there - his Honors History suffered a bit because he devoted so much time to Bio. Next year will be even tougher with more APs. In reality, his GPA would be higher is he took it a little easier but he'd rather the challenge.</p>
<p>My son took it Honors AP chem and honors Physics. To be honest his AP Honors exam class very hard as class was beyond APs syllyabus. The test materail were taken from freshman Caltech or MIT or Harvard freshman courses. This hornors Ap course was equiavlent to a IVY college level course. But he loved the subject. The hrad part was a thesis for 10 pages on a research paper. His life was ometime very hard because of his ECs as well as other AP courses. But you can certainly do it if someone has an interest in it.</p>
<p>My S took the CTY Fast-Paced High School Chemistry and found he was very well prepared for the AP Chemistry class (he'd also had Physics before, which helped a lot). He then took College Biology without first doing Honors Biology (not available in high school, just heterogeneous biology class). He took College Biology because his schedule did not allow him to take the AP class offered in his high school. The text in both classes was the same. He did not like the vast amount of memorization required for biology (though he found Chemistry helped in cell bio), but he also did well on the AP exam.</p>