Hi Guys!
I’m going to be a junior next year. My school requires students to take an integrated science course for frosh and soph years (i took the honors versions) and does not offer any courses in a specific subject area (chem, phys, bio) until junior year. Its currently the summer and I’m taking a summer chem course through a local college and I was planning on taking AP Bio and Phys 1 next year so that I could try to fit all 3 core AP sciences into my next two years, but then I realized that my school was offering some research opportunities that would take the place of a science class. Would it look better to have taken (or be on the track to taking) all 3 science APs by the time I’m applying to colleges? Or… would it look better to have 2 AP sciences (and be “lacking” in one of the core sciences) completed with some STEM-related research experience?
As long as you got the basic science knowledge mandated in the common core, I would recommend the research course. Is your school private or public?
competitive private. It is ranked in the top 10 or top 15 schools in CA by niche.com or something like that. Btw I’m probably gonna apply to schools with my intended major being neuroscience.
You would need to have covered Bio, chem, and physics, which it sounds your integrated science class covered in 2 years (a great system, kudos to your school, especially if it’s truly interdisciplinary ie., allows you to see chemical physics, how chemistry applies to biology, etc.) Now, all you need is ONE AP science class. If you have two, you’re over expectations. By the way, a community college class taken over the summer is as valuable as an AP taken during the year.
I would take one of AP science and research - research allows you to stand out more and will be a greater differentiator. In addition, it allows you to pursue something specific and in-depth.
Thanks for the advice. My school gives letter grades for research courses so that students can keep track of their progress because we have to present our research at a county fair at the end of the course. Would colleges discount the grade for the course when calculating my GPA(since the course is not a traditional one)?
Different colleges would most likely handle that in different ways, so I would contact some of the colleges you are interested in and see what they have to say.