Don’t take AP Chem and Here’s Why
In a world that is driven around new technology, the importance of STEM is being introduced more and more into our daily lives. “Science Technology Engineering and Math” are the components into what our future is going to look like in a few years. Many might say that STEM should be integrated more in a student’s school for the benefits of our upcomings in this world. However, as technology takes a toll on our lifestyles, these subjects might or might not be for everyone, like chemistry..
If you are considering taking AP Chemistry, you may want to rethink your choices and opt for an easier science class. Widely considered as the ‘hardest AP science class in highschool,’ is actually true. Through my journey of taking almost two years of chemistry, I can attest the emotional rollercoaster that this class takes on me. Feelings that I have never had before over a certain topic, I question myself everyday on why I chose to take another year of chemistry. Perhaps maybe the rush of emotions I get while writing 10 pages of a lab write up or the wonderful teacher I had that teaches us well (sarcasm). The countless hours I’ve spent poring over my textbook and redoing practice problems over and over again have not been worth it. Having put my blood, sweat and tears and investing much of my after school days to chemistry, I manage to only get borderline B on my tests. Worse enough, I read and study a textbook that is not even going to prepare me for the AP exam. I get stressed knowing that I will have to just restudy Chemistry when I take my exam. The time span I spend on Youtube watching other teachers teach me chemistry compared to actually learning from my real teacher, is just disheartening. Sometimes I feel as if my teacher is praying for my downfall and asking me to fail their class. However, I guess there are some good parts of taking this hard course. Since my teacher does not teach well enough, students get more time collaborating with others and sharing our ideas. We are forced to figure out problems on our own, which can sometimes be rewarding when we finally figure out the right answers. Even when we receive nonsensical and unhelpful feedback on our work, it gives us an opportunity to learn and grow as an AP Chem student. Showcasing my experience of taking a STEM class and comparing it to the AP Lang STEM synthesis essay, I can confidently say that we definitely do NOT need to integrate more STEM into our school systems. With a whopping 40 students taking AP Chem in our entire school, there is a reason why the number is so low. By basing our curriculum around STEM, we run the risk of turning students off from these subjects altogether. Students should not be forced to like certain classes, but schools should offer a variety of pathways so that students can choose the subjects that they are passionate about, whether it is art or even literature, or other science classes like biology. If you are considering taking an AP chemistry class, be sure that you are prepared for the emotions that come with it and the loss of free time on weekends. Though if you are not passionate about STEM, there are definitely plenty of other classes that you can take, that being NOT chemistry.
