should i do a physics bridging course? (1 Viewer)

[lukebennett]

Hey everyone,
i want to do med sci next year but have not studied physics. i have only done chemistry and biology. I find both quite doable and have been getting over 90 for both at school. Would i find physics to hard to keep up with if i didnt do a bridging course? or should i just get an HSC physics text book or something? i dont want to waste my holidays on something that could be easy enough to cope with, without a bridging course.

thanx

 

[BlackJack]

Physics will be the hardest of all three subjects. You'll want to know at least something of maths/physics. Although, I can't recommend hsc texts because the first year course isn't the same. There's a lot more meat as opposed to the airy-fairy of hsc phys.

you should be able to keep up w/o bridging course (they cost so much!), but I'd say get something more quality over the holidays. If the syllabus hasn't changed overly much, there's a big section on motion, then electromag & something else in first sem. Tutors are available in uni as well.

Second opinions?

 

[sneaky pete]

I wouldn't bother with the bridging course,
however I would take a look at the syllabus of the physics course you will be taking as part of medsci, and read over some topics in the prescribed text (I think it's Hecht 2nd edition for USyd physics) don't read up on everything in the syllabus (if you have the tim eit wouldn't be a bad idea) just enough to you have a slight clue on what will be covered.

 

[lukebennett]

should i just do fundamentals or normal physics? or maybe advanced?

 

[xiao1985]

if u want to do phys in usyd, then spare urself the money for bridgin course... honestly i dont' think hsc physics is great help in uni physics.... tho do study maths 3u or even better, 4u, helps alot...

 

[lukebennett]

would you do fundamentals, normal or advanced physics? what have other people who havent done physics enrolled into? I usually catch on fine by listening to teachers babble on, and by reading a text book.

 

[xiao1985]

i doubt u can enroll in adv without a decent hsc physics result... tho i heard rumours that u can enroll in myuni, and they wont' even know it....

but u can definitely do standard

 

[televators]

Hey, I do HSC physics, and yeah- most of its english-reading based-

I'm currently doing 2u Mathematics and am quite proficient at it- would I find first year university physics too challenging? I find the HSC Physics course not a struggle, but I know its not a true indicator...

 

[xiao1985]

Hey, I do HSC physics, and yeah- most of its english-reading based-

I'm currently doing 2u Mathematics and am quite proficient at it- would I find first year university physics too challenging? I find the HSC Physics course not a struggle, but I know its not a true indicator...

uhm.... well i think as long as u read ur text books, do NOT fall aslp durin lecture and do all ur asgmt, get some nerd fwnds, u'd be fine for uni phys...

 

[sumaya]

On the Topic of Bridging courses....

So..what about Uni- Biology...seee alot of the degrees that interest me have assumed knowledge requirements as chem and bio...I did chem ...phy..for HSC,...but NOT Bio....so i was wondering....do I need to do bridging in Bio for fullfilling the assumed knowledge criteria...or what...or would i be totaly lost and out of track for the degree...Heard bridging course cost alot...any one know details when and how to enrol or what they cover....
Any feedback wud help...thnks

 

[Bob.J]

hahaha, HSC chem and physics does not prepare you for uni. Everyone is practically in the same boat. when you goto uni and do physics, you'll be like WTF? some guy spending 6 weeks writing shitloads of equations on mechanics. I slept through that whole period. Ah man. First year physics was all over the place, the material was boring shit. The good thing tho, as there isnt as much theory, more mathematics kinda stuff, you dont have to study as much right b4 the exam, as long as you do the work/assignmetns etc as xiao85 said.

Sumaya= i didn't do any bio at all in highschool except for reproduction in year 9. (and the miscellaneous rubbish they taught us b4 that). You dont need to do a bridging course, most of the stuff is taught from the basics. It's just that people who have done bio will understand the stuff a little better. I should have done more maths in first year bio was a big waste of cps.

 

[mercury]

Get University Physics by Young & Freedman - finish the entire book, then you'd be done with first year and half of second yr phys

HSC physics wouldn't help too much.

 

[shannonm]

thats the thickest textbook i've ever seen.
it's over 18 hundred pages i scabbed a copy from the library

 

[psych_girl]

here

If i want to enter m science at second year, can i do the 1st year at Any uni....If i get D average, then i can apply thru UAC? Is that right? what does uni physics look like? more difficult motion? Base on yr 11????? or whatelse....?

 

[Frigid]

i dont want to waste my holidays on something that could be easy enough to cope with, without a bridging course.

luke, i had a look at the physics bridging course materials at USYD last year, because, like you, i did not do HSC phys. however, the materials were similar to Preliminary, not HSC phys, so I don't think it really affects you if you have done Prelim physics.