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besides satisfying the admission requirments, how important is it to build a reallly solid calculus foundation?
how important is calculus?
- Thread starter AcousticDoc
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so far, statistics is more useful than calculus in med school. i liked math, though, so don't regret taking it. It helps w/ Pchem and physics if u take them at that level. Though understanding the concepts of derivatives and integrals is always useful.
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OSUdoc08 said:
I second this. I've never taken calculus in my life, and I'm a happier person for it.
Most medical schools don't require it, except for maybe some of the "higher up" ones.
As for deriving pharmacology formulas, is that even necessary?
doesn't matter where he goes to school. anything involving half-lives ended up going the way of calculus a long time ago. Only non-calc stuff is Vd and probably clearance. They're just nice enough to use non-calc symbols for students most of the time so you don't realize that calculus was used along the way (I've seen derivatives and integrals in some formulas, never had to use them. it was nice to not be confused at all for them)
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The hardest part of calculus is the algebra. If you're solid in that, take calc. It'll be an easy A.
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little_late_MD said:
If you are a graphophobic, then there is much more to calculus than algebra.
If you are a graphophilic, then you just wouldn't understand.
Either way, you can get by without that knowledge in medical school and still make all A's.
By the way: You don't really use much physics in medical school either. Sorry to burst your bubble.
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63768
i like calculus. i think it's essential but that's because i'm biased.
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minah86 said:
No.
Many schools require only 1 semester of calculus.
Some schools don't require any math at all.
The only reason I took math and biostatistics is because it was required for my B.S.
The school I attend does not require math. All of the schools in Texas, on the other hand, require 1 semester of calculus only.
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Calculus is essential for understanding how the world works, not for "doing well" in med school. And while I would certainly agree that there are some good doctors who don't understand the first thing about calculus, or much else about how the world works for that matter, I'd personally prefer to not have them as my physician.
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osli said:
Who cares? It doesn't affect the type of physician that you will be.
A physician that is proficient in calculus will prescribe the same medications and use the same suturing techniques.
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OSUdoc08 said:
I'm glad to see that you are committed to understanding as much as you can about the world around you.
I'm guessing you don't wish to go into academic medicine.
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We all have our own opinions, and mine differs from yours. I personally think that many types of physicians need to be adept problem solvers. I see two different fundamental types of people in pre-med courses... those that get by memorizing everything and those that make it a point to understand everything. Often the grades are identical, but IMO it absolutely does affect things further down the line.OSUdoc08 said:
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honestly i do not think that it will hurt you to much if you do not take a year of calc. If you are weak in math it may not be very smart to take a year of calc. I think that building a solid foundation in math can only help you. I recieved AP credit for a semester of calc, but I decided to retake the class to boost my GPA, and i am really glad i decided to do that. Easiest two A's I have recieved in college.
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Calculus is not necessary for med school...if you are aiming for the minimum requirements, don't take it. I personally think calc is one of the greatest classes you could take in your career. I am an engineer, I am biased for sure, but either way calc is one of those classes that opens up your eyes to how everything in the world works. On the superficial level, it looks like just a bunch of identities and integrals and derivatives with no significance to anything else, but it really applies to so many things. Oh well, that's my opinion. Take physics with calc if you want to know why things are the way they are, take it regular with algebra if you just want to memorize meaningless equations and be tested on your calculator skills....thats enough for med school apparently.
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Even if you do not need calculus, it is a worthwhile thing in my opinion. It teaches you how to problem solve. On top of that, I see calculus in everyday life all the time. Regarding the calculus based physics, if you are not super good at stuff like that I would not suggest taking it as that class ruined many folk's GPA. That being said, Im thankful I took it, it gave me a new perspective on many things.
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I think what it boils down to is this:
If you HAVE to take it, take it.
If you don't have to take it, only take it if it moderately interests you or you think it's a good idea for yourself. I think you'll probably be able to survive just fine without it.
Personally I hate math and all of its evil little cousins. I understand they're important but personally I just don't care to learn it. So I won't. There's better things for me to spend my time doing.
I almost took it in undergrad, but I think I took SCUBA instead.
Granted, I almost died during my certification dive, so calc probably woulda been safer, but whatever. You don't get to see a fat man in a speedo every day in calc, either, and I hold those memories very close to my heart.
If you HAVE to take it, take it.
If you don't have to take it, only take it if it moderately interests you or you think it's a good idea for yourself. I think you'll probably be able to survive just fine without it.
Personally I hate math and all of its evil little cousins. I understand they're important but personally I just don't care to learn it. So I won't. There's better things for me to spend my time doing.
I almost took it in undergrad, but I think I took SCUBA instead.
Granted, I almost died during my certification dive, so calc probably woulda been safer, but whatever. You don't get to see a fat man in a speedo every day in calc, either, and I hold those memories very close to my heart.
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I'm with the engineer, calculus can really open your eyes. I would highly recommend it. Just like algebra provided you a new way to look at problems, in terms of unknowns, calculus gives you a new avenue so set up a problem. Although calc II might be a bit more than most people bargained for with taylor series and such (which I admit doesn't have very much use if you aren't going further in math), calc I is definitely worthwhile in my opinion, if only to understand what people are talking about when they mention an inflection point or grasp the idea behind an integral.
disclaimer: I may or may not be a math major 😉
disclaimer: I may or may not be a math major 😉
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I agree with seadizzle et al... the more math you have (especially calc, linear algebra, etc), the more ways you can look at stuff. If you ever have a chance, take graph theory or game theory. Really helps you pull stuff apart and use drawings to help solve complex problems. Fun!
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Something I wish I had more of in undergrad that would definitely help in med school, residency and clinical practice is biostatistics/epidemiology. The entire field of medicine has shifted to an evidence-based way of practice. More and more well-designed studies are being done to address pertinent clinical questions, and more often than not, there are tons o' stats involved. Having a firm understanding of that will help you interpret medical literature better, regardless of what field you go into (Evidence-based medicine or EBM has permeated every field).
Way more important that calculus ever could be as far as medicine goes IMO. I forgot what an integral was after I left college....
Way more important that calculus ever could be as far as medicine goes IMO. I forgot what an integral was after I left college....
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😀
Well this is a weird one but I was complaining once about being stuck in traffic and wasting gas and my brother basically blurted out how it was actually better since you'd get better gas mileage at 5 mph anyway. So I thought about via calc. There's two values that go into miles/gallon and they are both related by time and they are speed(miles/hr) and fuel usage.(Gallons/hr) I could see how they changed and realized that as you speed up speed increase faster than fuel usage.(Since thinking about how things change is a calc thing.) So my brother was wrong and you actually get lousy gas mileage at very low speeds. (And as we all know it's important to know when your siblings are wrong 😀
OSUdoc08 said:
Well this is a weird one but I was complaining once about being stuck in traffic and wasting gas and my brother basically blurted out how it was actually better since you'd get better gas mileage at 5 mph anyway. So I thought about via calc. There's two values that go into miles/gallon and they are both related by time and they are speed(miles/hr) and fuel usage.(Gallons/hr) I could see how they changed and realized that as you speed up speed increase faster than fuel usage.(Since thinking about how things change is a calc thing.) So my brother was wrong and you actually get lousy gas mileage at very low speeds. (And as we all know it's important to know when your siblings are wrong 😀
Agent Splat said:
Nothing to do with topic, but Agent Splat........
I just wanted to say that your signature is BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!
Most medical schools don't require it, except for maybe some of the "higher up" ones.
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rates, instantaneous this and that, determining areas under curves. velocity, acceleration. eh, this is a crap answer, thats why i could never be a teacher. its valuable knowledge though i think, and i highly recommend some calc coursesOSUdoc08 said:
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A good speech class, a financial man. class and one in psychology will teach you all the BS you need to know do well in any career field.
You'll know how to communicate, you won't spend you last time on lattes or get robbed by a crooked accountant and you will be able to spot and avoid toxic people (READ- marriage partners).
You'll know how to communicate, you won't spend you last time on lattes or get robbed by a crooked accountant and you will be able to spot and avoid toxic people (READ- marriage partners).
gujuDoc said:
Just wanted to clarify, the above bolded was not part of MY POST. That was stuff that accidentally got taken from the post I was QUOTING!!!!!! So just wanted to clarify that.
I actually stand behind Shredder and think calc is a good course to take cuz it made understanding many a physics concept easier for me.
But what's that old saying, Different folks = different strokes.
I guess it depends on where you apply, whether your major requires it, etc.
