Hi I am currently a sophomore in high school and I took Biology freshman year, got a 90 both semesters. Took Chemistry a year after, my first semester average was a 70 which was disapointing, I am aiming to get at least an 85 for the semester after. I was offered the choice to take either Physics or Forensics next year. My school has a partnership with St.Francis College so if I take Physcis I will get college credit for it, but I really wanna take forensics because of how much I hated chemistry? What do you all think?
Physics and chemistry are very different imo. I really struggled with physics as a kid. As an adult and a teacher, imo, physics is one of the best classes a student can take. It really makes you think, connect ideas, draw diagrams to understand…etc. I think it is a very challenging class, but very good for learning HOW to learn. I highly encourage/required my kids to take both chemistry and physics in high school. I don’t think this was very helpful, but there is my thoughts on it.
You know the thing is, I could actually take either or my senior year, but i’m just afraid that if I took forensics junior year they wouldn’t like it. I’m already planning on taking 2 aps next year so you know that’s why I’m a bit anxious about it. I would like to take both if I could though, thanks for responding though it was helpful
And I do agree Chemistry taught me how to learn better
At some point it is good to complete a sequence of bio, chem, and physics. It doesn’t matter which year you take physics.
FWIW my D found physics to be easier then chem but it depends on the individual ( a friend of hers has the opposite experience with the same two classes).
If you struggled in chemistry it might have been the math (it was for me). How are you doing in math, and was your teacher in chem helpful in finding you extra help or tutoring?
Colleges would rather see physics than forensics.
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Here is a thought. If you take physics your senior year, the grade is not as important as you will already have been accepted to the university, yet your application will show physics. Maybe, the 1st semester senior year grade will matter, not sure. Of course, you do have to maintain a C or you will have to self-report a D, which could be really bad. Not sure.
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Math is my worst subject
Yeah but at the same time I don’t wanna risk having a bad grade my junior year
Even senior year?
Actually my chemistry teacher is the only chemistry teacher in the whole school. She does the tutoring and she’s a nice person but her teaching method doesn’t work well for me
At D24’s old school, forensics was a science elective, not a core science. So fun if you liked science and could fit it in your schedule, but would not replace Physics/AP Bio/AP Chem as the “what comes next for college prep”.
What is the reputation of the physics teacher? Physics can be a crazy tough class, but having a patient teacher, good at making the subject accessible to non-mathy people, can be a big help.
I am also curious what your guidance counselor suggested, and the selectivity level of the colleges that interest you. It may not matter a whole lot which you take, depending on the school and your intended major.
To me, physics has a significantly higher math content compared to chemistry. Multiple things in physics involves things such as the magnitude of forces and the movement of various things (pendulums, satellites, planets, balls thrown in the air, …) and you use math to do the computations and to understand what is going to happen. Then you can do experiments and verify that the math worked out correctly.
My best subject was math. I liked physics quite a bit. However, I think that I liked it to some extent because it had more math. Some of this does make me wonder whether or not you might like math better after you take physics and see the use for some of the math that you have been studying.
The thing that occurs to me about forensic sciences is that it is a somewhat different field. This is a field where the world does need some people who are good at it. There are some universities that offer forensic sciences as a major.
Do you actually want to take forensics because you have an interest in the field, or are you just trying to avoid taking physics?
I do not see a problem with delaying physics until your senior year of high school.
Actually the physics and forensics teacher are the same person. I’ve heard very good things about her, some people tell me physics is a very fun easy free period while some say it’s just okay. My guidance counselor just told me it’s up to me and didn’t really answer my questiosn
I mean forensics does seem interesting and I had four options for next year, AP Bio, Psychology, Forensics and Physics. I narrowed it down to those two. I mean I guess I could delay it to my senior year because I’m gonna have to do a lot junior year like SATs and extra curriculars