math required for medical school and pa school and pharmacy .

[Specialist_Judge3357]

hello everyone i have a question for you all.

Im not good at math i have asperger syndrome.

i want to go to medical school or PA school

can i take college algebra instead of calcus 1 im not doing well ?

can i also take intro to physic 1 and 2 since its algebra based ?

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[RespectTheChemistry]

Yes to both!

Extremely few medical schools require Calc I anymore. A year of math should set you up to satisfy requirements at the vast majority of schools. Take that College Algebra class and Stats and you'll be fine.

Essentially all premeds take Algebra-based Physics too. Honestly, the only people who take Calc-based Physics are the Engineering and Physics majors who need it to graduate.

I should let you know, however, that you'll have to do some math in your head on the MCAT.

 

[Specialist_Judge3357]

Yes to both!

Extremely few medical schools require Calc I anymore. A year of math should set you up to satisfy requirements at the vast majority of schools. Take that College Algebra class and Stats and you'll be fine.

Essentially all premeds take Algebra-based Physics too. Honestly, the only people who take Calc-based Physics are the Engineering and Physics majors who need it to graduate.

I should let you know, however, that you'll have to do some math in your head on the MCAT.

So should I drop calc 1 and take college algebra and part two of intro to physics 2 with lab ?

Also since I’m about to graduate CC can I still take classes after when I transfer to university at the CC I mean ?

 

[Specialist_Judge3357]

Yes to both!

Extremely few medical schools require Calc I anymore. A year of math should set you up to satisfy requirements at the vast majority of schools. Take that College Algebra class and Stats and you'll be fine.

Essentially all premeds take Algebra-based Physics too. Honestly, the only people who take Calc-based Physics are the Engineering and Physics majors who need it to graduate.

I should let you know, however, that you'll have to do some math in your head on the MCAT.

There intro to physics and general physics so that’s the mix up.

 

[RespectTheChemistry]

So should I drop calc 1 and take college algebra and part two of intro to physics 2 with lab ?

Also since I’m about to graduate CC can I still take classes after when I transfer to university at the CC I mean ?

1.) Yes, I would recommend dropping Calc I and replacing it with College Algebra. If you don't already, be sure to make liberal use of office hours and any free tutoring services your university may provide. This isn't putting you down at all. At my university, it was always the highest performers who spent the most time in the tutoring center. It's how they became high performers.

Yes, I would go ahead and take Part II of Intro to Physics with lab. (Do I understand correctly that this is the Algebra-based one?)

2.) It's not a good idea to still take science classes at CC after you transfer to a university. You can still take general education type courses at CC though (e.g. language requirements, history, etc.).

Congratulations in advance on your CC graduation.

 

[Specialist_Judge3357]

1.) Yes, I would recommend dropping Calc I and replacing it with College Algebra. If you don't already, be sure to make liberal use of office hours and any free tutoring services your university may provide. This isn't putting you down at all. At my university, it was always the highest performers who spent the most time in the tutoring center. It's how they became high performers.

Yes, I would go ahead and take Part II of Intro to Physics with lab. (Do I understand correctly that this is the Algebra-based one?)

2.) It's not a good idea to still take science classes at CC after you transfer to a university. You can still take general education type courses at CC though (e.g. language requirements, history, etc.).

Congratulations in advance on your CC graduation.

Yes that’s the one intro to physics part 2 is offered online only this summer with lab

At the CC


There also general physics but that’s calc based.


There college algebra at ex cc I’m taking calc 1 but starts October 3 -December 3 idk if to take now or spring ?

 

[RespectTheChemistry]

Yes that’s the one intro to physics part 2 is offered online only this summer with lab

At the CC


There also general physics but that’s calc based.


There college algebra at ex cc I’m taking calc 1 but starts October 3 -December 3 idk if to take now or spring ?

1.) Many, many people have had bad experiences with summer science classes, especially something really intense like Physics. I think especially because you know math isn't your thing, it's not a good idea to take Physics in the summer because it's so heavily math-based.

2.) Do you think you can handle the College Algebra on top of your other classes? Will you be taking other math and science classes at the time? Do you work a lot? I think if you aren't 100% sure you have the fairly large amount of time to commit to it now, it might be better to wait. Only you can make that decision based on your other commitments though.

Note: I'm just a premed, so I'm not an expert on any of this by any stretch! Just my experience as an undergrad senior.

 

[Specialist_Judge3357]

1.) Many, many people have had bad experiences with summer science classes, especially something really intense like Physics. I think especially because you know math isn't your thing, it's not a good idea to take Physics in the summer because it's so heavily math-based.

2.) Do you think you can handle the College Algebra on top of your other classes? Will you be taking other math and science classes at the time? Do you work a lot? I think if you aren't 100% sure you have the fairly large amount of time to commit to it now, it might be better to wait. Only you can make that decision based on your other commitments though.

Note: I'm just a premed, so I'm not an expert on any of this by any stretch! Just my experience as an undergrad senior.

I’m taking anatomy 1 with lab atm.

Yes I can handle

I took intro to physics part 1 with lab online last summer I got an A in it.

Only math I took was survey of mathematics and stats.

 

[RespectTheChemistry]

I’m taking anatomy 1 with lab atm.

Yes I can handle

I took intro to physics part 1 with lab online last summer I got an A in it.

Only math I took was survey of mathematics and stats.

That's great! Good job on the A in online Physics I! Because you've done it before, you can do it again. However, I would consider this "maxing out" on summer prereqs. I say that because of this linked thread with responses from people directly involved in evaluating applicants for admission. They recommend no more than 2 of the required science classes for medical school to be taken in the summer.

Medical - Is it bad to take medical school prerequisites over the summer?

My major is one of the ones with the most required credits. Between my major requirements and GEs, I only have enough room to take one year of bio with lab, one year of chem with lab, one year of ochem with lab, one year of writing, and one year of physics with lab. I know a lot of medical...

forums.studentdoctor.net

I don't know if the Survey of Mathematics & Stats will count towards your year of math. I would think that it would but I don't know. Maybe someone else who knows can come by and comment on that.

 

[Specialist_Judge3357]

That's great! Good job on the A in online Physics I! Because you've done it before, you can do it again. However, I would consider this "maxing out" on summer prereqs. I say that because of this linked thread with responses from people directly involved in evaluating applicants for admission. They recommend no more than 2 of the required science classes for medical school to be taken in the summer.

Medical - Is it bad to take medical school prerequisites over the summer?

My major is one of the ones with the most required credits. Between my major requirements and GEs, I only have enough room to take one year of bio with lab, one year of chem with lab, one year of ochem with lab, one year of writing, and one year of physics with lab. I know a lot of medical...

forums.studentdoctor.net

I don't know if the Survey of Mathematics & Stats will count towards your year of math. I would think that it would but I don't know. Maybe someone else who knows can come by and comment on that.

Only confusion is that there general physics and intro to physics

I prefer the intro better since it algebra based.

Chemistry major requires general physics that’s calc 1 based.

 

[RespectTheChemistry]

Only confusion is that there general physics and intro to physics

I prefer the intro better since it algebra based.

Chemistry major requires general physics that’s calc 1 based.

That's fine. Take the Intro Physics!

Are you a Chemistry major? If you know Calc isn't working out and so Calc-based Physics is not an option, I would think about changing majors. I used to be a Chemistry major and changed because Calculus wasn't working out. I have never regretted it. Major doesn't matter for medical school admissions, so you should choose the major that's right for you and will allow you to be the most successful.

 

[Specialist_Judge3357]

That's fine. Take the Intro Physics!

Are you a Chemistry major? If you know Calc isn't working out and so Calc-based Physics is not an option, I would think about changing majors. I used to be a Chemistry major and changed because Calculus wasn't working out. I have never regretted it.

I did will major in health science at next school.

I just want to finish these two classes so I have time to finish rest of pre requisites.

 

[RespectTheChemistry]

I did will major in health science at next school.

I just want to finish these two classes so I have time to finish rest of pre requisites.

Sounds like a good plan to me. Best of luck to you.

Please don't hesitate to add to this thread or start a new one if there is anything else we can help you with. We're here to support YOU.

 

[Dral]

I think you should be fine. I took a year of calc in college and then started on calc based physics. We had algebra based physics and calc based physics. I think it's all in the name. It sounds like what you want to take is just algebra based physics.

I got a B+ on my first physics exam (course graded on a curve) but then wondered why I was torturing myself with calc based physics (that is mainly intended for engineering type majors) and worried that I might not do as well down the road with more difficult concepts. So I dropped it and took algebra based physics instead.

 

[EthylMethylMan]

One thing I would add is that while you definitely won't be doing any Fourier transformations on the wards, being proficient with unit conversions is an invaluable skill. For example, for some reason, these psychopath pharmaceutical companies still use percent concentrations for various meds like epinephrine. Knowing what that means in actual meaningful units is important for things like making a dirty epi drip or making a syringe of push-dose epi. Other examples exist as well. Luckily in most of these situations the EMR will give you a heads-up and you can use an online calculator, but situations exist where you need to do it in your head mid-code or during some other critical situation. Regardless, it's a skill you can develop in med school and residency. You'll be fine.

 

[dnyal]

It's not necessary that you take a calculus class. A few med schools, mostly top ones, still absolutely require at least one calculus class. Most medical schools do require at least two semesters of "college level math," whatever that means, but they also allow you to use a statistics course to replace one of those college math semesters. Some med schools do not require calculus but "strongly recommend" it.

Since I want to apply broadly, I took College Algebra, Precalc/Trig, Calc I, and Statistics I. Calculus is not hard, just unintuitive and solving problems requires a lot of rather simple extra steps than regular algebra. You get used to it, but I understand it is not for everyone. Just take a look at the requirements for your state med schools and the out-of-state ones you want to apply to and see if calculus is required.

 

[dnyal]

Also, I agree with everyone else in that you should not confuse Intro to Physics with General Physics. In my schools, they offered two General Physics courses: College Physics and General Physics with Calculus. College Physics is often called General Physics with Algebra in other schools, at least here in FL. The course description in your college's catalog should clarify which physics class uses algebra and which uses calculus (or just ask your college advisor!). Physics classes cannot replace math requirements for med or PA school. Physics and math are two separate requirements.