So I'm taking grade 12 physics this semester and as it was a 7th course I am not doing nearly as well as I'd like to be (below 70%). I just chose to focus on my other 3 courses this semester as they are part of my cumulative top 6 for uni. Physics is known to be the most difficult course at my high school and I'm really not strong in it/combined with focus on other subjects --> low mark...

People keep reiterating that it is pointless to take physics 1LO3 so I'm kind of left in a hole as I am doubtful I will be able to handle the 1BO3 course with my low grade 12 mark.

Do you recommend I still take the 1BO3 course, assuming obviously that I will put forth the hard work it requires? Maybe take an upgrading course in the summer for grade 12 physics as a refresher/prep for 1BO3?

Thanks in advance

Originally Posted by IBB9780

So I'm taking grade 12 physics this semester and as it was a 7th course I am not doing nearly as well as I'd like to be (below 70%). I just chose to focus on my other 3 courses this semester as they are part of my cumulative top 6 for uni. Physics is known to be the most difficult course at my high school and I'm really not strong in it/combined with focus on other subjects --> low mark...

People keep reiterating that it is pointless to take physics 1LO3 so I'm kind of left in a hole as I am doubtful I will be able to handle the 1BO3 course with my low grade 12 mark.

Do you recommend I still take the 1BO3 course, assuming obviously that I will put forth the hard work it requires? Maybe take an upgrading course in the summer for grade 12 physics as a refresher/prep for 1BO3?

Thanks in advance

I would say that if you put the work in, the course is easily manageable and you can get a good mark.

Don't worry about your high school mark, it's not going to be indicative of your university physics performance. It's all about how you study and how much effort you put into the course.

I would say don't take physics again in the summer because you won't benefit from it. Physics 1B03 is all about application, the material itself isn't hard at all. Taking it in summer school may get you slightly more comfortable with the material but when you learn it for a third time in 1B03, you'll be a lot more likely to slack off and be bored.

Just enjoy your summer and don't worry about 1B03 that much. It may be harder than most other subjects but not by much. Just work hard when the time comes and you'll be fine.

1B03 is required for a few second year programs (from life sciences I) so I suggest that you take it if you know it's required for the stream you'd want to go in. I found it to be a very difficult course, even though I did really well in grade 12 physics and in 1L03, but that's personal for me. I would suggest maybe taking it in the term where you feel you'll be more focused - I found that to be first term - and never hesitate to ask for help. I didn't find it was so much about the difficulty of the courses as it was me putting it on the backburner compared to all the other courses I knew I needed to work on.

Originally Posted by IBB9780

So I'm taking grade 12 physics this semester and as it was a 7th course I am not doing nearly as well as I'd like to be (below 70%). I just chose to focus on my other 3 courses this semester as they are part of my cumulative top 6 for uni. Physics is known to be the most difficult course at my high school and I'm really not strong in it/combined with focus on other subjects --> low mark...

People keep reiterating that it is pointless to take physics 1LO3 so I'm kind of left in a hole as I am doubtful I will be able to handle the 1BO3 course with my low grade 12 mark.

Do you recommend I still take the 1BO3 course, assuming obviously that I will put forth the hard work it requires? Maybe take an upgrading course in the summer for grade 12 physics as a refresher/prep for 1BO3?

Thanks in advance

A lot of 1B03 is repeat of grade 12, so uhh, even if you get a bad mark in grade 12, imagine taking some units from your grade 12 class again, for a second time, and imagine how you'll do in them. that is likely how you'll perform in 1B03, atleast for most of it. Some if it will be new, but I find that it can be learned with some self-study. Considering that 1B03 is one of the more difficult first year science courses, maybe you can give it the effort you're giving your top 6 courses now, and then I think you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Tests are mainly concept questions and math questions, the math is admittedly easy, but I consistently found myself messing up the concept questions, so you need a strong understanding of course concepts, and if they have been developed well in grade 12, it definitely helps.

With that said, considering the situation you're in with high school physics, I'd probably recommend taking that refresher course or any other form of self study you can do before 1B03. Also, 1L03 isn't entirely useless, it may not have a lab component and so forth, but you can get into many programs with a 1L03 mark, on the condition you take 1B03 in second year, this is a route many students take. 1L03 can technically be that refresher course you mentioned, if you feel you need it.

It's hard to judge your performance in third person, so i'll list the units I encountered, and you can decide yourself:
kinematics
dynamics & energy
2D questions that combine the two of the above
Simple Harmonic Motion/Springs
Waves (including light, water, all the various examples really)
Fluids

I think that might be it.
Hope that helps, I can hopefully answer any other questions about the course if you have them.

Wow thanks, you've all been a huge help...Would be lost w/o this forum

I love this forum!
Also take a look at a post i made earlier, lots of helpful stuff in there
http://www.macinsiders.com/showthrea...+ physic+1lo3

I did really good in high school physics and I like it as well. But 1b03 is hard and it is my lowest grade so far in university.

I took 1B03 a few years ago when it was structured a bit differently.

I had seen about 90% of the material from high school physics already, with the exception of fluids and simple harmonic motion.

It was a good course, but the class average was pretty low at the time (at least on the midterms and for i-clicker questions). My classmates probably struggled because it was a first semester course and we all had trouble adjusting to university life. However, several of us managed to do well.

I wouldn't call this a hard course, but you have to keep up with the work and do the readings in order to do well.

Let's just say physics 1B03 was the hardest thing I've ever taken. I haven't stopped number 2-ing my pants ever since.

well thats not very comforting

It wouldn't be so hard if they stopped making the midterms and exams worth so much when there are so little questions.
I don't understand why physics courses do that
I'm taking the second physics at UTSC right now and the first midterm is worse than 1B03's...ten multiple choice questions worth 15% of my final mark

I took Physics 1B03 last semester. If you did not do well in Grade 12 Physics, I would recommend you make sure you review the material before taking the course. About 25% of your grade will be derived from online quizzes, homework assignments and in-class quizzes. The rest will be in tests, including a 40-45% exam where each question is worth more than 1% of your grade. That being said, it's quite a stressful course. 1L03 should strengthen your physics knowledge before taking, if you need it.

by the way, forgot to mention that when I took it, 1st midterm avg was high 50s and 2nd midterm was 39 (highest mark 84). Plus there are lab every week which are extremely boring.

karna are you recommending I don't take the course?

Originally Posted by IBB9780

karna are you recommending I don't take the course?

Well before you completely write off taking the course, you should see whether the second year program you want to go into requires 1B03 because in that case you have no choice, but to take it.

However, I would recommend taking the course over the summer. That way, you have way more time to do your readings and learn the material, as opposed to during the school year, when you have to learn the chemistry and biology and whatnot