JohnVicious

I'd like to apply to UCSB for physics, and I'm planing on taking my Lit and US Hist subject tests in may.

Will the fact that I am not taking the Math and Physics subject test hurt me? I'm not taking them because I won't get to take pre-cal or physics till my senior year( this is my fault.. I was not a good student during middle school and there's no real way to get onto an advance math path once you start high school; at least where I go)

I also haven't really done any extracurricular to show my interest in science.( I know this is bad)

Talking to people who are in the physics/engineering field I feel strongly confident that physics is a match for me, my interests, and my skills(or the potential to develop them in this case). I have self studied some trig and basic physics but I don't feel as if I'm adequately prepared from it to take those tests in these areas.

I'm out of state if that makes a difference.

Voorwerp

I took the Math II test on a bad day and got a 470. My Literature school was a 490. That's pretty much as bad as you can get. Luckily, that means nothing to the equations, so I was still accepted to UCSB (Physics), UCSD (Astrophysics), UCD (Physics), and UCSC (Physics). LA, Cal, and for some off reason UCI turned me down. I'm going to SD because they're more likely to get me into a good graduate school and at SB I won't be challenged at all, but if I was denied by SD I would be at SB in the Fall.

Your subjects don't matter that much anymore. As a matter of fact, they're getting rid of them in 2012 because they've been deemed racist. I had a 4.0 GPA, 29 ACT, and good EC's though, so that helped zero out my ****ty SAT II scores. I didn't start taking a serious Physics class until 12th grade, so before then, I was just reading equation-free books. Although you can learn a lot from Hawking books, physics is really mathematical. There's a ton of calc in it.* If you enjoy math and like asking "why" instead of "how," physics is a good match for you. Do you have any ideas what you want to specialize in? I talked about dark matter and dark energy in my essays, which may have made them take me more seriously. By the way, what grade are you in?

*Spend some time reading this free book.

MIT OpenCourseWare | Supplemental Resources | RES.18-001 Calculus, Spring 2005 | Textbook

Any other questions?

Voorwerp

Remember, just because you're not taking a class doesn't mean you can't learn about calculus and physics. That calc book is ****ing great and I used it long before I start Pre-calc in 12th grade. It made the class much easier. As for physics, I didn't touch the mathematical side, but came in with an understanding of the text side of the subject.

JohnVicious

Thanks and congrats on getting into all those schools!

I'm in 11th grade, the first thing the really grabbed my attention was actually astrophysics, but now I've also picked up an interest in nuclear and high energy physics.To be honest it all seems so interesting, I probably won't get to get to specific into a field until well into college.

Thanks for the link to the textbook, I'd been thinking of getting my self prepared for the concepts in higher-maths but didn't know of any resources, I'll definitely be getting good use out of it.

Good luck in your studies!

solastalgic

I don't think it matters much. I took US History and Lit SAT IIs, and got into UC Davis under a biology major, plus the regents scholarship.

Voorwerp

Thanks and congrats on getting into all those schools!

I'm in 11th grade, the first thing the really grabbed my attention was actually astrophysics, but now I've also picked up an interest in nuclear and high energy physics.To be honest it all seems so interesting, I probably won't get to get to specific into a field until well into college.

Thanks for the link to the textbook, I'd been thinking of getting my self prepared for the concepts in higher-maths but didn't know of any resources, I'll definitely be getting good use out of it.

Good luck in your studies!

Thanks, I'm really happy that I got into a good school. I expected much worse lol. Physics is broader than most people think. UCSD, for one, offers an Astrophysics, Biophysics, Computational Physics, Material Physics, and Earth Sciences specialization in their degree. As for UCSB, I believe they only offer a Physics degree with an optional minor in Earth and Planetary Sciences. Check the course catalog to see if they have classes in the things you might be interested in. You may go from Applied Physics to Biophysics to Particle Physics and back to Applied Physics by the time you finish your G.E, so make sure your school will allow for that.

Remember, no matter how hard it gets, the people next to you are struggling just as much as you. Math and Physics are challenging, but rewarding majors. It will take a lot of studying, but if it's your passion, it's worth it.

Physics

AskMsSun

Generally the UCs don't care too much about the subjects of the SAT Subject tests you take. The only exception is for engineering where Math Level 2 and a science is strongly recommended.