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To prepare for med-school which of the 2 is best: AP Biology, Physiology, or AP Chemistry?
Hello, I'm a freshman in high school and was wondering what class to pick. Thanks.
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Jane’s Answer
I would also recommend Chemistry or Biology since they can be more complex/in depth like Madison mentioned, but also Chemistry and Biology are the basis for some concepts in Anatomy and definitely for Physiology, so learning those well first should help you learn Anatomy/Physio better.
However, I would personally recommend Chemistry over Biology. One, I've found that you can get away with memorizing in Biology without completely understanding it, while Chemistry is more conceptual. Two, basic biology is memorization, but if you get into it more you'll start to see how Biology is applied Chemistry which is applied Physics which is applied Math, so you'll see how Bio relies on Chem. Three, General Chemistry in college seems to be one of the commonly used courses to weed students out, so I'd recommend having a good grasp on that to avoid having to retake the class.
Side note: You can definitely get away with not being too good at Physics/Math for most Bio/Chem classes, but once you get into depth (which you won't until your third/fourth year of college), they do become a bigger deal. However, in the big picture, unless you're going into drug research, you should be able to get by with understanding the basics when it comes to your actual job as a doctor.
If you haven't taken a full on Chemistry/Biology course before, they really can be difficult subjects because it's the first time you're being introduced to a lot of complex subjects, along with everything else you're doing in high school, so don't worry too much if you struggle! If you major in Bio/Chem in Uni, they'll probably make you take the general bio and chem classes again anyway, but it's often a lot easier the second time around!
However, I would personally recommend Chemistry over Biology. One, I've found that you can get away with memorizing in Biology without completely understanding it, while Chemistry is more conceptual. Two, basic biology is memorization, but if you get into it more you'll start to see how Biology is applied Chemistry which is applied Physics which is applied Math, so you'll see how Bio relies on Chem. Three, General Chemistry in college seems to be one of the commonly used courses to weed students out, so I'd recommend having a good grasp on that to avoid having to retake the class.
Side note: You can definitely get away with not being too good at Physics/Math for most Bio/Chem classes, but once you get into depth (which you won't until your third/fourth year of college), they do become a bigger deal. However, in the big picture, unless you're going into drug research, you should be able to get by with understanding the basics when it comes to your actual job as a doctor.
If you haven't taken a full on Chemistry/Biology course before, they really can be difficult subjects because it's the first time you're being introduced to a lot of complex subjects, along with everything else you're doing in high school, so don't worry too much if you struggle! If you major in Bio/Chem in Uni, they'll probably make you take the general bio and chem classes again anyway, but it's often a lot easier the second time around!
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Madison’s Answer
Biology, Anatomy/Physiology, and Chemistry are all courses you’ll be required to take in undergrad as a pre-med student (they will also all appear on the MCAT - a big exam everyone has to take in order to apply to medical schools). If I had to pick 2 out of the 3 though, I would suggest taking Biology and Chemistry because they include more in depth/harder material so having a solid background could really put ahead of your undergrad peers! You truly can’t go wrong with taking any of those classes though!
I am really grateful you took the time to answer this question.
Jason
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James’s Answer
Any of the three would benefit you but Physiology is an important subject that is the basis of all medical training. I would choose that, if available to you.