Prereqs: Physics & Precaclulus...HELP!!!

[stephenm]

I am a post-bac pre-med student (26 y.o.) with a goal of DO school. Here is my situation. My plan was to take Organic 1 and Physics 1 this semester, Org 2 and Physics 2 in the Spring of '11, take the MCAT in the summer of '11 with the intent of beginning med school in 2012.

Here is the problem. I was able to get an override and get into a Physics 1 class without taking the precal prereq. So here I am, at the end of week one and I'm a little lost. I was speaking with my professor and he strongly advised me to take precal before I dive into Physics, especially as a pre-med student. Tomorrow is the last day at my school to drop the class for a full refund, so needless to say I'm a bit short on time to make my decision.

Moral of the story: I either try to take Physics without the precal knowledge and chance getting a poor grade. Or I potentially add a year to my prereqs by taking precal first, but increase my chances significantly of earning an A. I know the obvious answer seems to be to take the time I need to perform well, because in the grand scheme of things a year is not the end of the world.

Advice please?!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[gatewasani]

I don't understand why you would need precalculus for physics 1, unless of course it was calculus based but we don't need calc based, regular will do.

 

[seap3]

I think the OP needs precalc for the algebra & trig, not for calculus.

I would drop this class asap. Without a solid foundation in math, you will really struggle. Maybe you can find another way to take physics without sacrificing a year. For example, take precalc either now or spring, and then take physics summer session. You would still have a good chance next cycle with an august mcat if you had your primary submitted beforehand.

 

[IamaBanana]

I think the OP needs precalc for the algebra & trig, not for calculus.

I would drop this class asap. Without a solid foundation in math, you will really struggle. Maybe you can find another way to take physics without sacrificing a year. For example, take precalc either now or spring, and then take physics summer session. You would still have a good chance next cycle with an august mcat if you had your primary submitted beforehand.

Ditto. If you're already having a rough time drop and get your money back. Take pre-calc, hey, at least its another grade. You may be 26 but you still need to be prudent, cautious and patient.

 

[stephenm]

Thanks all. Class is dropped and I'm trying to get into precalc as we speak. Appreciate the advice!

 

[FrkyBgStok]

Good choice. I took college algebra concurrently with physics and it was right alongside each other. Without the good practice with trig, I would have been screwed.

 

[CopToEM]

You made the right choice here. It's not just important to get an A in the course... that's only half the battle. You need to master the concepts as you'll need that mastery for MCAT prep. The unfortunate thing is that even algebra based Physics is pretty tough without a solid foundation in trig and obviously algebra.

As far as being non-traditional (26) and trying to finish quickly: just slow down.

Remind yourself daily: Time, pressure, and a little bit of heat turns coal into diamond.

Hang in there! Nothing about pre-med or med school is terribly difficult. Thousands of people accomplish it every year. It's an endurance race - the ones who make it are the ones who can hold out and push the limits. The others don't.