Take Advanced Physics course?

[tsl102]

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Hi everyone, there are two versions of general physics at my school: the regular general physics, and an advanced version. the advanced course uses calculus and gets more in depth with everything (is more serious especially with thermodynamics (gibbs free energy, etc.), forces and work, electricity and magnetism, and quantum mechanics).

my main concern is the mcat. do you think taking this course (and assuming that I will know the material afterward) would better prepare me for the mcat? is there anything on the mcat that makes you think "darn, i should have taken/studied more physics?"

thanks in advance.

 

[Law2Doc]

Hi everyone, there are two versions of general physics at my school: the regular general physics, and an advanced version. the advanced course uses calculus and gets more in depth with everything (is more serious especially with thermodynamics (gibbs free energy, etc.), forces and work, electricity and magnetism, and quantum mechanics).

my main concern is the mcat. do you think taking this course (and assuming that I will know the material afterward) would better prepare me for the mcat? is there anything on the mcat that makes you think "darn, i should have taken/studied more physics?"

thanks in advance.

The typical noncalc physics is perfectly adequate for the MCATs. Anything you take beyond that is for your own gratification and knowledge.

 

[Chris127]

Will adcoms look at whether you took calc based or regular? Or do they just want to see 'physics?'

 

[Law2Doc]

Will adcoms look at whether you took calc based or regular? Or do they just want to see 'physics?'

either is fine. Just do well. If they wanted calc based physics, they would have made that the prereq.

 

[deleted77919]

As everyone else mentioned, either one is fine . . . however here was my experience . . . for what it's worth.

I took the more advanced calculus based physics. I never regretted it, I had to work a bit harder, sure, but I felt like I really understood the material very well by the end of the course (not that I wouldn't have understood things in the other course, but I really liked doing derivations, etc).

The downside to this particular course of study was since it wasn't the typical pre-med stuff they felt free to teach what they wanted, mcat be darned. So, we completely (or nearly so) skipped optics because 1) the material was relatively easy and 2) there were fewer derivations back to first princiiples you could do. Therefore I was on my own learning some of the material. However, calc based physics ended up being one of my favorite courses.

If you don't care that much about phys, just take the standard pre-med course, you'll be adequately prepared.

 

[_ian]

If you want a pre-requisite that will prepare you adequately for the MCAT, take the easy course. If you want to learn for your own sake in addition to being prepared, then take the advanced course.

 

[Stroganoff]

Screw the MCAT. Take calc-based for a better worldview, dangit. You'll learn more.