Physics major

[medicalfielder]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Any physics major pre-meds? How's your experience with it? What school??

 

[Narmerguy]

You'll get better responses if you ask more specific questions. I was a physics major. I enjoyed it. It seemed harder than what a lot of the biology and chemistry majors were going through, but I also didn't have to waste 4+ hours every week doing dumb labs and lab writeups. Probably not going to tell everyone the school I went to.


Oh, and you'll find some other very similar threads below.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=879132

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=764134

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=750020

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=764360

 

[ben kenobi]

I'm a physics major who is applying right now. It's a cool subject, but I wouldn't recommend it because it really is harder than biology. If I could go back, I probably would have avoided the physics major, but at the time I didn't know I wanted to go to med school.

 

[chemphys45]

I'm a physics and chemistry major entering sophomore year, so I don't quite have the insight as some of these other guys. As previously said, the subject is really cool.. but I do know that I spent quite a bit of time on problem sets each week, which was annoying. The way I look at it, though, is I'll only do undergrad once, so I figure I'm going to spend my time studying what I'm interested in.

Plus, the critical thinking and problem solving skills learned from physics are very useful, in my opinion.

If it's going to tank your GPA, obviously don't do it. If my GPA starts to go, I'll probably drop my physics major.

 

[ShenanigansMD]

Awesome choice, although I would push you towards engineering since it is more application based, which is useful in medicine.

However, physics will make you stand out.

 

[Taranis]

I'm a physics major going into my senior year. The stuff you learn is a lot more interesting than typical premed majors do and you are far more likely to remember what you learnt in your undergrad since it is more about understanding than rote memorization. However, it definitely is harder than these other majors as well (at my school, at least), and my GPA is a bit below where I want it to be because of that. You have to decide for yourself whether you want a more interesting and unique field of study that may make your GPA a bit lower.

 

[Narmerguy]

Awesome choice, although I would push you towards engineering since it is more application based, which is useful in medicine.

However, physics will make you stand out.

Yeah I would push you in the opposite direction. Engineering is good for people that want to become engineers. If you don't want to be an engineer or do biomedical research, please stay away from engineering. If you want to apply your physics, just do so biophysics research.

 

[ShenanigansMD]

Yeah I would push you in the opposite direction. Engineering is good for people that want to become engineers. If you don't want to be an engineer or do biomedical research, please stay away from engineering. If you want to apply your physics, just do so biophysics research.

Jeez, pre-meds and their disdain for engineering, like it has never helped physicians take care of patients effectively. What is with this "you're intruding on pre-med territory" garbage I always get when I say I'm an engineer?

Knowing the application/math of the correct materials and devices is more important in clinical research than people think, and allowing physicians to have insight into this is not a bad thing. 90% of what modern physicians do would be impossible without engineering.

Yes medicine requires social skills and a personality, but an awareness of available technology and how it works isn't a bad thing to have.

 

[UrshumMurshum]

I was a physics major. I wouldn't recommend going into it unless you have intuitive geometrical/mathematical skills.

It takes a lot of time, frustration, and perpetually being confused - even if you're smart. In the end you come knowing how to critically think, which is a skill deeply sought after.

 

[Gnomo]

If I remember correctly, physics majors, on the whole, score highest on the MCAT as compared to students from all other majors. So you've got that going for you. I suspect it opens doors to research, too, which is nice.

 

[newkid1]

hey i'm a physics major!

Do it.

Not but seriously, do it if you love it. I go to a HUGE school - physics is by far our smallest department, not by faculty count but by graduating class. Last year we had 14 kids. It is not a party major that is for sure. The subject is very challenging intellectually, but can also very satisfying. I don't know know alot of physics majors who decides to go into medical school (i'm an exception i guess).

It develops a way of thinking that you really can't get from any other discipline (math perhaps). The work is intense, which is an under statement. Its not like premed classes where your success is linearly dependent on how much time you put in memorizing your book. Learning curve for physics is more like a Heaviside function. Nothing for a while and then bam, you get it. And repeat.

It will sap the **** out of you. and from my experience it will make all your premed class feel like a breeze. And chances are that your premed courses will be the ones that boost your GPA the most too.

After all those things considered: i hear that med schools love physics majors.

Take a look at Harvards new requirements.

"5. Computational Skills/Mathematics
Computational skills are required for contemporary scientific literacy. Although the calculus of derivatives and integration represents important concepts for the precise, quantifiable understanding of dynamic physiological processes and systems, a full year of calculus focusing on the derivation of biologically low-relevance theorems is less important than mastery of more relevant algebraic and trigonometric quantitative skills. "

"6. Additional requirements for the HST Program In addition to all the above requirements, the HST curriculum requires that students be comfortable with upper-level mathematics (through differential equations and linear algebra..."

"One year of calculus is the minimum requirement."

Physics covers all that. Good luck!

 

[medicalfielder]

Hm engineering is potentially an option... But doesn't it take longer to complete an engineering degree because of the credits? I have no interest in working as an engineer, but I love the concepts, and feel that a physics major would be badass. I do respect engineers though. To me, engineers, physicians, and scientists are the best. 😉 what GPA do you all have in physics? Also, BME seems interesting, but how is Chem E or mat sci engineering for pre-med? My school also offers a medical physics major. Maybe that's what I should be doing? So many options haha

 

[medicalfielder]

That sounds awesome! My university offers a BS/MS program, and because of AP credits, my advisor told me that if I do a summer term, I can finish in 4 years, with a BS in biomaterials and an MS in Mat Sci or BME. If I do an engineering major, I'd like one that is very science based, including a great deal of theoretical chemistry and physics. I'm not too interested in mechanical engineering or civil engineering.

 

[Narmerguy]

Jeez, pre-meds and their disdain for engineering, like it has never helped physicians take care of patients effectively. What is with this "you're intruding on pre-med territory" garbage I always get when I say I'm an engineer?

Knowing the application/math of the correct materials and devices is more important in clinical research than people think, and allowing physicians to have insight into this is not a bad thing. 90% of what modern physicians do would be impossible without engineering.

Yes medicine requires social skills and a personality, but an awareness of available technology and how it works isn't a bad thing to have.

I think perhaps you're over-thinking a quite simple problem. There are many disciplines that can be useful for a doctor--sociology, psychology, chemistry, physics, and probably engineering. Obviously each of these disciplines have their own quirks, their own culture, and their own focus.

The bulk of engineering will not be of much use to a premed, though it will require a great deal of time and effort. Anyone not particularly well-suited will additionally struggle, though plenty of intelligent, analytical individuals struggle as well. Many, probably most, of the benefits one could obtain from engineering, with respect to a premedical student, can be had from other mathematical/analytical sciences like math, physics, and chemistry. These do not come with the added baggage of engineering, and are probably better suited for a premedical student that does not have explicit ambitions to continue some sort of engineering research.

...And let's not pretend one has to be an engineer to understand how medical devices work. It's not rocket science to use these things. Inventing them is the hard part, and if that doesn't tickle someone's fancy, they should probably stay away from engineering. Sorry, it's just not well suited for most premeds.

 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

I would have loved to major in Physics. I am sure the critical thinking skills you obtain would be great. But at my school we only have 6 students majoring in physics and our professors are crap so I'm glad I didn't major it it.

 

[DietSexy5000]

I'm going into senior year of my physics major. I'm applying now too. Physics undergrad to medical school is definitely atypical since, as most said, physics can be a real drain on your GPA. Another aspect that you may want to consider is how it may impact scheduling. I've had a tricky time scheduling all the bio courses around my physics courses; they always seem to be offered at the same time no matter what, every semester. If you go to a small school, this could absolutely sink you as you'll never be able to do all the classes for pre med and physics. That being said, if you can handle being frustrated and confused for 20 hours per week per problem set and can keep a solid GPA, do it. Best decision of my undergrad, hands down.

PS -- there is still definitely time for socializing despite being a physics major. You could easily go out two or three nights a week as long as you work your butt off the other nights.

 

[MangoPlant]

You'll get better responses if you ask more specific questions. I was a physics major. I enjoyed it. It seemed harder than what a lot of the biology and chemistry majors were going through, but I also didn't have to waste 4+ hours every week doing dumb labs and lab writeups. Probably not going to tell everyone the school I went to.


Oh, and you'll find some other very similar threads below.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=879132

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=764134

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=750020

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=764360

I was also considering doing a physics major because I really liked the AP Physics courses I took in high school and did very well in them too. I started undergrad as a chem major, but these labs are really annoying me like you mentioned. The only concern I have about switching to physics is that my GPA will take a hit..

Do you guys have any idea about how much I should predict my GPA to fall? If I can have a 3.9 w/ a chem major, what should I expect with a physics major?


Also, Narmerguy, you're application is ridiculously amazing.

 

[487806]

I was also considering doing a physics major because I really liked the AP Physics courses I took in high school and did very well in them too. I started undergrad as a chem major, but these labs are really annoying me like you mentioned. The only concern I have about switching to physics is that my GPA will take a hit..

Do you guys have any idea about how much I should predict my GPA to fall? If I can have a 3.9 w/ a chem major, what should I expect with a physics major?


Also, Narmerguy, you're application is ridiculously amazing.

Couldn't you have created a separate thread rather than bumping a ~ 3-month old thread?

To answer your question, I have no idea (probably around the same). It depends on how good you are in physics compared to chemistry. Don't listen to the typical view that physics and math are impossible and GPA breakers for premeds.. not true.

 

[luke587]

Does physics depend on the course work entirely? I feel like non-calc based physics like the intro classes are that challenging, there hard but not impossible. Its kind of like an algebra class where you just put the numbers into the equation and go. But I imagine major classes have to be awful

 

[MangoPlant]

Is differential equations considered difficult? If I want to do a physics major at my school, I have to take differential equations ASAP.

 

[487806]

Is differential equations considered difficult? If I want to do a physics major at my school, I have to take differential equations ASAP.

depends on your professor. It's basically using different methods of integrals to solve equations. Very useful IMO.

Does physics depend on the course work entirely? I feel like non-calc based physics like the intro classes are that challenging, there hard but not impossible. Its kind of like an algebra class where you just put the numbers into the equation and go. But I imagine major classes have to be awful

Depends. Intro calc-based physics is good foundation to tackle harder courses that require extensive math, such as vector calc. Algebra-based physics is generally for nonmajors.

 

[Batman MD]

Is differential equations considered difficult? If I want to do a physics major at my school, I have to take differential equations ASAP.

Former Math Major here.
Are you good at computational mathematics (i.e. mathematics similar to Calc II where you aren't using theoretical, but applicable plug and chug equations)? Because I always excelled as a great computational mathematician, and thus did really really well in ODE. I even went on to taking partial differential equations my junior year and did my capstone on ODE.

My opinion? Great class. Very Intellectually stimulating. IMO easy.👍 Best of luck and hats off.

 

[mimelim]

I was also considering doing a physics major because I really liked the AP Physics courses I took in high school and did very well in them too. I started undergrad as a chem major, but these labs are really annoying me like you mentioned. The only concern I have about switching to physics is that my GPA will take a hit..

Do you guys have any idea about how much I should predict my GPA to fall? If I can have a 3.9 w/ a chem major, what should I expect with a physics major?


Also, Narmerguy, you're application is ridiculously amazing.

My GPA was a lot higher because I was a Physics major than if I had majored in Biology or Chemistry. You shouldn't be a Physics major because you liked an AP class. That is a poor representation of what it is like to study real Physics. My recommendation is that you take a college level Physics class, either the "Physics major's intro class" or whatever their first class would be after their intro class if it is just a general class for everyone, then decide.

 

[Narmerguy]

I was also considering doing a physics major because I really liked the AP Physics courses I took in high school and did very well in them too. I started undergrad as a chem major, but these labs are really annoying me like you mentioned. The only concern I have about switching to physics is that my GPA will take a hit..

Do you guys have any idea about how much I should predict my GPA to fall? If I can have a 3.9 w/ a chem major, what should I expect with a physics major?


Also, Narmerguy, you're application is ridiculously amazing.

Thanks and I have a few thoughts to add: Physics pulls on skills that many students don't enjoy. It's not necessarily harder, but you'll find that there are a lot of people (myself included) who have to work really hard to keep up while others find the principles/math/theory more intuitive. That said, I can can't stress enough that most Physics classes are nothing like AP or even intro mechanics/EM for that matter. I remember commenting to friends that I didn't get what was the big deal about physics when I was a freshman. It took me getting to my fourth physics class to finally see "real" physics and all its frustrating glory.

I can't predict an exact GPA drop without knowing more about your math background/performance. Your GPA doesn't have to take a hit, but honestly, it probably will--and that's OK. Physics tends to force people to work in groups and if you are good at chemistry, you still likely possess many of the skills that will be useful for physics--at least enough that you can do well in most of your classes. If you can, just stay away from the heavy theoretical stuff and try to do bio/chemical physics so you can double dip with your premed classes like cell bio or biochem.

And actually, kudos for bumping this thread 👍 Three months is nothing, and there's no need to keep creating threads on the same topics. This this way everyone who reads it will benefit from the previous discussion as well.

Does physics depend on the course work entirely? I feel like non-calc based physics like the intro classes are that challenging, there hard but not impossible. Its kind of like an algebra class where you just put the numbers into the equation and go. But I imagine major classes have to be awful

Most physics classes heavily depend on course work. Labs exist, but they traditionally aren't styled like biology and chemistry, and often involve a lot of math and problem solving that is linked back to your coursework. Additionally, most physics is heavily calculus based and you won't survive hoping to plug-and-chug into equations. You'll develop a familiarity and comfort with calculus, but it often sucks getting there. I found a lot of the major classes awful, but interesting.

 

[FSU2013]

I got my degree in physics and I'm really glad that I did. It helps you understand how to think through complex problems.

The only downside is that I felt a little behind during my first year of med school. A lot of my classmates had already seen most of the material before and I had not. Also, I had no real capacity for memorization;as a physics major you will learn how to solve problems but you will never actually memorize anything. Finally, I was a decent writer in high school and I completely lost that ability (I wrote all of 3 papers in med school that weren't lab write ups).

As long as you take a couple courses that require you memorize something and so something with reading and writing (really, the importance of being able to write well cannot be overstated) you'll be in good shape.

Good luck.

 

[Napoletana1007]

Is differential equations considered difficult? If I want to do a physics major at my school, I have to take differential equations ASAP.

I didn't find it to hard! Did u like calculus, if so you'll prob enjoy it.

 

[Napoletana1007]

.

 

[MangoPlant]

To chime in on this discussion, I got my BS in physics because I really enjoyed the critical thinking aspect of it. My GPA is very low, but my experience has been that medical schools understand this. My undergrad science gpa was a 2.97 but I took challenging classes. I took a gap year and took some post bac bio classes (nothing formal) at my local univ to feel more prepared for med school course work. This application cycle has been going very well for me, I've already had a number of interviews and acceptances including to my top choice school. Granted I did very well on the science portions of the mcat (14bio, 12phys), I think being a (female) physics major helped me stand out tremendously.

Very nice! Congratulations on the interviews/acceptances! It's strange that you scored 14 on bio and 12 on ps, I would have predicted it the other way around for a physics major! Either way, congrats! 👍

Former Math Major here.
Are you good at computational mathematics (i.e. mathematics similar to Calc II where you aren't using theoretical, but applicable plug and chug equations)? Because I always excelled as a great computational mathematician, and thus did really really well in ODE. I even went on to taking partial differential equations my junior year and did my capstone on ODE.

My opinion? Great class. Very Intellectually stimulating. IMO easy.👍 Best of luck and hats off.

Thanks. I don't really like just plug and chug, but I love questions that make you think a lot. For example: What is the remainder when 7^22 is divided by 4. I hope upper level physics isn't a lot of plug and chug.

Thanks and I have a few thoughts to add: Physics pulls on skills that many students don't enjoy. It's not necessarily harder, but you'll find that there are a lot of people (myself included) who have to work really hard to keep up while others find the principles/math/theory more intuitive. That said, I can can't stress enough that most Physics classes are nothing like AP or even intro mechanics/EM for that matter. I remember commenting to friends that I didn't get what was the big deal about physics when I was a freshman. It took me getting to my fourth physics class to finally see "real" physics and all its frustrating glory.

I can't predict an exact GPA drop without knowing more about your math background/performance. Your GPA doesn't have to take a hit, but honestly, it probably will--and that's OK. Physics tends to force people to work in groups and if you are good at chemistry, you still likely possess many of the skills that will be useful for physics--at least enough that you can do well in most of your classes. If you can, just stay away from the heavy theoretical stuff and try to do bio/chemical physics so you can double dip with your premed classes like cell bio or biochem.

And actually, kudos for bumping this thread 👍 Three months is nothing, and there's no need to keep creating threads on the same topics. This this way everyone who reads it will benefit from the previous discussion as well.



Most physics classes heavily depend on course work. Labs exist, but they traditionally aren't styled like biology and chemistry, and often involve a lot of math and problem solving that is linked back to your coursework. Additionally, most physics is heavily calculus based and you won't survive hoping to plug-and-chug into equations. You'll develop a familiarity and comfort with calculus, but it often sucks getting there. I found a lot of the major classes awful, but interesting.

Thanks for your response. This is exactly what I wanted to hear! I love problem solving that actually makes you think!

 

[rebakk01]

I majored in physics and am currently doing interviews now. I found that my physics major helped me learn how to think more than any chemistry or bio class could. Like someone mentioned earlier, you won't learn techniques to memorize in physics, but that's something you can work on when you take ochem and biochem. In my opinion, the best education is the one that teaches you how to think deeply and carefully and that's what the physics major did for me. Besides that, the group work necessary to complete those mind-numbingly difficult problem sets is a great skill. I've talked about my team work skills as a result of my physics major in interviews and the interviewers really seem to like it.

My GPA probably wasn't as good as it could have been, but most schools understand this.

Oh and definitely no plug and chug in upper-level physics--you'll be mostly dealing with derivations.