Hello, I am going into my senior year and I don’t have a lot of room in my schedule to take Physics but my guidance counselor is strongly recommending that I make room for the class because I plan on majoring in the sciences. More specifically, I am most likely going to major in Biology and possibly go pre-med so I was wondering if Physics is really a class I must take. Thanks for any input
There’s physics on the MCAT and you’ll have to take it in college; it might be preferable to see it before there’s so much pressure to do well.
Biology majors and pre-meds need to take physics in college, though often they are allowed to take a less mathematical version than physics and engineering majors take. High school physics is often a recommended prerequisites for college physics.
You will definitely have to take physics in college and you will be in classes with kids who not only took regular physics in high school but also honors and/or AP physics too.
College courses tend to move at a much faster pace and college profs will be less forgiving than in high school… Having some prior exposure to Physics in high school should be quite helpful to you.
Yes, Physics is generally a required premed series. And, it was responsible for broken hopes along with Freshman Chemistry and Organic Chemistry.
I strongly suggest physics! More science the better and the MCAT does include physics!
Even with 5s in both AP Physics you will have to take Physics in college in order to apply to med school- IF that’s the path you go. So, in terms of majoring in bio / applying to med school, there is no need to take it now.
IF you are applying to highly selective colleges and IF your senior year courses aren’t rigorous, then adding physics instead of a fluff course could make sense.
@iwannabe_Brown if I do take it, I will be taking AP Physics 1.
@collegemom3717 well I am thinking of taking Organic chemistry instead of AP and because I want to have an AP science I would take AP Physics. I hear the teacher for AP Physics 1 is awful though. Is it a course that one can easily teach himself? I feel like I might have to do a lot of work on my own.
Definitely definitely recommend physics. Most colleges, especially when they look at STEM majors, want to see you took the three disciplines. I almost didn’t take physics because I wanted to focus on advanced biology/chemistry, but am very glad that I did. You can always self-study Orgo, take a class at a CC, read stuff online etc.
Self-studying AP Physics in this day and time is fine. As long as you have a Barron’s book by your side and Khan Academy on the laptop, you can do fine if the teacher isn’t as good.
Be aware that grades in college courses taken while in high school (presumably, this is what organic chemistry would be) will be included in your college GPA for medical school application purposes.
I switched around my schedule and am now taking AP Physics 1 and Honors Organic Chemistry for next year. I think I may buy a review book for physics to go through over the summer to get a head start and be better prepared.
YES !
Almost no one liked my HS Physics teacher. At the time, I found him to be sort of tolerable. Looking back, however, I realized he was one of the better teachers I ever had.
Does anyone have any recommendations for review books I could get to supplement the class teaching next year? I know that some of the books cover both AP Physics 1 & 2, so it would be better if it only covered AP Physics 1.
Look at Barrons AP Physics. It covers 1 and 2, doesn’t hurt to review both. Barrons is a great series.
Princeton Review Cracking the AP Physics 1 Exam
McGraw-Hill AP Physics 1
@TheDidactic Thanks. I may skim through barrons over the summer.
heads up- I ended up dropping Physics entirely. My class schedule is already rigorous with 5 APs so I think it would be overwhelming with the extra time needed to properly apply to college. I figure I can teach myself some physics next summer so I’m not lost in college. Not taking physics in highschool isn’t going to make or break my application… I hope 
High school physics is often a recommended prerequisite for physics in college.