Is calculus needed?

[kimt2234]

Hello again, I just shot an email to the assistant dean of admissions at my local university med school (and top choice) about which prereq's to take and so forth.

She emailed me back with changes they are making and one question I have is should I take calculus? It is not required, but in the mathematics section it says 2 semesters of mathematics (statistics and calculus recommended). I took a semester of college algebra (grade B) and a semester of statistics (got an A). Is this class necessary?

 

[Law2Doc]

Hello again, I just shot an email to the assistant dean of admissions at my local university med school (and top choice) about which prereq's to take and so forth.

She emailed me back with changes they are making and one question I have is should I take calculus? It is not required, but in the mathematics section it says 2 semesters of mathematics (statistics and calculus recommended). I took a semester of college algebra (grade B) and a semester of statistics (got an A). Is this class necessary?

There are a small handful of med schools for which calculus is specified as a requirement, so if you are interested in any of those, you will want it, so check. But otherwise, you will not really need calculus for med school.

 

[jbrice1639]

There are a small handful of med schools for which calculus is specified as a requirement, so if you are interested in any of those, you will want it, so check. But otherwise, you will not really need calculus for med school.

it's also wise to check and see if they require a semester or a full year so you don't take only a semester and pay secondary fees to hopkins and wash u just to find out you don't even have the necessary classes and you wasted a bunch of money...because that would just be silly and people would laught at me...er, you...uh...gotta go

 

[QofQuimica]

it's also wise to check and see if they require a semester or a full year so you don't take only a semester and pay secondary fees to hopkins and wash u just to find out you don't even have the necessary classes and you wasted a bunch of money...because that would just be silly and people would laught at me...er, you...uh...gotta go

I don't know about Johns Hopkins, but Wash U specifically requires "college level coursework in differential and integral calculus." Their requirement doesn't explicitly say that you must take two semesters. I actually only took Calc II, but this was sufficient. (I did take AP calculus in HS, which is the equivalent of Calc I. But this is not shown anywhere on my college transcript, so Wash U actually doesn't know about that. )

 

[MollyMalone]

My college algebra/trig + stats has been sufficient for any school I applied to that required 2 semesters of math without specifically requiring calculus.

Good luck!

(Hyperbole alert, but the happiest day of my life was the day I found out that I did not have to take calculus to get into med school.)

 

[Orthodoc40]

OP,

Look up the schools you'll be applying to in an MSAR and that should tell you if they require calculus specifically. It probably has the same info on the school's website. There are only a handful that require calculus, but more have some kind of math requirement (like say, a year of college level math).
I think most of the Texas schools wanted calculus, but otherwise it is kind of random who wants what where math is concerned. Just check with the MSAR or the school directly. If you don't need it, don't bother.

 

[skubdubdu]

OP,

Look up the schools you'll be applying to in an MSAR and that should tell you if they require calculus specifically. It probably has the same info on the school's website. There are only a handful that require calculus, but more have some kind of math requirement (like say, a year of college level math).
I think most of the Texas schools wanted calculus, but otherwise it is kind of random who wants what where math is concerned. Just check with the MSAR or the school directly. If you don't need it, don't bother.

I second that advice. Here's the book referenced in the previous email if you don't know what they're talking about

Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) 2007-2008: The Most Authoritative Guide to U.S. and Canadian Medical Schools (Medical School Admission Requirements, United States and Canada) (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1577540492
ISBN-13: 978-1577540496

 

[ineed2stpsmurfn]

Hello again, I just shot an email to the assistant dean of admissions at my local university med school (and top choice) about which prereq's to take and so forth.

She emailed me back with changes they are making and one question I have is should I take calculus? It is not required, but in the mathematics section it says 2 semesters of mathematics (statistics and calculus recommended). I took a semester of college algebra (grade B) and a semester of statistics (got an A). Is this class necessary?

dont take calc. save the brain power and worrying for molecular biology or pchem. im in the same boat as you- gonna go with stats and college algebra. hardly any med schools need calc so your good.

 

[njbmd]

Hello again, I just shot an email to the assistant dean of admissions at my local university med school (and top choice) about which prereq's to take and so forth.

She emailed me back with changes they are making and one question I have is should I take calculus? It is not required, but in the mathematics section it says 2 semesters of mathematics (statistics and calculus recommended). I took a semester of college algebra (grade B) and a semester of statistics (got an A). Is this class necessary?

If calculus is a "recommendation", then it's NOT a requirement but a suggestion. You can elect to take it or not take it. If you took college algebra and stats (with the requisite number of semesters), you don't NEED calculus unless the medical schools that you anticipate applying to, have a calculus "requirement".