AP Physics 1 vs. Honors Physics
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Anonymous
| Can anyone weigh in on how these compare? This is the lower level AP and is Algebra-based, not calculus. It sounds like Honors might actually use higher level math than AP Physics 1? How hard is this AP? Which is better from a college admissions perspective? WJ, if anyone has school specific info. Not interested in AP Physics C. |
Anonymous
| AP is definitely harder and more impressive for college admissions. The better (in science) students take the AP class, which means that teaching to the mean of the Honors section aims at a lower target. |
Anonymous
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They are both algebra based. Honors physics actually covers more material — mechanics and electric and magnetism — AP physics 1 only covers mechanics.
So it depends on what you are looking for. Honors does not look worse in this case, especially if want to go into STEM and take more advanced classes. Honors will give you a better foundation. Also, AP physics 1 is widely regarded as being a poorly developed class and the exam has lower pass rates than most. Maybe it depends on the school, but at our school the better students take honors followed by AP physics C. |
Anonymous
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My DC took Honors Physics last year as a junior and AP Phys 1 this year as a senior. He has been accepted to several colleges for a STEM major. We had debated taking Physics C, but based on conversations with Math and Sci heads at the HS, he decided to take Phys 1 because he was not going to be in AP Calc BC this year.
The one thing I know is that Phys 1 labs are harder than Honors Physics. Your child can elect to do Hon Physics and then AP 1 next year. I would encourage you to talk to the math & sci department heads at the school. Neither one really wanted to say "Do this" or "Do that" to us, but it seemed clear that the strongest math experience was expected for Phys C. Coming off a year of distance learning, the math dept head said that "every math weakness will be exploited in AP Calculus and AP Physics 1 or C next year." |
Anonymous
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My WJ graduate who is now a sophomore majoring in physics & CS took AP Physics 1 sophomore year then AP Physics C junior year at WJ. My son was able to use his credit from the two AP physics exams to place out of freshman classes, so he's taking junior-level courses as a sophomore.
I'd go for the AP, personally. All the STEM-focused kids my son knew at WJ were in AP, not honors science, after freshman year. |
Anonymous
| AP Physics 1 is a much harder class than Honors Physics. Take a look at some of the sample AP multiple choice and free response questions online. You can find them on Google. The math is minimal but the questions are surprisingly complex |
Anonymous
| Honors physics covers more topics because it is a quick and shallow intro to physics |
Anonymous
Be careful here - AP Physics 1 isn't "lower level". It is very conceptual - kids need to really understand a situation and explain how they know, not just plug-and-chug into math equations. It is one of the hardest APs - only 23% scored 4 or 5, compared to 52% scoring 4 or 5 on AP Physics C Mech. https://www.totalregistration.net/AP-Exam-Registration-Service/AP-Exam-Score-Distributions.php NGSS Honors Physics is a very different course and covers a wider variety of topics, including Earth Science topics closely related to Physics. If your student isn't interested in STEM (judging by not being interested in AP Physics C), then have them take Honors Physics. It gives them more general knowledge. From a college admissions perspective, it is really not going to make a difference. -physics teacher |
Anonymous
100% - another physics teacher who teaches both AP physics classes |
Anonymous
| Thanks so much for the great feedback. Really appreciate it. Which would you recommend for a kid who conceptually enjoys physics but isn’t super strong in math? Will be in Calc AB as a senior. |
Anonymous
AP Physics should be a good course for this student. It is plenty challenging and very difficult to get a 4 or a 5 |
Anonymous
| You would be surprised how little college cares. |
Anonymous
Honestly, people are completely guessing when saying what a college does or doesn't care about. It depends on the college, and it depends on how the kid frames their application (STEM kid vs non STEM kid). It also, frankly, depends on what the students at your school do because colleges basically compare students with others from the same school (to control for things like grading policies, course availability, etc). In sum, colleges look at a whole package, but they also look to see if a kid has taken the 'most rigorous courses possible. I'm not saying that you should decide on a course based on implications for college admissions, but if you're wondering about implications, I'd go with the general sentiment that colleges want the most rigorous courses possible, which in this case would be the AP course. |
Anonymous
DP -- AP Physics 1 not C. C is something you take while you're taking AP Calc BC or after you've taken AP Calc BC. |
Anonymous
Hi OP, is your DC a junior now? Is he in Honors Physics this year? (Just curious... this was my DC's path.) |