<p>I have a significant interest in medicine, specifically in microbiology and related areas. However, I am very nervous about the pre med requirements because I am horrible at math! This will compromise chemistry, physics, calculus, etc. Should I even bother with pre med considering my deficiencies in these areas?</p>
<p>Define "bad at math." Do you mean "I'm so deficient that I can't multiple 12 x 8 in my head or balance my checkbook"? Or do you mean "I suck at finding the area underneath a curve"?</p>
<p>all you need to be able to do is add, subtract, multiply, and divide as a doc...don't worry about much else. anyone who tries to tell you that you need the aptitude of a math major to be a doc is lying.</p>
<p>While it's true that the basics are all that are necessary as a physician (even though it's not quite as simple as MolSysBio makes it sound), the OP's concern is legitimate - there are a number of math heavy courses as a Pre-med. The MCAT requires significant mental math abilities to score well on the physical sciences section (you can always skip any question that requires a calculation, but you'd probably only be able to get a 10 on the section doing so). </p>
<p>S_C's question about the level of difficulty is the key issue. I also think that some of the OP's issues with confidence will also play a role. If the OP can't get through the pre-med curriculum, then their math problems do matter and matter a lot.</p>
<p>According to this post, all that really matters are your social skills:</p>
<p>[post]1061025519[/post]</p>
<p>The OP is talking about GETTING into med school. </p>
<p>Train yourself slowly, and take calculus your junior or senior year. MCAT physics isn't mathematically sophisticated (I may be in HS, but our teacher gave us MCAT physics to make us feel smart) - but you must understand it conceptually. True, doctors don't have to be math savvy, but whether math is a strong subject or not, you should have the MIND for calculus. You should be able to do well in areas outside your comfort zone. That's what being a doctor is about.</p>
<p>good point techy...i feel that i can do well outside my comfort zone as far as medicine goes. BUt I jus cant wrap m y mind around physics/calulus concepts!</p>
<p>If you are willing to spend tons of $$$ getting your MD, why not spend relatively few $$$ on math tutoring? There are nobody out there who cannot get math all the way thru the highest levels. There are plenty of teachers who cannot teach it and just put mental blocks into student's brains. If you are determined to be in medicine, nothing should block you from it.</p>