I would be very, very wary of considering AP Chem = 1 year of college chemistry with labs = ready for Ochem. At most 4-year colleges, the material (depth, pace, way it’s taught) for Gen Chem +Lab can be different from AP Chem - professors aren’t HS teachers, college labs aren’t HS labs, the students aren’t the same either. Even students who took AP Chem and start in Gen Chem 1 can find the material difficult - especially at colleges that assume students in Gen Chem took AP Chem (or at colleges that have a special section of Gen Chem for students who too AP Chem in HS).
Starting with General Chem 2 Fall Freshman year is hard enough, starting with Ochem Fall freshman year is one of the fastest paths to no longer being premed. The fact a student could really doesn’t mean they should (and at many selective colleges, they couldn’t, because AP Chem wouldn’t grant enough credit. This really depends on the university).
You’re right, many, many physicians have majored in biology. However, major isn’t taken into account for the first cut and for the “human eyes” stage, it doesn’t help, especially when it’s chosen as a “default” major; biology is a very competitive major to get into; being a biology major doesn’t give any specific advantage for med school admissions (all an applicant needs is a record of excellence in the premed pre-req science courses) because the med school curriculum is so fast-paced that there’s no difference between majors; for the vast majority of bio majors who don’t get into med school, the current oversupply of bio majors on the job market means poor job prospects. It doesn’t mean one cannot find a career by majoring in biology but that odds aren’t good in relation to other science majors. This has become even more pronounced in the past few years. (There’s an official government publication with this information but don’t know the link off the top of my head).
Therefore, if OP is interested in Biochemistry and chemistry as well as math, these would be better choices than Biology.
Experts will chime in: @creekland, @WayOutWestMom
@spaceterrors : consider all the medical professions beside physician. All will require the same qualities (empathy, communication skills, time management, ability to work under pressure…) and will require similar classes but most will not require you to spend another 12 years in school. At this point, you may be saying “doctor” as short-hand for “medical professional”, and that’s ok. Use your time in the hospital wisely, talk with NPs, PAs, Occupational therapists, etc. Make sure you consider all the different medical professions, their role, the courses they entail, the salary, the hours, etc.