physics again!

[joooj86]

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Well, its my 2nd year in undergrad ..gonna start my 4th semester soon...well everything is going good but i was wondering if i have to start taking my physicses or can i pospone it all the way till 4th year?? can i worry about it once im done with my dats and everything? i heard something saying that its not too good to not be done by the requirements by the time you apply? what do you think?

 

[heyitscyndi]

Well, its my 2nd year in undergrad ..gonna start my 4th semester soon...well everything is going good but i was wondering if i have to start taking my physicses or can i pospone it all the way till 4th year?? can i worry about it once im done with my dats and everything? i heard something saying that its not too good to not be done by the requirements by the time you apply? what do you think?

I'm in the same boat you are, I'm starting my 4th semester and haven't taken any physics yet, ever. My school recommends that I take physics 1 and 2 before taking the DAT but I don't know where the DAT asks physics-type questions (if it does at all). I haven't taken it yet though. Since physics 1 and 2 are both 5 hour classes at my school, I'm going to put it off as long as I can. UMKC's admission requirements say that I only need 1 physics class and 1 math class instead so I'm going to do that. But I'm definately putting it off as long as possible. If I should be doing differently, please let me know!

 

[Sprgrover]

Well, its my 2nd year in undergrad ..gonna start my 4th semester soon...well everything is going good but i was wondering if i have to start taking my physicses or can i pospone it all the way till 4th year?? can i worry about it once im done with my dats and everything? i heard something saying that its not too good to not be done by the requirements by the time you apply? what do you think?

Take that sucker when you feel like it. It's not necessary to have physics for the DAT and I recommend that you put it off as long as possible - unless you are a glutton for punishment. Me, well, I knew I wouldn't like it, felt it would suck study time from important and valuable classes such as ochem, and as such took the full year over the summer (10 intense weeks of pain vs. having the punishment drawn out over 32 - sort of like ripping off a bandaid).

 

[dexadental]

I plan to do exactly what Sprgrover did, that is, take physics I w/ lab and physics II w/ lab over this upcoming summer, and I'm currently a junior...
I say put it off and take classes which will better prepare you for the DAT and also boost that GPA while still enduring the admissions process. Unfortunately, it can be a hassle if its needed for your major...

 

[Literati81]

Well, its my 2nd year in undergrad ..gonna start my 4th semester soon...well everything is going good but i was wondering if i have to start taking my physicses or can i pospone it all the way till 4th year?? can i worry about it once im done with my dats and everything? i heard something saying that its not too good to not be done by the requirements by the time you apply? what do you think?

You don't need physics for the DAT.

As for your last question, I think that depends on the situation. If you haven't performed well in your pre-req classes, then it would be pretty sneaky to postpone [these classes] until your senior year. Then again, schools will ask your for an academic update...and then your ploy will be revealed! Just kidding. 🙂

In any case, IMO, the best time to take physics would be during/after your math series and maybe during/after general chem; the logic and formulas are somewhat similar. I took physics around this time and think I did better because I was already in a turbo-geek, number-crunching, "ooo-look-at-that-oscillate" frame of mind.

 

[joooj86]

thanks for all the comments...i was wondering more about adcoms..will they think that i suck since i wasnt able to finish basic requirements b4 applying?

 

[Literati81]

thanks for all the comments...i was wondering more about adcoms..will they think that i suck since i wasnt able to finish basic requirements b4 applying?

Not all applicants complete their prereqs upon completing their application. So no, I don't think adcoms will think you suck as long as you have a realistic timeline.

But really, physics is an interesting subject. It explains how we pump and move blood through our bodies, the mechanisms involved in joint movement and stability, the arrangement of galaxies and planets, how one would fix near-sidedness with a corrective lens, how you can argue out of some driving tickets depending on the position of the police car relative to yours, and, of course, where a ball would land if thrown by a monkey...in a vacuum, etc.

Sorry for my lame enthusiasm; I grew up in a family of physics-lovers who gave me my first Hawking to read in high school. But yeah, you can delay physics as long as you take it before your dental school's deadline (probably the summer prior to your matriculation).

 

[highfly413]

is it neccessary to take physics w/ calculus? is it ok for me to take physics II w/ lab without calculus? does it really matter?

 

[eric275]

Dental schools only require that you take the non-calc. based Physics to meet the pre-req requirements. I do know people that have taken the calc. based just because they liked calculus, but they were not required to. The calc. based physics is generally more for engineering students and the non-calc. based is more for science (pre-dent, -med, -vet, etc) degrees.

So if you don't need it for your BS degree, I would go with the non-calc. based, IMO.

 

[dexadental]

I know physics with calc at my school is much more easier than physics without calc...less formulas and theory, more calculus and number crunching, without the incredibly detailed formulas. If you're good at math, do physics with calc, you won't regret it.

 

[crazy_sherm]

I know physics with calc at my school is much more easier than physics without calc...less formulas and theory, more calculus and number crunching, without the incredibly detailed formulas. If you're good at math, do physics with calc, you won't regret it.

I think it really depends on the school. At Berkeley, physics w/calc is much harder and takes 3 semesters to finish the series. Physics w/o calc, which is for bio majors, only takes 2 semesters and is almost all algebra with maybe a couple easy integrations.