<p>I’m currently a junior in high school and most people in my grade are taking physics. I chose to put it off to my senior year because i know i’m weak in that subject and it would only pull my gpa down during this busy year. However, everyone’s telling me that it looks better on your transcript if you take physics in your junior year, probably because it shows that you’ve successfully passed the class. I’m taking AP Chem and AP Bio this year. Should I drop something and take physics? Why does it matter to have taken physics in your junior year rather than your senior year? I don’t know why it’s valued so much higher than other classes that are more or less harder and important than it.</p>
<p>Well in my school all juniors must take Physics. My physics teacher told us (I’m not sure if this is true, just telling you what he said) that if colleges were looking at two people with similar SAT scores, ECs, grades, etc, they would prefer the one that passed a physics class. He also gave us this hand out if you want to check it out.
<a href=“http://www.sd23.bc.ca/~rgraham/Eight%20Reasons.pdf[/url]”>http://www.sd23.bc.ca/~rgraham/Eight%20Reasons.pdf</a></p>
<p>But in my opinion AP Chem & Bio are pretty great so I don’t see a reason to switch.</p>
<p>Physics is a specific entrance requirement for a good number of technical programs, so having a grade for it might help a little bit for them.</p>
<p>A lot of schools do the usual 9th-Biology, 10th-Chemistry, 11th-Physics, so that’s why most students do that. All three are important if you enter a science-related field, one might be more important than the other.</p>
<p>I was a little of an exception, I took honors biology in 9th grade, a regular physics in 10th (this might’ve been a mistake), AP Physics C - Mech in 11th, and AP Chem in 12th.</p>
<p>AP Chem and Bio are way more rigorous than physics. I wouldn’t worry about it.</p>
<p>In our district if you tested high enough you could go to the HS in 8th grade and take Honors Bio. Then you would take Honors Chem in 9th and AP Physics in 10th. My son did this. Because of some scheduling difficulties he did not take a science in 11th and then in took AP Bio in 12th. Was not the best idea having 3 years between Honors Bio (8th) and AP Bio (12th), but he did okay. I understand they stopped offering Honors Bio to the 8th grade, which is probably for the best.</p>
<p>Taking AP Chem & AP Bio in one year is too much. I think you should choose only one science class - AP Chem, AP Bio, or AP Physics B (or regular Physics)</p>
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<p>I am strongly in favor of high school students taking physics, but this teacher is being a little too enthusiastic. If you take physics during your senior year and have good grades on your midyear report card, you will look just fine compared to someone who took physics in 11th grade and who takes chem in 12th. </p>
<p>Tell your teacher that you checked into this and found that passing physics in 11th grade not only improves your college admissions chances, it also correlates with greater success with girls/guys, improves your Wii Bowling score, shaves five minutes off of your best 5k time, reduces your bodyfat percentage by two percentage points, and results in your parents being able to claim an additional $2016.32 in tax credits. Also, you will have minty fresh breath! Believe me, there is just as much support for all of this as for the idea that taking physics during your junior year will cause college admissions folks to flip for you. :)</p>
<p>AP Chem and AP Bio isn’t necessarily too much… Last year my friend took AP Chem, AP Bio, AND AP Physics B (on top of his other classes, AP Lang, AP Calc AB, APUSH, and orchestra). Tons of people take two sciences.</p>
<p>My son took AP Physics in Jr year, and AP Physics C and AP Chem Sr year. He wasted his time and money on the reg AP Physics, cuz his college only takes Physics C credit.</p>