<p>Is it looked badly upon if I take Physics 1 & 2 with their labs at a State College in the summer? This College gives out 2 year and 4 year degrees. Is it the same thing as a community college?</p>
<p>I am trying to graduate in 3 years since I came in with a lot of credits. </p>
<p>Recommendations?</p>
<p>It’s generally advised that unless you have a very good reason (and I’m not sure trying to graduate in 3 years is one…) one should take their pre-reqs at their home school during the regular school year.</p>
<p>The other issue here is that graduating early is almost never a great idea if you plan to apply to medical school.</p>
<p>Is your reason for wanting to graduate early financial?</p>
<p>Or if you need room to complete a double major.</p>
<p>Columbia, you’ve been looking for an excuse to avoid Penn State’s physics sequence for multiple threads now…</p>
<p>Many, many pre-meds are able to complete double majors without taking their pre-reqs in the summer or at schools other than their home school.</p>
<p>If you really want to do it right, take the Physics in the summer, but at your home school. Otherwise, you’ll sound like someone trying to find an easier class. Not saying it will be easier, but to the medical school, it may seem like that was why you took that pre-req class elsewhere.</p>
<p>It will cost me more to take the classes in the summer at my home school than an entire academic year. Thats not an option.</p>
<p>If you don’t mind me asking, what is covered in the general Physics class that premeds have to take? AP Physics C (covering electricity/magnetism/mechanics with calculus) in high school was really difficult for me, and I couldn’t grasp the concepts. Should I be worried when taking the physics requirements?</p>
<p>MCAT physics is 2 semesters of algebra-based physics.** Topics include: Newtonian mechanics, periodic motion/waves, sound, potential & kinetic energy, fluids, solids, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, circuits, optics, atomic structure and radioactivity.</p>
<p>** Some colleges only offer calculus-based physics to their pre-meds. D2 attended a university that requires all science majors and pre-meds to take 2 semesters of calc-based physics.</p>
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<p>Christena–why do you need to graduate early? Graduating early is usually a bad idea if you plan to apply to medical school. </p>
<p>It gives you less time to develop your ECs, to get your medical volunteering done, to gain research lab experience, to do shadowing, to develop relationships with the professors who will eventually be writing your LORs…</p>
<p>Additionally, there is a good deal of anecdotal evidence that younger than typical med school applicants fare worse in the admissions process.</p>
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<p>Ummm no. Me double majoring is not an excuse that I intended. OP do what ever it takes to get a high GPA. If that means taking physics at a CC than so be it. Your GPA is the most important factor when you apply and you can certainly volunteer, maintain a job, shadow etc while taking classes. The only thing is that a CC may not be easy so keep that in mind. Also one negative thing is that you might not get prepared well enough for the MCAT. If you’re not a standardize test taker like me, I think you should take it at your home school like me.</p>