AP Chem or AP Bio?

Answered

Funnily enough, I actually was in a similar situation, except between IB Bio and IB Chem instead of APs. I ended up going with Bio, but that's not entirely relevant because obviously our experiences and goals are different so the right choice for me might not be the right choice for you. Here are some things to consider:

1. Do you have any idea what you want to major in? If you plan to major in something in the medical field, maybe biology would benefit you more in the future. But if you plan to major in something more chemistry- or math-based, then chem might be the way to go. If you're not planning on majoring in STEM, then maybe it doesn't matter.

2. Teachers do make a big difference (I'll be honest that's definitely part of the reason I chose Bio), however keep in mind that different teachers work best for different students and that no matter how passionate about a subject a teacher is, they can't always make the student passionate about it as well.

3. You mentioned that AP Chem is stereotypically harder; just keep in mind that that is a subjective opinion. If Chem comes naturally to you, then Bio might be the harder class. I don't think that colleges will think of one as being a higher level than the other (though I could be wrong about that). Also, I know you said that taking a harder class interests you, but just make sure you take time for yourself and enjoy being a teenager.

4. Finally, the number one thing I will tell you is to take the class that interests you the most and seems the most fun. For me, this was definitely Bio. I loved the way that I could see what we were learning in my everyday life and I'm excited to do more labs and hands-on work. Personally, I found chem kind of boring because it was a lot of math about things we can't actually see. However, you might have the same kind of fascination for chem that I do for bio (which is totally valid!). And I find it hard to imagine that you won't do lots of labs in AP Chem as well.

I hope that something in here helps with your decision! And remember, it's your life and your decision, so what you think and feel matters more than what your friends tell you, and especially what some random people on the internet comment.

I took AP Bio last year, and I will be taking AP Chem this upcoming year. AP Bio was a very interesting course with lots of fun labs. I really enjoyed the genetics, natural selection, and ecology sections because of the variety of examples being used to explain these topics. Also, I took bio back in 8th grade, so even though there was a bit of a gap from when I first took this type of science to it's AP level, I still managed to do well in the course and learn way more than I did prior.

At my school, a lot of seniors prefer to take AP Bio over AP Chem because there's very little math involved, and it's easier. Although I haven't taken the chem course yet, I've heard from other students that it is a hard course.

Nonetheless, you should pick the AP that you feel most confident in as well as more intrigued with. You should also take into consideration how you would manage one of these science courses with your other AP classes and school activities; you don't want to stress yourself out!

It's clear you are interested in both biology and chem, so I'm sure no matter what course you select you will do just fine!

As others have said, you should choose the class which is the closest to your major of interest. If either class is applicable, e.g. you want to major in pre-med, then taking AP Chem would be the best choice because you are most interested in it. Doing well in AP Chem also shows academic prowess, since many would consider it a challenging class.

Hope this helps!

I personally took AP Bio and it is an amazing class but you seem to be really interested in Chem so do AP Chem