BioChem Majors

[Sam Fisher]

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For you people who majored in biochem, how difficult did you find the classes to be. I currently can't decide between what to major in - math or biochem. I have a few friends who majored in math and the classes seem really interesting (and I'm really good at math). However, it seems like biochem will be a more useful major. I find all the natural sciences interesting and I DON'T want to double major in both.

 

[ambrosia]

For you people who majored in biochem, how difficult did you find the classes to be. I currently can't decide between what to major in - math or biochem. I have a few friends who majored in math and the classes seem really interesting (and I'm really good at math). However, it seems like biochem will be a more useful major. I find all the natural sciences interesting and I DON'T want to double major in both.

I am a biochem major and I really like it. It really depends on what you like though...biochem isn't to hard in my opinion, but I really like it so I'm sure that helps. If you enjoyed organic chemistry, I think you will probably like biochem, because a lot of the material is based on orgo. In any case, I would major in whatever you are more interested in...don't pick your major just because you're good at it, you also need to enjoy learning about it.

 

[dave613]

For you people who majored in biochem, how difficult did you find the classes to be. I currently can't decide between what to major in - math or biochem. I have a few friends who majored in math and the classes seem really interesting (and I'm really good at math). However, it seems like biochem will be a more useful major. I find all the natural sciences interesting and I DON'T want to double major in both.

Yeah, i agree with above poster. Because my school doesn't offer a biochem major, I therefore have to major in both Biology and Chemistry. Only major in what you enjoy and what you will find useful. Also, if you're good at it, that helps too. I was very good at math in high school, but i didn't feel like it would be useful for my future goals so i have done everything but math 🙂

 

[adamj61]

Majoring in biology and chemistry is not the same thing, neither is Mol Bio...Biochemistry uses brute force problem solving, and thinking about things on the smallest level...sometimes mathmatical. Our department just hired a math phd actually. You will get plenty of math in pchem and anal chem...unless your school's biochem program sucks (which is very common I hear) I would go for it.

 

[UDbiochem]

I don't know about math... but I am a biochem major. Almost done, going to be a senior. I love my department, I love my comrades in the major, and I do enjoy the material. Definitely have to like organic, and it is more chemistry generally than biology, so don't think it's a half/half thing.

I would make the decision according to the department. If you hate your chem/biochem department, don't be a biochem major. My math department sucks.

 

[bakedlay]

major in math! learn how to think and analyze instead of memorizing pathways! you can learn biology by reading the textbook.

 

[Uegis]

Biochemistry is a good major, especially if u want to get summer internships or work for a while before applying.

The classes themselves aren't tough. PChem seems to be what people are most intimidated by. At my university, the first two quarters were like physics. Third quarter was crazy, but I learned a lot.

 

[Ajay]

In terms of usefulness, my brother's experience as well as many of his friends' has been that biochemistry is pretty much useless in med school unless you're doing research. You'll learn what you need to practice medicine in medical school; certain academic backgrounds can make things easier, but in the long run you can easily compensate for it.

I suggest doing what you find interesting because you're more likely to do well in that which you are interested in.

 

[joeyzipp]

For you people who majored in biochem, how difficult did you find the classes to be. I currently can't decide between what to major in - math or biochem. I have a few friends who majored in math and the classes seem really interesting (and I'm really good at math). However, it seems like biochem will be a more useful major. I find all the natural sciences interesting and I DON'T want to double major in both.

I just graduated with bs in biochem and minor in mathematic. PM me the cirriculum and I would be able to tell you which classes are hard and which are esay.

 

[dave613]

Majoring in biology and chemistry is not the same thing, neither is Mol Bio...Biochemistry uses brute force problem solving, and thinking about things on the smallest level...sometimes mathmatical. Our department just hired a math phd actually. You will get plenty of math in pchem and anal chem...unless your school's biochem program sucks (which is very common I hear) I would go for it.

It might not be exactly the same, but it's pretty darn close. Firstly, in my school's chem major, I will be taking bioinorganic chem and biochem--so we have overlapping classes with that of a biochem major. In my opinion, it's the next best thing.

 

[Syranope2]

First of all, major in something because you like the material, not because you think it will help in medical school.

That said, I was a biochem major and loved it. The upper level biochem classes are a lot of fun - very interesting material. They are much better than the intro biochem class at my school which most premeds ended up taking. Also, it's not usually a hugely popular major, so you get to be friends with everyone as you share classes with them, which leads to some good times. I definitely don't think it's too hard. But if you like math, definitely do that.

 

[calstudent]

I'd say go with what you love more. Go to the bookstore and flip through Stryer or Lehninger, or pick up a syllabus for P-chem or Biochem or Mobi and see how interested that you are. Yes, biochem is useful for summer internships and will help a bit in med. school. But, in med. school they will definitely teach you all you need to know, and that extra advantage from having college biochem will be kind of nice, but not worth majoring in the topic just to know what you will learn to be a physician.
That said, most people in medical school love the sciences, and biochem is, of course, a crucial centerpiece-

 

[Medikit]

I'm a chem major with an emphasis in biochemistry and a biology major. The classes are more difficult than most majors. I'm taking a pchem this semester but I don't intend on having much difficulty with it, however most people fear this class. I think that the main reason it can be so difficult is that few professors teach it well. Second semester biochem will make you sick of nucleic acids and at least for me was taught using experiments and designing experiments so I didn't really tap into my medicine bug at all. Calculus was really easy for me but as always it depends on the prof and your own math proficiency. Physics for engineering majors was difficult and time consuming. I like being both majors because I never really get too much of anything and I get to take all sorts of interesting classes. This semester I'm taking virology, organic synthesis, and pchem, next semester I take pchem, immunology and quantitative analysis. Should be fun.

Only only only major in biochem if you liked organic.

 

[Uegis]

Go to the bookstore and flip through Stryer or Lehninger, or pick up a syllabus for P-chem or Biochem or Mobi and see how interested that you are.

Yes, Lehninger is such a great book, especially the newer editions. Easiest book to understand, in my opinion. Straightforward and informative.

 

[ShyRem]

Well, I'm a chemistry and math double major. P-Chem was WAY FUN. I can't speak to biochem, 'cuz I'm taking that this semester. I was originally just a math major, but I fell into a chemistry major when I took P-chem for the fun of it (yes, I know... sounds weird, but true). My math classes have been extremely cool, especially when I took a combinatorics/graph theory class and did some original proof writing and research in Kneser graphs.

However, one thing you need to know about the math major: Advanced Calc (aka Real Analysis) SUCKS MUDDY ROCKS. This class was truly the most life-sucking, lose-sleep-over, bitch-sessioning, kill-me-now-and-put-me-out-of-my-misery class EVER. I just felt like I was constantly slogging through frozen molasses in the arctic tundra. All the other classes, even Linear Algebra II and ESPECIALLY non-euclidean geometries, were extremely cool. Abstract Algebra this semester... I'm looking forward to it.

Major in what you like... or major in one, minor in the other.

 

[jetskigirl]

I was majoring in biochem and minoring in math before I decided to drop the math and get a second degree in something else. My reason: the math department had a lot of visiting professors that didn't speak English and so I learned practically nothing from them. On the other hand, we had a really good biochem program.

I have to agree with everyone else and say go with what makes you happy, whatever is the most interesting to you. However, unlike everyone else, I wasn't a huge fan of ochem, but I loved my biochem classes. This really didn't matter much because the reactions in the body are very simple (and repetative) to what we learned in ochem.

No one can tell you what to go into. You have to look at your school's programs and see what major will be most satisfying to you.

 

[Sam Fisher]

Thanks for all the helpful posts. I'm going to take O-chem this year so don't know how well that will go but I did really good in my chem and bio classes. If I do well in ochem, I will probably end up majoring in biochem and minor in math.

 

[GOBUCKY!]

Majoring in biology and chemistry is not the same thing, neither is Mol Bio...Biochemistry uses brute force problem solving, and thinking about things on the smallest level...sometimes mathmatical. Our department just hired a math phd actually. You will get plenty of math in pchem and anal chem...unless your school's biochem program sucks (which is very common I hear) I would go for it.

I agree with adamj61...depending on your institution will determine how well the program is and how well medschools view the difficulty of your coursework. I know biochem majors that went to sub-par schools and their pchem and analytical chem classes were not nearly as challenging in critcal thinking as ours (UW-Mad). But I am not bragging.

GOBUCKY!