Is it a no no for good schools? Should one take it before applying to colleges?
Depending on the rest of your schedule and your major, physics really isn’t the “make or break” class. Colleges have gone entirely to “holistic” processes- looking at rigor, ec, test scores, etc…
You’ll be okay if everything else is good. I didn’t take AP physics at all and I still got accepted into an elite college.
Bump
No need to bump. Sweetgeek’s advice is spot on
Any majors that require physics? Let’s say if he wants to do computer engineering or pre Med track?
Is it possible to just take Phyics 1 & 2 in summer school and not go for any AP Physics?
Wasn’t this discussed on another thread? For pre-med or CE, when the class is available, top colleges (which you mentioned before) can look for the full set: AP bio (or equivalent,) AP chem, AP physics. This isn’t only about what your young friend chose to take, but the thousands of other applicants who will have all 3. You can’t compare to another success story without knowing the other person’s fuller details.
But taking in 12th. That’s fine. Adcoms will see the mid year report. Not all schools have schedules that allow a kid to take everything they need before 12th.
For any majors that require physics in college (or for pre-med intentions, regardless of major, since physics is part of the pre-med set of courses), high school physics is generally recommended to prepare for physics in college.
This seems seems to be a seasonal FAQ. It seems that many high school students are afraid of physics and want to avoid having to take it for some reason, so they come here and ask if not taking physics will harm their admission chances at colleges.
Will it harm their chances? I guess most kids want to avoid it as AP Physics 1 scores were very low and most teachers aren’t very good so kids hear lots of scary stories.
It is not required to take AP in every science.
Not taking physics at all during high school will bite back when the student takes physics in college and needs to work harder to keep up when the college physics course assumes a high school physics background.