S. is junior in Honors Physics and considering AP BIO or AP CHEM for senior year. Math does not come easily but he has fared well in Honors pre-calc. Which AP science is better for the non-STEM kid? Thanks.
it depends. they’re both really hard classes. did he like taking bio more or chem more? which did he take more recently? are there other options for APs that he might enjoy more (eg. AP Physics I)?
AP Bio has a lot more reading and almost no math, so it’s more suited for the humanities-type students (e.g. stronger in English and history), while AP Chem is mostly solving word problems using algebra (no geometry, trig, or pre-calc required).
Strong vote for AP Bio as a better class for non-STEM kids, both because it’s less quantitative, and, more importantly, because I think the material is something that may be helpful to them later in life, as it will be one of their last science classes. I don’t think most people ever need to know anything about most of the topics learned in AP chem to conduct their lives, but many of the topics covered in AP bio are pertinent to adult citizens.
Thanks very much!