I will be a freshman next year and I was wondering if taking AP physics would be a good idea? Some background info- I will also be in precalc and have completed the prerequisite Alg II with straight As. The only other AP class I will have is human geography like most 9th grades at my high school. Any ideas to help me do well in physics class/AP exam?
To clarify what I had above, it is AP Physics 1… Has anyone done something similar like this before?
Its definitely uncommon, but not rare. AP Physics 1/2 is usually taken in grades 11/12 for those not planning to major in STEM. You can buy a review book, but its trig/algebra based physics (think Honors or Academic Physics) so it should be too hard.
FYI Taking AP Physics 1 as a freshman puts you behind two 8 balls.
First, the scores on exams most often taken by freshman and sophomores, e.g. Human Geography and World History, tend to skew with a lower than average percentage of 4’s and 5’s and a higher than average percentage of 1’s and 2’s.
Second, last year, which was the first year that AP Physics 1 was offered, 63% failed the AP exam.
AP classes are designed to simulate college courses. Everyone here seems to have drunk the AP Kool-Aid, but unless the student is exceptional, overdoing AP’s as a HS freshman is not a good idea. The transition from middle school to high school will be challenging enough as it is.
@skieurope “AP Kool-Aid” I love that. Definitely gonna use that phrase.
Anyway, OP, if you feel comfortable handling it, go for it. I’m going to be a junior and I will be taking AP Physics 1, so let that put you in perspective. Make sure to keep up with the work EARLY ON!!! I cannot stress that enough. In my first AP class, I slacked off the first quarter, and got a C at the end of the 10 weeks. Then I had to work my butt off to get it to an A. The better your first grades in the class are, the more success you will have in the course. Study a lot. Especially since you are just starting high school, improve your study habits! Will be very beneficial in the long run. Good luck.
Even though it seems as if you are very intelligent, you don’t want to burn out by overloading on difficult/AP classes as a high school freshman. However, if you do decide to pursue college physics, make sure you can truly handle the course and make sure that you’ll have enough courses (and energy!) to last you through high school since you are starting at such an advanced level. I would think this over carefully with your parents and/or a school counselor, but if you do decide to take physics, carpe diem.
I took AP Physics 1 as a freshman and if you work hard, you’ll be fine. The 63% failing rate was largely due to students who were unprepared for any AP class in general since Honors Physics= AP Physics 1 in a lot of schools now. I would highly recommend knowing some basic physics if you haven’t already taken a physics class before
(our class had all taken physics before and the scores were much better because of that).
I recommend taking AP Physics 1 while you’re taking reg. physics and not just self-studying…I don’t know about you but a lot of people find physics difficult? I was in precalc freshman year and took a physics/chem mixed elective and found the physics part very hard. Taking bio as a freshman does not help at all for the physics exam.
Taking the exam doesn’t do anything really, especially since it will just cause stress and be difficult when it could be super easy while taking a reg. physics 1 course! Colleges really just care that you are challenging yourself with courseload, not taking 20 AP tests throughout the years.
Good job with precalc freshman year though. You will off to a good start…
Thank you to all those you gave me some advice. I understand that the class is difficult, demanding, etc… But I REALLY want to do this. Even if I’m not doing this for colleges, its something I want to do for myself. Also my school offers level down after 1st six weeks so if I absolutely cannot handle it this will be an option for me.