I would like to get into the Engineering program at McGill which requires me to submit my physics grade. I struggle in physics so I decided to take AP Physics, that way it might be difficult now but in university when I retake the course and the grade truly matters to my future, I’ll have a better understanding and hopefully an easier time. However, by taking AP, my grade,88%, is about 5% less than what it would be if I took regular physics. I think this will hurt my chances for admission into Engineering, and I wanted to know if it would be wiser to make my physics grade as high as possible through a regular course or struggle now but have an easier time at uni.
I’m no expert on Canadian schools but top american schools would rather you take the harder course.That want to see that you are challenging yourself.
Obviously, the best would be to take the harder course and get a 100%
It also somewhat depends on whether you take the exam and how well you do. If you can get a 4 or a 5 on the exam then it would be very worthwhile taking the AP class. Also if you don’t take the exam and still get a B in the class it might raise questions about the difficulty of the class at your school. Overall, if you can score a 3 or above on the exam then it would look better for you to take the AP course.
Also if you have taken calculus and are good at it you should look into taking AP Physics C. It is a harder course but if you say you would be around an 88% in physics 2 then you shouldn’t drop out of the 80s. Plus many engineering schools like to see that you took some type of mechanics involved course (AP Physics C Mechanics) so it would look better in terms or rigor and relevance.