Endocrinology or Immunology

[Cidermonk]

.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[625233]

I hear Endo is harder, but more relevant to the material that will be on the
MCAT

 

[DrHart]

I'd look to see if you could find a syllabus before you decide. Although I think endocrinology would be better. I'm in immunology right now and it helps a bit for MCAT... not as much as endocrinology would tho - just my opinion

 

[Cidermonk]

.

 

[Goro]

Take whichever one is more interesting to you, and do well. That's what we care about.

My students seem to have trouble with Immunology, but not with Endocrinology. I don't know if it's the people who teach the stuff, or the the content.

Final semester, leaning more towards endocrinology. Yet to take MCAT so I also have a preference towards material that correlates with the test. Thoughts?

 

[Lawpy]

Endocrinology professor's ratings all are that the class is hell. But I think that I'd benefit much more with the class under my belt. I've taken virology and microbiology, and we covered a somewhat decent amount of basic immunology concepts.

Undergrad biology classes are hardly/ never useful for the future regarding medicine and health sciences. The only exception is biochemistry because AAMC and medical schools know the critical importance of the course to deem it recommended/required.

With that said, take the class where the professor will be the least pain in the rear end because no one likes annoying professors. From there, take immunology only because endocrinology is taught by a horrible professor according to the OP.

 

[Catalystik]

I agree with @Goro that Immunology is far more difficult, but a solid grounding in it during college will be well worth the effort in terms of grief saved once med school starts. So I'd take Immunology if the rest of your courseload isn't horrific.

 

[moemoekyun]

I took both (not endocrinology per se, but my physio class had an endocrine section, and I took endocrine after the MCAT) before taking the old MCAT and found both classes helpful for it. One question was how, I think thyroid hormones, would affect someone if they had a lack of it (it was part of a research thing, but the background was helpful), and which cell produces what immune cells, which I would not have known before taking immuno. IMO, I thought immuno was one of the easiest classes I took while endo was more intense and took a lot of studying to know (understand) all the hormone pathways, feedback, diseases, etc. It's probably how my professors set up their classes.
I guess taking both is out of the question.

 

[jqueb29]

I would recommend immunology. At my med school, we take immunology as a combined class with microbiology, and as someone with an advanced microbiology background but no immunology background, the immunology aspect was pretty tough to get down. I'm currently in a class that is essentially 90% endocrinology and its a joke, and I never had any prior endocrinology exposure.

TLDR: exposure to immunology before med school is much more beneficial than exposure to endocrinology

 

[Donald Juan]

I think endocrine will be more beneficial for mcat since basic endocrine is expected knowledge while immunology really isn't. But, immuno might be more beneficial for med school. Not that endocrine isn't very important for med school, it is, but you probably already have some familiarity with it from physio in intro bio. Immuno is a totally foreign concept when you start getting it in med school if you haven't taken any classes in it.

 

[NeuResurgens]

Endocrine probably is more relevant to the MCAT, but then Goro and Catalystik say immunology will get you a good background for medical school. Middle ground answer: do the most interesting one to you.

 

[NonTradJp]

You could also take both. Early immunology exposure is more useful in the long run.