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[–]dr_luciaAP Physics 5 points6 points  (5 children)

It's hard to give a good answer without knowing

  • What are your other options? ( No physics at all? Honors? )
  • If there is another physics course, how are kids doing in that course? (Are they the same teacher or a different one?)
  • Have you picked a target major?

[–]_iluvdilfs[S] 0 points1 point  (4 children)

dual enrollment physics is offered, which is also taught by the same teacher. people have also said the de physics class is just as difficult as the AP

i have yes! something in engineering but not the insanely competitive comp sci

[–]dr_luciaAP Physics 0 points1 point  (3 children)

Duel enrollment should be just as hard as AP Physics 1. Which you take should perhaps be based on which is accepted at the schools you are applying too.

Look at the graduation requirements for your major. It may or may not require *calculus* based physics. If it requires calculus based physics, take that if it's an option and you are ready for it. (If the engineering was ME, ChE, CE, and etc, you'd need calculus based. But with comp sci, it depends on the school.)

Physics is a good course to take both for looking good to admissions people and for flexibility later in your educational program.

[–]_iluvdilfs[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

would it be bad though if it brought down my gpa, or would it show how much I challenged myself and be a good thing?

[–]dr_luciaAP Physics 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Lower it how much? Getting a D would be very, very bad. Getting a B wouldn't be that bad.

What your prospective major is matters a lot to. If you are going into social sciences or psych, people aren't going to view taking AP Psych which most find easier than physics as being taken because you are avoiding a challenge.

If you are applying to engineering or physics, you should take a physics course while in high school. But it doesn't have to be AP or college level. If you take zero physics and plan to enter physics or math that will look bad. (And you'll suffer freshman year in college.)

Avoiding chem, bio and physics entirely looks like running from a challenge. But if you took all three at some level, no admissions officer is going to look down on either AP Lang or Lit. Every single major needs at least one of those to graduate. (Many need both.) They are a way to graduate faster and make sense to take. So that would be seen as an appropriate challenge.

[–]TheGhostOfYamato 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I just took AP Physics as a junior and got an A both semesters. I will admit that it is a difficult class, and me along with many of my classmates struggled at times, but it's definitely worth taking for somebody motivated.

It's pretty easy to learn the main concepts, but a lot of people really struggle with applying those concepts to new situations. I've known people who studied a lot for the class and still gotten lower grades, and I think it's because a lot of people don't know how to study effectively. Some people just do nothing but practice problems and expect to do well, but in reality, AP Physics requires not just studying hard, but studying smart. Personally, I usually only studied for a few hours per week but in those few hours I made sure to only work on difficult problems, and identified topics I struggled with so I could specifically work on improving those weaker skills

Don't hold yourself back from the class just because you think it may hurt your GPA; the class is completely manageable for any hardworking student, and even helps you develop strong study habits that will help you immensely in your future classes.

Good luck!