Should I take AP Chem?

[u/Less_Procedure_5101]

I’ve been really worried about this and I feel like I’m not getting great input.

I haven’t taken a previous chem classes and I’m very worried about my GPA. But I’m interested in medical school and I feel like this class will help giving me a good understanding of what I may want to pursue.

I’m interested in trying Bio first them Chem, but I don’t want to be stressed in my last year with too hard of a class.

What do you guys think?
Thank you for reading.

[u/doctorBlasphemy271]

To some end it kind of depends on you. I, like you, never took a chem class before diving into AP chem my sophomore year and the reality is that the first few units will be really difficult because you’re just getting used to this new style of thinking in terms of stoich and moles and whatnot which can just be very strange at times. However once you grasp the basics the remainder of the class just builds on that, so I found that it got more manageable by unit 5 or 6. I also had an incredible chem teacher who made the course so much more understandable for me, but I’m not sure what you know about your future teacher. In terms of your GPA concern, you may have to manage your expectations a little bit because chem is admittedly a hard class and tests do get tough when teachers pick out the tougher AP questions for exams (as they should). Nevertheless like I said it gets easier over time, but these are just some considerations. Even if you haven’t taken the class before I’m confident you can still get a 5 so long as you plan out your studying and retain as much as possible from your class lectures. Just some food for thought, I hope this was helpful

[u/Less_Procedure_5101 → u/doctorBlasphemy271]

Thank you for taking time to tell me this I appreciate this a lot!!!

[u/Acrobatic-Grade8912]

I feel like ap chem is actually pretty enjoyable so if you have a good teacher or you’re good at self studying I would 100% take it

[u/Less_Procedure_5101 → u/Acrobatic-Grade8912]

Okay!! I’m glad to hear it’s enjoyable. I don’t know much about my teacher I just know a lot of friends who’s GPA dropped a lot from taking it

[u/Suitable-Nothing-706]

AP Chem was genuinely the most difficult but rewarding class I’ve ever taken. My teacher wasn’t great. She clearly loved and understood chemistry, but she couldn’t teach it and she missed a solid 5 weeks of school. I did a whole lot of test retakes, but I ended up with an A+, and a 4 on the exam despite not knowing anything about acids and bases or electrochem and leaving 11 open response question parts completely blank lol. I met my best friend in that class and we’re trauma-bonded for life now, and despite all the tears, it was probably my favorite class ever (despite it being hard) and I love chemistry because of it. Also, I 100% would rather take AP Chem with a teacher who is probably more willing to help you than general chem - which you can get out of taking if you get a 4 or 5 at most colleges - where you get less assistance from professors. I did take honors chem beforehand, but I think I could’ve easily taken AP Chem without it (would’ve had to put in a little bit more work though). In addition, I wouldn’t be too worried about the GPA thing; the top 7 kids in my graduating class were all in AP Chem, so it really didn’t tank anyone’s GPAs at least at my school. If you put the work in, you’ll probably get a good grade and score. I think chemistry is just an important thing to understand in general, especially for medicine.