Should be general physics or college physics?

[Juliadang1982]

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Hi everyone, I'm going to apply to Pharmacy school this year so I have one question, hopefully you guys can help me. Thank you so much! I saw many Pharm schools require Physics course, but I don't really know which Physics I should study: General Physics or College Physics is better?

 

[Passion4Sci]

Which one of the two has the designation, "For science majors"? That's usually the safest bet.

This topic comes up every so often, in biology, in chemistry, and in certain math subjects. The number one essential thing for you to do is contact each Pharmacy school to which you'd like to apply, and ask them directly. Anything here will be conjecture, and generalized unless you ask about a specific school. Someone here may actually be going to one of those schools, so you should specify that also.

 

[charfdorn]

Hi everyone, I'm going to apply to Pharmacy school this year so I have one question, hopefully you guys can help me. Thank you so much! I saw many Pharm schools require Physics course, but I don't really know which Physics I should study: General Physics or College Physics is better?

I'm guessing that General Physics is an intro course and will not count. But don't ask us; ask the school(s) you want to go to. I know CU lists the transferability of courses from other Colorado schools on their website. Maybe see if you local program has something similar.

 

[IrishOats]

I'm finishing up algebra-based physics (called "General Physics") at the university I attend. "University Physics" is the calculus-based course series - required for engineering majors and a few other majors. I'm a biochemistry major and I was allowed to choose either series. I'd investigate and see what the actual difference between the two is at the school you attend. I'd suggest taking the algebra-based course if it is accepted by the pharmacy schools you're interested in. That way if you're taking other courses at the same time you won't make things harder on yourself than you have to.

 

[fenderbiz]

I don't know of any pharm school that requires Physics w/ Calculus. FYI: General Physics is Algebra-based and the other is Calculus-based. General physics is meant for pre-medical field people. Physics w/ Calculus is meant for engineers and B.S. degrees in science.

 

[BearDown]

General physics should be fine. I took it and no school I applied to (~15) said to take the calc one.

 

[tommyVoltage]

my school has two general physics 1. phys 131 and phys 161. 131 is just algebra based and 161 is calc based. for prepharm (we follow chemical biotechnology major) we only need phys 131 and 132 (algebra based physics 1 and 2). the only people that take the calc based physics are chemistry physics and engineering majors.

 

[Juliadang1982]

Thank you guys for your response!!! So which class is easier? Algebra-based physics or calculus-based physics? Thanks!

 

[Passion4Sci]

Thank you guys for your response!!! So which class is easier? Algebra-based physics or calculus-based physics? Thanks!

Before I dove into my Physics course, the semester before, I audited both of those options.

For me, I prefer Algebra to Calculus and chose to take Algebra-driven Physics, which turned out to be better for me schedule-wise, and the pharmacy schools I am looking at indicated no problem with that course.

I assume that whether you prefer Algebra or Calculus will determine which Physics course you'd also prefer, granted that they are both in equal in worth to the pharm. school to which you're applying.

 

[aboveliquidice]

I always thought it was funny the separation between the two courses... you can't have physics without calculus.

Physics w/ algebra = several formulas for velocity / acceleration
Physics w/ calculus = one derivation for velocity / acceleration

They actually made the physics w/ algebra remember 5 different versions of the exact same formula - just with variable substitutions made... As though no one in the course understood how to swap variables 😕

Take whichever course is accepted by the programs you will be applying to. Neither course has any information that pertains to pharmacy school - it is merely your ability to successfully complete the course that the ADCOM wants to see. I would choose the least stressful course accepted.

 

[Passion4Sci]

I always thought it was funny the separation between the two courses... you can't have physics without calculus.

Physics w/ algebra = several formulas for velocity / acceleration
Physics w/ calculus = one derivation for velocity / acceleration

They actually made the physics w/ algebra remember 5 different versions of the exact same formula - just with variable substitutions made... As though no one in the course understood how to swap variables 😕

Take whichever course is accepted by the programs you will be applying to. Neither course has any information that pertains to pharmacy school - it is merely your ability to successfully complete the course that the ADCOM wants to see. I would choose the least stressful course accepted.

Heh, there are all manner of these odd course amalgamations in the social services, however I did find it odd that such a thing would occur in the "hard sciences", as social sciences tend to need far more variation in minutiae than do hard sciences.

At my school, you can take Physics as long as you've had Algebra, Intermediate, and Trigonometry. Calculus is only a co-requisite for the Algebra-driven Physics course.

 

[Farmercyst]

At the CC I went to, the lecture and labs for Algebra vs Calc based were the same. The tests were almost the same as well, we just had to do more word problems.🙄

 

[yappy]

This is kinda the wrong attitude... but which one is easier? I have taken calculus and don't want to look lazy for taking the algebra version; however, I also will be taking a difficult course load and would like to focus more of my attention on O-chem as this will be essential for the PCAT & Pharmacy school.

Thanks.

 

[tootoo30]

Physics sucks no matter where you take it, just remember that www.cramster.com is your friend LOL

 

[FutureDr.Jefferson]

Sorry to be a party pooper... College Physics is not University Physics. I believe college physics is general physics, but i'm not sure it could also be intro. Most likely it is general though. The reason that I know they are different is because I am retaking physics this semester as a review. My community college offers university and college physics. Hope this helps.

 

[MyRealNameIs]

Sorry to be a party pooper... College Physics is not University Physics. I believe college physics is general physics, but i'm not sure it could also be intro. Most likely it is general though. The reason that I know they are different is because I am retaking physics this semester as a review. My community college offers university and college physics. Hope this helps.

That is because you go to a community college lol. At least at my university, college/university is pretty much used interchangeably but I did notice some transfer students from cc trying to distinguish it lol. So it doesn't make sense to name two different courses university and college physics.
Remember OP mentioned two different physics courses offered at his college. College Physics, and General Physics. I doubt their school has College physics, general physics, and university physics.