<p>If you are coming into Phys 170 with a Calc BC background and co-enrolled in Math 114, should you be able to keep up in physics? Has anyone had experience in this?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Yep, there is no reason why you wouldn’t be able to.</p>
<p>TevashSzat,</p>
<p>What chemistry, physics and math classes did you take as a Fall term freshman in Vagelos and would you do anything differently?</p>
<p>I took Chem 241, Math 114, and Phys 150.</p>
<p>Personally, I probably could have started off with Math 241 and would’ve been fine (kinda regret taking Math 114 actually), but I was really lazy…phys 170 probably would have been really interesting, but then yet again, I was really lazy and unmotivated to go all out and do honors courses. </p>
<p>I was fine with doing with the Orgo progression…enough of Orgo I is focused on the fundamentals that you wouldn’t be hindered by not taking a more general Chem class first.</p>
<p>tevashszat, how many people got As in orgo, A-s, and B+s?</p>
<p>i came into penn enrolled for the exact same courses that you seem to be enrolled on. i don’t know what your background is, but this was my experience…</p>
<p>phys 170 is not an easy course. i took ap physics b fresh year of high school, ap physics c senior year in high school, and did physics research summer before senior year.</p>
<p>i dropped down to phys 150 within the first week of classes. i just decided that phys 170 had people who were a little too intense for me–i wanted to enjoy my freshman year. and i wasn’t totally sure that i even wanted to major in physics. i would recommend that you do NOT take phys 170 unless you are completely sure that is what you want to major in.</p>
<p>i was always rather good at physics, but there are probably going to be people in that class that just understand it on a level that you do not. based on what i had taken in high school and the grades i had gotten in physics, i was exactly the same as those kids on paper. but within the first few days of class, i realized that i wasn’t as sure as those kids were about physics–they had clearly decided physics was their passion. i was still figuring it all out.</p>
<p>so i took 150. still interesting. still enjoyable. still gives you room to challenge yourself. and i don’t regret it–physics ended up not being my major. so killing myself to get top grades in 170 would have needlessly made my life difficult.</p>
<p>i would recommend starting in 170, and giving it a week or so. if it is too much, you can drop down into 150. if you decide to stay, i wish you luck. but it will be much harder to switch from 150 into 170 than the other way around.</p>
<p>in regards to math 114, that course made me hate math. temporarily. after a break from math, i’ve rediscovered my love for the subject. but the intro math courses at penn are not good. and i am not the only one who feels that way–a friend of mine transferred out of engineering because he was that miserable in math. others who stayed say that the courses got better after you moved past 114.</p>
<p>in my opinion, the subject material was taught in a rather dry way. less figuring problems out as you go, and more recognizing a problem type and just knowing the steps to solve it. not really what i had loved about math.</p>
<p>i don’t know how much that will help you with what courses to take. but even though 114 was miserable, i’d stay in it over going into a harder course. because at least for your freshman year, it is not good to be in a course that you’re playing catchup in. you’re getting accustomed to college. not just academically, but socially, financially, etc. take it easy on courses first semester–you still have 3 1/2 more years to challenge yourself.</p>
<p>If you are able to put in the work and keep up with the material in Phys 170, how likely are you to get an A or an A-? Do you know anything about the general grade distribution in that course? Is the curve similar to the non honors intro courses?</p>
<p>illadelph, thanks for your reply.</p>
<p>also, should the material in phys 170 be managable if you do not have a AP Physics C background but are proficient in Physics B?</p>
<p>Curves in honor classes are better than in the “normal” courses. That is because the class size is smaller and the general caliber of students are higher. Do not expect to necessarily need to do less work, you will need to do more.</p>
<p>Physics 170 is Mechanics, Physics 171 is Electromagnetism.</p>