First Post Bacc Class: Summer Chem or Physics?

[ærospallo]

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Bottom line up front: would it be ill-advised to attempt Physics I and II consecutively over the summer (two six-week sessions)?

I'm planning on starting UMD's "Science in the Evening" program this summer, but have been struggling with which class to begin with. The choice comes down to taking Physics I and Physics II, or just Chem I. I feel more comfortable with topics in physics over those dealing with chemistry, but this is really based on high school experience, as my undergraduate degree is in Criminology with no science courses.

So is there a reason most ped-med/post bacc programs seem to leave the Physics year towards the end of their curriculae? From what I gather, Physics appears to be significantly harder for most than Chem; would it be unwise to make that even more difficult by taking it over the summer instead of a full semester?

Finally, the reason I'm really considering Physics is because I can knock out both semesters in one summer term, whereas UMD only offers Gen Chem I for it's first 6-week session, and the only other course that could possibly benefit me (med school application-wise) for the second session would be "Advanced Writing".

Obviously, just like everyone else here, I'm aiming for a 4.0 in all post bacc work, so I'm very receptive to the answer "take Chem I and wait for the standard, non-accelerated Physics courses". To me, taking it a little slower with just Chem I and spending an extra six months in post bacc may be worth the possible GPA points after I hear all your advice.

 

[SeverusSnape]

There is a reason Gen Chem is typically offered over the summer before physics, and I don't think it really comes down to difficulty.

Most programs offer physics, orgo, and bio simultaneously and tackling orgo without having taken Gen Chem is ill advised. Yes General Chemistry and Orgo are two very very different topics but I assure you there is massive overlap and not having taken Chemistry since high school you're going to want to have a foundation.

Also, if you like physics, you'll be happy to know that General Chemistry has a lot of math to it. Nothing incredibly complex, but lots of math. Organic chemistry, by contrast, involves little to no calculations over the course of two semesters.

 

[ærospallo]

Sorry if my first post is misleading. The debate in my head is over taking Gen Chem then (essentially) wasting a semester, OR taking Physics I then Physics II. After lurking these forums for a while (and having friends that were pre-med/bio majors), I gained enough sense not to take Orgo before Gen Chem, haha.

 

[Pietrantonio]

I'd start with Chemistry first IMO. Without knowing how well your background in math is, it's hard to advise you on which courses to take. I'm sure you are aware that the MCAT is changing. If you haven't already, you can fill that wasted semester with a sociology course too.

 

[sidewalkman]

As an SIE veteran, good luck going for the 4.0.

The biggest challenge in postbacc might be taking an honest assessment of one’s ability and translating that into a good schedule. Since you don’t have a science track record yet, I’d take just the gen chem that’s stretched out over both summer sessions. That’s because I’m a fan of easing into these classes.

If you really wanted to get a jump, you could take chem 1 and orgo 1 this summer and not “waste” a term. I wouldn’t be comfortable cramming orgo 1 into 6 weeks, but you might be.

What are you doing in the summer of 2015? You could take physics then, once you better know what you can handle.

 

[QuentinT88]

Bottom line up front: would it be ill-advised to attempt Physics I and II consecutively over the summer (two six-week sessions)?

I'm planning on starting UMD's "Science in the Evening" program this summer, but have been struggling with which class to begin with. The choice comes down to taking Physics I and Physics II, or just Chem I. I feel more comfortable with topics in physics over those dealing with chemistry, but this is really based on high school experience, as my undergraduate degree is in Criminology with no science courses.

So is there a reason most ped-med/post bacc programs seem to leave the Physics year towards the end of their curriculae? From what I gather, Physics appears to be significantly harder for most than Chem; would it be unwise to make that even more difficult by taking it over the summer instead of a full semester?

Finally, the reason I'm really considering Physics is because I can knock out both semesters in one summer term, whereas UMD only offers Gen Chem I for it's first 6-week session, and the only other course that could possibly benefit me (med school application-wise) for the second session would be "Advanced Writing".

Obviously, just like everyone else here, I'm aiming for a 4.0 in all post bacc work, so I'm very receptive to the answer "take Chem I and wait for the standard, non-accelerated Physics courses". To me, taking it a little slower with just Chem I and spending an extra six months in post bacc may be worth the possible GPA points after I hear all your advice.

I think the typical course of action for a lot of post baccs is to take Chem first, then Bio, and then Orgo/Physics.

I would recommend taking Chem over the first summer session. Maybe for the second summer session you can throw in Sociology, Statistics, or Psychology so that it is not a total waste.

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

Given your unique schedule I think you should go ahead and take physics first. When I took it I thought the level of difficulty was about the same as general chemistry. In both classes the most important skill is knowing how to identify the appropriate equation, plug the right numbers in and then solve for x. If you're comfortable with your ability to do that, physics won't be too much of a problem. It will be a lot of work, especially condensed over the summer, but it will certainly be manageable. You don't need to take chemistry before physics, especially if you remember the most basic concepts from high school chemistry.