Which is harder and which would colleges prefer to see? Please give a general idea of homework and tests. Which one would be better in my current schedule(classes filled in order except for 1st hour):
If you took either how much effort did you have to put in.
AP Chemistry is much much more time consuming than AP Econ. In addition to regular classroom time, there are also labs to be completed, which many schools schedule double periods to accomplish. Time for HW depends on the teacher, but my experience was 45-60 minutes/night for AP Chem and 20-30 minutes for AP Econ. As for which is “better” - that depends on your own interests and potential college major.
I want to work with animals. As a zoologist or veterinarian. Would I need chemistry for either one? I already took AP Biology and I want to get into University of Florida or UC-Berkeley. AP Economics is the only other AP option I have for my 1st period but otherwise I don’t really care for it.
Certainly for vet school, you will need chemistry.
https://www.aavmc.org/data/files/vmcas/prereqchrt14.pdf
Econ, on the other hand, is a pretty good life skill. I doubt that taking one over the other will tip the scales in the college admissions process, so I’d take the one which excites you more.