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Is Honors Physics as hard as APES?

I'm a junior in high school and I'm currently in APES (AP environmental science) but so far I'm not really getting anything and the workload is stressing me out. I'm in 3 other APs (AP Chinese, AP world, AP lang) that I value more than any AP science course I could take. I'm probably not going to do anything science-related as a career and I've never really been passionate/good at science. Last year I nearly failed Honors chem, but I think that's because I wasn't willing to put any effort in. I dropped honors and switched to on-level which I found insanely easy and relaxed, even fun at times! It also helped me focus on the subjects I genuinely cared about and found interest in, like APUSH. I don't want to breeze through high school and I know junior year is supposed to be hard, so part of me wants to stay in APES but part of me knows I can't do it. Oh and I should add that I'm in on-level precalc right now, and took on level algebra 2 last year. I'm good at on-level math and was good at honors geometry in freshman year but idk if my on-level skills would translate to honors physics. Anyways my question is whether Honors physics would be less rigorous but still challenging enough. I know APES and physics aren't really comparable subjects but whatevs. please help I am stressing a LOT and I'm kind of upset because I really really REALLY wanted to like APES.

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Subject: Career question for you

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Andrew’s Answer

What is your future career goal? This is the key question you should address right now. Once this question is settled, you should be able to map out a rational path to reach your career goal.

Based on what you have written, I have a feeling that your heart is not in science. You are drawn to the humanities area. However, I am curious about your taking of an environmental science course and you really want to like this course. You may be wondering if you should stay on the humanity track or switch to the STEM track.

If you are planning on a future career in environmental science, a high-school course in physics should be beneficial to your future academic pursuit. Furthermore, you completed Algebra II last year, and you are currently in Pre-Calculus, this seems to be an attempt to break into the science area. That is why you are contemplating taking Honor Physics. With Pre-Calculus in your background, you should be able to tackle a high-school level physics course.
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Chinyere’s Answer

Hello Iou,

It sounds like you're balancing a lot right now, and, understandably, you're feeling stressed. Let's break this down a bit to help you make a decision.

AP Environmental Science (APES) tends to be less math-intensive and more about understanding environmental processes, ecosystems, and human impact on the planet. It involves a lot of reading, memorization, and applying concepts to environmental issues. Many students find the workload heavy because there are numerous concepts to cover and a lot of vocabulary to learn.

Honors Physics, on the other hand, is more math-based and focuses on understanding the laws of motion, forces, energy, and other physical phenomena. If you found on-level math manageable and have done well in geometry and precalculus, you might handle the math in Honors Physics fine. However, it still requires logical thinking and problem-solving, which might challenge you but in a different way than APES.

Since you mentioned you’re not passionate about science and struggled with Honors Chemistry, you might find physics difficult too, even though it’s different from chemistry. The workload might be more manageable than APES, but the concepts can be tricky if you're not comfortable with math-based subjects.

Things to consider:
- Interest & Effort: If you're already feeling disconnected from APES, and it’s impacting your stress levels, it might not be worth staying in the class, especially since you don’t see science as a part of your future career. If you put effort into Honors Physics, you might find it challenging but manageable.
- Course Load: You're already balancing 3 other APs, and if those subjects are where your passions lie, it might be better to focus on excelling in them. Honors Physics will still be challenging enough for your transcript without overwhelming you as much as APES seems to be.
- Math Skills: Since Honors Physics will rely more on math, and you're doing fine in on-level math, you might find it easier to understand compared to the more memorization-heavy APES.

If science isn’t your main focus, and you’re more passionate about history, languages, and humanities, dropping APES for Honors Physics might be a good middle ground—still challenging, but less overwhelming and better aligned with your strengths.

Best wishes!
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