Hi! I have been reading about science classes to take in order to signal my interest in medicine, and many websites say to take AP Chem, Bio, and Physics. Being someone who is, admittedly, weaker in math, I do not think that I would be successful in AP Physics. My plan at the moment is to take AP Environmental Science with standard Physics as a Senior, but I do not know if that will put me at a disadvantage when it comes to applying to fairly competitive schools (my dream school is UMich). Can anyone tell me if it matters to take AP Physics if I want to go to college on a pre-med track (I'm thinking Psychology)?
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question and have a wonderful day!
Because ap physics isn’t directly related to your major, you don’t technically have to take it to be accepted into umich. However, umich recommends that students who are interested in attending take at least 1/3 of the available ap classes at your school. If your school offers 12, they want students to take at least 4. If you’re already at or above that number, then I would suggest not taking ap physics, as one ap science class and one normal science class already shows your dedication. Also keep in mind that umich unweights your gpa, making As in normal and ap classes both worth 4.0. If you really don’t think you’ll do well and aren’t at that number of ap classes yet, I would still recommend just taking normal physics because ap physics would likely harm your gpa more than help. If you’re not at that number of ap classes, see if there are other classes you can take that you’ll do better in than physics.
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Thank you so much for answering my question! My school offers 13 AP classes and I am looking at (tentatively) taking 9 of them. Have a great day!