At my school, students can only take AP science classes in 12th grade. Kids in the “normal” part of the school have the option of taking AP Physics 1/2 in 11th grade. I’m in the STEM program, so I take Physics first followed by Biology and then Chemistry. I had the option of taking AP Physics 1 as a sophomore, but didn’t have the elective space. I plan on taking Physics C in 12th anyways. I talked with my guidance counselor and she said no one is allowed to skip the honors course in order to take the AP class even if they plan on taking a Summer/online class for prerequisites. I feel like I’d do well, since Physics wasn’t hard for me at all (I made a 97). I wanted to take AP Chem senior year, but can’t because I will never have the elective space. (2 music classes and a required engineering class) I see a lot of you guys taking AP science classes in 10th/11th grade. How did you guys get around the prerequisites? Does anyone have any solutions/ideas? I would really appreciate it!
It mostly depends on the school and their policies - my HS is pretty flexible, and my Calc AB class had freshmen and my Physics C class had sophomores.
Just as well. Since you’ve already had an intro physics and will be taking AP Physics C, AP Physics 1 would have been a waste of a class, IMO, as a lot of concepts would be duplicative.
Different high schools have different regulations. You asked for an override - they said no - move on.
@MITer94 How were you able to do that? I would’ve self-studied precalc this Summer, but my GC again said no. She said I wouldn’t be left with any math classes Senior year. I would’ve used this empty space to take another science. I think my engineering class would’ve counted as my math requirement. Would it be better if I suck it up and just take AP Statistics senior year, or should I go for it and take Chem in its place? I do not want to take Statistics, but have no other choice. Does it look bad if I go “backwards” in math by taking Calc BC followed by Stats?
@skieurope This isn’t a school or district policy. It’s just my counselor’s views. She just highly reccomends agiansy it. At another school in my district, students are allowed to take AP sciences starting in 10th grade. I just want to figure a way to do this too. I hope I’m not coming off as harsh or entitled. I just have a strong interest in science and often feel bored in honors because I am not being challenged. Most of the kids in my Physics class were taking Algebra 1. I was the only one of two kids in my entire school who were taking Algebra 2 as a 9th grader. The other kid isn’t even in the STEM program.
No.
Some people took AP Chem along with (Honors) Physics or took Physics first junior year then AP Chem and/or AP Physics C senior year. Some schools are more flexible than others.
Not really. Most people in my school do that after taking BC junior year and want to take a math class senior year. Others take it with Trig/PreCalc or Trig/Analyt (Honors) after Algebra 2 (Honors), as an elective or not at all.
You could always self study AP Chem or Physics C and then take the test in May. There’s not really much that you can do if they won’t adjust the policies.
@TheSlacker16 Thank You!
@skieurope Sorry for contradicting those two statements! I meant that most kids start taking AP science classes other than Physics 1 in 12th grade. No one is specifically barring those students, since they have different counselors/goals. My problem is that the STEM counselor says I won’t be able to handle taking one AP science class in 11th grade even when I’ve repeatedly demonstrated that I have the skills to succeed. Thanks for taking the time to comment though! 
Don’t worry about this. Colleges take into account what your school offers or allows. You can explain in additional info if you need to that your school doesn’t allow them until senior year. My kid’s school doesn’t have APs until senior year, and she got into everyplace she applied, including U of Chicago, Swarthmore, and Harvey Mudd.
Since you are a rising sophomore, perhaps you can revisit the issue when it comes time to select courses for junior year. While you make think that you have “repeatedly” demonstrated the skills necessary to succeed, from the counselor’s point of view, it was all in one year of classes. With an additional year, you may have more ammunition.
S/he’s got something of a point there. While there are students that do take 2 of AP Chem/AP Bio/AP Physics C at the same time, this is not an easy path. While it may vary by school, each of those classes tend to have more class meetings per week than a typical course due to labs, plus the amount of time spent outside of class is greater than normal, in part due to writing up lab reports. Of course, it can be done, but it requires a lot of time management.
Is your school sending students to the most selective colleges?
@JustOneDad No, far from it. It is barely in the top 1,500 high schools. Many of the kids are economically disadvantaged and end up dropping out. I want to have a better life, so I work my shoes off to make sure my goals are reached. My parents do not have as much money as some of the kids on this site do. I know I have to work harder in order to get some of the opportunities they have. I HAVE to get a scholarship if I want to go to college. I don’t even think my parents have the money to even open a college fund. I just want to take as many of the classes I am interested in in high school while they are free. The only thing my school is really interested in is getting kids to graduate high school. Most of the kids that end up going to college choose the State school because of cost. I just want to be competitive as an applicant coming from a lower-performing school.
Like others have said, if your high school doesn’t allow it, colleges won’t hold it against you. I, personally, am a rising sophmore and will be skipping honors physics to go straight into AP physics I. My school is just relaxed about it I guess. We have a policy where you can take any class you want if you sign a waiver saying you will not drop out of it.
You do the best you can with what you have available and no one will hold it against you.
Strategies to solve your current problem might be to talk to the AP instructor and ask what you would need to do to show you were ready for that course as a Jr. Then, challenge the counselor to let you take it if you show you met those goals
I am in the same boat as you, my school doesn’t offer any AP English or AP Math until you are a senior…
Schools won’t punish you just because were unable to take an AP class. Put it in additional info or casually put it in your essay if you can.
@Madeline25 Thanks for commenting!
@JustOneDad I wish I thought of that in the first place. I think that actually might work, I just need to figure out who the teacher is! :)) Should I ask right when school starts or at the end of the school year? I really don’t want to make a bad first impression, since junior year teachers write some of your more recent reccomendations. Thanks for the idea! :-bd