How important is physics?

[Clueless]

Sorry I know these posts are annoying but I would like some opinions. I am in the 2nd year of a post bac program my grades so far are

Undergrad GPA 3.4 no real science classes at a mid level small private school

Post Bac grades

Bio I A
Bio II A
Chem I B+
Chem II A-
Orgo I B+
Orgo II B
I am confident that I will score no less than a 24 on my MCAT
I have a good amount of primary care experience and some research (nothing published but work as a research assistant)

The big problem is physics I know it may be premature to jump the gun so early but it looks like things could be bad... straight up D's even with working my *** off so my question is this:

I am relatively sure that D's in physics will put me out of contention for US D.O. schools (which is what I would really prefer) but I don't know how much physics will come into play for the big 4 carib schools... Any thoughts?

[Clueless]

Almost forgot:

undergrad degree BA history
Graduate degree 3.75 M.S. Curriculum and instruction
2+ years experience as a history teacher

[eastern2western]

In real life, physics is not important because no patient in world is going to pay u money for u to calculate imaginary values such as force, acceleration and velocity. However, MCAT requires u to know physics and u have to do it without a calculator.

[Clueless]

Good point. I guess my question is more directed at asking how heavily is physics weighed in the admissions process. (for example I have had many tell me that of all the pre-requisites organic chemistry is of premier importance)

[eastern2western]

It depends on which school you are applying to? If u apply to a school that only cares about enrollment numbers, then only that matters is your initial fees (application, interview and seat reservation) and you are in. However, the more brandname schools (Sabba, Ross, SGU and AUC) will then have to look at the general criterias such as MCAT and GPA.

[FOID]

physics is important in med school... especially in terms of physiology. make sure to learn the concepts well.

[FOID]

even if you do fail physics, retake the class. it'll help in your admissions process.

[eastern2western]

Physiology has nothing to do with physics. I took physiology and physics before and those two are two different disciplines. Physiolology is into the production of atp, excretion of waste and additional concepts of cellular biology. Physics concerns more with calculating variables such as newton, amp and ohm. If u claim that physics is important for physiology, then u should prove it to me.

[FOID]

Physiology has nothing to do with physics. I took physiology and physics before and those two are two different disciplines. Physiolology is into the production of atp, excretion of waste and additional concepts of cellular biology. Physics concerns more with calculating variables such as newton, amp and ohm. If u claim that physics is important for physiology, then u should prove it to me.


renal physiology has to do with resistance. even your circulatory system (cardiovascular physiology) is dealing with series and parallel. gotta use resistance in blood flow. laminar flow and turbulent flow... this is all physics...

[FOID]

i'll give you an example... bernoulli's principle dealing with flow. when you have a decrease diameter of an artery, the kinetic energy of the flow is increased, therefore the velocity of blood would increase. thus, this would decrease pressure on the wall of the artery.

wala... physics at work for physiology

[eastern2western]

i'll give you an example... bernoulli's principle dealing with flow. when you have a decrease diameter of an artery, the kinetic energy of the flow is increased, therefore the velocity of blood would increase. thus, this would decrease pressure on the wall of the artery.

wala... physics at work for physiology
This is the actual principle itself according to wikipedia.
Bernoulli's Principle states that for an ideal fluid (low speed air is a good approximation), with no work being performed on the fluid, an increase in velocity occurs simultaneously with decrease in pressure or a change in the fluid's gravitational potential energy.
If u read my post carefully, u will realize that I stated these two subjects are different disciplines. Let me use your example as a comparison differences:
In a physics class, the teacher would use that principle to set up a question for calculation of an unknown variable by giving u known variables. For example, the unkown in your example would probably be the kinetic energy and the question would probably give u the shift in diameter, the distance and what ever else is needed to calculate the answer. The students' primary task is to memorize the correct formula that is related to the question and know how to use it. The whole purpose of the question is to calculate a number by applying the right variables in a proper sequence for a formula.
If this principle is used in a physiology class, then the students's main task is just to memorize the concept and understand its meaning.
Yes, it is possible for these two classes to go over exact same concepts, but the approach is completely different.

[eastern2western]

Yes, no calculator is allowed in mcat and you are expect to do physics with paper and pencil. Baby, it is time for u to go back to the pre-calculator days. Do u rember how long ago that was?

[Aviv Imanuel]

By now I assume you know that most serious colleges and universities in the USA do not approve of WIKIPEDIA as a source of reference material (especially when you make such a bold statement like "WIKI it up before bsing") . With that in mind, I would recommend you to do a more extensive research in the area of applied physics in human physiology and you will be surprised how much they both INTEGRATE. Your concept is rather shortshighted (no offense intended) when you state that ..."If u claim that physics is important for physiology, then u should prove it to me."

Just one example....

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1953AmJPh..21..277S

I guess the people from Harvard are bsing (like you say) too, correct?

Still, I will rather take Harvard as a reference source.


Max


This is the actual principle itself according to wikipedia.
Bernoulli's Principle states that for an ideal fluid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid) (low speed air is a good approximation), with no work (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_work) being performed on the fluid, an increase in velocity (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velocity) occurs simultaneously with decrease in pressure (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure) or a change in the fluid's gravitational potential energy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_potential_energy).
If u read my post carefully, u will realize that I stated these two subjects are different disciplines. Let me use your example as a comparison differences:
In a physics class, the teacher would use that principle to set up a question for calculation of an unknown variable by giving u known variables. For example, the unkown in your example would probably be the kinetic energy and the question would probably give u the shift in diameter, the distance and what ever else is needed to calculate the answer. The students' primary task is to memorize the correct formula that is related to the question and know how to use it. The whole purpose of the question is to calculate a number by applying the right variables in a proper sequence for a formula.
If this principle is used in a physiology class, then the students's main task is just to memorize the concept and understand its meaning.
Yes, it is possible for these two classes to go over exact same concepts, but the approach is completely different.

[BTH]

Salutations:

I think the bottom line is that you will still need to know some physics regardless of whether or not you get a good grade in it (since you are taking the MCATs). As for whether or not it is really important in medical school, I would say no. I hated physics when I took it in undergraduate. I would agree that there are integration of physics with physio but I didn't feel like I needed to know physics to learn the physiology. I was never that great in physics to begin with but I still aced my physiology course.

As for using Wikipedia as a reference, you probably shouldn't as "Genossa maximillian" stated, especially to prove a point since you won't have much credibility.

Bottom line is study hard my friend and work at the physics part. Pass the course and try to get a decent score on your MCATs. This will improve your chances of getting into your preferred caribbean school. Good luck!

[eastern2western]

1) If I am writing a formal paper, then I would probably not use wiki. However, it is a great reference source for normal discussion. May be next time when I want to make a quick reference, I should give u guys the quotation in mla format or apa format.
2)Physics and physiology have some similarities but they are different disciplines. It is possible that these two subjects have similar concepts, but they have dramatic differences. Physiology cares more about remembering cell-biology related topics such as Kreb cycle, aerobic glycolysis and fermentation. Physics is basically a heavy math class that is consist of unit conversions and calculations. A typical physics problem would ask to calculate the newton of certain object. The weight of the object is given in pounds and the first thing u have to do is convert pounds into kilograms and plug the kilos into the formula and make it work. Physiology class would probably make u memorize each different steps in aerobic glycolysis or the different sodium and potassiums channels that are involved in muscle propagation. Yes it is possible to have similarities, but physics and physiology have a lot of differences.

[Aviv Imanuel]

Nobody is disputing that they are different disciplines, you made a rather bold challenge saying that...."If u claim that physics is important for physiology, then u should prove it to me." and flicking and myself are just doing what you asked us to do, proving it with some rather credible references (at least in my case). They are integrative concepts, therefore physics is an important component in physiology. That you don't need to master physics to understand and or pass physiology that is another story. No big deal.

Good luck

Max


1) If I am writing a formal paper, then I would probably not use wiki. However, it is a great reference source for normal discussion. May be next time when I want to make a quick reference, I should give u guys the quotation in mla format or apa format.
2)Physics and physiology have some similarities but they are different disciplines. It is possible that these two subjects have similar concepts, but they have dramatic differences. Physiology cares more about remembering cell-biology related topics such as Kreb cycle, aerobic glycolysis and fermentation. Physics is basically a heavy math class that is consist of unit conversions and calculations. A typical physics problem would ask to calculate the newton of certain object. The weight of the object is given in pounds and the first thing u have to do is convert pounds into kilograms and plug the kilos into the formula and make it work. Physiology class would probably make u memorize each different steps in aerobic glycolysis or the different sodium and potassiums channels that are involved in muscle propagation. Yes it is possible to have similarities, but physics and physiology have a lot of differences.

[jameslynton]

Just my .02's - each year hundreds of people are killed because they don't understand basic physics and how it is applied to everyday situations. As for the MCAT they only test basic stuff - it is one of the easiest parts to score well in with practice. It is all know and very doable to get above a 10 to 13 with practice.

[dsy1216]

Has anybody on this thred applied or are in the process of applying for premed?

[jameslynton]

Has anybody on this thred applied or are in the process of applying for premed?Generally, the people who do pre-med at an Island school are those who don't have the pre-reqs. My suggestion is to do them at a US school - reasons cheaper and you may get into a US medical school which will be much less expensive than any island school. Also island school pre-med does not count except at that island school. So they are a waste of time and money.

[eastern2western]

Generally, the people who do pre-med at an Island school are those who don't have the pre-reqs. My suggestion is to do them at a US school - reasons cheaper and you may get into a US medical school which will be much less expensive than any island school. Also island school pre-med does not count except at that island school. So they are a waste of time and money.
People who do their pre-med in a island school probably have too much money to burn. My recommendation is finish as much as possible in your local community colleges because the costs are cheaper and the credits are accepted everywhere in US. If u do ur pre-med at a island school, then u are going to spend more money on covering the exact same materials and u would probably have to take it over again when u return to the states because most states have a 60-90 semester units clause in their licensing requirements and those units have to come from us institutions. What this means is that the licensing officials are willing to accept units from the cheapest colleges in the states (community colleges) over the expensive island pre-med units you paid way more money for.

[dsy1216]

I really appreciate everyone's feedback. The reason that I am considering premed at mua is because I already have my 4 year degree. It's not in the sciences in any way shape or form. I know that MUA will accept all premeds in to med school if they have a 3.0 or higher. Thsi is why I would like to get it done all at one school.

Any advice?

[eastern2western]

I really appreciate everyone's feedback. The reason that I am considering premed at mua is because I already have my 4 year degree. It's not in the sciences in any way shape or form. I know that MUA will accept all premeds in to med school if they have a 3.0 or higher. Thsi is why I would like to get it done all at one school.

Any advice?
I would still recommend the local community college because of the money factor and easier acceptance back in the states. MUA would probably accept any one if there is a pulse, but what ever premed classes you take at MUA would probably much more expensier than the price u pay at your local cc. Buddy, I am just telling u from a personal experience because I took courses from a private acupuncture college in los angeles and none of them are transferable and that place charged me 160 dollars per unit. Then I had to retake a bunch of pre-med courses from a local cc for 20 bucks per unit and all of them are transferrable in all 50 states. Dude, CC gives u the best deal for your money. Just listen to me and do not waste your time and money on pre-med courses in CC. Classes such as biology, anatomy, physiology, chemistry, physics, microbiology and organic chemistry are all available for in most local ccs for an affordable price of 20 dollars a unit (current price where I live). If u take those courses in a private school, they will cost u a bundle and no school in the states (even two year ccs) accepts them if u want to transfer back.

[jameslynton]

I really appreciate everyone's feedback. The reason that I am considering premed at mua is because I already have my 4 year degree. It's not in the sciences in any way shape or form. I know that MUA will accept all premeds in to med school if they have a 3.0 or higher. Thsi is why I would like to get it done all at one school.

Any advice?Why are you not doing a Post Bac plan like at University of Va to get into a US school (see the AMCAS website about this area - some of the schools like Armstrong State/UVA/etc have nice programs). It will be much less expense than MUA and they even help you get hospital experience.

There are several posters who have written me about MUA's pre-med program. Don't expect either good quality teachers or quality course planning there. Also it will not go on your perm record as US schools consider the grades to be rubbish. Call any good US school and ask them