My interesting situation:

[leviathan]

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I'm sure you get lots of these "can I get in with my situation" questions, so here comes yet another! 🙂

I'm going to major in Psychology and then just do the science pre-req courses that Med school needs. The only thing is, I never took physics in high school and consequently I can't take university physics. I notice that lots of med schools require this, except my local med school (UBC) doesn't. Is there any way to be exempt from having to take physics or math courses for these med schools? I really don't want to take them, other than a bit of physics so I'm prepared for that section of the MCAT. I'm not the best at them and I bet it would really drop my average if I had to take them. 🙁

 

[Jalby]

If a school has requirements, that means you have to do them. I'm quite sure no med school is going to wave the requirement just for you unless your daddy is very very rich.

 

[juddson]

Besides,

by the time you take the "bit of physics" you think you need for the MCAT, you will have covered everything you need for a so-called "university physics" course at your college.

Med schools want a year of college level physics, that's all. If your school offers both "college" and "university" physics, my guess is that the "college" physics is fine for med school and the MCAT. Your "university" physics is probably designed for engineers or physics majors (as ours was) and is calculus based (as ours was). But at our school, the "pre-med" physics was the general college physics that did not require extensive calculus.

Judd

 

[Sharkfan]

Hey leviathan!

I was stupid and didn't take physics in high school either, but managed to do okay in physics for bio majors at my school! Don't be afraid! Come towards the light! If I did it, anyone can! (Trust me on this one, I really think I have a math disability.) Like other people have said, you must have physics for med schools... besides, it will make the MCAT review process a bit less stressful. 🙂

 

[alleyez]

Originally posted by juddson
Besides,

by the time you take the "bit of physics" you think you need for the MCAT, you will have covered everything you need for a so-called "university physics" course at your college.

Med schools want a year of college level physics, that's all. If your school offers both "college" and "university" physics, my guess is that the "college" physics is fine for med school and the MCAT. Your "university" physics is probably designed for engineers or physics majors (as ours was) and is calculus based (as ours was). But at our school, the "pre-med" physics was the general college physics that did not require extensive calculus.

Judd

that's a lot of quotations!! 😱

 

[ek6]

does your school have physics WITHOUT calculus? maybe this course doesn't even require high school physics. If you can manage to take this version of physics, you would be fine - it was the easiest class I took in college - but be sure it's not physics with calculus.

 

[musiclink213]

my school offers two kinds of physics. calc based and non calc based. but we don't have to have taken physics in high school to be taking calc based. we just have to have taken or be taking calc 1 and 2. i didn't take physics in high school, but i'm a biochem major, and so i have to take calc based.

 

[bella_dottoressa]

That's weird that you have to have had high school physics to take university physics. Have you spoken with an advisor to be sure that's the case? You can definately do fine in physics without having taken it in high school. There really is no way to be exempt from that sort of a requirement and you're going to want to take your year of physics, not only so you can apply to the other 97% of schools that require it, but also so you can be fully prepared for the mcat. I wasn't the best at chem OR physics but there are things you have to do to get where you want to be and often times with premed they suck and involve working really, really hard. Physics isn't that bad though, I promise...After getting C+'s/B-'s in gen chem and being awful in math my entire life I pulled off an A-. Good luck! 🙂

 

[kwanny]

i never took physics in high school, but did fine in college physics when i took them in my freshmen year. no worries. you'll be fine.

 

[bigdan]

Guys-
I never write in response to things that my be a bit peculiar in the thread starter's question, but in studying for the MCAT physics section, I could only chuckle when I read about reviewing for the "bit" that's on the MCAT.
I've yet to get any more than 50% of the questions right on my MCAT PS section physics. I'm nice with the Chem, but I'm still struggling with the "bit" of physics that seems to have snuck into the MCAT.

OP-
You may want to look into getting into a collegiate level physics course before the MCAT if at all possible. Could you do a community college course or two?
Good luck in any event.

dc

 

[mmapcpro]

Like Kwanny, I never took physics in high school. In fact, I stopped going to school at 15, and went back and took the GED when I was 18.

I jumped right into calculus, physics, and chemistry my first semester of engineering school, and got A's in each.

I don't consider myself anywhere near genious, so don't be afraid...go for it...of course, you'll most likely have to work hard, like most of us.

 

[leviathan]

Hey, everyone.

Thanks a lot for the input, I appreciate it! I was pretty sure there was no possible way to avoid taking physics, but I suppose I have to. I heard it was really simple stuff and it looked quite straight-forward from a practice MCAT I saw, so I guess I had a misconception. Anywho, I'll just have to fit in some physics courses somewhere in the next 3 years before I write the MCAT then.

Thanks again. 🙂