Hello everyone!
My question is regarding Physics I and Calculus I. Can I take Physics and Calculus together, or should I have taken Calculus before I attempt Physics? Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences they would like to share?
Also, is it better to take Organic I in the Spring or a shortened Summer Semester?
Thanks, and have a wonderful day!
Physics and calculus can be taken together and this should be stated as an option of a prereq in the physics description.
I would not take OChem as a shortend summer course, unless you seem to be pretty good in the subject (how did you do in GenChem?). I got B+ in GenChem I&II, but OChem kicked my butt. You need time to put into OChem. At UCONN the summer classes were intense, meeting everday for hours with lab twice a week. However, it all comes down to you and what you think you can handle - beware, it is a tough course.
Jill,
At my school calculus is not required for physics. I’m taking physics now and I never took calculus in my life (except from some elements of calculus in High school)…and I’m not planning on taking calculus any time in the future. It’s not required in medical schools I’m going to apply to.
Is the physics class you are going to be taking algebra or calculus based? If it is algebra based you should not need any calculus. Many colleges will offer two types of physics classes…algebra based (trigonometry) and calculus based. Unless the medical schools you are interested in specifically require one type, I would go with what is most comfortable for you.
Thank you everyone! Does anyone else have thoughts about taking Organic Chemistry in the Spring vs. a shortened Summer course?
Thanks again!
Unless you’ve taken an intro to organic or something along those lines you don’t have any frame of reference for Orgo…so taking it during the summer will be quite an experience. Inorganic and organic don’t have that much to do with each other. An “A” in one does not equal an “A” in the other. There’s a reason it’s the first acid test for premeds…the second being the MCAT…and the 3rd being the application cycle…
I wouldn’t do it but that’s just me. I just took an intro to orgo course over the summer and going to class for 4 nights a week, 4 hours a night of the same thing was alot and we merely covered the concepts of organic and biochemistry…
Jill,
I took organic in the summer and I loved it. I think I learned a lot and I got a good grade (A-). But it was the only thing I did. I didn’t work, I hardly did anything at home (we either ate outside, or what my husband cooked 
). The lecture took 12 hours a week + another 12-15 hours in the lab. And it takes a lot of extra studying + time to do lab reports! Anyway, after all I think it was better to ‘suffer’ for 3 months than than taking it during regular semester with Phyiscs and few other classes
talk to people in your school and about the professor who theach the class in the summer (at least in my schools these are different people than during the normal semester). Ask how their experience was!
Hope it helps,
Kasia