Physics dilemma!!

Nontraditional Premed Discussion
1

So I just started my pre reqs and I think I want to quit. OMG, I feel like I am on another planet… This is tooo hard.


I took only Algebra as far as math goes, like 20 years ago, now I have to learn trigonometry?? What does this have to do with Medicine. Ugh!


Any suggestions before I give this Med school journey up?

2

Can you withdraw from your physics course and take a math brush-up course (maybe something with trig) first? Math will play heavily into your general chemistry courses as well, so it would be a good idea to feel like you have a fairly solid foundation!


If you don’t want to pay to take math courses, you can always try Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/math/


Good luck!

3

Unfortunately there’s no getting around learning trig and algebra. Luckily, the math required is spelled out in the AAMC requirements (what topics they test on) and can be learned from some test prep companies instead of taking full courses.


You may want to pull the reins back on physics until you’re more comfortable with sin/cos/tan stuff since its a huge player in kinematics (ie phys I). You’ll also have to learn scientific notation, log/ln functions, and tricks to do math a little quicker than normal (ie rounding an getting close to the answer for multiple choice).


It may seem daunting at first, but it’s all learnable and there are tons of online resources available. If it makes you feel better, I was one class short of a math minor in college (10yrs ago) and had to relearn some of the concepts on the mcat.

4

My physics professor recommended this free course before we start the semester: https://www.udacity.com/course/ma008

5

I’d add the TBR Physics review to supplement your Physics class and prepare for the MCAT too.

6

I used the Exam Krackers books to help me reinforce physics … it helped, however, that math is a strong point for me.


You may be able to pick EK up rather cheaply now that the MCAT is changing.

7

Thanks, I think your right, it is too stressful right now, taking hours to re-teach myself

8

Yeah, looks like that’s the way I will have to go.


Thanks for the response.

9

Awesome,


THANKS!