Physical Chemistry as a Upper Division Physics Course

[ZaZa24]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Basically here is my issue. I used AP credit to pass straight to Physics II, completed it, got an A and did well on my MCAT. Now I'm looking and seeing some of the schools I'm interested won't accept my AP credit for one semester of physics.

I will be taking physical chemistry next semester. Which is a course that has both Calculus I and II and physics I and II as prerequisites. It is listed as a chemistry class but it is also rather math and physics heavy from what I've heard.

Is there any hope of me being able to count this as my "second semester" of physics from a medical school's perspective? Or should I resign myself to adding in another physics class next year?

Thanks!

 

[HomeSkool]

Is there any hope of me being able to count this as my "second semester" of physics from a medical school's perspective?

No. You'll need another physics course.

 

[theKingLT]

Basically here is my issue. I used AP credit to pass straight to Physics II, completed it, got an A and did well on my MCAT. Now I'm looking and seeing some of the schools I'm interested won't accept my AP credit for one semester of physics.

I will be taking physical chemistry next semester. Which is a course that has both Calculus I and II and physics I and II as prerequisites. It is listed as a chemistry class but it is also rather math and physics heavy from what I've heard.

Is there any hope of me being able to count this as my "second semester" of physics from a medical school's perspective? Or should I resign myself to adding in another physics class next year?

Thanks!

pchem won't count, but how many of your schools require 2 semesters of non-AP physics? I did the same thing, one semester AP and one semester normal college level, and it worked for the 26 schools I applied to.

 

[ZaZa24]

pchem won't count, but how many of your schools require 2 semesters of non-AP physics? I did the same thing, one semester AP and one semester normal college level, and it worked for the 26 schools I applied to.

I have one school on my current list (Yale) that seems to require two semesters of non-AP physics and one(Columbia) that "strongly encourages" that one does not use AP credit. These are both reach schools for me, so I'm considering simply eliminating them from the list. If you mind sharing if you had any success with either of these schools (feel free to PM) I'd appreciate it.

Thanks!

 

[theKingLT]

At Columbia you're fine. I was accepted there doing the same thing (and also using AP Bio, chem, and psych credits). They didn't mention it in the interview or anything either. Since you have that A in physics 2 I really don't think it would hold you back in any way.

As for Yale, I didn't apply there, but here's what their website says:
U.S. Advanced Placement credits from high school do not themselves satisfy premedical requirements, but advanced college, university courses or institute of technology courses (for which students are made eligible by AP credits) may be substituted for introductory-level courses in each of these subjects.

I'm sure this is where you're getting the 2 semester non-AP requirement from, and I agree with you--it looks like you will need to retake physics 1 or take an upper-level physics; however, I would email them first to make sure, explaining that one of your semesters (the higher level one) is at college level and ask if this is sufficient. If they say no, I would also ask when their deadline is for completing the prerequisites. Most give you through the Spring semester of your matriculation year, but some (Cornell comes to mind) have an earlier deadline. If you have through the Spring semester, then what you can do is enroll in a physics course (physics I or upper level) for the spring, and if you get rejected at Yale before the start of the spring semester, drop the course. If you get interviewed before then, keep it, and if you don't yet have an interview by January but still under consideration, then you'll have a decision to make about doing it or not.

Lastly, I will add, if your sGPA is low and you know you can pull an A, it may be worth doing regardless.

 

[ZaZa24]

At Columbia you're fine. I was accepted there doing the same thing (and also using AP Bio, chem, and psych credits). They didn't mention it in the interview or anything either. Since you have that A in physics 2 I really don't think it would hold you back in any way.

As for Yale, I didn't apply there, but here's what their website says:
U.S. Advanced Placement credits from high school do not themselves satisfy premedical requirements, but advanced college, university courses or institute of technology courses (for which students are made eligible by AP credits) may be substituted for introductory-level courses in each of these subjects.

I'm sure this is where you're getting the 2 semester non-AP requirement from, and I agree with you--it looks like you will need to retake physics 1 or take an upper-level physics; however, I would email them first to make sure, explaining that one of your semesters (the higher level one) is at college level and ask if this is sufficient. If they say no, I would also ask when their deadline is for completing the prerequisites. Most give you through the Spring semester of your matriculation year, but some (Cornell comes to mind) have an earlier deadline. If you have through the Spring semester, then what you can do is enroll in a physics course (physics I or upper level) for the spring, and if you get rejected at Yale before the start of the spring semester, drop the course. If you get interviewed before then, keep it, and if you don't yet have an interview by January but still under consideration, then you'll have a decision to make about doing it or not.

Lastly, I will add, if your sGPA is low and you know you can pull an A, it may be worth doing regardless.

Thanks for the information. I will contact Yale and ask those questions, great to hear about Columbia.

 

[ZaZa24]

Astronomy counts as physics at most schools. Might be easier to do that

When you say it "counts at most schools" do you mean most medical schools count it as a physics even if it is in a separate department? Or do you mean at most undergraduate schools astronomy is within the physics department?

Thanks!

 

[chemphysicsinstructor]

Basically here is my issue. I used AP credit to pass straight to Physics II, completed it, got an A and did well on my MCAT. Now I'm looking and seeing some of the schools I'm interested won't accept my AP credit for one semester of physics.

I will be taking physical chemistry next semester. Which is a course that has both Calculus I and II and physics I and II as prerequisites. It is listed as a chemistry class but it is also rather math and physics heavy from what I've heard.

Is there any hope of me being able to count this as my "second semester" of physics from a medical school's perspective? Or should I resign myself to adding in another physics class next year?

Thanks!

You may find the p-chem class cross-listed as a physics class. After all, another name for p-chem is "chemical physics".