Could UVA/Ivies reject me for not taking physics?

Answered

Hello,

Your admissions decision at UVA will be more contingent on the credits received then anything else. Although a variety of science classes might make for a helpful addition to your application, you likely won't be penalized for not taking physics. Admissions Officers are aware of the logistics behind IB classes and their 2 year long length. According to their common data set, you're already met the academic credits recommended (CDS: https://ira.virginia.edu/cds-2020-21). Additionally, AOs will likely be comfortable with your class schedule since your second biology course was a highly rigorous version and more expansive then the original honors biology you took.

As for the Ivy league, you have to understand that the admissions requirements and criteria are different based on the school. Although some qualities between ivy leagues are similar, they are different institutions with an independent autonomy over how they select freshman students. For example, Princeton University expects students to take at least 2 full year credits worth of sciences (https://admission.princeton.edu/how-apply/academic-preparation), while the minimum for Cornell University is 3 (https://admissions.cornell.edu/apply/first-year-applicants/college-and-school-admissions-requirements). If you're not applying for an engineering program, then a lack of a physics course generally isn't harmful to your application. Generally, the ivy league will be more concerned with how rigorous your science selections are more then the variety, but you should research their common data sets and admission preferences individually.

Hope this helps and best of luck!