My child is hoping to be competitive for an engineering program at a T20 school. They have taken Pre-AP Bio (A), Honors Chem (A), and Calc AB (A/5). Unfortunately, their school will not offer a physics course at any level next year. Their GC has suggested the UC Scout program. After researching the various Scout course options, they plan to enroll in AP Physics C, Mechanics. Should they plan to take both Mechanics and E&M during the school year? Will they be at a disadvantage --look like they didn’t take a rigorous enough course load–if they only take Mechanics? Thanks in advance!
Also, next year they will be taking AP French, Calc C, Honors English, Honors US (purposefully not choosing APUSH), and two non-academic electives.
It won’t be held against your student for admission if they are missing a class not offered by their school.
Has your child taken any level of physics? Usually there is a year long honors physics course and then AP Physics C.
I would not take both mechanics and E&M on line with no physics background. E&M was by far the hardest course my D took in HS and that was with an amazing teacher in front of her.
A. Overview of physics => high school physics.
B. Overview of physics at a more rigorous level, but no calculus and no advanced placement for engineering majors => AP physics 1 and 2.
C. Focus on mechanics with calculus, some potential for advanced placement => AP physics C mechanics.
D. Focus on E&M with calculus, lower potential for advanced placement => AP physics C E&M.
Note that AP physics C leaves out other topics like thermodynamics that may be covered in other physics courses.
They reviewed a number of videos from one of the popular series on YouTube for Physics 1 and found the lack of calculus to get in the way. So, after viewing a number of the Mechanics videos, they felt that it was the right level. Don’t get me wrong, they felt that the material was quite challenging. Fortunately, my spouse uses this level of physics in their job and will be able to act as an inhouse tutor.
They are not concerned about advanced placement at colleges. Because they do not know where they will go, they are just concerned with preparing in the best way for an engineering program as well as taking the most rigorous courseload that they can handle (especially since they are opting out of APUSH). This was a similar question they had last year when they chose Calc AB over BC. Am I reading you both correctly to say that Mechanics alone will be viewed as sufficiently rigorous?
My S took AP Physics C (both mechanics and E&M) in his junior year without any prior physics exposure. He scored 5s in both AP exams and 800 on Physics Subject test afterwards. If your child has a track record of doing well in challenging courses, s/he should be fine.
I will caution you though about not just focusing on the STEM APs because that can sometimes backfire. D is at Purdue in honors college and they stress verbal and oral communication skills. Seems like most of the students in her program are very strong writers and most took the AP english and history courses offered at their schools in addition to the STEM APs.
IMO, “D” comes after “C,” not in lieu of “C.” While not saying that one can’t succeed in E&M without mech, at pretty much every college, Physics 1 (or however it’s numbered) is the prereq for Physics 2, and for good reason.
No college will ding him for not taking a course that is not offered. What they will do id view his transcript based upon what the HS offers, and how the GC rates the overall schedule. If you are asking if I personally think that an applicant targeting T20 colleges with a senior year schedule of “AP French, Calc C, Honors English, Honors US (purposefully not choosing APUSH), and two non-academic electives.” plus AP Physics C mechanics has a “most demanding” schedule, then I would say “no.” Not for lack of E&M, but for lack of humanities AP and inclusion of 2 non-academic electives. Personally I would eliminate one elective to make room for physics and choose the AP version of either English or USH. But I don’t know the context of the HS, so that’s a GC call.