Hello!
A quick question regarding the courses:
My son is a senior in a highly competitive Bay Area high school. He wants to drop the Physics C course just because of the teacher and his tests are very hard.
My son did Regular Physics in 11th. He plans to apply for CS major.
What AP course can he take after dropping Physics C:
the options (Science AP’s) are
1)AP Physics1 --Does this course look bad on his transcript since he took regular physics already ? Hi worry is AO will think he is not capable…
2)AP Chem
3) AP Bio
Has he already taken a Chem or Biology course? AP Physics 1 covers the regular Physics material but more in-depth. If he wants to maintain rigor, I would opt for AP Chemistry.
Yes. He did Bio in 9th grade and Chem Honors in 10th grade.
Thought of Physics C since he is planning to do CS major in college
Which course do you recommend?
AP Chem / AP physics 1/Ap bio
Does AP physics1 look bad on his transcript as he did regular physics. My son is worried about that.
I do not think AP Physics 1 will look bad but it will be a rehash of the regular Physics along with possible not getting credit at many of the UC’s or only elective credit. As a CS major, he will have to take a higher level of Physics anyways for his major prep.
AP Chem would be more applicable to a UC STEM major and could give him credit for 1 College Chemistry course requirement for his major depending upon the campus.
What math has he done? Main difference between 1 and C is whether it’s taught using Calc concepts. And math is even more predictive of his CS readiness.
You are saying AP Chem is better than AP physic1 for CS major in his case?
Other option he is thinking take AP Physics1 school ans write AP physics mechanics and E-M tests by preparing himself so that he gets credit ion college. I’m not sure
I doubt taking 1 vs C will singularly make the difference between admission anywhere so if it’s the only example of not taking the most rigorous option available I wouldn’t sweat it. But generally someone taking BC should be ready for Physics C and likely some of his HS peers are doing that route. And in the end students are competing against their immediate peers for many highly rejective schools. At least switching to a different science provides cover for that, so I would vote doing whichever he prefers between Chem and Bio. Did he like one more than the other in the previous course? Are the teacher reps comparable?
Physics along with Chemistry are major requirements for several CS curriculums at the UC’s, so having a solid background in both areas is important. AP Physics 1 is more of a repeat of Regular level Physics class so if he wants to maintain his rigor, then AP Chem would be a better choice. I also agree that if he is doing AP Calc BC, then AP Physics C would be the ideal class to continue with his Senior year and not drop.
FWIW, AP physics C was the most useful HS class my D took in HS (she’s doing engineering). With the school year just starting, is your child sure that he wants to drop? Self studying for the test doesn’t make any sense to me. Either he can learn the material or he can’t. If he feels like he can self study, then he should remain in the class.
Remember that HS is more than getting into college, it’s also about being prepared for one’s intended major.
If your son is sure he wants to drop, my vote is AP chem. Physics 1 is just not as rigorous, especially for a student already taking BC calc.
There always will be tough teachers and in engineering especially, courses are heavily based in Physics: it seems premature to drop so early. Stick with Physics C if at all possible. If that is not possible, take AP Chem. However: AP Chem is not a cake walk and may be harder than AP PhysicsC . It is the hardest course at my kids’ school, and both of my kids took both and agree.
If he is an intended CS major, I see no downside to taking Physics C, especially as a senior.
Not only does he boost his rigor but it preps him for his major with no risk to his 10-12 GPA. If there was ever a time to take a challenging course, its as a senior. If not C, then definitely AP Chem. Or both
The downside, per the original post, was that at the son’s particular HS the C teacher had a bad rep (or at least a rep of being very hard). The student isn’t avoiding the course but the instructor.
I would consider taking AP Physics C for the following reasons:
The course shows rigor on the transcript.
The grade is not relevant for schools in the UC system because it is being taken in the senior year.
If he gets a good grade in the outside AP test, he can skip the Physics course once he joins one of the UCs because he usually can, and the course is not relevant for a student going into a CS major ( as opposed to other Engg majors).
AP Physics C is easier than the same Physics that he will need to take instead in college if he skips AP Physics C. And in college, you cannot hide the grade. In school, if you get a low grade in the senior year, the UC system doesn’t care.
Of course if the primary goal is a private school that is not a UC, this calculation will be different, as they do look at Senior Fall grades.
If the APPhysicsC teacher is truly bad I’d opt for APChem (or possibly APBio) and call it a day. There will be enough stress senior year with applications/decisions so IMO there is no reason to add in a known poor/difficult teacher into the equation.
