u/Time_Aspect2965

Greetings! I am an incoming junior attending an extremely small boarding school in NH.

For context, I have been in and out of high schools over the past two years as a result of mental health challenges. As it stands, my resume is completely bare; I have barely been able to finish semester-long classes, let alone publish research.

Regardless of circumstance, I am —as now necessary— completely, fully, unyieldingly dedicated to diving as deeply into my academics as possible.

As lasting as it is genuine, I have always had a deep passion for STEM, particularly environmental science, molecular biology, and biomedical engineering. I don't want to sit around anymore waiting for opportunities to arise; I want to apply my interests as fully and fearlessly as I can muster.

If you have any suggestions on meaningful science-based opportunities I could pursue I would be beyond grateful. Maybe an internship (I reside in Boston during the summer and would also be happy to partake in anything virtual), an initiative, a startup, a program, a research opportunity — it takes a village!

I am a rising junior attempting to self study for AP exams this year. Though I attend a school that doesn’t offer them, and, notably, have never taken one myself, I am extremely dedicated to studying APs with as much depth and rigor as humanly possible.

That said, I am in the process of selecting which exams would be most worth studying for as a STEM-focused student. I am having trouble gaging what science-based (and possibly “other subject“-based) APs to pursue, as I try to balance the constraints of the situation with my desire to max-out the difficulty of my course load.

Here is (I am so sorry) a brain blurb of confusion regarding the situation that I would be endlessly grateful for anyone to try to challenge: How does ap chem compare to ap bio? Would it be a good idea to take ap chem this year as I would be taking a (not-so-AP-aligned) chemistry course through my school? Should I pair both possibly with an AP precalc? It is very important to me that I take APES before the end of high school — should I do that this year? Is three self-study APs unrealistic this year (both in terms of my ability to complete and my subsequent ability to attend prestigious universities?)? Are there important APs I’m missing with regards to microbiology, environmental science, or biomedical engineering focuses? How hard are APs, really?

I apologize thoroughly for my AP ignorance. Any suggestions, feedback, resources (huge for me!), prior experiences, rants, critiques and/or existential crises are welcome.