<p>Physics grad myself here. Has she explored plan B? Has she considered an Engineering major yet? Those are far more marketable than Physics majors and are less calculus based than Physics. </p>
<p>(Yes, I know, those 3 or 4 intro Physics classes are calculus based, but believe me when I tell you that the upper division classes are much more intensely calculus based, and another quantum (ha) step up in difficulty vrs. those intro classes.</p>
<p>Here’s what I’d do - find out what is required to keep the scholarship - grade point, full time status (no drops allowed in that case), any extra reqs. Start out with an easier semester so she can be sure of success. (Yes, I know that the Physics major/Eng. major plan disallows this, but one can do it anyway, and it would be quicker in the long run than flunking classes or dropping classes).</p>
<p>And discuss her preparation with one of her non-honors teachers at the HS. I lobbied hard to get my kid in honors when the math staff told me that regular ed math would not prepare a kid to start out w/calculus in college!</p>
<p>The good thing is that calculus and physics are often required courses in many other science and engineering majors, so taking those courses won’t put your D behind if she does decide to change her major.</p>
<p>We were worried when D told us she wanted to switch her major to physics. She didn’t want to do physics research, she didn’t want to go to physics grad school–then why major in physics, we asked?! It turns out that only 1/4 to 1/3 of physics majors go on to pursue physics. But the math and analytical skills are highly prized in other areas.</p>
This is simply not true. My step-grandS is not “truly gifted” academically, nor even close. He had inadequate math preparation from his hs (no calc at all, not even pre-calc). He succeeded in obtaining an Engineering degree at a regionally well-respected state U (ranked around 100-110 by USN&WR).</p>
<p>It all depends on what school she plans to attend.</p>
<p>WRT “balance.” I am a true believer in balance. I don’t like to see anyone attend college and have no time for social life and interests outside academics. That is NOT the same as dissuading a kid from pursuing her academic interests because it might mean she has to study hard. I believe what you gain from college oustide the classroom is very important. I do NOT believe in sending a kid off to college saying - No, don’t pursue that major which interests you. It might interfere with your fun.</p>
<p>My S attended a truly tough Engineering program. He had to work hard. His weekends did not begin on Wednesday or Thursday nights. But he still had plenty of down time to pursue his “fun” interests, enjoy his vacations. He did not have to work 24/7. He did have to attend every class, keep up with his work regularly (daily and some portion of each weekend).</p>
<p>One thing that I think people are pushing a little too much on this thread is that one has to be gifted with this innate genius for physics or mathematics in order to major in/do well in these disciplines. I come at this as an engineering major, so perhaps my perspective is a little different, but regardless - certainly, innate ability is definitely a factor. But I think it’s a little ridiculous to tell the OP that a mid-600s math score on the SAT is going to be a big obstacle is questionable because a) I find the correlation between SAT math scores and calculus ability to be dubious at best and b) natural talent isn’t the only thing that matters. I really think that determination, a good work ethic, and a reasonable understanding of how much one is capable of taking on at time go a long way - again, I’m not saying that some kind of natural talent for understanding math/etc. isn’t in order, but not to the extent that people are making it out to be.</p>
<p>She’s registered for the least challenging of the physics for physics majors classes; this is the one to take if you had precalc in high school but need to take Calc I freshman year (she had a year of precalc and a year of what another poster called “Calculus Lite”). There’s an “honors” version of this class and then there are classes for students who had AP Calc already. Then of course there is physics for poets, which is also a lab class. I think if she spends a week in the class she’s registered for and is overwhelmed and doesn’t want to major in it she might be able to drop down to the physics for poets thing.</p>
<p>No btdt advice, but if it’s what she wants she should definitely go for it. She might want to get a more advanced physics or calculus text to work with over the summer. Even if she doesn’t make much progress, it will help to keep what she’s already learned fresh so she’ll have an easier start in the fall. From everything I’ve read, it’s more important to know when to ask for help and be willing to ask than to have already taken the subjects at the same level in high school. Would be great to hear a follow-up next year on how she did.</p>
<p>ellemnope: This is what we have been told as well, albeit from the undergraduate advisor for physics! Where our son will attend, physics is in the College of Arts & Science and that allows for more flexibility in other classes than an engineering major does.</p>
Let’s be careful here. I’ve got undergrad degrees in both Physics and EE and both had a heap of calculus. I’d say the math was maybe a tad harder in Physics, but with my EE concentration in Communications and Control we had a lot of Laplace transfrom, Fourier transform and series, and Probability theory - (plus numerical methods, difference equations and such - which aren’t technically calc but aren’t necessarily easy). And we had engineering electromagnetics, which was sort of like the first quarter of upper division E&M in Physics. I will admit it seemed like we were solving similar equations over and over a lot.</p>
<p>I’d say in Physics they made me learn complex analysis, and a bunch of special functions I don’t recall much in EE. Plus all the Hamiltonian stuff, and operators and Eigenvalues and Legendre - yeah, more math in Physics. </p>
<p>But if you’re looking to mediate the math a bit more, I’d be careful what type of engineering you choose.</p>
<p>My BF majored in Physics and he loved it. Best friend majored in Math and love it. Both require insane amounts of math knowledge. Don’t bank on needing a tutor till you see how she actually does. </p>
<p>I did have to laugh the other night because my BF brought a few of his friends out to a bar with us and they spent an hour discussing their own physics theories. The one (non physics) guy was like we better break up this conversation or they will be going all night, trust me you didn’t go to high school with them. They cracked me up. The alcohol didn’t help much, lol.</p>
<p>Enough has been said on both sides. Just wanted to say I took “physics for poets”–actually it was “Science Fiction and Physics” or some such thing and I LOVED it. It was a non-math approach to basic concepts every educated person should know and it probably helps me today when I talk to my math/science sons.</p>
<p>So I can understand the OP’s daughter loving physics, or the idea of physics, but eventually deciding not to major in it when she discovers the rigor involved. Anyway, Good Luck!</p>
<p>OP: Perhaps a career oriented approach would help. Is there a field or certain type of job your DD wants to do with a physics degree? Exploring more job opportunities would help focus her studies.
I ask because if a specific career is at the end of jumping through the hoops (all those hard courses that may never come up again in the day-to-day job world) it makes it that much more worthwhile to forge through some of the toughest courses to reach your goal. I could have been a chemistry major with one more course, had to take calculus to prove I could do math, took physics (I guess to prove I could do more math!) I knew what I wanted to do though and even though I wasn’t “passionate” about all the courses (some were a form of extreme endurance) I had to take they became a means to an end.</p>
<p>Engineering majors want to be engineers, pre-med want to be doctors. Actually the only physics major I knew wanted to be an astro-physicist (and landed pretty close).
College is designed to train minds–not everyone required to take a calculus, physics or a chemistry class to reach their degree will have to do it every day in the real world. Thank goodness!</p>