Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 15:30     Subject: Is Advanced/AP Physics required?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What matters is rigor in the context of the applicant’s school. Is the applicant’s rigor strong relative to peers? Do most students take AP physics?


DC is missing max rigor in 3 classes - 2 from freshman yr. Older dc was missing max rigor in 1 class from freshman yr. At Ivy now. Most peers do take Advanced Physics so it’s unfortunate it didn’t work out. Just wondering how much of a disadvantage this will ultimately be.


I think it matters why not. If the class doesn't fit in the schedule because they are taking other similarly rigorous classes in areas of interest, then you're probably fine. I have a kid at a top LAC who didn't take multivariable but did take a rigorous full schedule in other subjects of interest senior year and it worked out fine admissions wise.

Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 15:00     Subject: Is Advanced/AP Physics required?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:For a humanities applicant, is regular physics acceptable? Looking at top 20-25 schools, including Ivies. Assume GPA and SAT stats are high enough otherwise.


Yes. DD into schools like UCLA and Washington U w regular physics


Thx, assuming Wash U app was reg decision?

Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 14:31     Subject: Is Advanced/AP Physics required?
Anonymous wrote:For a humanities applicant, is regular physics acceptable? Looking at top 20-25 schools, including Ivies. Assume GPA and SAT stats are high enough otherwise.


Yes. DD into schools like UCLA and Washington U w regular physics
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 14:26     Subject: Is Advanced/AP Physics required?
Anonymous wrote:It depends on your school, OP. My DC goes to a private where they have to take honors biology, honors chemistry and honors physics before the AP versions of these classes. So junior year STEM kids will opt for honors physics + AP Bio or AP Chem. Senior year they will do AP Physics and the other AP lab science they didn’t take in 11th. The humanities and social science kids will take honors biology, honors chemistry and honors Physics in 9-11th grade. These kids will usually take AP Bio or APES senior year. Yes, they get into top 20s with this schedule.


This is helpful, thx.
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 14:24     Subject: Is Advanced/AP Physics required?
Anonymous wrote:My kid got into a top 10 school with no physics at all! Hon Bio, Hon Chem, APES, AP stats, AP Java were their "sciences" (broadly defined there, I know). I think they took them as a humanities prospect but my kid is now doing stem anyway. Still no physics!


I wish our school offered APES equivalent. It doesn’t. DC requested 2 adv science electives but the seniors got them. So it was physics or like Adv art history or something. Which in retrospect might have been the better choice.
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 14:19     Subject: Is Advanced/AP Physics required?
Anonymous wrote:Has DC taken any other AP science classes? Bio? Chem?

Also, what do the top students at their school do? In ours, they all take three AP science classes. Some (the pre-engineering/STEM kids) take four by doubling AP Chem and AP physics sophomore year. They also take a full slate of AP humanities type courses, for a total of 10-14 APs.

But your DC’s school may be different. Your DC’s choices and rigor will first be compared to that of their classmates, former and current. It matters a lot less what kids at other schools with other options and cultures do.


Yes, Adv Chem and Adv Bio and Adv science electives next yr. Which is great but most kids are in Adv Physics this yr and dc isn’t.
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 13:29     Subject: Is Advanced/AP Physics required?
What matters is what their peers in their high school are taking. Get that intel.
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 13:21     Subject: Is Advanced/AP Physics required?
My kid got into a top 10 school with no physics at all! Hon Bio, Hon Chem, APES, AP stats, AP Java were their "sciences" (broadly defined there, I know). I think they took them as a humanities prospect but my kid is now doing stem anyway. Still no physics!
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 13:18     Subject: Is Advanced/AP Physics required?
My DS got into one of the top engineering schools in the country without AP Physics and it was available. I believe top schools take a much deeper dive and want to see the whole package which matters much more.
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 12:53     Subject: Is Advanced/AP Physics required?
AP Physics EM and Mechanics is essentially an IQ test for visio-spatial skills and quantitative ability. For colleges or programs that care about this ability, doing very well in the class matters.
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 12:39     Subject: Is Advanced/AP Physics required?
It depends on your school, OP. My DC goes to a private where they have to take honors biology, honors chemistry and honors physics before the AP versions of these classes. So junior year STEM kids will opt for honors physics + AP Bio or AP Chem. Senior year they will do AP Physics and the other AP lab science they didn’t take in 11th. The humanities and social science kids will take honors biology, honors chemistry and honors Physics in 9-11th grade. These kids will usually take AP Bio or APES senior year. Yes, they get into top 20s with this schedule.
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 12:39     Subject: Is Advanced/AP Physics required?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yes, got into multiple ivies with Physics 1. Highest AP’s in all other subjects. Stem major (premed).


Did she not take AP Physics because it wasn't available at her school, or did she just choose not to?


He did AP Bio/APES 10th
AP Chem/AP Physics 11th

Senior year took Genetics and Computational Science elsewhere. Didn’t want to take it and was doing other classes, plus wanted to save plenty of time for college applications.


Meant Physics 1, didn’t take the next one
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 12:38     Subject: Is Advanced/AP Physics required?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yes, got into multiple ivies with Physics 1. Highest AP’s in all other subjects. Stem major (premed).


Did she not take AP Physics because it wasn't available at her school, or did she just choose not to?


He did AP Bio/APES 10th
AP Chem/AP Physics 11th

Senior year took Genetics and Computational Science elsewhere. Didn’t want to take it and was doing other classes, plus wanted to save plenty of time for college applications.
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 12:37     Subject: Is Advanced/AP Physics required?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What matters is rigor in the context of the applicant’s school. Is the applicant’s rigor strong relative to peers? Do most students take AP physics?


DC is missing max rigor in 3 classes - 2 from freshman yr. Older dc was missing max rigor in 1 class from freshman yr. At Ivy now. Most peers do take Advanced Physics so it’s unfortunate it didn’t work out. Just wondering how much of a disadvantage this will ultimately be.


It’s so hard to know with holistic review. Each kid’s academic piece is distilled down to a number. So hard to know what goes into that at what doesn’t move the needle. Kids who have reviewed their admissions file once they get to school have shared how little detail is recorded there.

Have your DC do the best they can with what they have to work with. The rest is out of your/their hands. (This is what I tell myself, too, when I get bogged down in the details. It’s impossible and miserable to try to assess or optimize everything in advance …. )
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 12:32     Subject: Is Advanced/AP Physics required?
Has DC taken any other AP science classes? Bio? Chem?

Also, what do the top students at their school do? In ours, they all take three AP science classes. Some (the pre-engineering/STEM kids) take four by doubling AP Chem and AP physics sophomore year. They also take a full slate of AP humanities type courses, for a total of 10-14 APs.

But your DC’s school may be different. Your DC’s choices and rigor will first be compared to that of their classmates, former and current. It matters a lot less what kids at other schools with other options and cultures do.