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[medschoolwoo]

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[Blanky]

Either option is valid and I’m sure you can figure out the pros and cons of each...
Is a B+ in physics going to tank your GPA THAT much?
You are going to go into the mcat without physics knowledge and have already admitted you are weak on the subject (I would attack a weakness head on, especially pre mcat)
As long as you have plenty of science courses (all the prereqs + some upper level Bios (Genetics/Biochem etc) then schools aren’t going to care if you haven’t taken physics at the time of your app.

It’s your life, your choice

 

[BobbyKoch]

I don't think you'll be penalized for having incomplete prereqs. The physics on the MCAT is relatively light (if disguised as quite complicated by the stem). There is, however, guaranteed to be some form of physics II concept tested like light, optics, magnetism, etc.

My concern for you has more to do with your attitude regarding math and exam taking. Math, especially the simple algebraic manipulation required for physics, is not going away. You'll see some (admittedly, very basic) algebra in biochem and physio as an MS1. You'll certainly have lots and lots of exams ahead of you. My recommendation would be to get comfortable with your algebra skills. Lose the conception of yourself as someone who is "bad at math." You're learning math, you're practicing, you're getting better. Make a google doc and every time you make a mistake, log it in your google doc and you'll soon have some data that may show some trends. For me, it is often simple arithmetic mistakes that trip me up. Do practice problems. Do the ones that are hard that you hate. Do them again if you get them wrong and don't instantly look up the answer!

Regarding exams, it sounds like you have some anxiety issues. Speak to a school counselor about this, exam anxiety is a real phenomenon and it can be fixed. Imagine the anxiety from a 7 hour, career-deciding exam like the MCAT. Tackle this before you get to the MCAT and before you reach medical school and you will be so much better off!

FWIW, I also considered myself "bad at math." I failed precalculus! I struggled through physics and Chem II due to my fear and anxiety around my past experiences with math. When I realized that my self-image as "quantitatively challenged" was impacting my performance and started to alter it, my scores got better. When I challenged myself with regular practice, my grades improved further. Good luck to you!!!

 

[singernursepremed]

I applied without any physics and a missing semester of general chem (jumped straight into O-chem with permission and just kept going up from there). I'm doing physics right now - I got interviews without an issue. I don't think it really harms your application if your MCAT is OK

 

[Anaphase]

I had all of my pre-reqs completed except physics 2 and still got accepted. I don’t think it matters much.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

You don’t need to worry about applying without all the prereqs done. I was accepted without having biochem complete.

However, definitely know the concepts from physics 2. My MCAT C/P section was 60% physics, all of it from second semester.

 

[Mr. Babe]

I always love the diehards.......'attack your weakness head on', 'fix your attitude regarding math'. You will enter medical school and basically never need math again. SOME physics concepts are needed to understand physiology, but these can easily be learned without the need for a physics class......obviously you have to take physics for a pre-req, but it's a joke. I took physics and promptly dumped all the info when I finished the class. I literally never studied physics for the MCAT.....I took the hit, but still did the best on physical science section......definitely not from getting physics questions correct though. All I'm saying is that you literally only need physics for the MCAT. If I could take the MCAT again, I'd forgo physics again and learn it again in med school like I'm doing now.

 

[trumpet12345]

I always love the diehards.......'attack your weakness head on', 'fix your attitude regarding math'. You will enter medical school and basically never need math again. SOME physics concepts are needed to understand physiology, but these can easily be learned without the need for a physics class......obviously you have to take physics for a pre-req, but it's a joke. I took physics and promptly dumped all the info when I finished the class. I literally never studied physics for the MCAT.....I took the hit, but still did the best on physical science section......definitely not from getting physics questions correct though. All I'm saying is that you literally only need physics for the MCAT. If I could take the MCAT again, I'd forgo physics again and learn it again in med school like I'm doing now.

I agree strongly with ya, as they will tell you it is always difficult not because the material is difficult, but rather the volume. One skims a vast array of topics, but one's undergraduate sciences likely became more difficult (if one was naive to both and given the same) very early on. It only makes sense as medical school is one of the few places of education where it matches what to expect of the career and trains toward it.

Physics can be huge in some fields. Some in radiology for instance will remark on the amount of physics involved.
For medical school itself that the MCAT is for, expect a mastery of physics to benefit you more as a general sign of intelligence. Hopefully that general sign is also comfortable with breadth and not depth. Otherwise medical school will become horrid.

To chime in with regards to my bad performance in physics on the MCAT:
I had a physics that didn't require memorizing the formulas, but rather they decided to give the formulas (no units were provided except as something sarcastic) and increase the chances of cumulative questions or trick questions as the course went on. Questions where the answer was based on the units and such, one could tell nothing provided yet in the course would ever solve it. Failure to know unit conversion was the main difference on who finished the exams in time. Clever class, but terrible for MCAT prep for the physics section ironically - which was objectively terrible compared to what I could do. I wish though that the MCAT had calculus based concepts, as I prefer that over the clunk and tricks of MCAT algebra.

 

[HaveAnOsteoblast]

I always love the diehards.......'attack your weakness head on', 'fix your attitude regarding math'. You will enter medical school and basically never need math again. SOME physics concepts are needed to understand physiology, but these can easily be learned without the need for a physics class......obviously you have to take physics for a pre-req, but it's a joke. I took physics and promptly dumped all the info when I finished the class. I literally never studied physics for the MCAT.....I took the hit, but still did the best on physical science section......definitely not from getting physics questions correct though. All I'm saying is that you literally only need physics for the MCAT. If I could take the MCAT again, I'd forgo physics again and learn it again in med school like I'm doing now.

Do you think orgo is important, or is it just as unimportant as physics? Thanks

 

[Ho0v-man]

Videos and physics flash cards from wikipremed are the only reason I know anything about physics. Highly recommend. Way better than my BS classes from undergrad.

 

[Magus5454]

I actually had great physics professors. Some of them even taught me learning tools I use today.

 

[Mr. Babe]

Do you think orgo is important, or is it just as unimportant as physics? Thanks

Orgo is important for the MCAT for sure, but not for medical school. Some of the concepts are used in school, but you'll never need to learn a synthesis problem ever again. Orgo happened to be one of my favorite subjects so I did great on that in the MCAT. Biochem is huge in med school though, so that's the subject you'll want to know the most of.

 

[OrgoWizard]

I would take the class if it is going to be the only one you're taking while prepping for the MCAT.

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