Calculus for med school

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seunglee

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I took calculus II as a freshman last semester and got a C+, which is evidently atrocious. Now, I did not take any calculus this semester. Should I take calculus III next semester or just stick with a class of my choice? Would doing well in calc III prove anything to med schools that maybe my previous grade was an aberration?
 
Bad idea. If you got a C+ in calc II, what makes you think you'd be more successful in calc III (which I assume is harder)? Anyways, it's calculus...I'm not even sure why it's a prereq anyway.
 
Only Harvard HST requires Cal III, and otherwise if you want to make a statement about your previous grade, retake it and get an A. Short of either of those, don't take any more calculus.
 
Calc is useless. Most schools don't require it (or one semester at most), and you'd be better off taking biochem, genetics, or some other upper level bio and acing it. That would be much more helpful honestly.
 
Don't take more mathematics courses unless you absolutely love them and will do well (preferably A's or AB's). You probably won't need Calc III for anything in medical school unless you do quantitative research or plan on MD/PhD in engineering, biophysics, or math. Most schools don't even require Calc II. Raising your grades will probably be easier with upper division biology courses...
 
Vandy Premed said:
Calc is useless. Most schools don't require it (or one semester at most), and you'd be better off taking biochem, genetics, or some other upper level bio and acing it. That would be much more helpful honestly.
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There are schools that require a year of math, but not sure if statistics would count in that.
 
transfec said:
There are schools that require a year of math, but not sure if statistics would count in that.
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My statistics + calc I counts for my year...thank goodness!
 
Some say that Calc II is harder than calc III because of all the rules involved in calc II.
 
transfec said:
There are schools that require a year of math, but not sure if statistics would count in that.
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Stat definitely counts. Many recommend stat while not explicitly recommending calc actually. I don't know of any that say a year of calc, but many require a semester or two of math.

I don't think the OP doing well in Cal III would be better than doing well in genetics or one of the many other exponentially more relevant classes to medicine than calculus. Genetics, neuro, biochem, etc. would be much more useful.
 
dont say calc is useless just because youre bad at it.
 
ReptarBar said:
dont say calc is useless just because youre bad at it.
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Lol. Well, I suppose you could look at it that way. You could also consider what subjects are most important to medicine, but whatever does it for you I suppose. I was never bad at it until I took it at Vanderbilt actually. Repatar, aren't you the same person that was antagonizing me about physics? You're trolling was/is unsuccessful my friend.
 
i think youre my designated trolling target now haha
 
Vandy Premed said:
Stat definitely counts. Many recommend stat while not explicitly recommending calc actually. I don't know of any that say a year of calc, but many require a semester or two of math.

I don't think the OP doing well in Cal III would be better than doing well in genetics or one of the many other exponentially more relevant classes to medicine than calculus. Genetics, neuro, biochem, etc. would be much more useful.
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Up until prereq change announcements released this year, WashU, Harvard, and Hopkins have been the only three schools that require math through Cal II. Harvard and Hopkins will accept Cal I + Stat in the future, and I haven't heard about any changes in WashU's policy.
 
OK wtf...now I'm kinda pissed off that I need to take Calc II for my major. I didn't realize that Calc 1 + stats would count towards the year of math. 😡
 
The only reason to take anything beyond Calc I is if you enjoy it or if your school requires it. At my undergrad, Calc II is required to get a BS in biology and it is a pre-req for physics.
 
Well I don't really think all classes should be approached with the intent that they will improve your ability to succeed as a doctor. Another worthy consideration is if it will round out your life and help you be a better/more whole person. Calculus definitely falls in that category, in my opinion. It is a unique mathematical approach and any college-educated person should have exposure to it!

..yes, I went to a liberal arts college, why do you ask? 🙂
 
seunglee said:
I took calculus II as a freshman last semester and got a C+, which is evidently atrocious. Now, I did not take any calculus this semester. Should I take calculus III next semester or just stick with a class of my choice? Would doing well in calc III prove anything to med schools that maybe my previous grade was an aberration?
Click to expand...

NO NO NO NO NO NO and NO. I don't even know why you would take Calc II unless as Wolfman said, its absolutely required.
 
I guess one could take upper level calc if you are a masochist and enjoy inflicting pain upon yourself.
 
calc II is an unholy abomination, to continue with anything higher will surely devour your soul.
 
I took Calc I, II, III w/ analy. geometry without knowing there was another kind lol and I took III only to find out I didn't need it. I thought I and II were ok, just a lot of practice, but III, which is multi. variable, is terrrrrrrrrrible! I still did good but I literally studied for that class every single day...kind of mad I took them without needing it [my fault though], but it feels good knowing you did well in a tough course! Its good to challenge yourself like that from time to time...
 
Loved Calc II and III--got me into the field of mathematics--but, aside from my research, it hasn't been too useful in medical school. They're great opportunities to stretch your mind and play with math, but, if OP hasn't done well, I'd suggest sticking with statistics or another lower-level math if he/she wants another math class to prove mathematical competency (or going with upper division biology or chemistry).
 
yea i took calc 1+2 at a cc and got A's, then calc 3 at my school and got an A+. no gripes here.
 
seunglee said:
I took calculus II as a freshman last semester and got a C+, which is evidently atrocious. Now, I did not take any calculus this semester. Should I take calculus III next semester or just stick with a class of my choice? Would doing well in calc III prove anything to med schools that maybe my previous grade was an aberration?
Click to expand...

You will not be prepared for Calc III if you received a C+ in Calc II.

That said, mathematics builds many skills that are valuable to any profession. Just because you probably won't need Lagrange multipliers in medical school, doesn't mean you wouldn't benefit from a rigorous mathematics course.

Mathematics is at the top of the list in building the following skills:

Critical Thinking
Logical Reasoning
Pattern Recognition
Troubleshooting
Analytical
Problem Solving

The list goes on. Don't discount the intangible benefits of math. 🙂
 
Your answer is Calculus Demystified, that is , if you can find a good copy...It is really good supplementary material.
 
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