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<p>As least at my kids’ HS, there is a perception that only the AP science classes (AP Bio, Chem and Physics) are serious…those are the courses that the top of the class kids take because of the weighting. They might be more interested in Astronomy than AP Physics, but they take the AP class to get the extra GPA points.</p>
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<p>High schools may make the mainline college-prep courses (biology, chemistry, and physics among the sciences) more rigorous than the other options, which tend to be taken mainly by non-four-year-college-bound students.</p>
<p>When I was in high school, I noticed this with some elective social studies courses that I took.</p>
<p>My son is at a college prep school where being accepted at a 4 year university is a graduation requirement. They are all 4 year college bound students. I told my son that he should study Marine Biology if he is interested in it.</p>
<p>My son took what our high school called “Astrophysics” senior year since he’d taken all the AP Science classes. (Well not Enviro, but he wasn’t interested.) Even though it was an honors class it was the fluffiest class he took senior year.</p>
<p>AP Chem and AP Bio</p>
<p>It’s not that only bio-chem-phys are serious- and not about the AP gpa weight. It’s that this one wants to be an engineer and, as a few have stated, can’t short his traditonal prep. Take astronomy if you’ve already gotten in AP phys and one other AP, chem or bio. Agree the preference would be AP chem, if available. If neither are available, fine.</p>