I know it doesn’t need to be physics, but we don’t know what other sciences the kid has or hasn’t done. My kid didn’t have physics either and went to NYU, but she wasn’t doing STEM, so that’s not really relevant either imo. The bottom line is does the student want to skip out on a subject that many people and definitely many STEM applicants have on their transcripts?
Our high school recommends students complete bio, chem and physics to be competitive for college admissions.