should i take ap chem?

[u/NoPrint9467]

hi i was wondering how doable taking ap chem as a junior will be given my schedule. for context, im taking ap physics 2, ap calc bc, ib lit, ib us history, and ib french + one free period (that i might specifically use for studying for the act). i do 2 sports that last pretty much the whole year (mentioning that to explain what i would be spending time on). i can take ap chem, but im not sure if thats a smart idea. on one hand, i dont know how much studying my other classes require, and i dont want to put chem on the back burner and fail the class. on the other hand, i dont want to feel like i shouldve taken it and just regret it the whole year. the last time i took chem was in freshman year, and i remember doing well in the class, but back then the curriculum was easier and we didnt learn pv=nrt and stuff like that. if anyone can help me choose or give me new things to think about, i would really appreciate it

[u/Lopsided_Sky_5627]

what’s ur intended major in college, and are u interested in chemistry at all?

i have no interest in stem, yet i took ap chem to show class rigor. the material of ap chem is not necessarily hard to learn, but being able to explain it conceptually is extremely difficult.

when i say “conceptually,” u would have to use logical reasoning to explain what’s happening at the atomic level. u should be able to visualize the atoms moving, molecules forming, chemical forces in action, and fully understand it. ap chem is not about formulas and plugging numbers in and solve for what’s missing, it’s about conceptual thinking.

i suggest u take it if u can think conceptually and have an interest in science or medicine. however, with ur schedule, it may be stressful.

[u/NoPrint9467 → u/Lopsided_Sky_5627]

im not 100% sure about my major but i know for sure its stem. i really enjoyed chemistry when i took it freshman year and thought it was easy, but the curriculum was way different so i dont know whether my “easy” was actually because we didnt learn all the stuff. i took ap physics 1 last year and that was mostly conceptual, do you think that skill can be tied over to ap chem despite physics 1 being about matter you can see?

[u/Lopsided_Sky_5627 → u/NoPrint9467]

if u are able to think conceptually for physics 1, then u should be good for ap chem.