<p>Hi, I'm a confuzzled and undecided sophomore, pondering whether or not this course should be taken.</p>
<ol>
<li>I have many ECs next year that require a hefty time commitment.</li>
<li>I'm taking 3 other APs: AP Eng, APUSH, and AP Psych</li>
<li>I'm not that great in physics. I'm getting A's on tests, but I hardly understand the material. (I have an easy teacher) I'm taking regular physics right now, and I'm having trouble understanding some concepts; however, if I take AP Physics, I can get tutoring at Elite. I feel like if I tried hard, I'd be able to do well. But AP Physics B is notorious for being a very difficult class. </li>
</ol>
<p>I want to know
a. Is it worth it? - How much do colleges really care if you take AP Science courses? I'm not planning on majoring in science/ engineering/ math.
b. What can I take instead? - My school offers a wide range of science courses I can take next year. I hear chem is a must - is this true? I'm really not planning on taking chem anytime in the future. I've been eyeing APES and Geology, because they interest me more than Physics.
c. And are you taking/ have taken it and if so, how would you describe your experience? What's the workload like?</p>
<p>Sorry, it's a lot of questions. You don't need to answer all; any insight is appreciated.
Thanks!</p>
<p>Disclaimer: I am godawful at physics and can only write until the flight attendants stop me. Sorry if my answer sucks.
Despite my suckiness, I really do enjoy AP phys. Besides studying for tests, there isn’t way too much work. It’s just about doing what you need to do to get your score.
I think you’ll do okay, just from hsving taking phys before. And I’m very. Much not a science person; I still like it. However if it’s phys or chem I’d go chem. Snd I don’t think you have to have it for college. But I’ve gotta turn electronics off now.</p>
<p>The turning point here is whether the AP Physics B teacher scales your tests or not, since it’s a class which D’s on tests are common.</p>
<p>My teacher scaled; I studied about 2 minutes per test and even got 3 F’s in a row and survived the class with a B. Someone who’s about as intelligent as me and studies about 5 hours per test got the teacher who doesn’t scale and he also ended up with a B. The presence or absence of scaling is key here.</p>
<p>Also, I think colleges do care about you having an AP science, but if you’re into memorization subjects (you took APUSH and AP Psych), take AP Bio/APES/AP Geology instead. If you’re looking for a mix of math and memorization, maybe try AP Chemistry.</p>
<p>It’s a fun class if you’re fond of math.</p>
<p>There’s an AP geology?</p>
<p>I took it and really enjoyed it, but I love physics (AP Physics C, that is). I couldn’t recommend it to anyone who doesn’t like physics or isn’t good at it. If someone likes it, but is struggling I would say to take it and work hard and it will pay off in the end, but it seems like you’re not particularly interested in it.</p>
<p>I’d say to take it if you think you can get an A in it, but it really depends on the teacher that is teaching AP.</p>
<p>Colleges look at 5s and 4s fairly positively. AP Calc BC and AP Physics C will take out your Calc requirements and physics general requirements (at least some of them) if you’re not doing math/science.</p>
<p>Depending on what colleges you are thinking of, not planning on majoring in a science could be more of a reason to take it, because sometimes a 4 or 5 on the test can fulfill your science requirements and then you won’t have to take any sciences in college at all. So, if you think you can handle the class, I would say go for it.
I’m kind of struggling with AP physics now, we’ll see how the test goes in May…</p>