@Hamlon I’m sure the rigor varies a lot school to school but at my school there is almost no hw for chem. We only have 6 tests all year, one for each big idea. We go ham on the labs after the AP test tho. The tests are kind of difficult tho imo.
@Hamlon In my school we do like 15 labs throughout the year and have a test over each chapter, and after AP we do absolutely nothing 
Not much homework but as long as you review your notes often you are fine
@Hamlon I haven’t taken AP Chem at my school but a few of my friends have and they all describe it as the hardest class they’ve ever taken, regarding work.
I signed up for
Regular Senior English
AP Calc
AP Bio
AP Psych
Spanish 4
Business 3
Piano 2
but I’m going to drop Piano 2 because Piano 1 is basically stuff I already know and I play music below my level and kind of drags down my GPA, and will TA for the college counselor or my APUSH teacher.
Do you guys think colleges think badly of this decision?
I also am going to either: swap Regular English for AP Lit or WHAP for AP Psych to increase rigor.
@Marg532 In our school Honors OChem is the hardest class in the school. Some smart people take it and get like 25% on tests and I’m taking it next year rip me
@bubblylaugh colleges mostly want to see a full schedule, but if you are really interested in US History it could be beneficial to TA for that teacher
@Hamlon At my school, AP Chem is the class with the heaviest workload, but I don’t know what it’s like at other schools. As for AP Music Theory, I wish that I had dropped it, but I have no intention of pursuing it in college. Right now half of my grade is based on the accuracy of sight-singing, which I’m terrible at. You are likely more musically talented than I am, though.
AP Chem is the hardest AP at my school too, although everyone in it finds the class very interesting.
@Hamlon I take AP Music Theory currently. The thing about the class is that it can either be a walk in the park or a living nightmare depending on your level of musical proficiency. I have perfect pitch, I have been involved in music since I was 3, and I have composed and arranged music before, so I am doing incredibly well.
Regardless of your state, be prepared to step out of your comfort zone. Drummers with no sense of pitch will be expected to sight sing like pros, and singers with no experience in harmonic analysis will have to master and polish their skills. It’s demanding, any way you slice it. But it’s incredibly rewarding. If you have more questions, PM me.
I’m taking AP chem right now. Last semester I barely got an A but this semester shouldn’t be AS bad. That being said, it is a really hard course but personally I believe it depends on the teacher. My teacher expects us to remember everything we’ve learned in hon chem (which didn’t prepare us at all). I think a key point is to always do the work and try not to fall behind because everything might just pile up.
As a rising senior, I will be taking for sure Advanced Calculus, AP American Government (1 semester), AP Macro (1 semester), and AP Physics C: E&M.
I’m deciding whether to take AP Psychology or AP Spanish. I have seen other forums about this, but I want to know what it is in my situation. I have 4 years of Spanish, because I took one credit in middle school and I’m currently taking my third credit which means if I take AP Spanish in my senior year, I would have 5 credits or years of Spanish. I’m not really sure which to take and which would be more beneficial in the long run.
Also, I’m considering to drop down a level for AP Literature. I didn’t exactly enjoy my experience in AP Language and I somewhat always felt discouraged to write essays. In other words, it was a difficult class, because I had trouble analyzing rhetorical strategies and what the author was trying to say. I just want to know from y’all’s judgement if I should drop down to the CP level.
Hey Everyone,
I’m back! I decided to take a little break from CC for a bit. I was having a bit of self-confidence problem and felt I needed to find more of an “inner peace” within myself. I’m starting to feel a little better about myself and I hope that continues. So, I’ve been doing quite a bit:
- Track season started last week, so I've been working hard in shot-put and discus.
- I have my first interview, with NOVEC, on Friday. I have my Boys State interview on March 25th. I feel fairly confident that I can get into both programs. If I get in NOVEC, I'd have to take my finals earlier
- I'm applying for a job as summer school teacher aide. If I get the job, I'd be work for 6 weeks and earn $8 an hour. I'm going to try and get the aide position with the Health and PE 1 summer school teacher, because he owes me a favor, so I can actually have a bit of fun in the sun this summer! :) If I end up going to the NASA summer academy, I'll earn up to $1K, because I would miss a week.
- I've been doing fairly well in Pre-Calc and AP Chem. This quarter is actually a lot easier than I thought.
- I have my two-part Writing SOL on Wednesday and Friday. It's basically just an easier version of the SAT Writing and Essay sections. I'll probably finish either section in an hour. I have test in US History afterwards, so I'll take that, and then I'll have a free period on Wednesday.
- I have been studying for my SAT on Saturday quite well. I'm planning on studying a bit on Friday and then I take the real thing the next day.
- I'm doing great in my online class, too. We're a month away from completing the curse. I'll likely be officially accepted into the summer academy in late April.
- I'm studying a little into Physics and Calculus to get ready for next year.
I also decided to make my likely summer schedule. This is on the condition that I get the job, get accepted to NOVEC, Boys State, and the summer academy. I’ll also probably do some volunteering when I can as well as a mandatory summer class in July. Knowing me, I’m probably not getting into any other programs. :))
FINALS WEEK (For me) - June 5th - 9th
NOVEC Youth Tour - June 11th - June 15th
Boys State - June 18th - 24th
Volunteering at My Library (Likely as a Substitute) - Any Free Day in June, July, and August
Summer School Teacher Aide - June 26th - August 4th
Summer Class - July to Mid-August
NASA Langley Summer Academy/100th Anniversary - July 24th - July 30th
Studying For Calculus and Physics - Any Free Time Between June 24th - July 24th and anytime in August
But yeah, I feel pretty great now. I see this thread has flourished quite a bit. Keep up the good work everybody.
I’m reading a pretty good book right now. It’s called: The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Students. It’s opened up my eyes about the entirety of the college admissions process. I’d highly recommend.
Y’all it’s free pancake day at IHOP! I swear this is my second favorite day of the year just behind 7/11 day.
@Hamlon Pity the closest iHOP to me is on the other side of the state. : /
@Hamlon This is what the class of 2018 really needs to focus on. ^:)^
@TheGreatApple32 Take my advice with a grain of salt, but I think AP Spanish would be a good idea. To have 5 years of a language is impressive and it could show that you can contribute to diversity on the college campus. As for AP English, I haven’t taken AP Lit yet, but I’ve read that it’s less writing intensive than AP Lang depending on the school. I would just do some more research. Instead of a ton of essays, you might have to write a ton of short responses.
@ak2018 I’m glad you’re feeling better! Sometimes a break can help a lot.
Hey guys, international student here, but still class of '18.
My AP Physics teacher just canceled our test and I am so happy!! That and my calculus test pretty much made my day. The Overachievers is a really good book. My school made it required reading for us. Also, I finally got to make my schedule today. My counselor lets me take whatever I want without questioning it, so here it goes:
US/VA Government
Computer Science AB
AP Econ
AP Lit
AP Calculus BC
AP Physics C
AP Research
The only class that I’m kinda hesitant about is AP Econ because its the first year my school will have this class. However, economics is a requirement at my school
@Lisa M It’s definitely a nice read! Also, I can relate to the Economics class requirement. It’s the only reason why I’m taking AP Econ. We’re getting a new teacher because this our current AP Econ teacher’s last year at our school.
@gigichuck Hello fellow international! What country are you from?
@Hamlon Booking my plane ticket down south at this very moment, can’t miss this 
!