Physics II, between a rock & a hard place

[redhorse]

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Uggg...the dilema of physics, to drop or not to drop that is the question.

I am in PHYS I w/ Calc presently. First test I did just above avg w/ a 68. Scary avg, but it was ~64. Second test did not go well, but that seemed to be the general feeling. Both lab and homework grades are currently in the A range. Apparently the prof. curves heavily; top 1/3 get A, middle 1/3 get B, lower 1/3 get C, folks that do not do homeworks or show up to class/lab get F.

I'm a second BA student on a strict timeline. Due to the timeline I ended up in Phys w/ Calc. I could not get into College Phys(all courses were full) and I barely got into it the calc based course. But that's the situation. So, 2 questions:

1) Should I take the hit and drop PHYS I w. Calc and take College Phys next year (I'd have to take it along with organic chem) OR should I stick it out and hope the curve gets me where I need to be (at least a B).

2) I am a second BA student, never took Calc II - do not plan on it (I find it much more productive for me to focus on upper level bio courses). Assuming I can work some magic and bypass the prereq/coreq, how difficult would it be to pass Physics II w. Calc without taking Calc II? Is it possible? Probable?

Extra info: Prof for Phys I w/ Calc is awful. Prof for Phys II w/ Calc is fantastic. Not sure about the College Physics professors.

It's a tight spot that I definitely need advice on....Whatcha thinkin? Thanks.

 

[david594]

Work harder, do above average on the next test and/or final, and get a B in the class.

 

[BlacKAT33]

stick with the class, avg grades are great in phys.

Is it not possible to take physII w/o calc? do you HAVE to continue with calc just because you took physI with calc? i feel like i remember a guy in my physII lab who had taken physI with calc and then decided it was too hard so switched to w/o calc for physII. But, im not 100% sure, check it out though! it doesnt matter which one you take for vet school and i dont see why the university would care if you switched for physII if your major doesnt require calc

 

[redhorse]

Is it not possible to take physII w/o calc? do you HAVE to continue with calc just because you took physI with calc? i feel like i remember a guy in my physII lab who had taken physI with calc and then decided it was too hard so switched to w/o calc for physII. But, im not 100% sure, check it out though! it doesnt matter which one you take for vet school and i dont see why the university would care if you switched for physII if your major doesnt require calc

Trust me, I've thought of it. lol! But, I have been advised not to do this b/c:
1. It looks like you can't hack it...if you can't hack physics you won't be able to hack vet school.
2. It will confuse you more than anything, never wise to split a sequence.

But...maybe, I might have to. If I can't get around the Calc II coreq. I will be taking Phys II w/o calc regardless....

 

[thnythe]

I would stick out this Physics I course. Usually the averages have a way of working themselves out...

As for Physics II w/ calc, think of it this way: you've taken Calc I and you're presumably using it in Physics I now. If you hadn't taken Calc I, how hard would Physics I be for you right now? Physics II will probably require the same amount of Calc II.

Secondly, how strong are you in math? The Physics II I took used a lot of integration. If you've got a really strong handle on derivatives and general math, you'll probably be okay.

However, I don't think switching between calculus-based and non-calculus based physics would be a difficult transition, nor would it be frowned upon. If you're having doubts, I would probably go to non-calculus based Physics II.

 

[quakk]

1 is complete and utter rubbish. whole different mindset. especially physics with calculus. more below...

2 maybe... if you focus on concepts, the mathematics are just a tool to express relationships. you can always do extra problems, get a tutor, go ask the prof, work with other students, etc. i wouldn't take calc-based physics if i didn't have to.

i know a physics prof at cal poly slo - just this week he was telling me that med schools are starting to require calc-based physics. i asked him why - through 4 years of vet school, i can't say i've needed physics at all (though i do appreciate having the background); unless they're teaching things like fluid dynamics, classical and electrical physics have no bearing on vet school; the only thing is problem-solving, which imnsho isn't stressed nearly enough in vet school (and is the same irrespective of whether you use algebra or calculus to solve physics problems). and they don't trust us to use a simple 4-function calculator here, so why would they expect us to have done calculus. he suggested it's a weeding out process. i'm inclined to believe him.

Trust me, I've thought of it. lol! But, I have been advised not to do this b/c:
1. It looks like you can't hack it...if you can't hack physics you won't be able to hack vet school.
2. It will confuse you more than anything, never wise to split a sequence.

But...maybe, I might have to. If I can't get around the Calc II coreq. I will be taking Phys II w/o calc regardless....

 

[BlacKAT33]

I dont think vet schools will look down on you if you switch, they may not even notice!! haha If most of the students who apply take non calc based they cant hold it against you that you switched to the same thing that everyone else applies with.
I dont think physII w/o calc will be hard to switch to. Depending on how well you get physics, even just looking at how you did in high school... did it "click"? if so, you will be fine!! i personally thought phys II was easier than physI. And at my school, the 2 courses didnt really overlap. I could have taken physII without ever taking physI, so i dont think you'd be behind or struggle with the different type of problem solving.

 

[twelvetigers]

Physics I and II are very, very different... at least I thought so. I thought that I was much easier, but others I've spoken to have preferred II. So, just don't count on them being similar in any way aside from name and "here's the formula"-type structure.