<p>Does regular physics and Calculus look better than AP Environmental Science and Ap statistics?</p>
<p>It depends what you want to major in. If you plan to major in STEM fields, yes. But if you DON’T plan to major in science, then APES and AP Stats are a better choice (AP = more rigorous, and the class itself doesn’t “matter” - even top colleges don’t require calculus in high school except for future math/science students, for obvious reasons.)</p>
<p>If your HS uses a weighted ranking system, taking both APs might serve you better to keep your rank up. And in general, APs are better than regular classes. But, regular calc could be important at some schools where they look for students who continue in math through the calc level in HS. (Many schools don’t even offer regular calc.) You should look into this on a school by school basis. As between regular physics and APES, the AP is perceived as more rigorous.</p>
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<p>Why, yes. Yes they would. All of them are serious, academic classes that are good preparation for more education after high school.</p>
<p>Trying to figure out which pair will “look better to colleges” or “be more impressive” is, to my mind, a fool’s errand. For many colleges, either pair will be fine. For the most selective colleges, trying to impress them, or to maximize your GPA or class rank, will be seen for the shameless ploy that it is. “What looks better to colleges” is a terrible basis for making this choice.</p>
<p>Colleges want to see that you’re taking real classes that are academically serious, and that you’re doing well in them. Beyond that, you should really make the choices based on what’s important to you, not what’s important to them.</p>
<p>Are you interested in environmental science? That would be a good reason to take APES. But if you’re not, I’m not sure what would be a good reason. Physics is the more conventional choice. Physics is traditionally part of a college-preparatory curriculum, and environmental science isn’t. I think that if you take APES instead of physics, it will look as if you’re more interested in the AP label than you are in being broadly educated.</p>
<p>The math, I believe, is a less clear-cut case. If you think you wouldn’t do well in calculus, that would be a reason not to take it. If you’re sure you aren’t going to major in something that requires calculus (math, the sciences, engineering, economics, business), that would be a good reason to take statistics; most adults who do not work in STEM fields need a basic understanding of statistics much more than they need a basic understanding of calculus. On the other hand, if you might be interested in pursuing math, science, engineering or economics in college, then taking calculus in high school–even if it isn’t AP calculus–is a very good idea. I am a math teacher, and I happen to like calculus, but I encouraged my daughter (who planned to be an international relations major) to take AP Statistics instead of AP Calculus because statistics made more sense for her than calculus.</p>
<p>And, to be perfectly frank, neither of those APs is thought of as particularly weighty. Neither of them will knock the socks off admissions officers. And neither of them, IMO, is worth giving up a class that it otherwise makes sense for you to take.</p>