Should one take as many classes during High School?

[lLovePhysics]

I'm currently a rising High School Junior and I'm wondering if it is worth it to take as many classes as you can during your High School years to find out what you truly enjoy. So far, I've taken Physics and I loved it but I've heard that you need to combine 2 subjects, for example, Physics and Astronomy, in order to find a reliable source of jobs. I'm taking Calculus this year and other APs but I'm not sure if I should take Chemistry or Computer Science. They are being taught by one teacher whom everyone claims to not teach and give out hard exams.

Do you think, in your own subjective opinion, that it would be to my benefit to take these courses? Will I be able to understand concepts well enough by studying 1-2 hours every other day in order to ace my exams? Please give your opinions for both Chemistry and Computer Science individually. They are both taught by the same teacher and there are not others...

All I want to do is explore and delve into the aspects of other subjects in which I've never encountered before. Please keep in mind that my schedule is already loaded with 5 APs and I will need to study for other standarized tests like the SAT Is, SAT IIs, and even the AP exams.. I do not know if I should take extra classes that I will just have to study myself and be challenged with numerous labs and exams. Please take your opinions seriously as they will undoubtedly affect my choice as to whether or not I should take these classes.

Thank you in advance for your replies! -ilovePhysics

 

[mgb_phys]

I don't know the US school system and acronyms but:
Physics is enough to get you a job, also physics will generally get you computer and engineering type jobs but cs or engineering won't get you physics ones!
High school chemistry is fun and interesting even if you never do any chemistry again.
Maths + physics + chemistry is the standard for the UK for 16-18 year olds going into science.

Good luck and enjoy it!

 

[SpitfireAce]

listen, if you love physics then learn physics... learn physics in school, learn physics on your own, learn math in school, learn math on your own (if you can)... you are way too young to be worrying about job availability... don't worry about that stuff until college... but... take the chem. class... not to get employed but because chemistry at its core is physics... once you learn the physical context behind the ideas you will learn to appreciate chemistry as much as physics, in fact... the lines between the two will blur... btw, when I was your age.. I read popularized physics books to try to give me a conceptual understanding before the laborious calculus based physics in college... it will make you more receptive if you appreciate the significance of what you are learning... you will want to learn, that was my goal

 

[oedipa maas]

ILovePhysics, you seem to have a lot in common with AznBoi...

AP Computer Science A VS. Chemistry Honors<-- highest level chem course

Which class should I take Junior year? Which do you think will be the most beneficial for someone who is planning to apply to top UCs and Stanford (engineering/science major).

Here are the pros and cons that I think will help me/you decide:

**Both AP Comp Sci are taught by a teacher who doesn't teach at all. His tests and pop quizzes are extremely hard. His class has frequent labs that are worth many points.

AP Comp Sci
Pros:
-looks more "advanced" with AP label , haha.
-I'm interested (is it interesting for you guys?) I just don't want to read those BORING books.
- I want to make programs (What can you make with C++/ Java, what projects have you guys made??)
-SOME tests/quizzes are weighed. Most aren't

Cons:
- I should take the AP exam (I might get a 3 since the teacher doesn't teach)
-Will not taking Chem junior year affect my chances at high caliber schools?
- People say the "language" is hard to learn and understand. Is this true?
-I have no experience with Java or C++ ( I've had experience with HTML) and I don't even know how they work.

Chemistry Honors:
Pros
- I don't have to take the AP exam if I don't want to. If I do it will probably be to my benefit (i.e. I can cancel scores if I want, show if I want)
-Do colleges prefer seeing this taken in your Junior year or does it not matter (just as long as you take it in your high school years right?)
- I've studied SOME thermodynamics/formulas like PV=nRT, U=Q+W in AP Physics B this year. This knowledge will probably help a bit.

Cons:
-All tests and pop quizzes are NOT curved at all. Period.
-4 people have A's out of 70 people, most have C's. A lot fail. Even the top ranked people have gotten B's in this class.
-Harder to "self-study" than AP Computer science??


>>>> Since the same teacher teaches both classes, I will basically need to self study these on my own. Which do you think is easier to do that? Based on the pros/cons that I have written which do you think I should choose for my junior year. I will eventually take both! And no, not having taken either one of these classes will not prevent me from taking other courses. I'm pretty much equally interested in the courses now. Also, if any of you are willing to help me out even further, please PM me. I'll send you the syllabus/assignment sheet for both of these classes. You'll probably get a sense of the difficulty of each classes (for those of you who've taken these courses before). Thanks a lot guys! =]

 

[axeae]

yeah i was thinking the same thing, he was asking the same stuff a little while ago.

don't listen to what other kids say about a teacher. unless there's some sort of incompetency problem (was common at my high school) you should still be able to learn. a lot of kids get angry when they can't pull a good grade in a course and then spread rumors about a teacher/professor.

at my school, the physics teacher was absolutely incompetent and wasn't capable of teaching physics AP C, so i took it at a local university. if that's the case with your school, maybe you could look into that or possibly a community college. definently don't be put off by difficult work in high school, it'll only get harder in college.

i'd take chemistry if i were you. in nys regents chemistry was an absolute joke compared to AP chemistry. if your teacher was a trained chemistry teacher, they might not necessarily have more experience than a freshman computer science major. do you know what your teacher's specialty is?

 

[berkeman]

I'm currently a rising High School Junior and I'm wondering if it is worth it to take as many classes as you can during your High School years to find out what you truly enjoy. So far, I've taken Physics and I loved it but I've heard that you need to combine 2 subjects, for example, Physics and Astronomy, in order to find a reliable source of jobs. I'm taking Calculus this year and other APs but I'm not sure if I should take Chemistry or Computer Science. They are being taught by one teacher whom everyone claims to not teach and give out hard exams.

Do you think, in your own subjective opinion, that it would be to my benefit to take these courses? Will I be able to understand concepts well enough by studying 1-2 hours every other day in order to ace my exams? Please give your opinions for both Chemistry and Computer Science individually. They are both taught by the same teacher and there are not others...

All I want to do is explore and delve into the aspects of other subjects in which I've never encountered before. Please keep in mind that my schedule is already loaded with 5 APs and I will need to study for other standarized tests like the SAT Is, SAT IIs, and even the AP exams.. I do not know if I should take extra classes that I will just have to study myself and be challenged with numerous labs and exams. Please take your opinions seriously as they will undoubtedly affect my choice as to whether or not I should take these classes.

Great stuff. It sounds like you are doing very well in high school, and looking ahead very intelligently toward college and your future. Physics is a great option (it's my first love), chemistry is also very challenging and can be rewarding in many fields, and general technical/engineering fields can be very rewarding as well, as long as you are willing to work hard be among the best in your field.

One of the defining moments in my life happened in high school, during one of those bring-your-parent-to-school days. Somebody's dad was an engineer (I forget by now which kind of engineer), and he basically summarized his talk with "If you are willing and able to work really hard in school to learn the material and get very good grades, you will basically be set for the rest of your life with reliable/available work in engineering."

I didn't have to work very much in high school to get great grades, but I found out pretty quickly in college that hard work and good study habits are super-important there (and in real life work later).

So in response to your question in your original post (OP), I would say that yes, it is good to take lots of classes to start to see what you really like (you generally don't have to declare your major until your 3rd year of college, at least in many US schools), and maybe also look at the engineering versions of chemistry and physics as options as well. I was thinking ME/EE double major as I went off to college, but my first 2 years of classes showed me how much I loved Physics, and how my best economical choice was probably EE.

Keep working hard and thinking ahead.

 

[jacohen]

Speaking from experience, any AP class geared towards the AP test itself will suck all of the fun and desire you have for a subject. AP classes tend to skip the interesting ideas and concepts and substitute them for memorized equations and problem types. Your best bet is to simply research on your own what interests you and place little, if any, importance on your future career choices on what you liked or disliked in a given AP class.