I’m currently a junior in high school. I was worried about my classes and if my credits are still going to get me into college. As a freshman, I was required to take physical science so I couldn’t start off with biology. Sophomore year I took honors biology, I’ve taken health science, med term, (got A’s in all and currently taking) anatomy and physiology, AP bio, and environmental science and pre calc honors. Next year I was planning on taking AP chem, AP calculus (already took all honors maths and got A’s in all). But I was wondering if it’s going to hurt me that I won’t be taking physics… If it is, I suppose I could maybe do a class over summer. But I didn’t take chem this year because my school won’t offer honors or AP until next year and i want to be in an advanced class.
I forgot to add that I plan on being a Med major. I was just wondering what yalls thoughts were?
If you will be a pre-med, you will have to take physics for pre-med course requirements (although you may be allowed to take an easier one for biology majors than the one for physics majors). Physics in college will be more difficult if you have not had physics in high school.
It depends on what you define as a “good” college. In reality there are a hundreds of colleges that could be called “good” and would provide you the education needed to submit an application to medical school. The prerequisites for medical school are going to require you have 2 semesters of Algebra based physics, essentially the equivalent of AP Physics 1 and 2. Having a standard physics course would help you with your college physics courses but isn’t necessary. I don’t think that not having Physics ahead of time will affect you with your path of applying to med school. Most good schools will be fine with you having the rigor you’ve mentioned so long as you have the requisite number of science courses and good grades. The most selective colleges will be comparing you to a very elite group of students. Whether taking Physics would do anything to change their decision about your application is impossible to predict.
At some colleges, the physics courses for biology majors use calculus, though less calculus than those for engineering or physics majors. A few colleges expect all students to take the physics courses suitable for physics majors.
In any case, physics for biology majors will be full of pre-meds competing for often-scarce-but-necessary (for them) A grades. Most of them will have seen physics in high school (some at the AP level). A pre-med going into such a course without any previous exposure to physics may not be able to compete for an A grade as well.
You will be fine. If you were applying for the top Engineering schools, it might be different. For Pre-Med, you will be required to take certain courses as an undergrad. There are many very good colleges out there, you will find one. Keep your GPA up and practice for those SATs/ACTs. Write a great essay that conveys your passion. Best of luck.
I wonder if you actually mean med school type pre med? Or allied careers
"health science, med term, (got A's in all and currently taking) anatomy and physiology,"environmental science"
You would have had plenty of time to do physics in one of these spots, some of these classes are pre vocational, not really aimed at competitive high school kids looking at becoming MDs.
IMO any smart competitive student will have taken physics.
Taking environmental science and health science over physics could raise some eyebrows at the top schools. But as someone mentioned above good college is pretty broad, so call a admissions office or two and get their opinion.
If you want to be pre-med, take some form of physics in HS. You have to take it for pre-med and you don’t want college Physics to be your first exposure. It doesn’t have to be AP Physics.
@stressdstudent8
In college, you’ll be in class AND competing for A’s with students who not only had Physics, but already took AP Physics1 and thus have covered part of the class. If only 20% of you will have A’s, who has the best odds?
Medical Terminology is of ZERO help for getting into college or being premed - it’s for students aiming for health-related vocational tracks in community college. Neither A&P nor Environmental Science are necessary for premed. Replace one of these classes with any Physics class you can take (AP physic 1 would be best).
Note that you’ll need to pick a major (anything you wish, and preferably NOT biology) as well as take the premed pre-reqs since being premed is an intention, not a major.
The premed pre-reqs are: 2 semesters each of chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, biology, English (composition/communication/speech/literature) plus one semester each of calculus, statistics or biostatistics, biochemistry, sociology, psychology, a diversity-focused course, and preferably something like neuroscience plus proficiency in a language spoken by immigrants (can be learned outside of a college setting, such as Hmong, Ukrainian, Chinese, Creole…) Medical Schools are more and more putting an emphasis on ethics/bioethics and medical humanities. In addition to being top 10-20% in each of the above classes, you’ll also have to handle medically related activities, such as being an EMT or CNA, volunteering at a clinic, etc.
There is a high school in our area that pushes classes like medical terminology on high achieving pre-med students. They market themselves as being the best high school in the are for pre-med students based on having these classes.
^ that’s nonsensical though. Premeds need rigorous courses in English, chemistry, and biology, but most of all they need excellent discipline and time management and that can be found at most schools + depends on the students themselves… and how exactly does Medical Terminology help premeds, when they won’t need those words for 4 more years? (The pre-med pre-reqs have nothing “medical” about them. Premeds are just mixed with biology majors in the weedout bio class and need to be top 20%, they’re mixed with chemistry majors in the weedout chem classes and need to be top 20%…)
The first testimonial on their web page is from a parent of a pre-med student at UCLA who says the medical academy high school classes got her where she is.
^ Hm, good for them and for her, but I assume this student took AP English language, AP Chem, AP bio, and AP calculus (/or equivalent), did very well, had excellent study skills… I can assure you Medical Terminology has nothing to do with it because premed classes have nothing medical about them and no “medical Terminology” goes into doing well in them. This doesn’t mean the Medical Academy isn’t good, I assume it deserves its reputation for its success - but “Medical Terminology” wouldn’t have any bearing upon these.