This kid isn’t sure about what he wants to study in future but interests are history, literature, finance, law, politics, business, theater, music and maths. Is it necessary for him to do Bio, Chem and Physics to show rigor to colleges or is it enough to do AP languages, math, Environmental Science, Psychology, Government, Economics, History, foreign language?
Bump
No, he does not need to take AP (or other advanced level) in all of biology, chemistry, and physics, although he should take at least regular in all three (AP or other advanced level optional) to learn a well rounded base in high school.
He took Honors Chem & Bio and may take AP Physics 1 in senior year. Is it required or encouraged by selective colleges to take Physics?
Having all three of biology, chemistry, and physics (they do not all need to be AP) is likely favorable with highly selective colleges compared to missing one or more of them.
It does seem odd that many high school students avoid physics for some reason.
His issue is scheduling as first you have to take Honors Sciences and then double block AP sciences. It really limits you in taking courses of your liking. He takes music and Spanish every year so really impossible to find space for other subjects.
Can he take a single block regular physics course? It does not have to be double block AP or nothing.
He can but kid considers regular courses a snooz fest and GPA killer. May take an honors or AP class for Physics in senior year, is it okay or is it better to do it in junior year?
I think he should take the classes he wants to take and enjoys. If he really is concerned about how this is viewed, the guidance counselor can explain that his course choices were driven by his genuine interests. Even the most selective colleges will find this refreshing. Check the exact requirements for application to the schools he is interested in and go from there.
Many students who take AP science in high school repeat the course in college, because the sequence of classes at each school can be a little different, and also because they want a really solid foundation.
He is undecided. He should take classes he is interested in taking…and this includes his AP choices.
At my children’s school, the guidance counselors who filled out the secondary school report would not characterize a kid’s curriculum as “most rigorous” unless it included AP Calculus BC and at least one (and preferably two) of AP Biology, Chemistry, or any of the Physics options.
My D was admitted to highly competitive schools without much AP math or science. She did AP Eng Lang and Lit, AP Stats, APES, AP French, AP Music Theory, APUSH, AP Gov, AP Euro, AP Comparative Gov, AP Psy. So clearly tipped toward language and humanities - but she was able to show interest and rigor in those areas. At her school, the “most rigorous curriculum” was measured more in the number of AP taken, rather than in having them spread across all subject areas. I agree with other posters- kids should take the classes that interest them rather than having to worry that they are ticking all the boxes. Now, if the kid was planning to major in CS and hadn’t taken AP Calc that might be another story- so I guess it depends on the intentions of the applicant
I wasn’t suggesting that what happened at my kids’ school was common, logical, or admirable. I was just suggesting that it makes sense to check. When my daughter was transferring in to the school, and I didn’t push for her to be placed in AP Calculus (given that she hated math), I had no idea that 14 months later the GC would be telling me that he couldn’t say she had taken the most rigorous curriculum available because she hadn’t taken AP Calculus, and all of the other top students had.
In our school even the humanities oriented kids will take one AP science, sometime AP Environmental, but more often AP Bio. My STEM kid did all three science APs (Bio, Chem, Physics C), but only one history (APUSH), my non STEM kid did three history APs and two science APs (Bio and Physics C). It’s easy to get in extra science in our school because they offer high school bio in 8th grade.
I don’t actually know how many APs was considered rigorous or if certain APs were considered more rigorous than others. My kids took what interested them for the most part. (Both refused to take AP English, older son had to be cajoled to do APUSH.)
He could take more APs in the area of his interest and still boost his GPA. He doesn’t have to take APs he is not interested in.
The feedback we got from the most selective schools was to take physics. The level was not specified. If the student finds non-honors or AP classes boring, then he should take honors or AP.
As to timing, all of the top students in S’s class took AP Physics senior year (the only version of physics offered). They got into a variety of the most selective schools, including most of the Ivies, U of C, JHU, elite LACs, and so forth.