Undergrad Degree

[Jon Davis]

First, an update:
Hello Everyone! It has been a while since I've posted here. For the Fall and Winter semesters, I have been living the life of a hermit crab . I can proudly say I destroyed my first year of college with a 3.97. (And no cheeser classes either). To those who say Organic 1 + lab, Calc 2, and Bio 1 + lab are really hard to take at the same time, I can testify that if you put your mind to anything, you can succeed. The moral: Don't shy down from a challenge, instead embrace it.

Moving on, my question is about the certification of my degree and how affects my application. I am persuing a B.S. in Biochemistry but the snag is that my university isn't credited to be able to hand out these degrees. Instead, they hand out a B.S. in Chemistry with a CONCENTRATION in Biochemistry. (From what I know, the exact cirriculum I'm following isn't "certified" by some national organization) Does that hinder my application to medical schools by not having a credited Biochem degree? If I decide not to go to Medical School and decide to go to another university like U of M to pursue Biochem further (Grad School), will they accept my B.S.? Any other problems/concerns I should look into? Any response is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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[The Philosopher]

Jon,

You have gotta be kidding me. You're worried about this?

CHILL!!!

You're chillin with almost a 4.0 in a tough curriculum. Forget about medical school applications, you're a freshman! Enjoy yourself, do well in the classes, pursue extra curricular interests (including philosophy, music, non-science courses AND different activies) and RELAX.

At the end, you'll be thankful.

 

[none]

I don't understand...what organization is it that your school isn't being accredited by?

 

[SolidGold]

What U of M are you refering to?

 

[Jon Davis]

The American Chemical Society credits different institutions to hand out Chem degrees. There is a similar (or maybe it is the ACS) that credits them to hand out Biochem. degrees.

 

[Jon Davis]

U of Mich (it was just an example). Basically, if I go to another institution that has an accredited Biochem. program, will my B.S. still be good (to get into grad school)?

 

[vyc]

no. you should be fine.

 

[SolidGold]

Your degree does not matter if you continue on to medical school, as long as you take the pre-med required classes. As for grad school, you don't need a pure biochem BS degree to pursue a Ph.D. in biochem, again all you need are the required courses. I think this should help answer your question.

 

[Bikini Princess]

Duude!

If you have a 3.8+ with any chem or molecular bio degree, even UCSF's Biochem department will be interested in you. Most grad schools will be drooling over you.

Remember a straight chem degree is typically a stronger degree than the half-breed biochem degrees some small schools spawn out to satisfy their premeds.

 

[Catalyst]

Do you go to UVA? Becuase I know we have the same sort of degree here, and you can actually get an ACS-certified Biochem degree now as long as you take inorganic also, which is what I'm doing (don't ask me why but I kind of like inorganic). But to answer your question like others, it doesn't really matter as far as I know, as long as you take the courses and do well on grad school exams.

 

[Jon Davis]

I go to Wayne State and from what I gather from all your posts, I shouldnt run into problems which ever path I chose. When I process my information through the AAMC, will my degree just show up as just a B.S. in Chemistry? or will the B.S. in Chemistry with a Concentration in Biochem show up on my application to medical schools?

 

[lola]

you should put it however it appears on your transcript. amcas will likely change it to what is on your transcript if you enter the information in differently. med schools won't care one way or another if you got a bs in biochem or a bs in chem with a biochem concentration.

 

[Sweet Tea]

ditto lola. put what's on your transcript-- that's more important than b.s. in chem vs b.s. in biochem.

and to echo someone else... dude, you're a freshman!! keep up the good work with the grades, do well on the mcat, and get some good ECs and LORs and it won't matter if you're a chem or a biochem major. just relax and have a great summer!!!

 

[Jon Davis]

Thanks for your repsonses. Yes, I will relax during my time off.