To avoid or not to avoid

[Drewel]

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I'm registered for physics2 in the spring, but I keep hearing things about how horrible the professor is. It's a real bust your ass kind of class. My question to you all, is whether or not I should tough it out and take the class, or avoid him like the plague? Have any of you been in the same circumstances before? Thanks =P

 

[ocean11]

YOUR GPA is the most imp thing in your med school applications, no matter what anyone tells you! you need to do well, if your dream is med school than DON"T TAKE THE PHYSICS, if you think you'll score anything less than a A- (I'm serious), take the 'easier' physics unless you really think you can do well!

Trust me I made a mistake like that once (it wasn't Physics but a Political science course). I ended up getting a 71% and that dropped my GPA, and I did try to work hard, trust me you'll regret it in the future.

Good Luck

O11

 

[Mutterkuchen]

I agree with ocean. Unless you really love physics and get excited about the challenge of learning as much physics as possible, I would try to take an easier course. I took the hard physics classes, got Bs, and seven years later hardly remember a thing. I should have taken the easier physics courses and got the As. I still would not remember a thing.

 

[wolferman]

Originally posted by Drewel
I'm registered for physics2 in the spring, but I keep hearing things about how horrible the professor is. It's a real bust your ass kind of class. My question to you all, is whether or not I should tough it out and take the class, or avoid him like the plague? Have any of you been in the same circumstances before? Thanks =P

Is this second semester physics? If so, you're going to need to take it at some point in order to get the 1 year of physics most schools require, right? I guess your only option is waiting until another professor teaches it. Do you see that happening in the next year or two? If not, you may have to rough it.

 

[doepug]

Forget what the other people have told you.

If you want to take the class, take the class. If your GPA suffers, so what? Med schools do look at the rigor of the classes you've taken. I purposely took classes that I knew would hurt my GPA, because I wanted to explore those subjects further.

You came to college for an education, not a GPA. Don't cheat yourself out of getting an education.

doepug
MS III, Johns Hopkins

PS - wolferman has a good point; make sure that you take at least two semesters of calculus-based physics before applying to med school.

 

[PluckyDuk8]

In general, a question like this depends on a lot of things...his current GPA, how hard his other classes will be the coming semester, how good he did in Physics 1/how good he thinks he can do with a bad prof, how much it will hurt his class "plan" to push it off, if he can take it in summer/another quarter with a better prof, etc....

Personally, the quality of the professor was a very big thing for me when I scheduled my classes. I really think my first quarter orgo professor (I had the choice of 3 profs) set me off on the right foot and helped my success in the folowing quarters. This doesn't exactly apply to you, but you should consider the miserable factor vs. the I wanna get it over with factor. My favorite pre-med classes all had to do with the prof. On the other hand, I love bio as a subject, but had an atrocious bio professor for 3rd quarter...luckily it was summer and I only had to have her for 3 weeks 🙂.

"wolferman has a good point; make sure that you take at least two semesters of calculus-based physics before applying to med school. "

Um, I am not 100% sure for all schools but non-calc based physics is ok, if you are a non-science major. I know of 100's of premeds at my school who do this every year.

 

[HouseHead]

All 15 of the schools I applied to required calc-based physics.
If you're afraid Physics 2 will bring down your GPA, perhaps you can wait to take it your senior year? Then maybe you'll be accepted by the time that grade gets reported.

 

[Cerberus]

Originally posted by HouseHead
All 15 of the schools I applied to required calc-based physics.
If you're afraid Physics 2 will bring down your GPA, perhaps you can wait to take it your senior year? Then maybe you'll be accepted by the time that grade gets reported.

What schools did you apply to?????

Doesn't really make sense to take calc based physics anyway as all physics on the MCAT are algebra based

 

[PluckyDuk8]

Um, how do you know those 15 schools require calc-based physics? Something smells funny...Requiring math such as calc, maybe but the physics I don't think so.

 

[Cerberus]

Originally posted by PluckyDuk8
Um, how do you know those 15 schools require calc-based physics? Something smells funny...Requiring math such as calc, maybe but the physics I don't think so.

I agree I havent seen any schools that require calc based physics.

 

[pocwana]

many MD/PHD programs require calc-based physics

 

[Drewel]

I'm registered to take orgo, bio2, physics2, and music lit (heh) in the spring. The physics I'm registered for is physics without calc, although I've taken up to calc3. I mainly signed up for this physics2 class because it is 4 credits, as opposed to 3 credits of physics2 w/ calc. But I guess more credits will harm me more than help if I do bad. Thanks for the input everyone, I'll probably change physics classes, and fudge with my schedule some more...argh!

 

[HouseHead]

Originally posted by Cerberus
What schools did you apply to?????

Doesn't really make sense to take calc based physics anyway as all physics on the MCAT are algebra based

I dunno, maybe it was just an assumption on my part... My pre-med program required that all the science requirements be science major level. When I took my MCAT prep course, a friend of mine from Texas said she hadn't taken calc-based physics. Everyone in the class was amazed, thinking that it was required for just about every school...

 

[Terje131]

Its absurd that people can take general physics without calculus at some colleges. Most of the fundamental ideas of classical physics are intimately tied to calculus-related techniques. How anyone can even begin to understand physics without the basic tools of calculus is beyond me.

 

[Katie]

actually, a number of schools require BOTH calculus and physics, this is prob. where the confusion stems from. I took both calc. and physics but not calc. based physics since my school did not require it for my major. I was accepted to 2 accredited, allopathic medical schools, and have had no trouble with the courses related to my paucity of knowledge in physics. In fact, the only course that touched on physics at all (most pressure and fluid dynamics as related to blood vessels and cardiomechanics) was Physiology, which I passed with little trouble since I'd taken it in undergrad.

 

[Neuronix]

Originally posted by pocwana
many MD/PHD programs require calc-based physics

None of the 15 schools I applied to required it. I don't think there's any way they even ask about it. How do they know which physics classes at which schools are calculus based? BTW, I did take algebra-based physics, but I also took a full year of calculus.

Also, to the op: Some professors are just obstinate when it comes to giving out good grades. You may not be learning any more or much more in their class, and yet they just give very hard exams or lots and lots of work. I think you should avoid these professors if you possibly can. This is why it is good to have friends in your major who are above you who can tell you who to take and who to avoid. At my undergrad there are alot of professors who are just plain BAD, don't teach well, and don't give alot of good grades. I know there's got to be some UDel underclassmen lurking around here somewhere... If you want advice about class selection, don't ask our advisor, PM me!

I agree with doepug in that you should be in college to learn the hard stuff and face challenges head on. Then again, you should have professors who really want you to learn and who will reward you for your work, not give bogus exams and cheat you out of good grades.

 

[DW]

Originally posted by Terje131
Its absurd that people can take general physics without calculus at some colleges. Most of the fundamental ideas of classical physics are intimately tied to calculus-related techniques. How anyone can even begin to understand physics without the basic tools of calculus is beyond me.

well, here's the critical point.....i'd venture to guess the majority premeds couldn't give a flying f*ck about "understanding" physics, its a matter of "doing well enough to do projectile problems on the MCAT" 😎