Want to know if I should take Physics at a community college this Fall so it will show up as an “in progress” class vs. “planned”. There is no room for it in my high school schedule. How much do colleges weigh taking the class vs. planning to take it?
If you indicate a planned or in-progress course on your application, the college will expect to see the course with an acceptable-to-them grade on your final transcripts (from your high school and any college you attended while in high school). If the planned course is absent, or you do poorly in it, that could risk rescission of your admission offer.
How can we offer advice without knowing your major or targets? Or even if you have the basic stats? Or if the courses that block you from hs physics are solid choices?
Have the basic stats ++
National Merit Semi-Finalist, SAT 1590 first try, Four AP courses (Calc, US Hist, Literature (Scored a 5 on these)) and Chemistry (AP Score 4). Senior with 4.3 GPA. This year I’m in extra-curricular 2nd year Robotics, taking the 3rd year of HS Engineering (skipped the second), Calc 3, Theater (4th Year), AP English and AP Economics. Took Spanish and World History at the Community College, Economics over the summer at UCLA. Basically feeling pressure to enter Engineering (both parents are Engineers) but still undecided (the mind is like a sponge and wants to explore more!!)
Do I jam in a Physics course at the Jr. College in the Spring (less stressful)? What about taking it pass/no pass. What about taking Physics at the Jr. College this Fall pass/no pass?
Take physics at your HS instead of your engineering course. No class will help you establish if engineering is for you more than physics.
Also, you don’t want your first introduction to physics to be college-level engineering physics.
If Robotics, Engineering, and Theater are all courses you’re taking at school, Physics should replace one of them.
So, it was decided that Physics will wait until Spring! Thanks everyone 
When applying to top colleges you are competing against other students that prioritized mainstream academic classes like Chem, Physics, Biology, and did well in them.
We looked at life-balance vs. the stress of competing against those other students as an Engineering Major and decided life is too short! A Minor in Engineering will be just fine.
Can you clarify what you mean by an engineering minor? What would the student major in?
She’s going to go in as “Undecided”. She wants to explore more subjects before committing to a Major.
At some colleges, it is very difficult to declare or change to an engineering major if the student enters as a general undeclared student.
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I agree. We were told by every person we spoke to at the colleges and the high school that if DS even had an inkling of wanting to go into engineering he should start there as it is much easier to switch to literally anything else, than it is to switch into engineering later.
I third that going in undecided and trying to transfer into engineering can be extremely difficult at many schools. Do your due diligence when researching the college list. (And that isn’t “minoring” in engineering).
One of the questions to ask is the difficulty of undecided students getting the necessary first year engineering classes they would need to be able to successfully switch into engineering. At D’s school, engineering students have priority in scheduling and courses can quickly get closed out to others. Without those foundational courses, which have to be taken on campus, students can’t transfer. Some students will take them over the summer but obviously that will add to your costs.
You refer to yourself as both I and She. So who is it? Is this a parent posing as a student, or vice versa? Is this student taking physics at community college in the spring?
Taking a core class pass/fail is not a good idea, especially for top colleges. If the student plans to apply to top colleges, the class should be taken for a grade. Other applicants will have taken it for a grade.