<p>I'm definitely taking four AP's next year (English Literature, Calculus BC, Art History, and Microeconomics) and self-studying Psychology and U.S. Government, but I don't know whether I should take regular Physics or another AP class like Statistics instead. My AP Physics teacher has a notoriously low pass rate (nobody passed the test last year and probably this year), and I'm not smart enough to self-study the class. So I'm wondering if I should just take regular Physics or another AP because the A-G requirements recommend that I take Physics, but I want another AP to boost up my GPA. Any advice would be appreciated.</p>
<p>If your potential major in college requires taking physics, it would be a good idea to take at least high school level physics to get an overview of the subject before taking a college physics course. In general, selective colleges like to see all three of biology, chemistry, and physics in your high school record.</p>
<p>Assuming you are applying to UCs and CSUs (since you mention a-g requirements), they won’t see your senior year grades, although they will attach conditions to offers of admission that you do sufficiently well in your reported senior year schedule.</p>
<p>ucb is right; you should take physics if you’re going into a major that requires it, otherwise choose something else</p>
<p>I’d take the AP’s
My senior year schedule included: Calc BC, Comp Sci, Eng Lit, Physics C Mech, US Govt, Macro, APES, and French. It wasn’t bad at all. Granted some of my teachers were better than others and I am decently smart. I didn’t study for my exams outside of class mock exams and still think I got at least 4’s on everything except French.
Overall, I took 15 AP classes over all 4 years. (We could only take 1 a year freshman and soph year and junior year I needed prerequisites for French and Physics). So far I’m the distinguished ap scholar thing. I’d say take all the classes you can, because I know I am getting 38 credit hours since that is the max you’re allowed to use, but I’m also double majoring with a minor, so I need every bit of it.</p>
<p>It also makes you a more aggressive applicant for college admissions. Esp physics (I’m assuming it is Physics C since I don’t understand the purpose of the other exams). Granted I had a supposedly awesome physics teacher who is lead teacher in district/grader etc with high passing rates. I didn’t expect to do well on the exam since I hate spinning objects and won’t be an engineer- I basically stopped caring in the class because I wasn’t getting high grades, but when I took my practice exams I received solid 4’s on all of them. You will feel murdered by the exam, but then happily surprised by the results.</p>