My sophomore is currently in AP Physics and very much enjoying it. He wants to take AP Physics 2 next year but has not heard of anyone who has taken this course before. Just trying to get an idea if the course is considered way more difficult or if taking AP Biology makes more sense. He wants to take them both at the same time but I think 3 AP sciences in one year may be a bit much. Will be in AP pre cal for math if that is a factor at all.
My D24 is currently taking AP Physics 2 and AP Bio concurrently. It is definitely manageable (she is taking AP calc AB also). She is not finding the Physics difficult, finds the quantity of work required in Bio more of a challenge (of the two). I will admit to not knowing enough about the math required in Physics to know whether it is better to take it concurrently with Calc, or if pre-calc would be sufficient.
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I know it’s early, but does your kid have a sense of what he might like to study in college? Also, has he taken chem and bio in HS already? Mine was pretty sold on engineering and feels like his AP classes were perfect for his goals.
9th: honors chem (already had HS credit for 8th grade honors bio)
10th: AP Physics 1
11th: AP chem, AP English lang
12th: AP Physics C, AP calc BC, AP foreign language
He skipped AP Physics 2 altogether because it gives no useful college credit for most STEM majors. That’s also true of AP physics 1, but it was a required prereq for AP physics C at his school. Some of his friends took AP physics 2 instead of AP chem and now they have to take chem in college. All his AP classes gave him useful credit, with the exception of AP Physics 1. The MOST useful credits came from Calc, English, Physics C, and Chem.
If yours has a sense of what major they might want, I can give more specific advice. If he likes STEM but is unsure, you can’t go wrong with the holy trinity of AP chem, AP bio, and AP physics (C rather than 2, if possible). But I wouldn’t double up on any in the same year. If he’s also taken chem and bio in HS in addition to his physics, he’s got the trinity covered. In that case he can just take APs for the 2 that he likes the most or that fit best for his college plans.
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What is the 3rd proposed AP science next year?
AP physics C is a much better choice over Phys2, for the reasons stated above by the previous poster, but for someone only in Precal next year, it is best to save AP physC until senior year so it can be concurrent with Calc (after calc is even better).
Take AP chem or AP bio next year. Leave PhysC for senior year.
Two AP sciences in one year is not a problem for top students (AP phys1 or 2 plus APBio is common, and very doable; AP Phys and APChem is harder but also doable for the right student in the right math level) . 3 AP sciences would block out another core class and does not make sense. If you mean 3 APs overall or 3 STEM APs then that is common and doable.
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Thank you. The other AP science would be Environmental. Other AP course he wants to take: English 4, US history, Pre Cal, And Statistics. Other classes would be a sports team and accounting 2. He took some high school in middle school so he has room on his schedule.
I wouldn’t bother with environmental unless he has a burning passion for it. Spouse and I are both STEM professors, so we counseled our son based on our knowledge of what is helpful for college STEM majors. That’s just to say that was our kid’s focus in choosing his STEM APs.
He went deep rather than wide. He committed himself fully to chem, physics, and calc, knowing that would be the most helpful for engineering. So he got 5’s on all those tests, and was confident in skipping them in college. All his APs filled important college requirements, he’s kicking butt in his classes so far, and he’s enjoying his honors gen ed classes way more than he would have enjoyed the corresponding APs in high school.
His friends approached their APs less methodically and went broad rather than deep. Partly because they were exploring their interests. Most of them didn’t get 5’s on their STEM APs, so they’re repeating the courses in college (and doing well). Just a couple strategies to think about.
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Thank you, that is a great point. I appreciate the information. May I ask you a follow up question in regards to your career path? He actually has a strong interest in becoming a professor. Can you give me a general idea of path you took to achieve your position and if you would recommend it?
Sure, and feel free to PM me. I’m a bio/neurosci prof and spouse is physical/enviro chem. Depending on the field, research-heavy prof jobs are very hard to get (think: pyramid scheme). Teaching-heavy positions in STEM aren’t too competitive. There are a ton of tips and tricks to achieve the person’s career goals, depending on what they want.
My ninth grader will take both AP physics classes his high school offers because he loves physics and math and all that. If they’re not too difficult for him I can see him taking AP chemistry concurrently with one of them.
I am of the opinion that he can take all the hard stuff he wants as long as it won’t overwhelm him.
Hold out for Physics C instead of 2 for whatever year he’s taking (or has already taken) Calc. C is way more useful and applicable to college and any STEM major aspirations.
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Ap Physics 2 is no more difficult than AP Physics1, and if he enjoys the subject it would likely reinforce some concepts from Precalculus taken concurrently. Ap Physics C is best taken alongside or after Calculus so would only be possible senior year; it would be key for a Physics or engineering major, but only interesting/useful for a Biology, Chemistry, Geoscience or Environmental Science major.
Ap Environmental Science is more like an elective so if I were him I’d pick between Physics 2 or Enviro as a science elective added to AP Bio.
So, basically, what sounds best to him: Ap bio + Physics 2+Precalculus or ap bio+Environmental + Precalculus ?
Then senior year he can decide what works best for him alongside Calculus : AP chem or AP physics C.
Taking Environmental Science would help him discover the field and see whether it’s one he’s interested in.