Is it possible/advisable to take both Physics in one semester....

[Mavs88]

Assuming that I will get advisor's approval to do so.

Only reason for me to do this is to get both done before the mcat and have no classes in summer as i do the 3 month sn2 plan.

If i took both, id likely get some sort of mcat review content book for physics and study it a bit this winter before taking them in spring.

another option is take physics 1 only and self learn 2 for mcat....unless yall think the sn2 plan is manageable with one summer month of a 4 hr course.

thanks!

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[pathologyDO]

Never heard of anyone doing it. The main issue is that you need to understand kinematics and other foundational physics I knowledge to be able to understand physics II. Worth asking but I wouldn't keep your hopes up.

But that aside, I think you will be just fine without having had physics II yet. My physics prof's were not very good so I pretty much had to self-teach through that material for the MCAT and it ended up being my strongest section... go figure.

 

[BlueLabel]

Never heard of anyone doing it. The main issue is that you need to understand kinematics and other foundational physics I knowledge to be able to understand physics II. Worth asking but I wouldn't keep your hopes up.

But that aside, I think you will be just fine without having had physics II yet. My physics prof's were not very good so I pretty much had to self-teach through that material for the MCAT and it ended up being my strongest section... go figure.

One option would be to schedule your MCAT for late in the semester - you won't have had all of phys 2 but a significant portion of it will have been tested. I did this & recommend it

 

[mehc012]

Never heard of anyone doing it. The main issue is that you need to understand kinematics and other foundational physics I knowledge to be able to understand physics II. Worth asking but I wouldn't keep your hopes up.

But that aside, I think you will be just fine without having had physics II yet. My physics prof's were not very good so I pretty much had to self-teach through that material for the MCAT and it ended up being my strongest section... go figure.

There's not really much of Phys I in Phys II. It's not like Orgo 1 and 2, which are definitely consecutive. Phys I and Phys II cover pretty distinct areas, actually! I've seen a few people take Phys II without taking any form of Phys I and they had no issue with it.

 

[Cinclus]

There's not really much of Phys I in Phys II. It's not like Orgo 1 and 2, which are definitely consecutive. Phys I and Phys II cover pretty distinct areas, actually! I've seen a few people take Phys II without taking any form of Phys I and they had no issue with it.

I agree that the topics and concepts covered are pretty distinct, so you could likely pull off physics 2 before finishing 1. The thought of taking that much physics in one semester makes me a bit nauseated, though...but I was never a big fan of the subject.

 

[mehc012]

I agree that the topics and concepts covered are pretty distinct, so you could likely pull off physics 2 before finishing 1. The thought of taking that much physics in one semester makes me a bit nauseated, though...but I was never a big fan of the subject.

I'm just eternally grateful that you used nauseated vs nauseous accurately. I've decided that patients must make most doctors/nurses/techs/everyone feel physically ill. And yeah, I know, changes in common usage eventually change the definition, but...thanks for using nauseated anyway!!

 

[Mavs88]

Appreciate the replies..forgot to mention that I'll also be taking Ochem II and Bio II...not sure if I can pull that off lol

 

[No Limits]

Appreciate the replies..forgot to mention that I'll also be taking Ochem II and Bio II...not sure if I can pull that off lol

In that case, I definitely advise against you taking both physics with that schedule...Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[youmed]

Appreciate the replies..forgot to mention that I'll also be taking Ochem II and Bio II...not sure if I can pull that off lol

Yes, that's a little too much to take on during one semester.

 

[Mavs88]

Thanks, guys. Won't do it. Decided to take Physics II in Summer I and study for the MCAT concurrently all summer.

 

[487806]

Assuming that I will get advisor's approval to do so.

Only reason for me to do this is to get both done before the mcat and have no classes in summer as i do the 3 month sn2 plan.

If i took both, id likely get some sort of mcat review content book for physics and study it a bit this winter before taking them in spring.

another option is take physics 1 only and self learn 2 for mcat....unless yall think the sn2 plan is manageable with one summer month of a 4 hr course.

thanks!

Sure. There's nothing wrong. Me and mt friends pull the same stunt (because it's sadly required) and upper level physics is pretty nightmarish. Just be dedicated to work hard in both courses and you'll be fine.

 

[Cinclus]

I'm just eternally grateful that you used nauseated vs nauseous accurately. I've decided that patients must make most doctors/nurses/techs/everyone feel physically ill. And yeah, I know, changes in common usage eventually change the definition, but...thanks for using nauseated anyway!!

You are most welcome.

 

[sat0ri]

Just a brief thought, but sometimes you can override the institutional aspects with professor approval.
Even though things seem pretty resolved as far as content is concerned, I'll chip in a bit here as well: the only thing I can imagine is seeing how similar the gravitation law and Coulumbs law are (inverse square laws), but taking I and II concurrently might only augment this understanding, if timing aligns. Also, oscillatory motion might help with quantum mechanics, depending if your institution introduces this in physII. To be perfectly honest, other factors barred (lack of time, MCAT planning etc), I think the content would dovetail nicely and actually be a benefit to take the course simultaneously.

 

[kyamh]

Just a brief thought, but sometimes you can override the institutional aspects with professor approval.
Even though things seem pretty resolved as far as content is concerned, I'll chip in a bit here as well: the only thing I can imagine is seeing how similar the gravitation law and Coulumbs law are (inverse square laws), but taking I and II concurrently might only augment this understanding, if timing aligns. Also, oscillatory motion might help with quantum mechanics, depending if your institution introduces this in physII. To be perfectly honest, other factors barred (lack of time, MCAT planning etc), I think the content would dovetail nicely and actually be a benefit to take the course simultaneously.

I'd like to echo the thought about working around institutional rules. I've taken many courses without pre-reqs or concurrently with pre-reqs in order to get the most out of my education. All my professors have been happy to sit down and talk through the syllabus to see if I could handle the course load with my previous academic experiences or what kind of pre-studying I ought to do to succeed. About Physics specifically, I never took the first course (felt like I understood more that enough from other courses/AP in high school) and took Physics II and an upper level course instead - best decision ever since I skipped a class I didn't need and got to take a cool seminar instead.

 

[sunflower18]

I talked to Physics professors at my university about doing this last year, and they thought that it'd be manageable. But I got scared and decided against it, and vowed to self study Physics II material for the MCAT over the summer.

Big mistake. I really wish I had taken both Physics I and Physics II last year before taking the MCAT, because self studying all of that fluids/electricity/magnetism stuff was awful. It didn't turn out as nightmarish as I thought it was going to (11 on PS) but self teaching myself that material was really hard, and I wish I hadn't put myself through that. Take both semesters of Physics at the same time if it helps you avoid that fate!

 

[Runican]

Thanks, guys. Won't do it. Decided to take Physics II in Summer I and study for the MCAT concurrently all summer.

When does the class begin/end and when do you plan on taking the MCAT?

 

[Mavs88]

When does the class begin/end and when do you plan on taking the MCAT?

Will be taking MCAT in mid August. Class runs entire June...will study May-August.

 

[Runican]

Will be taking MCAT in mid August. Class runs entire June...will study May-August.

That sounds like a good plan. I took physics II and biochem last summer while studying for the MCAT. The classes ran from mid-May until the end of June and I took the MCAT on July 13. As long as you have nothing major going on outside of class and studying, it shouldn't be bad at all. My only advice is to be sure to schedule separate times for MCAT studying and physics homework/studying. It's really tempting to dedicate more time to physics since the tests/homework are more imminent, so you have to be adamant about the MCAT.

 

[Mavs88]

That sounds like a good plan. I took physics II and biochem last summer while studying for the MCAT. The classes ran from mid-May until the end of June and I took the MCAT on July 13. As long as you have nothing major going on outside of class and studying, it shouldn't be bad at all. My only advice is to be sure to schedule separate times for MCAT studying and physics homework/studying. It's really tempting to dedicate more time to physics since the tests/homework are more imminent, so you have to be adamant about the MCAT.

Thanks for the advice! I'm planning to use the SN2 plan so definitely going to want to plan everything and manage time really well.