<p>Okay, so I did some of my own research and discovered that very few medical schools actually require a full year of college-level calculus, and AP credit doesn't count. The majority of med schools either require "up through differential calculus" and accept AP credit, or just state "college-level math," which could include statistics. So, my understanding is, if your home institution awarded credit for AP Calc, and you take another year of math (whether it be advanced calc or stats), you should have fulfilled the premed requirements. In fact, many schools don't even list math as a requirement, because they assume your undergrad school will require it before you can take physics, chemistry, etc. anyway.</p>
<p>So, I got a 5 on the AB Calc exam, am taking honors advanced/accelerated calculus this quarter (OSU is on quarter systems), and the next two quarters I plan to take biostatistics. Please warn me if this is not okay. The only school I could find that would not consider me prepared was Wash U, which I realize is a very good school, but I am not going to waste my time and kill my GPA by continuing the sequence of super-hard calculus, which is not at all necessary for medicine. I think biostats would be a lot more useful.</p>
<p>Now, for my question: is the physics on the MCAT calculus-based? Without further calc courses, I can only take the year of general physics plus one quarter of honors advanced physics. So, most of my knowledge will be algebra-based, with very little calc-based study. I think it was BDM who said the physics on the MCAT is relatively easy, but perhaps he took Physics C in high school (calc-based). So for those of you who have taken the MCAT, what kind of math did you need to complete the problems in the physics section?</p>
<p>1.) WUSTL will accept stats for at least one of the semesters.</p>
<p>2.) Physics on the MCAT is not calc-based, but physics at your school might be.</p>
<p>3.) I did not take calc-based physics in high school and did not take the AP.</p>
<p>4.) Just for clarification, very few people suggest that you actually take advanced math - the usual suggestion is that you forfeit your AP credit and retake the course.</p>
<p>5.) I think it's personally worthwhile to take up through multivariable calc and two or three semesters of stats, but you're right - those aren't strictly necessary for medical school admissions.</p>
<p>6.) I believe there's a thread on this subject, where somebody listed every school's math requirements (or at least linked to it).</p>
<p>If you have confusion over requirements for specific medical schools, give them a call; that's what I did, and they were quite helpful. The only school I'm applying to that seems to require a year of college math (AP credit doesn't count) is UCLA, so I'm taking extra math (not even required for my major) just for them... hope I get in... grr...</p>
<p>BDM - 2) I know which physics courses at my school require calculus, which is why I can't take the upper-level courses if I decide to stop calc now. 4) I can't forfeit my AP credit if it's on my transcript, so I don't have much choice. 5) Why do you think it's useful to take up through multivariable? 6) yes, I saw that thread, which is where I found out that very few schools actually require the math I'm taking. </p>
<p>Celestial - thanks, but I'm just making sure I don't limit my options too much. The schools I'm interested in now don't require additional math, but in four years I might be interested in entirely different schools.</p>
<p>4.) Generally very few schools will "force" you to put the AP scores on your transcript in the first place, is my point.</p>
<p>6.) It's personally helpful, not from a career standpoint. It really helps you with 3D visualization (less important) and also it really gives you a firm conception of how to keep track of some variables changing and others not at the same time. It's just a nice way of being able to think about relationships.</p>