Science Courses

The high school science curriculum has the following subjects:

• Biology
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Earth/Physical Science
• Optional Electives (Forensic Science, Environmental Science, Astronomy, Zoology, etc. )

The students will read either chemistry or biology in the freshman year. However, there is a choice between physics and Earth/Physical science in the junior year. It is not mandatory to study science in the senior year. Yet, those students who plan to major in science should go for the fourth year of science class.

The level of difficulty varies with the interest of the students. While most of them like maths, some want to stay away from it. The requirement of math skills makes physics and chemistry rigorous. Based on these facts, the order of difficulty level will be:

• Oceanography
• Earth/Physical Science
• Biology
• Optional Electives (Forensic Science, Environmental Science, Zoology, Astronomy, etc.)
• Chemistry
• Physics

If you aim to get into a very selective college, or an Ivy League, a science AP class will accelerate your application’s value. Here are reasons why you should take a science AP class:

• The course structure is similar to undergraduate courses. Taking an AP science class will give students a dose of the college-curriculum.
• Advanced Placement classes will show the admission counselors you are ready to put in the effort required. It will make your application stand-out.
• Most of the high schools give extra credits for AP science classes. These extra credits will boost your GPA. It shall be noted that scoring a B in an AP class is better than an A in a regular science course.

The AP or Advanced Placement programs are subject focused and based on the American high school curriculum. In comparison, the IB or International Baccalaureate program approaches learning in a holistic way.

In terms of popularity, AP classes are way ahead of the IB program. Over 14000 schools in the United States have collaborated with the AP program. The number of schools for the IB program is only 800. The AP program is more popular than the IB program and is designed based only on the American Curriculum.