My son hated biology and if his school was bigger and offered options, he wouldn’t take it at all.
I would not say “need”.
I will say my S24 was one of the kids at his HS who took a summer class (Chemistry in his case). This came completely out of the blue for us–he just came to us near the end of 9th grade and said he wanted to take Chemistry in the summer. He still had to complete the intro sequence in 10th grade with Bio, which he would be taking a year early (however, he would be doing that with some friends who also skipped ahead). And he wanted to do this because it would let him take both advanced Chem electives and Advanced Bio, which he has since done. And for good measure, last summer he also took a college course in Bio, because why not?
I swear no one is making him do this! Certainly not us. He just wants to, because he likes the classes, likes the teachers, and so on.
Did he hate biology before he took biology?
Sort of a general observation, but I think often people get an impression of a science from an earlier class, and then are pleasantly/unpleasantly surprised the next time they take it. I think this is particularly likely to happen between school levels–HS science versus middle school science, or college science versus HS science. But it can happen just between different levels of a subject–things can get a lot more interesting, or alternatively a lot less fun, just moving levels.
So, yeah, I am not sure I would trust that assessment either. Then again, a lot of kids do not necessarily react well to being coerced into trying things they have decided they will not like. So, it can be tricky.
2 Likes
That is different. They are not talking about taking Physics in the summer to take Physics C. They are thinking it will fulfill the “requirement”. IMO that is not the case.
OP:
I hope she is willing to explore new classes, subject areas, activities, clubs etc once she goes to college…even if she isn’t sure right away whether she will actually enjoy them.
She may find a new interest by taking a risk.
yes. He doesn’t like things that wriggle. Worse when they are dead. He faints at the sight of blood…
Well right, in his case he did both Chemistry in the summer and then Chemistry electives.
But other kids just did summer Chemistry with him, Bio as a 10th year, and then Physics stuff–usually Physics with Calculus (roughly equivalent to C), then possibly Engineering or Astronomy. Or maybe they did Physics with Calculus and Advanced Bio.
So there was definitely no rule, formal or informal, that if you took Chemistry in the summer, you had to take an advanced Chemistry elective later. My kid did, because that is what he was interested in doing, but not because he was told he had to.
Edit: Oh, and the last common combination I know of is people who do Advanced Biology and Psychology, the latter for us being an advanced class. That is usually the pre-med types.
I do too! Actually, very specifically, I will get tunnel vision and then pass out if I think too much about fluids moving inside a body.
You can splatter the walls with gore, I am fine with that. But the first time I passed out was watching a film strip on the circulatory system.
Yada yada yada, I was doing fine during D30’s birth, but then there was an intern observing and being talked through the epidural, and next thing I know, I am the one getting cold towels on the forehead and ice chips.
Good thing there was not a divorce attorney in the room . . . .
I kind of wanted to put in a student’s perspective in this. Currently I am a sophomore in college studying either Radiation Therapy or Sonography on a Pre-PA track (which I know is not the same as Pre-Med, but I have taken the same classes).
I won’t go into the admissions process much because the colleges I wanted to apply to were not the same as yours (no selective LACs), but I will say that I regret not taking a standalone physics course in high school. I took a half semester of Intro to Physics in high school freshman year and hated that class; it made no sense to me. I thought, based off that class, that I just hated physics in general and avoided the subject. I participated in an early college program starting junior year of high school and took all my gen eds, plus a bunch of biology, chemistry, and math college classes because I loved those classes.
Now, I have to take two semesters of physics for my major; I am currently in the second class. I found out that the reason why I hated freshman physics because the trig/calculus that is used in physics was never taught. I actually really like physics now and it does make a lot of sense with the math, plus there definitely are a lot of HW problems that are related to medicine. My regret is that I didn’t take it sooner because I definitely did not give physics a fair chance; I would have taken it earlier had I known that I would like it.
15 Likes
Many “honors” students take Biology in 8th grade so they take Chemistry in 9th and Physics (sometimes AP physics 1 sometimes Honors) in 10th, then have space for 1 or 2 more science classes, often APs.
Some schools have a “physics first” approach where Physical Science is the normal 9th grade class to ensure all students have an idea of physical laws, then biology (or Life Sciences) which again all take, then college-bound students complete with fuether classes.
Some high schools allow doubling up (Biology&Chemistry, Chemistry&Physics) depending on how they structure their day and how long their periods are but they’re not the most common.
Some HS don’t offer Physics, only Physical science or only one class period.
Physics is one of the 3 foundational science subjects - all three allow students to grasp the epistemological nature of science. Other subjects are subsidiary to them or smaller - Earth Science, Physiology, Marine science, Environmental science…
In my experience, students who apply to highly selective schools may not have physics due to specific circumstances, such as the class not being offered/getting cancelled, too few periods making it impossible for the student to take… or an exceptional would-be arts/humanities major.
2 Likes
I absolutely loved Physics in HS and pre-med college. It is probably the most relevant subject to my chosen profession. (Physical Therapy)
After all we are just a bag of pulleys and levers powered by a conduction system.
And to spare @NiceUnparticularMan I won’t further discuss body fluids with valves and hoses and such. 
1 Like
That may be a possibility, if the school allows it.
it’s a fair point. She thinks she prefers bio and chem, but she’s 15 and obviously thinks she knows more than she actually does. I’ve pointed out to her that she may like it, and she should talk to her brother, who is currently taking it.
Her goals and interests may change, develop etc as she gets older, but you know that.
Really? Are you going to imply, knowing basically nothing about my kid, that she may not be willing to take risks in her life just because she would prefer to take a further course in biology, which she knows she likes, over physics? Come on.
Thank you! It is really helpful to hear about your experience.
I was not implying anything and it was not my intention to come across that way. I asked… because I do not know your daughter, as you just stated.
Just trying to understand your point: Why, if taking physics in the summer is enough to satisfy the prerequisite for Physics C, is it not enough to “check the box” on physics? Is it because a full physics class is not really necessary before taking Physics C?
Yeah, I pretty much agree with everyone that Physics is probably the wisest choice in terms of preparation and also college admission. OTOH, I want to point out that both of my older children broke some of the rules (especially D24) and ignored my input as well as conventional wisdom so that they could take the courses that they found the most interesting but would not have fit into their schedules if they had taken the “right” sequence of the right courses. It was not a case of their schools not offering the conventional sequence, it was the case of teenaged stubbornness. They both did well in college admissions --OK, the jury is still out on D24 since she has RD apps still in progress, but so far so good. I agree with the OP in that I don’t think a lack of any one course is the kiss of death in selective college admissions. I do think it is probably not worth the risk over such a foundational course. I think the biggest issue in my mind is that she wants to be as well-prepared as possible for the courses that she already knows that she’ll have to take in college. Skipping physics will hurt her in the long run. Ask me how I know!
Friendly advice from a parent who had to skip a foundational course (changed high schools and ended up missing it at both school), and consequently suffered when taking a college level course in which everyone else had that foundation.
3 Likes