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aroen

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I can choose one of the following courses, what would everyone reccomend:
Art History, Biology, Chemistry, Physics B, Physics C, Calculus AB, English Literature, Music Theory, and Psychology

I was thinking Physics so I can get it out of my way, but its not a topic I really enjoy (at least from a year of a bad experience)

Cheers,
Aroen
 
Sorry... My school doesn't offer AP classes, I'd have no idea.

Although I must say my first instinct would be to take whatever I'm worst at, so it'd give me that boost when I go to take the course in college. And for me, that would probably be Calculus.
 
aroen said:
I can choose one of the following courses, what would everyone reccomend:
Art History, Biology, Chemistry, Physics B, Physics C, Calculus AB, English Literature, Music Theory, and Psychology

I was thinking Physics so I can get it out of my way, but its not a topic I really enjoy (at least from a year of a bad experience)

Cheers,
Aroen
Click to expand...

You'd probably want to retake any med school requisites once you get into college, but that doesn't mean taking the course in HS would hurt you (just that you wouldn't use it for college credit). The other option is to take one of the humanities and have one less class to worry about when you're checking off degree requirements.

Art History- never had this as an AP, took it in college and it was somewhat interesting. You might enjoy this... although I have no idea what the AP exam is like.

Biology- this wouldn't be a bad base for some of your college work, but you will wind up repeating it if you take a pre-health science track.

Chemistry- same as above, but probably the most valuable course available. Chemistry is your friend, but can be the bane of your existence. Good to master the basics early. *I'd put this on the list of classes I wish I had taken in HS (took AP Bio instead)

Physics B, Physics C- I'm told these are brutal. That and you'll need physics if you're pre-med. I'd say save yourself the trouble unless you're applying to MIT or a physics heavy school.

Calculus AB- Not bad, but you'll need some math if you go premed. Same deal, you can master it now and have a cake-walk later or apply your effort elsewhere.

English Literature- don't know much about this one. Many schools require a semester or two of English, but through personal experience, they're much more willing to accept alternative credits for this than a science course. If there's anything that they'd take an AP for, it'd be this.

Music Theory- um... do you like music? (I know nothing about this course)

Psychology- This wouldn't be a bad choice. Lots of majors have an intro Psych requirement (which is painful) before you can get to the fun classes like Abnormal Psych. It's not a med school requirement so you can get the credit now and then have some fun with the upper levels in college if you find that you liked it.
 
this upcoming year at school I'm taking APUSH and AP Bio. I'm also planning on taking Chem my senior year along with BC calc and Psych. I'm thinking maybe Bio, so I have supplementary knowledge. AB Calc to prep me for BC Calc. Psych to possibly support next year. Physics to possibly meet any admissions requirements (also, this AP would be taught at MIT, so possibly that would be an additional plus)
 
I think you should be taking what you think you might enjoy. For all of the AP classes I'm taking next year, I actually am interested in the subjects to some extent.

Art History - I'm not into art all that much, and I would not take this course, but if you like art, go for it.
Biology - Even if I passed the exam and planned not to make use of the credit (for a pre-med route), I would still take this class. I like the subject, and if you're pre-med, I imagine you might as well.
Chemistry - I had an A grade in my non-ap Chemistry class, though I didn't feel very sure of myself about most of the material. On the state exam (in NY and CA they're called Regents) nearly every school in my area bombed it, and I personally score a 69. I know very few individuals who scored higher than that. However, this would only motivate me to take this course more. I'd rather learn as much as I can about it now than wait until college.
Physics B - I've heard AP Physics is pretty damn tough, but I like the subject (and it's a pre-med thing), so I'm taking this year. Not to mention, my Physics teacher is the man! 😛
Calculus AB - I'm not extremely into math, but I'm pretty good at the subject and like the feeling of accomplishment in answering a really difficult equation. Also, once again, it's a pre-med course.
English Literature - I'm really good at English and enjoy the classes, so I'm mostly taking this course for those reasons. However, if you're not a big English person, you may want to refrain from taking it. Some people just don't like reading and writing.
Music Theory - I wish my school offered this course. I've played guitar for about two years now and I've tried learning theory on my own, but it's very difficult to wrap your mind around (and I was still tackling the basics!). I would suggest that you only take this course if you also are really into music (that doesn't mean you like listening to music). The AP exam is pretty unique. Not only is there a written part, but there's a listening and sight-singing portion of the exam where you're asked to indentify notes sung/played by a person by ear, and then you're asked to sing a note without having any context.
Psychology - Another course I'm taking. I've always loved learning about psychology and the human psyche on my own, so this seemed obvious for me to take. Not only that, I've heard that the class is generally fun and laidback, and that the coursework isn't too tough compared to other AP classes.

Honestly, I think everyone should take as many AP classes as they can. Why settle for the "easy" way out? Even if my GPA slips up a little bit this year, I trust that whatever college I plan to go to will see that I worked exceptionally hard in my senior year, when most people try to take easier classes just to have fun. However, you have to be passionate about what classes you're taking. If you legitimately do not like a certain subject or have no interest in taking an advanced level class, don't. Don't ever force yourself to take any AP class just because you think it will look good. Take it because you want to challenge yourself and learn at the most advanced level (at least the most adv. level possible right now). Good luck! 👍
 
aroen said:
I can choose one of the following courses, what would everyone reccomend:
Art History, Biology, Chemistry, Physics B, Physics C, Calculus AB, English Literature, Music Theory, and Psychology

I was thinking Physics so I can get it out of my way, but its not a topic I really enjoy (at least from a year of a bad experience)

Cheers,
Aroen
Click to expand...

Depends on why you are taking it. I know when I was in college, I wanted my IB credits (which are practically the same thing as AP credits) to apply to whatever I never wanted to take again, so I applied them to the freshman writing requirement my school had and also used my history credit to get out of US history. Since neither of these were premed requirements that was fine and dandy. I don't know your personal strengths, but go with whatever you will enjoy.

If you are considering a physical science major (physics or chemistry) I would strongly advise taking Calc AB. I know at my school you took a placement test to determine what math class you went in, so taking Calculus really helped me place highly in math and helped me finish my math requirements for my chemistry major.

I had a friend who took AP Chem and then took orgo as a freshman in college and ran up against some problems from a few medical schools who wanted her to take even more chemistry in college, so it really doesn't help you out a whole lot in terms of getting courses out of the way. It might help you get a good grade, but I honestly couldn't think of something more boring than taking a class that you already know.

The other classes, I don't have any personal input. Honestly, when it comes down to it, just take as many APs (not matter what they are) as you can stomach. It will simulate college much better and get you prepared.

Same goes for college. If you want to see what med school is like, push yourself to take as many difficult classes as you can take WITHOUT messing up your GPA (I took 3 lab sciences and an advanced math one semester....worse than any period the first 2 years of med school).
 
should I take AB calc if I would take BC Calc my senior year?
 
have no idea who the instructors are...
 
aroen said:
should I take AB calc if I would take BC Calc my senior year?
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AB and BC calc are the same thing. BC adds a few more chapters (integrals) into the year. If you think you can obtain an M.D., take BC calc. If you have the slightest proclivity for math, take BC calc. It is fun, and prepare for a slight (but very rewarding) challenge. Anyways, why would you want to take the 'dumb person' class when you can take the smart person class 😀
 
StIGMA said:
AB and BC calc are the same thing. BC adds a few more chapters (integrals) into the year. If you think you can obtain an M.D., take BC calc. If you have the slightest proclivity for math, take BC calc. It is fun, and prepare for a slight (but very rewarding) challenge. Anyways, why would you want to take the 'dumb person' class when you can take the smart person class 😀
Click to expand...

just a note... you only need 1 semester of Calc (i.e. the equivalent of AB) for the vast majority of medical schools.
 
Really? Oh, thank god. I thought it was a year.

I have my calculus out of the way! Yay!
 
AP Biology was the best class I have ever taken, hands down...plus it made ALL of my college work much easier!
 
You are already taking AP US History which most schools accept. I'd go with the English or Psych. Those tend to transfer as courses and not general credit to most universities and will actually save you a class or two in college. The science ones are nice but if you are only going to take one course I'd take the one that helps lighten the load down the road.
 
Do NOT take AP physics...that test is a monster and this is coming from a physics major :scared:
 
bookgodess15 said:
Really? Oh, thank god. I thought it was a year.

I have my calculus out of the way! Yay!
Click to expand...

Very few schools require Calc II. The only one of them that I actually applied to (WashU) actually let me substitute Statistics for it.

Side note, Statistics was the easiest class I took in my undergrad career... my average was something like 106% for that class.
 
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If you can take all of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics C then you'll have a good foundation for the MCAT...and just science in general.
 
Depakote said:
Very few schools require Calc II. The only one of them that I actually applied to (WashU) actually let me substitute Statistics for it.

Side note, Statistics was the easiest class I took in my undergrad career... my average was something like 106% for that class.
Click to expand...

Side note: They better let me do that as well.
 
aroen said:
should I take AB calc if I would take BC Calc my senior year?
Click to expand...

although some schools only require 1 semester of calculus, if you are decent at math you should go ahead and take the BC. For only a few more topics, you can get double the credit to some colleges

and when you take the BC you get an AB subscore, so if you didn't do so hot on the BC section, you can still get credit for the AB part of the class assuming your subscore is good enough to get credit
 
aroen said:
I can choose one of the following courses, what would everyone reccomend:
Art History, Biology, Chemistry, Physics B, Physics C, Calculus AB, English Literature, Music Theory, and Psychology
Click to expand...

The more difficult AP classes you take the better your resume looks. You will be accepted before you get your AP grades so all the colleges will see is that you took a tough schedule
 
Not sure if I missed something, but at my school it's required to take AB Calc before BC Calc, and each of the classes is a full year long. If I totally did miss something, I apologize.

Overall, the decision is really yours. Like a lot of people said, though, if you take an AP science class you'll probably end up taking the class anyway in college (1- because you'll probably want it fresh in your mind for the MCAT; and 2- I heard that if you major in something a lot of colleges won't accept AP tests for that major). Then again, if you do take an AP science class you'll be ahead of everyone and know the basics once you are in college.

So I don't know, it's a toss up.
This year I'm taking AP English Lit, AP Calc AB, and AP Italian (lol, the last one may seem kind of random to you all).
 
it depends on the school whether or not you have to take AB Calc before BC. at my HS, for instance, it was one or the other. no need for precalc or anything before jumping right into BC Calc.

also for the record, i LOVED BC Calc, but BC was also taught by a crazy good professor who had like completely perfected his teaching technique throughout the years to ensure that virtually every student would get a 4 or 5 on the exam (he was literally a rocket scientist, PhD).
 
I finally decided, they just added an economics (AP Micro and Macro), and I wanted to take that, though I heard the exams are really hard. Is that true? Any tips?
 
aroen said:
I finally decided, they just added an economics (AP Micro and Macro), and I wanted to take that, though I heard the exams are really hard. Is that true? Any tips?
Click to expand...

I don't know how most people feel, but I really enjoyed econ, so much so that I almost double majored with econ as one of them (unfortunately no one had tried to do chem and econ, so the schedules were completely at odds). It is so amazingly rational that if you just think through cause and effect you can get almost everything you need. The only caveat to this is that when you look at how actions change the economic picture, you have to assume that all consumers are rational....which they obviously are not in the real world.

Econ related material is all over the internet. Look into it a little bit and see if you are interested. If so, I would say go for it. Plus it will round you out a bit, which is always a good thing.
 
I would pick your worst subject...
You would study it more and in turn be better prepared for college even if you don't do so hot on the exam
 
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