If AP Environmental Science is looked down upon, should I take it?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the decision of whether to take AP Environmental Science (APES) in the context of other available science courses, including Chemistry Honors, AP Biology, and various AP electives. Participants explore the perceived value of APES, its rigor compared to other AP courses, and its relevance to college admissions.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that APES covers a broad range of topics, potentially benefiting students in other science classes.
  • Others express skepticism about the rigor of APES, describing it as an "easy" AP course and suggesting it is often taken by students who could not enroll in AP Biology.
  • A participant notes that some students have successfully passed the APES exam without taking the course, implying its perceived lack of necessity.
  • Concerns are raised about the impact of course selection on college applications, with some arguing that competitive colleges may unweight the GPA boost from APES.
  • One participant emphasizes the importance of personal interest in the subject matter as a reason to take the course, regardless of its reputation.
  • Another participant advises against overemphasizing academic competitiveness and suggests engaging in non-academic activities for a more balanced experience.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express mixed views on the value and rigor of AP Environmental Science. While some advocate for taking the course based on personal interest, others criticize its reputation and suggest alternative courses. No consensus is reached regarding the appropriateness of APES compared to other options.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference varying perceptions of APES based on their school experiences, which may not reflect broader trends. There are also differing opinions on the implications of course selection for college admissions, highlighting the subjective nature of these discussions.

Who May Find This Useful

Students considering AP Environmental Science or other AP science courses, as well as those interested in the implications of course selection on college admissions.

AznBoi
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I'm planning on taking 3 of the following science courses next year:

Chemistry Honors (Highest Chem course at our school)
AP Biology
AP Enivronmental Science

This year, I'm taking AP Physics B and I have A's for both semesters.
I also have some other choices- AP Stats, AP Music Theory, AP Computer Science that could be chosen in place of APES.

Would some of the information learned in each be useful for the other classes? I heard that APES is a bit of everything including chemistry and biology. In that case, should I take APES even though it is considered the "easy" AP? Do most competitive colleges just unweight the extra 1.0 GPA or what? From what I've heard, most people self-study this course instead. Why/why not should I take AP Environmental Science?

I have fair interested in the subject and it would probably help improve my reading and writing skills (which I need for the SAT). I loved Biology this year
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Generally, should junior courses be more rigorous than senior courses? I have the following senior courses mapped out:

AP English
AP Econ
AP Amer. Govt.
AP Comp Sci.
AP Music Theory (mabye)
AP Stats (if enough people sign up for it)

Since I'm planning to take Chemistry Honors in my junior year and the same teacher teaches AP Comp Sci (he doesn't teach at all and gives hard tests/quizzes), it would be a better idea to take the classes in different years right? That way, if I really do hate his teaching style, I'll be free from more stress than if I took both of the classes together. He is the ONLY person who teaches both classes... unfortunately. =[
 
I don't know anyone who's taken AP environmental science. But if the material interests you - you should take the course!

PS - there are bad teachers and hard tests all through college. (but there are lots of good teachers too!) So don't sweat the chem/cs. It'll be good practice for real life.

PPS - you sound like a pretty boring person. Your academic interests are "getting into a good college" and your hobbies are "getting into a good college". I think you should spend some more time doing activities that you can't put on your college application - cook dinner for your family? shovel the neighbour's sidewalk? put wacky lights on your car? lie on your back in warm grass? That way, when you get to college, you might not be quite so insufferable.
 
AP Environmental Science is viewed as I understand it to be kind of a nonsense AP test. I know of some kids who were able to take the test without taking the course and pass.

Why don't you take AP Calculus and AP Physics C. As I understand it as well Stats is not very challenging.

oedipa maas has good advice get some hobbies and have some fun. It's great to be competitive but its not the end of the world if you don't make 98's and take every AP class.
 
In my school, APES is looked down upon because its basically for the people who couldn't get into AP Bio. They usually underestimate the exam and do poorly on it. From what I hear, its hard to get a 5
 
Yowhatsupt said:
AP Environmental Science is viewed as I understand it to be kind of a nonsense AP test. I know of some kids who were able to take the test without taking the course and pass.

Why don't you take AP Calculus and AP Physics C. As I understand it as well Stats is not very challenging.

oedipa maas has good advice get some hobbies and have some fun. It's great to be competitive but its not the end of the world if you don't make 98's and take every AP class.

I am talking AP Calculus next year. Our school doesn't offer Physics C. I have 1 class option left and here are my only choices: APES (I like learning about life in general, had a great time learning Bio this year) , AP Stats (seems pretty boring to me), AP Comp Sci (wanting to take this senior year), and AP Music Theory (planning to take this senior year). So should I take APES instead of taking my other options, regular classes or no class at all? It seems like it would help my Chem H and AP Bio a lot. Is this true?
 

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