AP Chem:
With this course, students are challenged to understand chemistry concepts through both hands-on labs and conceptual understanding of various chemistry topics. This class is currently taught by Mr. Choi and Ms. Shrinath, and in both of these classes, the teachers place emphasis on problem-solving and understanding experiments that often come up on the exam. The AP Exam content is almost exactly the same as what is taught in class, making outside studying–especially with FRQs–crucial for success. The difficult part of this class is mathematical calculations that require students to combine conceptual understanding with data interpretation in order to solve problems. This course helps students develop skills towards handling rigorous courseload, teaching students how to think critically about processes occurring on the molecular level. Although previous Chemistry classes aren’t required, they are recommended, as many topics are expanded on in this class. Students also are encouraged to have a strong understanding of Algebra, as the course involves a lot of math.
Ayush Pareek (12): “In Mr. Choi’s class, we have an assessment almost every week, alternating between tests and quizzes. I think half of it is math and half is conceptual. So if you’re not that good at math, you can still do well. Generally, people do have to study for it, but we have a lot of free time in class to prepare for the tests, at least with my teacher.”
AP Physics C:
This course recommends that students have a strong background in Calculus, as well as a strong conceptual understanding in mechanics-based Physics concepts covered in AP Physics 1. Currently, this course is being taught by Mr Qian, and is usually taken during senior, with prior or concurrent enrollment of calculus as a requirement year. Furthermore, there isn’t much homework, and this class is practice and understanding based. There are, however, weekly pop quizzes, and often students prepare for these through practice outside of class. It requires students to understand physics concepts, applying crucial aspects of science exploration, experimentation, and hypothesis testing. Furthermore, students are also expected to build understanding of reasoning with data, argumentation skills, and apply various relationships taught throughout the course.
Satvika Sridar (12): AP Physics C is fairly rigorous. I would say the class itself isn’t hard to do well in if you put in the time outside class but the concepts can be hard to understand intuitively. There’s the Electricity/Magnetism part which is definitely harder and there’s the Mechanics part which is similar to AP Physics 1 but with calculus concepts added. It does help to take Physics 1 first so that you aren’t encountering ALL the concepts for the first time but if you’re good at calculus you can probably learn AP Physics C without taking AP Physics 1. Mr. Q doesn’t give much homework and his quizzes aren’t hard. I think the difficult part is being able to approach a problem by yourself which definitely requires time spent learning outside of class. It also helps to have a good foundation in calculus.
AP Environmental Science:
This course isn’t too rigorous compared to other science APs, requiring students to understand environmental systems and connect them to their daily lives. APES has minimal math compared to other science APs, but it is helpful to have a foundation in Algebra when scientific input is incorporated with problem solving quite often. This class is currently being taught by Mrs. Koehler and Ms. Kaur, as the usual teacher, Ms. Lee is on maternity leave and will be back next year to teach. APES remains one of the easier AP science classes, and most of the work comes with in-class practice. Furthermore, it is most applicable to real-life scenarios and labs are frequently done in this class to explore phenomena and better prepare students for the exam.
Mrs. Koehler: In terms of different AP science classes, this class is not one that requires that much outside work or that much studying. Because this is a science class, we do a lot of sharing about what we think, as well as having discussions. So there is collaboration and group work and being involved and engaged I think, is important. This class does have some math in it, but it’s not as high intensity of math as chemistry, physics or biology. So if somebody wants an AP science class with a lower math level, this could be a good class for them.
AP Bio:
In AP Biology, students will understand biology through investigations and hands-on laboratory work. The course will cover topics including, evolution, cellular processes, genetic information transfer, ecology, energy and communication, and interactions. This class includes hands-on laboratory work where students will practice designing plans for experiments, making predictions, analyzing collected data, applying mathematical routines, creating and evolving explanations, and communicating to others about their work.
Mrs Koelher: Whether the class is difficult I would say depends on the student. I have been teaching AP Bio for nine years, and I’ve asked successful students, how much time do they put into the class? There’s a huge variety in answers. Some students will say, I just listen in class, other students will say they do so many practice problems online. So there are different paths to success. I feel the most essential skill to have to succeed in this class would be a growth mindset, because for a lot of students, this is their first AP class, and they sometimes get surprised at the beginning that it’s not like the other science classes that they’ve taken. I do always see those students with a growth mindset do improvement. And I hope that the students taking the class are liking the class.
Rania Khan (11): I have Ms. Kohler, and she also taught me for Living Earth in ninth grade, and she explained a lot of the concepts really well. A lot of stuff that I’m learning now in AP Bio is just an extension of what we learned in Living Earth. The class is not just memorization. You definitely have to apply what you learned to different situations, especially on the tests. Sometimes there will be problems where you don’t understand all of the vocabulary or what’s going on, and you have to use context to figure it out using what you already know. It’s a lot of problem solving.
AP Physics 1:
Physics requires understanding through models and inquiry-based investigations. Students will explore kinematics, fluids, energy and momentum of rotating systems, oscillations, torque and rotational dynamics, linear momentum, forces and translational dynamics, work, energy, and power. As the course is algebra-based, College-Board recommends that students complete Geometry and be concurrently taking Algebra 2. This class does include occasional hands-on laboratory work which gives students opportunities to present the foundational physics principles and apply science practices. Compared to many other science courses at Irvington, physics requires much less memorization (most of what students need to remember is provided on the formula sheet), and instead relies more heavily on mathematical application.
Katherine Lu (11): So far the class is pretty good. I mean, it’s kind of difficult and it’s a big time commitment, but then we do learn a lot of stuff. This class is also important if you want to go into anything related to stem. Having a good mathematical foundation is really important, but you also need to have good study skills and to be able to understand everything you learn. Learning up to Algebra Two should be enough, but Pre calc definitely helps. But this class is not just math, there’s also a lot of actual understanding of physics involved. I would recommend this class to pretty much anyone interested in STEM related subjects, and if you don’t hate math.
AP Psychology:
AP AP Psychology class at Irvington is commonly taught by Ms. Faitel. The class introduces students to the scientific and systematic study of human behavior and mental processes. Students will learn and apply key concepts, psychological theories, and phenomena related to major units of studying which includes learning, personality, mental and physical health, social psychology, biological bases of behavior, and cognition development. In this course students will evaluate claims and evidence and communicate ideas by applying psychological concepts, employing psychological research methods and data interpretation. It is a memorization heavy class but requires less math compared to the other AP science courses. Students in the class will be assigned nightly homework and perform in-class activities such as skits. The AP Psychology class goes on yearly field trips to the Exploratorium.
Ms. Faitel: AP Psychology is a class about the scientific study of why people think and act the way they do. There is a heavy emphasis on research and biology, as it’s a research based class. The number one skill I would say students need to succeed in this class is time management. I think most students would agree, if you put the time in, you can understand the concepts. It’s a good class, whether you love biology, really love studying the brain, if you’ve always been curious about psychology, or just wonder why you act the way you do. The class is open to anyone, they don’t necessarily have to want to be a psychology major to enjoy it.
Isra Lodin (12): The class itself is very fun and very interactive as we do skits all the time. But it can also be a little stressful because there’s a lot of material to cover in a very short amount of time and the tests and quizzes are a little difficult, so you do have to study for it which is expected as it is an AP class. You need to actively listen in class, as there is a lot of information that’s being thrown at you and you’re going to miss a lot of crucial information if you’re not paying attention.
