I am interested in applying to Top30 CS programs. I took AP Physica 1 in my junior year and got 5 in the AP exam. I am taking AP Physics C now. Today someone told me that it’s too late for me to take AP Physics C in the senior year if I want to apply to Top30 CS programs since most of their applicants took AP Physics C in the junior year. Compare to these applicants, I am behind. Is it true? If I get “A” from that class and colleges see it in the mid-year report, will it help?
False… Your fine.
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Agreed, you are fine.
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You’re good. Tell your “well meaning” friends to worry about themselves, thank you very much.
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“Someone told me” is usually a big red flag. It certainly is here.
73% of students taking the Physics C exams in 2020 (latest published data) were Seniors. Of the 35+ AP tests, it’s in the top 5 most Senior-heavy.
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No, it is not too late to take it. By that logic, any classes one takes in senior year are “too late”. Take what you want to take. Colleges do consider the rigor of what you’re taking in senior year, even if they haven’t yet seen the grades. For regular decision, they will see mid-year reports. And for early decision/early action, they may ask for quarter reports (unlikely).
But more importantly, do you want to take Physics C to learn the material? Then take it!
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I am surprised that it isn’t higher. I am wondering if it because many seniors decide not to take the test because it will not matter? This could have been especially true in 2020 when they allowed for late refunds. My DS got refunds on a bunch of AP tests because he knew that the college that he committed to wouldn’t take them regardless of the score.
thanks, it’s good to know. I am just worried since CS admission is one of the most competitive and I am interested in Top 30 programs. I wonder what is the percentage of Top 30 CS admits which does not have AP Physics C by senior year.
it doesn’t matter: first, because colleges don’t care whether you took AP Physics C junior or senior year (they look at progression, not whether you took a class “early”, and only HS students think taking Physics C as a junior could be “impressive” to adcoms) and second because AP Physics C is not a pre-req for STEM studies, even CS. Taking the class, if it’s offered (and not all HS do), shows your ability to handle a rigorous quantitative class. Nothing more, nothing less.
They’ll look at your grades in calculus and, if your HS offers MVC, whether you took the class and got B or A.
Most importantly, run the NPC and select a wide variety of affordable colleges, with the rule of thumb your odds are, at best, half the acceptance rate due to CS competititivity. While college matters to a certain extent, in CS especially T30 is not the be all end all, what will matter a lot is what you do outside of class.
You won’t find that data anywhere because it’s not something anyone cares about. Schools want to know what classes you’ve taken. They don’t care in which order you took them.
Why do you think it would matter?
My daughter is applying to MIT/CMU/Stanford/etc for CS with a 4.0/1580/12 AP. She has Physics C this year and I have zero concern. Her friends who are CS Freshman at CMU and Cornell also had it last year as Seniors.
And yes, I suspect the percentage of Seniors taking the class, as opposed to the test, is even higher.
At my kids’ high school most students take Calc based AP Physics in senior year as per the advice of their (rock star) teacher. In her experience the students that have already taken Calc BC in junior year (and due to math acceleration in our district many of the mathy/sciency kids have) do better in the class than those who take Calc AB or BC concurrently with Mech and E&M. It’s a great class and you learn a lot! Enjoy it!
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