Should I take High School Physics/recommend some schools

[rayword45]

Cross post from Reddit cause I want more replies

I'm a high school junior and haven't really decided on what colleges I'm going to apply to, but I know that my main plan is to double major in Software Engineering and Political Science. I don't want to take physics but some teachers tell me that it's basically necessary to get into a lot of colleges

My shit or planned shit thus far

-Attending a purportedly "top-notch" exam high school
-AP Bio, APUSH and AP Comp Science junior year for electives (mandatory Spanish 4, ELA 11 and Precalculus)
-AP Statistics, AB Calc, AP Government, Humanities and Facing History for senior electives (ELA 12 mandatory, maximum 3 AP electives)
-By the end of senior year, I'm expecting a 3.0 GPA (+- .25) scaled honestly because I slacked a lot freshman and sophomore year
-Musical Ensemble extracurricular that I doubt any college will actually give a shit about (Play guitar, drums, saxophone, piano, ukulele, melodica, harmonica (lol) and can repair instrument and instrument equipment)
-Served on a student advisory council (Wrote Code of Conduct for my district, served on a superintendent panel, helped to revise public transportation for district, etc.)
-Hopefully a 2300+ SAT superscore (Got a 214 PSAT score no studying)

So, for me how important is taking physics? I could replace humanities with physics but I don't really want to honestly.

[Red Blaster]

It wouldn't hurt to take it, and besides physics is literally one of the most fun courses I ever took.
But based on what you'd like to do I wouldn't say it'd be something you have to take. I don't think you should force yourself to take anything you don't want to..then it just becomes hassle.

[kmay]

no one cares what classes you take in high school. there are 3 levels of physics once you get to college. then from there are several levels after that. physics is crazy and high school physics doesn't even scrape it.

[Reincarnate]

Depends on which schools you're considering.

[Reincarnate]

Any school that is rigorous enough to care if you take physics is going to ding you for that GPA anyway, so I'd say you could probably do without it unless you're applying to a program that calls for it as a prerequisite (e.g. some computer science programs).

That being said, if you're planning on being a software engineering major, high school physics is piss-easy by comparison. Why exactly don't you want to take it?

[DossarLX ODI]

I remember seeing something about Calculus AB before... isn't that only Calculus I? Is Calculus BC both Calculus I and II?

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

Depends on which schools you're considering.

This is basically the most concise answer. In my university both Calculus I and II were requirements for the Computer Science major, along with any natural sciences with labs (so it doesn't necessarily need to be Physics, it can be Chemistry, Biology, whatever).

Look at the Curriculum for the university you're attending. If the university has natural science requirements, you can see if Physics would count towards it (but maybe just the lecture only, not the lab portion).

[rayword45]

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

That being said, if you're planning on being a software engineering major, high school physics is piss-easy by comparison. Why exactly don't you want to take it?

At my particular school, two of the three physics teachers are total ass. One doesn't teach and grades based on how much he likes you, the other sleeps and grades you based on your race (he doesn't like Asians). I don't want to risk this kind of class for my last year of high school, I'd prefer an easy A class.

@Doss yeah AB is all I'm allowed to take and it's only Calc I. I'm not gonna apply to mit or any similarly rigorous schools though

[Reincarnate]

Originally Posted by rayword45

At my particular school, two of the three physics teachers are total ass. One doesn't teach and grades based on how much he likes you, the other sleeps and grades you based on your race (he doesn't like Asians). I don't want to risk this kind of class for my last year of high school, I'd prefer an easy A class.

@Doss yeah AB is all I'm allowed to take and it's only Calc I. I'm not gonna apply to mit or any similarly rigorous schools though

How can this possibly be the case? Physics is physics. You either get the right answer, or you don't. Unless you're also writing papers and being graded on soft factors like participation (or if the teachers have very different styles when it comes to partial credit / showing your work), physics is one of those subjects where simply being right will get you the A.

[rayword45]

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

How can this possibly be the case? Physics is physics. You either get the right answer, or you don't. Unless you're also writing papers and being graded on soft factors like participation (or if the teachers have very different styles when it comes to partial credit / showing your work), physics is one of those subjects where simply being right will get you the A.

Well, according to several sources, very few people learn anything, so they can't grade based on being right without massive scaling. They also have a grading system based on your self-appointed grade and the end of the term.

I'm sure this is grossly exaggerated but still raises points of concern.

[Reincarnate]

In the end, it's still going to depend a lot on the schools / programs you choose. Some will require physics -- others won't. If it's required, you won't have much say in the matter. You could always try to get assigned to the third physics teacher that doesn't suck compared to the other two.

If you weren't considering the software engineering / CS route, I would just say don't bother and go for the class that helps maximize your GPA so you don't risk falling into 2.0 territory.

Before you make a decision, I'd look into some schools first (that generally accept students with a 3.0 GPA) and look up the prereqs. Don't take physics unless you need to.

[j-rodd123]

high school physics is ridiculously easy, take it if u need it, if you don't want to or you don't need to then dont. not gonna read the rest of the post to Know if this is helpful but this is prob all you need to know

[rushyrulz]

Computer Science does not require Physics at my University, but Engineering requires quite a bit of it, obviously. I have never used Physics outside of 11th grade. You might be safe from needing physics if you're going for Software Engineering, but pretty much every other brand of Engineering will require a lot of it.

[Funnygurl555]

I'd say take it because yes it looks good on a transcript, but it's also nice to have a little background on physics, even if it's on a high school level.

It helps with life sciences a bit, math for sure.

Edit: do you have a budget for how much you would be willing to spend on school? Would you want to live in state or out of state? Like those are pretty important when considering places to apply to

[rayword45]

Originally Posted by Funnygurl555

Edit: do you have a budget for how much you would be willing to spend on school? Would you want to live in state or out of state? Like those are pretty important when considering places to apply to

My budget isn't exactly set in stone, but I have no intention of graduating with upwards of a $30,000 debt unless necessary, so I'd not go to any college where they don't offer me some significant aid.

[PhantomPuppy]

Originally Posted by rayword45

My budget isn't exactly set in stone, but I have no intention of graduating with upwards of a $30,000 debt unless necessary, so I'd not go to any college where they don't offer me some significant aid.

if money is a concern, consider:
1. stay in state. saves a lot.
2. community college for general education, then transferring out to another state college/university.
3. state college, since it cost less than universities.
4. private colleges = tons of financial aid and may end up costing less than other choices (depending on a lot of factors).

edit: i took physics junior year, but im not sure how necessary it is. btw, what state you in? i might take back what i said about staying in state if theres much better college choices for your planned majors.

[rayword45]

Massachusetts.

I'm not sure if staying in state is for me, though.

[reuben_tate]

As for admissions, I don't think having or not having physics on your transcript is going to make a huge difference in whether or not schools will offer you admission.

Also, I'm assuming you're not talking about AP level physics (since you're limited to 3 for your senior year). So if your degree program at the university you apply to requires physics to graduate, then your high school physics class isn't going to count. However, it could serve as good preparation for college-level physics.

Also, if your university doesn't require physics in order to graduate, then having a basic understanding of physics, even if it's high school physics, would be highly beneficial in life, especially if you have to develop software for things that incorporate physics such as game development or software that simulates physical events.

I don't know what "level" of physics your high school physics course is. My high school offered 2 different levels: algebra-based and trig-based. I took the trig-based one my junior year concurrently with trig (that was interesting haha). However, physics at the college level can go all the way up to calculus-based, multi-variable-calc-based physics, and beyond. So that's just a heads-up.

At my university for example, for the computer science (CS) department, they require a bunch of non-CS courses such as Public Speaking, Business Writing, Physics I and II (calc/multi-variable-calc based), one other natural science course (I did astronomy), and of course a bunch of math courses. However, every university is different and it's up to you to actually look up the degree and admission requirements for each school you plan on applying to.

[FoJaR]

Originally Posted by rayword45

Massachusetts.

I'm not sure if staying in state is for me, though.

in state is the best way to save money.

honestly i would not reccomend going out of state unless you can get serious scholarships or aid.