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Calculus for Pharm
Started by Paulz
M
Mandu08
Pre-calc and Calc I are both tested on the PCAT.
It doesn't have a direct correlation to pharmacy; however, according to pharmacy schools the the quantitative ability section measures how well one will compute pharmacy related calculations. Also, a little bit of calculus is helpful in doing research and analyzing data.
Calculus is on the PCAT, therefore, I would imagine it might at least be minimally important in Pharmacy School. This would be better answered by Pharmacy Students. As per your situation, I would recommend that you take advantage of your on-campus tutoring, maybe even sit in another professor's Calc course. Calculus is difficult to grasp initially, since it is so abstract. But once you beat that hurdle, you will find it is not so bad. But in my experiences (I have taken a LOT of math courses...former engineer...), I have noticed that the teacher can really make or break you when is comes to understanding the material. So look for other ways to learn the material that might be outside of your classroom.
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While calculus doesn't come up a lot or in the depth you have it in the class in pharmacy school, understanding the concepts you learn in the class will help you in classes such as Kinetics in pharmacy school.
Calc I is the bare minimum and you get a few questions right if you go take II. III is overkill and unneccessary.
The bulk of the calculus tested on the PCAT is slanted toward first semester calc.
I am also in my second week of pre-calc and I totally feel you on this one. Math has always been something that requires a lot of effort from me, unlike other classes where I seem to catch on much faster.
My prof is not so great. She is Russian. She speaks english very well with an accent, but she seems to have trouble finding the words to explain things differently if someone doesn't understand something. She can only explain it the way she intially explained it. I don't know if that is a language barrier or just how she is. She is very friendly and always says "you are here to learn, ask questions if you are confused..." but I still leave class with my head spinning. (maybe because it is an 8:10-9:50 PM class and I am dead tired by then!)
Anyways, the very first day tutors were available I went and saw one. She was able to explain some things better than the prof, but not everything. I went back and saw a different tutor and he filled in more gaps for me. Other students who understand the material can sometimes be much better at explaining things than a prof who has been doing the same crap for years and years.
So I am still a little lost and still trying to figure out how different things relate to each other but I plan to see a tutor one a week and hopefully that will help.
Good luck!
My prof is not so great. She is Russian. She speaks english very well with an accent, but she seems to have trouble finding the words to explain things differently if someone doesn't understand something. She can only explain it the way she intially explained it. I don't know if that is a language barrier or just how she is. She is very friendly and always says "you are here to learn, ask questions if you are confused..." but I still leave class with my head spinning. (maybe because it is an 8:10-9:50 PM class and I am dead tired by then!)
Anyways, the very first day tutors were available I went and saw one. She was able to explain some things better than the prof, but not everything. I went back and saw a different tutor and he filled in more gaps for me. Other students who understand the material can sometimes be much better at explaining things than a prof who has been doing the same crap for years and years.
So I am still a little lost and still trying to figure out how different things relate to each other but I plan to see a tutor one a week and hopefully that will help.
Good luck!
When I took the PCAT there wasn't that much calculus. The calculus that was on the test came from Calc 1 like was said earlier.
In pharmacy school you don't see much calculus until you get into the drug design and pharmacokinetics classes. Any calculus that you can remember from undergrad will only help you in these classes.
In pharmacy school you don't see much calculus until you get into the drug design and pharmacokinetics classes. Any calculus that you can remember from undergrad will only help you in these classes.
I completely agree with this. While I don't remember the specifics of taking derivatives or integrating under the curve (took Calculus 7 years ago!), I do remember some of the major concepts. I know what derivatives and integrations mean, which makes it easier to understand certain concepts like kinetics.
I think all of those have been great additions. The extra classes really help to determine who is ready to handle pharmacy school.
The PCAT is a great tool to equalize everyone since you get applicants from all acroos the country, each with a different background.
With all the added interest and increase in applications you have to add something to set people apart. If you can't get through the pre-reqs more than likely you aren't going to be able to make it through the program.
