In our high school, the typical science sequence for college-bound students is biology as a freshman, chemistry as a sophomore, and physics as a junior. My perception has always been that selective colleges generally expect applicants to take all three of those, particularly for STEM fields. Does it matter when an applicant takes those courses? C27 (probably not a STEM major) is considering taking AP Environmental Science as a junior and leaving physics for senior year. Intuitively that seems fine to me since itâs still rigorous and demonstrates a willingness to be challenged (and theyâre not skipping physics altogether), but I have a nagging feeling that a lot of selective schools will want to see physics completed before students apply. What do you think?
No.
Many will take APES and skip physics altogether, and many of those students get into top schools. Physics would be nice but I donât think itâs make or break.
My W&L admit took zero AP STEM except APES and Calc AB if I recall and not physics at all.
As for the âbefore applyâ most Seniors take important classes during and after they apply. So Physics would be no different - than say a Senior taking Calc or pre Calc or AP English or Econ etc.
Agree that it doesnât matter if you take physics junior or senior year. Do what makes sense in terms of your overall schedule. IMO it does make sense to complete the sequence of bio, chem, and physics in HS.
Adding one vote for âno it doesnât matter which year you take itâ but you do need to show rigor especially to the more competitive/selective colleges
Some schools actually do âstrongly recommendâ physics, especially for STEM majors. I guess it depends what level of schools OP is looking at.
âStrongly recommendedâ pretty much equates to required at highly selective schools. But to answer OPâs question, it doesnât matter if they do it junior or senior year.
Yes, while many LACs donât admit by major, from OP, this student is unlikely to be STEM focused. If they were, the question likely wouldnât have arisen as a STEM kid would have jumped in.
âprobably not a STEM major)â
The OP isnât asking if they should take physics. Theyâre asking if it matters when they take it. Iâm just answering the question asked.
A year of HS Physics is often recommended because it is a foundational science. Even if you are not a STEM major, a solid HS-level knowledge of Physics may be useful in many other academic and professional contexts.
But I donât think it matters what year you take it. The point is selective colleges want to know you will be well-prepared to thrive in your college classes, and so sometimes recommend classes for that purpose. But I donât think they will need to see a grade in Physics in order to make a positive admissions decisions.
Thanks everyone.
Or even other contexts, like understanding why a longer wrench helps loosen a tight nut or bolt, like the ones holding the wheel onto the car when you have a flat tire and want to replace it with the spare.
The OPs question Is if it is OK to take physics senior year rather than junior year. The OP plans to take physics in HS.
Technically, itâs the OPâs kid.
And theyâve already thanked us for our responses, so we can probably move on from sharing the value of physics.
100% doesnât matter if it is taken junior or senior year.