<p>Many kids will take all three sciences to the AP level, but if he is reaching for a school like Stanford etc., he does not have to follow a rote path, can he pick another arm of learning that either will lead to AP or allow him time to take a 1st year course whilst in HS at the CC level?</p>
<p>He needs to think about his overall persona and present a consistent picture, if he can. You say he is more artsy, so why force him into that math-science track, which is a common choice for top kids. Can he pursue psych, history, or something else that interests him, and pursue to the highest level so that the HS GC WILL check the box on the evaluation for “most difficult curriculum?”</p>
<p>At your HS all the top kids did take physics in general, but our GC would tell kids to follow their passion. I think, at least in reading CC, that their is less respect for the non-physics track, just because physics is tough, but I think a kid could make an interesting app & essay by knowing and following their passion.</p>
<p>Why look just like all the other applicants, if you can take your interest to the high level and can explain why you pursued that.</p>
<p>Completely agree with this. Above and beyond the college admissions angle, I think basic knowledge of physics is very useful and important in real life. There are things one learns in physics that are not intuitive, and sometimes downright counterintuitive. Understanding basics of friction, momentum, transition of water from ice to water to steam, to name a few examples, helps one understand why objects behave in the way they do. This helps to predict outcomes in certain situations like why cars slide the way they do on ice. Yes, one can learn some/much of this in real life, but it is important to have a solid basic knowledge. Understanding color, from a physics point of view, can only be helpful to an artist in making.</p>
<p>HS physics is the last, and perhaps only, chance many people have to learn of our physical universe, from subatomic particles to the Big Bang, and the forces that rule interaction of objects with in it. Just do it.</p>
<p>Wow, so much great information and ideas. Thank you. I will have to really absord all this.</p>
<p>Maybe DS is at a crossroads and must make choices. There aren’t enough periods in the day to fit in all of his interests.</p>
<p>I think he would probably do well in honors physics (since math has always been pretty easy for him). He probably just has an unfounded bias against physics. Plus physics would be less time consuming than AP bio. But he has a genuine interest in bio that he would like to pursue, so I would hate to squelch that.</p>
<p>Nysmile–I think DS is considering art school, and also seriously considering a selective college. He has interest in both… it is just hard to fit everything in when kids have a variety of interests.</p>
<p>Fallgirl-- Did the colleges say why they recommended taking physics over AP chem? Just curious.</p>
<p>If he has interest in Biology, he will have a chance to pursue that further in college. Chances are, he won’t take a physics course in college unless he attends a college that requires it, in which case, he will be very glad he took the HS class.</p>
<p>And I am speaking as someone who majored in Biology.</p>
<p>my older daughter was able to take conceptual physics as a 9th grader, she majored in Bio at Reed ( her school didn’t offer AP)
Her sister is also a bio major, she took algebra based physics as a senior, however, some schools only have calculus based physics, however, even the algebra based physics is heavy math.
But for a possible art major? take the AP bio or chem, don’t worry about physics, he can always take it in college if the interest is there.</p>
<p>… and another followup question…
Do you all agree that 2 AP’s is not enough if applying to selective schools? If that is the case then it would make sense to take AP bio as a 3rd AP. </p>
<p>It would also solve the problem of what to take for the 3rd SAT II test.</p>
<p>I strongly disapprove of the tendency on the part of many students and parents to sacrifice breadth of education just to look stronger for colleges.</p>
<p>It isn’t about the absolute number of APs taken, but rather how many relative to the number offered at your HS. 2 APs is low compared to most of the students here on CC, heck, my Ds half a dozen was low, but I know there are some schools that offer none or very few. It gets back to that ‘most rigorous’ courseload concept that the very selective colleges are looking for. Also, if your school doesn’t offer much in the way of APs, it will show initiative to seek out college courses or other opportunities outside of HS to enrich your academic experience.</p>
<p>My son, now a senior, was undecided about what science to take this year: Honors physics or AP Environment. He heard Env wasn’t well taught, so he went with Physics. Good thing. Turns out, many many colleges (top 20) wanted to see he took physics.</p>
<p>His program was:
freshman: Honors Bio
Sophomore: Honors Chem
Junior: AP Bio
senior: Honors Physics</p>
<p>I’m with the crowd that thinks Physics is part of a basic education. Plus it’s really not that hard and it sounds like he’d have room for an art course. My younger son took 1 AP sophomore year and 2 junior year and he’s taking four this year (but only because Physics C counts as two). I suspect there are a handful who have taken more APs, but this is considered rigorous enough at our school to be reaching fairly high. (He got into U of Chicago EA.)</p>
<p>I would definitely reccommend taking Physics. I agree with many of the above posters that its more than what gets you into college. What you learn and carry forward with you into the real life you WILL have once you graduate college is just as important as the college you go to, if not more important. My school actually requires a year of physics, chemistry, and biology because our science department feels that students will not have gotten a full scientific education without exposure to each of these disciplines (I do go to private school, but I believe this should be true for any student). Physics IS very different from chemistry and biology, being more math based and theoretical, but it also is very intuitive. It helps to ground math and use it to explain the phenomina of the world around you. I would definitely go for it, especially if it means your son can take an art class as well.</p>
<p>Note: This may be slightly biased because I want to major in physics, but I believe that a well-rounded education is important for anyone, no matter what they want to do with their life. The greater your bredth of knowledge, the more you understand about the world and are able to contribute to it.</p>
<p>In our experiences (the more recent ones) the colleges wanted three LAB sciences…and they didn’t give a hoot which three they were…as long as they were LAB sciences. There are some science courses that do not require a lab (physical science, for example). We found that this requirement for three LAB courses was also held by many state schools as well as private schools. </p>
<p>DD took Biology, Honors Chemistry, and Anatomy and Physiology (dual credit with a community college). All were LAB courses and fulfilled the colleges’ requirements. We called and checked FIRST before she enrolled for the A/P course for her senior year.</p>
<p>DS. the musician, applied three years earlier with only two years of lab science. </p>
<p>Requirements have changed so check with the colleges to make sure you are fulfilling THEIR requirements.</p>
<p>AND free advice which you didn’t ask for…in addition to the Ivies and Stanford, you might want to add some safety schools.</p>
<p>Hi and thanks EVERYONE for the input. S goes to a non-competitive urban school which offers about 15 to 20 AP classes, I would guess.</p>
<p>For those who said that a well-rounded education is important-- I agree! He may love physics if he tries it… who knows. Or He may not love it, but may be enriched by it. But I’m not sure which year he she take it… junior or senior. </p>
<p>Not to give the wrong impression…</p>
<p>I didn’t say he would only apply to Ivies and Stanford. What I meant was he may want to apply to those, and doesn’t want to make a mistake at this point in selecting classes, which would eliminate those as possibilities. I will insist that he apply to many safety schools, don’t worry!</p>
<p>He is only a sophomore, so it is hard to say at this point where he would apply. But he has done well enough so far, that we don’t want to eliminate the possibility of applying anywhere. Who knows how the next 2 years will go? I don’t.</p>
<p>I think 2 AP’s junior year would be fine, won’t he be taking some senior year as well? Colleges will ask for a list of senior year classes when he applies, so they will know what he is taking. I have told my kids I expect them to take Bio, Chem, Physics, and one AP science. I don’t think it matters which order - my D took AP Chem junior year and then the SAT II in Chem; my S is taking Honors Physics jr year, so he unfortunately won’t be well prepared for a science SAT II.</p>
<p>I don’t think that’s quite true. There are a few topics on the test that they do not cover in class but it wasn’t AP level stuff and nothing that he couldn’t pick up running through a review book.</p>
<p>The thing is, there are more sciences other than chemistry, physics, and biology. Once biology and chemistry are covered, couldn’t anatomy or earth/environmental science count as the third supplement?</p>
<p>Yes, but a) this is not a possibility at all schools and b) physics is considered more a fundamental science (in the high school setting) than earth science or anatomy. My old high school, for example, only offered physics, biology, and chemistry, with only AP Biology offered at the higher level. The vast majority of students took only three science classes, as that was the required number. At my new school, AP Environmental Science (and regular Earth Science) is offered as a physics alternative.</p>
<p>I see what you mean. But what would a regular physics class give you, when you could take an AP class (Environmental, Chemistry, etc) AND get college credit?</p>
<p>A background in physics? As others have posted, an understanding of physics IS worth something. Some people are in it for the learning experience; AP classes and college credits aren’t the end-all, be-all of a high school education.</p>