Hi Sam,
Sorry about the late response.
I am also aware that physics at Umich can be difficult for some students, however I would encourage you to take 135/235 at Umich if you can. Plenty of students, including myself, have been able to manage the physics sequence here. Although Umich science course can be “brutal”, they do a great job of preparing you for your MCAT and for the massive amount of content you will need to learn in medical school. Part of being pre-med is showing medical schools and yourself that you will be capable of the work/study load that medical school will require of you.
We should not be dodging all the hard courses at Umich by taking courses at another institution (after all, you came here to be a student), but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if you took one of your pre-med courses elsewhere. In a previous Q&A (Physics 2 at community college), I explain how its better to choose another 4-year institution over a community college if you are going to take physics somewhere else. Other than that, it is truly up to you which 4-year institution you chose. You may consider Oakland University, Wayne State University, and Michigan State University, but there are a few other 4-year institutions in Michigan that would also do the trick. Perhaps the Transfer Credit Equivalency website can help guide your decision, since it shows you which schools have courses that have previously been approved to transfer into Umich as 135/235 or 140/240.
Best of luck in your decision!
We will be back with drop-in peer advising in the Fall, so if this isn’t a time sensitive decision you need to make, I encourage you to come in and chat with us in person 🙂
Sincerely,
Lindsay (PMH Co-Pres)