My major requires a bunch of physics, however I was never able to take the class in highschool. Will this be detrimental? Thank you.
What is your major?
I think the hardest thing will be being in a class with students, most of whom will have already taken physics.
It won’t be impossible but it will be difficult. Tutoring, study groups, etc will come in handy.
You can be sure that a lot of other students in your college class will have had HS physics. If you are a junior, you should try to switch your schedule around to take it next year. If you are a senior, think about finding an online class to take this summer in preparation.
Assuming you would be starting with an introductory physics class, I don’t see why you would need to have already taken it. If you feel better having had some exposure, just do some self study via Kahn Academy.
A lot of students take intro classes in college where they have had a lot of the material to get a high grade and also make sure they have a solid base before moving on. And for some students (like pre-med students), they really urgently want to get an A in the class. So it can be really competitive. In general, it is better to be one of the students who has had some exposure to any quant or STEM subject before taking the class if you can. It usually pays off in higher grades.
It’s definitely possible, but I would recommend some structured course, like CTY Online. That’s where I learned physics, and I thought it was pretty effective. If you have amazing self discipline, maybe you could buy a textbook like Giancoli and read through it yourself.
If you are a genius and want to challenge yourself, Introductory Problems and Solutions by David Morin is a challenging and stimulating book. Would not recommend for the vast majority of first time physics learners though.
It will be hard no doubt without having a good high school physics class because the college class that only meets 2 or 3x weekly will probably go faster and you will need to learn more on your own, devoting more time to it than your other classes will most likely be needed. See if you can find a “Physics for Dummies” at your local bookstore or online from Amazon. I always tell my own students to look for these as good references for self teaching.
I think a lot of these posts are overly discouraging. While it is true that many/most of the students in any given Physics 101 class will have had some physics in HS, it is equally true that you can wash up on the first day with no physics background and do just fine: that is the whole point of a 101 class.
However, you can do a lot to help yourself be more successful: always do the reading ahead of the lecture, and re-read it after as well if you need to. Always start your homework/problem sets as soon after class as possible, rather than waiting. Get help early and often: make a study group (good way to make new friends, btw), go to TA / office hours, etc. Physics 101 is usually a very accessible class, with a wide range of people taking it (many solely to fulfill other pre-reqs). Take it seriously and there is no reason you shouldn’t not just survive, but thrive!.
Most 101 classes for majors (not gen eds) DO assume prior knowledge. Most students will have taken physics, and many will have had AP physics.
Prepare over the summer.