Struggling with which calculus to take as a pre-med, if at all???

[pursuingmed]

I am a 3rd year college student currently enrolled in the "hard/engineering" 5 credit calculus and geometry course at my university as opposed to the "easier" calculus for life sciences class. The reason I am taking the 5 credit calculus is because my concentration of "pre-med" within psychology REQUIRES it. If I were to drop this class, I would most likely have to change my concentration within my major which most likely wouldn't be a huge deal. Currently, I am sitting at a 3.9 GPA and I am extremely unhopeful for this class considering it's only the first week and I am extremely confused and lost. I still have tomorrow to drop before a grade of "W" is assigned. This is my second time trying this class however, my brain just doesn't seem to be able to process calculus no matter how hard I try.

I was doing some research and MOST medical schools don't require calculus, so, with that said... would it be better for me to withdraw from the course and just not take calculus and change my concentration? I know I will have to take either trig or some other math for medical school, but this 5 credit calculus class seems ridiculous to me and I am scared of ruining my GPA.

*** I also want to mention quite a few of my otherwise successful pre-med friends have previously taken this 5 credit calculus class and gotten C's and have to retake it which makes me a little hesitant for this course

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[lodo.owl]

IMO unless you want to go to Harvard, or find Calculus valuable to you besides that its a req for your concentration, I wouldn't risk taking the hit to such a great GPA. That being said, since you're a junior, trying to revamp your major may be more complicated and time consuming than it's worth. Try getting a tutor and challenging yourself if you have faith you can pull through. If you really think you're going to get below a B, maybe dropping the class and re-focusing is worth it.

 

[M&L]

Look, i was a learning assistant in math department, and i can tell you: calculus is confusing for 99% of people for at least a month! Calculus is weird and hard. Go to academic excellence center if you have one on campus, they usually have free tutors, go to office hours of your TA and professor, watch Khan academy and whatever else you can find online on youtube, and muscle through it. You will be ok! you are obviously smart, - your GPA is great! even a lower grade in calculus is not the end of the world.

 

[MyOdyssey]

I am a 3rd year college student currently enrolled in the "hard/engineering" 5 credit calculus and geometry course at my university as opposed to the "easier" calculus for life sciences class. The reason I am taking the 5 credit calculus is because my concentration of "pre-med" within psychology REQUIRES it. If I were to drop this class, I would most likely have to change my concentration within my major which most likely wouldn't be a huge deal. Currently, I am sitting at a 3.9 GPA and I am extremely unhopeful for this class considering it's only the first week and I am extremely confused and lost. I still have tomorrow to drop before a grade of "W" is assigned. This is my second time trying this class however, my brain just doesn't seem to be able to process calculus no matter how hard I try.

I was doing some research and MOST medical schools don't require calculus, so, with that said... would it be better for me to withdraw from the course and just not take calculus and change my concentration? I know I will have to take either trig or some other math for medical school, but this 5 credit calculus class seems ridiculous to me and I am scared of ruining my GPA.

More medical schools than you think require or prefer at least one semester of calculus.

Further, many colleges offer only calculus based versions of physics and physics is required for medical school. Does your school offer a non-calculus based version of physics for premeds perhaps?

I would drop the engineering calculus. If you can't handle that, you won't be able to handle the engineering version of physics or some other upper level physics/engineering courses.

I'd also consider taking the life sciences calculus and then bearing down in that class and seeking help wherever you can.

Change your concentration if you can't handle engineering calculus. No medical school will care whether you concentrated in "premed" studies in college.

 

[AnMDtoB]

I am extremely unhopeful for this class considering it's only the first week and I am extremely confused and lost. I still have tomorrow to drop before a grade of "W" is assigned. This is my second time trying this class however, my brain just doesn't seem to be able to process calculus no matter how hard I try.

A lot of calc classes spend a lot of time on theory and derivations of the formulas so you can better understand why/how they work, but you usually don't actually need to do them on a test - usually a class's practice/homework questions are a good indication of what the tests will be like, so see what exactly your class focuses on.

Also, I would say we'd all agree that some profs are better able to explain things than others, so head online/youtube because there are a lot of explanations on there that are very good and can make your life a lot easier.

Did you drop this class this quickly the last time you took it??

 

[pursuingmed]

More medical schools than you think require or prefer at least one semester of calculus.

Further, many colleges offer only calculus based versions of physics and physics is required for medical school. Does your school offer a non-calculus based version of physics for premeds perhaps?

I would drop the engineering calculus. If you can't handle that, you won't be able to handle the engineering version of physics or some other upper level physics/engineering courses.

I'd also consider taking the life sciences calculus and then bearing down in that class and seeking help wherever you can.

Change your concentration if you can't handle engineering calculus. No medical school will care whether you concentrated in "premed" studies in college.

The physics required for my concentration of pre med requires either Trigonometry, Calc for Life Sciences (Easy calc) or Calc & Geometry (Harder calc)... So I can take either Trig or the Easier calc and still be okay to take physics, I would still just have to change my concentration however.

 

[pursuingmed]

More medical schools than you think require or prefer at least one semester of calculus.

Further, many colleges offer only calculus based versions of physics and physics is required for medical school. Does your school offer a non-calculus based version of physics for premeds perhaps?

I would drop the engineering calculus. If you can't handle that, you won't be able to handle the engineering version of physics or some other upper level physics/engineering courses.

I'd also consider taking the life sciences calculus and then bearing down in that class and seeking help wherever you can.

Change your concentration if you can't handle engineering calculus. No medical school will care whether you concentrated in "premed" studies in college.

Also I have checked the requirements for med schools. Most don't require calc. Most med schools do require one or two semester worth of math with either Calc or Stats suggested and I have already taken Stats. I just dont really know if it's worth the risk to my gpa since I'm terrible at calc.

 

[pursuingmed]

IMO unless you want to go to Harvard, or find Calculus valuable to you besides that its a req for your concentration, I wouldn't risk taking the hit to such a great GPA. That being said, since you're a junior, trying to revamp your major may be more complicated and time consuming than it's worth. Try getting a tutor and challenging yourself if you have faith you can pull through. If you really think you're going to get below a B, maybe dropping the class and re-focusing is worth it.

Thank you... Very helpful and encouraging advice

 

[MyOdyssey]

Also I have checked the requirements for med schools. Most don't require calc. Most med schools do require one or two semester worth of math with either Calc or Stats suggested and I have already taken Stats. I just dont really know if it's worth the risk to my gpa since I'm terrible at calc.

Does your school's physics sequence require calculus?

 

[pursuingmed]

A lot of calc classes spend a lot of time on theory and derivations of the formulas so you can better understand why/how they work, but you usually don't actually need to do them on a test - usually a class's practice/homework questions are a good indication of what the tests will be like, so see what exactly your class focuses on.

Also, I would say we'd all agree that some profs are better able to explain things than others, so head online/youtube because there are a lot of explanations on there that are very good and can make your life a lot easier.

Did you drop this class this quickly the last time you took it??

It's an online calculus class and I have been watching all of the profs lectures, using the textbook, using youtube and khan academy but I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. Last time yes, I tried it for a week with a different prof and I dropped it before the "W" date so it wasn't on my record. I might also mention a bunch of my pre-med friends have taken this 5 credit calc and geometry class and many of them have gotten C's and are going to retake it. I normally don't try to compare myself, but knowing the pattern kind of freaks me out.

 

[pursuingmed]

Does your school's physics sequence require calculus?

For physics I either need Trig, Calc for Life Sciences or Calc & Geometry (the one I am taking now, considering dropping)

 

[lodo.owl]

It's an online calculus class

“online” and “calculus” in the same sentence should be illegal lol

 

[pursuingmed]

I am a 3rd year college student currently enrolled in the "hard/engineering" 5 credit calculus and geometry course at my university as opposed to the "easier" calculus for life sciences class. The reason I am taking the 5 credit calculus is because my concentration of "pre-med" within psychology REQUIRES it. If I were to drop this class, I would most likely have to change my concentration within my major which most likely wouldn't be a huge deal. Currently, I am sitting at a 3.9 GPA and I am extremely unhopeful for this class considering it's only the first week and I am extremely confused and lost. I still have tomorrow to drop before a grade of "W" is assigned. This is my second time trying this class however, my brain just doesn't seem to be able to process calculus no matter how hard I try.

I was doing some research and MOST medical schools don't require calculus, so, with that said... would it be better for me to withdraw from the course and just not take calculus and change my concentration? I know I will have to take either trig or some other math for physics & medical school, but this 5 credit calculus & geometry class seems ridiculous to me and I am scared of ruining my GPA.

*** I also want to mention quite a few of my otherwise successful pre-med friends have previously taken this 5 credit calculus class and gotten C's and have to retake it which makes me a little hesitant for this course

 

[pursuingmed]

“online” and “calculus” in the same sentence should be illegal lol

HA

 

[pursuingmed]

Look, i was a learning assistant in math department, and i can tell you: calculus is confusing for 99% of people for at least a month! Calculus is weird and hard. Go to academic excellence center if you have one on campus, they usually have free tutors, go to office hours of your TA and professor, watch Khan academy and whatever else you can find online on youtube, and muscle through it. You will be ok! you are obviously smart, - your GPA is great! even a lower grade in calculus is not the end of the world.

Thank you for your input!

 

[M&L]

It's an online calculus class and I have been watching all of the profs lectures, using the textbook, using youtube and khan academy but I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. Last time yes, I tried it for a week with a different prof and I dropped it before the "W" date so it wasn't on my record. I might also mention a bunch of my pre-med friends have taken this 5 credit calc and geometry class and many of them have gotten C's and are going to retake it. I normally don't try to compare myself, but knowing the pattern kind of freaks me out.

you know, taking advanced math online is only a good idea if you are REALLY good at math. Like, if math is really easy for you, and if you are really good at learning from books. I speak from experience, - i took calc 1, 2 and 3 online.

 

[pursuingmed]

I

you know, taking advanced math online is only a good idea if you are REALLY good at math. Like, if math is really easy for you, and if you are really good at learning from books. I speak from experience, - i took calc 1, 2 and 3 online.

The first time I tried this "Analytic Geometry and Calculus" class was in person and it was actually more confusing to me than the online version is even though I'm still hopelessly confused...
Not sure how you did all three of those online, that's awesome!!

 

[M&L]

I

The first time I tried this "Analytic Geometry and Calculus" class was in person and it was actually more confusing to me than the online version is even though I'm still hopelessly confused...
Not sure how you did all three of those online, that's awesome!!

Math has always been easy for me , so it wasn’t a big deal . Plus I was stationed in Germany (army ), so I didn’t have a choice . After I came back to US I took the rest of the math courses in classroom (differential equations, linear algebra , etc). Math can be a very confusing science - don’t let it get to you !!!! Finding a good TA or tutor and help a lot .