What are the advantages and disadvantages of taking physics only in the senior year of high school. Will that affect college admissions?
What kinds of colleges? What major is the student?
Competitive ones . Does not know what major yet.
Not many people can answer the question unless you describe (a) what other courses the student has during four years of high school, and (b) what the various alternative choices are that the student has (i.e. physics versus some other course).
Also what your kid’s school generally offers. At my school physics was only open to seniors.
A lot of kids do B/C/P+one AP in no particular order for science and that is considered pretty normal.
I think everyone is missing the point. I think the question is what are the pluses and minuses of taking physics senior year as opposed to any other year.
Having said that, the OP has not given us enough info to advise. What is the normal honors progression at your HS? What science classes have you already taken. What colleges are you targeting?
Students targeting top schools usually have a year each of bio, chem, physics, plus one of those at a more advanced level, but the order makes no difference to colleges.
Bio->Chem->AP Chem->Physics is viewed the same as Bio->Chem->Physics->AP Chem, as an example.
Thanks for the answers. To provide more information about his science coursework so far, he has taken Bio GT in Grade 9 and AP Chem in Grade 10. Now, in Grade 11 he can take Bio AP and Comp Sci AP, Physics C (Mechanics) AP and AP Comp Sci or Bio AP and Physics C AP. In all three cases, the remaining course will be taken in senior year. Of these three combinations, could an order of preference be set up, possibly depending on major?
Physics C requires calculus. When does he take calculus? Of course, a non-calculus high school physics course is also a possibility.
If math prerequisites are not an issue, it may be better to complete the set of basic sciences (biology, chemistry, and physics) first before choosing an elective science. That can help the student determine what range of college majors he may like (which may matter if applying to colleges where he has to apply to a specific major or division). It can also hedge against the possibility that a scheduling problem in 12th grade could prevent him from completing the set of basic sciences.
Is AP CS the principles course or the A course? The principles course is a more desirable course for a student who wants to get an overview of what CS is about, whether or not the student may choose CS as a major (do not expect advanced placement in college for it, though). The A course is programming and data structures for students who will be CS majors (though not all colleges accept it for advanced placement in CS courses).
Does your school only offer the M half of physics C? Does he have any exposure to physics through a regular or honors physics course? If he’s had calculus I’d lean towards taking Physics C, but really I don’t think it matters that much. The important thing for most applicants to selective schools is to have a year of high school bio, chem and physics. If they can reasonably be taken at the AP level in high school that’s a bonus. For a STEM major, you definitely would want science APs and the fourth year should be one of them.
That said ubcalumnus makes some good points.
I agree with ucb - Physics and CS introduces 2 more subject areas, which may help in identifying majors of interest. I would go that way if the math background allows it.