I am currently a sophomore and was wondering if I should take easier AP classes instead of AP chem. The teacher at our school is horrible and I am signing up for 3 other AP classes. I want to major in Environmental engineering and already have taken AP environmental science. Help me out here do you need to take ap chem for Environmental engineering?
Looking at Environmental Engineering’s requirements ( https://www.egr.msu.edu/sites/default/files/content/UGS/MSU_CoEngr_EnvironmentalEngineering_1.pdf ) you are going to need to take a chem class and a lab at MSU or get out of it by taking AP Chem.
Yes. If you want to pursue engineering, you should take AP Chem. Chemistry is a difficult subject in college and having a background is not only helpful, but is, in my opinion, crucial to being successful in chemistry in college. However, I would not recommend taking 4 AP classes at the same time. I think it would be better to focus on 3 APs and really put the time into them to master the material. Not only will it better prepare you for college, but of note is that admissions and Scholarship committees place more emphasis on overall GPA than taking lots of AP classes. My d was offered a few full-ride scholarships and full tuition scholarships based on taking a total of 9 AP classes, getting all As, and doing very well on SAT.
If you pan to major in engineering, I would recommend that you take AP Calc, AP Chem, and AP Physics in high school and then repeat Chem & Physics in college so that you have a very good foundation in these areas. Of note is that my d did that and said she is covering material in first semester college chem that they never covered in AP Chem. So re-take, don’t skip these two courses.