Biochemistry. How much will it hurt you if you don't take it.

[yhh227]

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Hey I have a question regarding biochemistry. I am a senior now and my GPA is above a 3.8 and I'm already going to take an off year before I apply to medical school.

I am debating whether to take biochemistry or not. I still haven't taken my MCATs yet and even though I would have only 15 credits with biochem, I feel that dropping it going down to the minimum 12 credits would allow me to prepare for my MCATs and also focus on my research that I just started this semester.

I know that most medical schools highly recommend biochem and I was wondering if that would mean I would be in a serious disadvantage by not having it when I apply later on.

I would be grateful if I could get some feedback on the consequences of not taking biochem.

Thanks.

 

[bamtuba]

Hey I have a question regarding biochemistry. I am a senior now and my GPA is above a 3.8 and I'm already going to take an off year before I apply to medical school.

I am debating whether to take biochemistry or not. I still haven't taken my MCATs yet and even though I would have only 15 credits with biochem, I feel that dropping it going down to the minimum 12 credits would allow me to prepare for my MCATs and also focus on my research that I just started this semester.

I know that most medical schools highly recommend biochem and I was wondering if that would mean I would be in a serious disadvantage by not having it when I apply later on.

I would be grateful if I could get some feedback on the consequences of not taking biochem.

Thanks.

Check the specific school requirements for those places that you are considering. If you want to go somewhere that requires it, then take it. If not don't worry too much. No one has given me any grief over it yet...

 

[yhh227]

Check the specific school requirements for those places that you are considering. If you want to go somewhere that requires it, then take it. If not don't worry too much. No one has given me any grief over it yet...

Thanks. Most medical schools that I would like to go to highly recommend biochemistry. Just worried that somehow it could come back to hurt me if I didn't have it.

 

[CoolWhipp]

Just take it so you can apply everywhere without having regrets. Do what is highly recommended.

 

[fahimaz7]

Most everyone in my class, that didn't take it in undergrad, would HIGHLY recommend taking it before you enter medical school. Medical school biochemistry moves so quickly, that any previous exosure will be very beneficial.

 

[armybound]

They recommend it because it will make med school a little easier for you, not because it will improve your chances at admission.

If I were you I'd take a lower course load and rock the MCAT, then consider taking biochem some other time, even if it's the summer before you matriculate.

 

[Rendar5]

PFFSH, didn't take it, didn't miss it. I had 2 biochem questions on step 1 and neither 1 had anything to do with anything i'd have learned in undergrad chem. Since then I have had 0 biochem. taking biochem might save you 2 hours of studying over a month in med school. If you think that's a benefit, then fine. The only real benefit is that there are a couple schools out there that require it as a pre-req, if you want to go to those schools specifically, take it, otherwise don't bother wasting your time.

 

[unique135]

Most everyone in my class, that didn't take it in undergrad, would HIGHLY recommend taking it before you enter medical school. Medical school biochemistry moves so quickly, that any previous exosure will be very beneficial.

Agreed.

 

[FlowLimited]

I didn't take biochem as an undergrad and had no issues with it when I got to med school. If you've got room in your schedule, consider taking it, but don't sweat it if you can't fit it in.

 

[Zona Pellucida]

Just take it unless you really can't, and it sounds like you could.

 

[ThaliaNox]

I'm in the middle of medical school biochem right now, and those of my classmates who've never taken biochem are having to hit the books hard. I'd take it. It will make your first year of medical school more pleasant. It sounds like you have room, and 12 credits is a pretty pathetic semester without a good reason.

 

[Rogue Synapse]

Negative. Only take it if you have a burning desire to learn about biochem.
1. It will not impact your chances of admission to medical school. At all.
2. It will give you a slight boost in perhaps the first month or two of medical school, but that is all. Med school biochem is extremely manageable without previous preparation, at least in terms of content.
3. It could potentially damage your GPA depending on your strengths, but then again I think it's ridiculous to strategically plan your classes to maximize your GPA.

In general, people worry way too much about how to prepare for med school, from taking the right courses all the way up to whether to study in the summer before matriculation (short answer: NO, it does NOT help you at all). Relax and concentrate on your med school interviews and enjoying the rest of your college experience. A 12 credit hour semester is not ridiculous; it is called a senior semester. I wound up having to fill all my classes my senior year to finish both my majors and I wish I hadn't now. My 2¢.

 

[marty mcfly]

Some schools do require biochem, but it seems that some can be loose on the requirement. For example, I asked Des Moines University if they would accept the class "molecular cell biology" as a biochem class. They said they needed to look at the class description which reads: Biol 314. Principles of Molecular Cell Biology. (3-0)
Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: Biol 313. Integration of elementary
principles of metabolism, bioenergetics, cell structure
and function to develop a molecular view of how the
cell works.....they said yes. so biochem is apparently a broad defintion.

 

[Dissected]

Im glad I took it. It's made things a little less stressful in biochem so far. I would have done ok without it though.

 

[FlowLimited]

Some schools do require biochem, but it seems that some can be loose on the requirement. For example, I asked Des Moines University if they would accept the class "molecular cell biology" as a biochem class. They said they needed to look at the class description which reads: Biol 314. Principles of Molecular Cell Biology. (3-0)
Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: Biol 313. Integration of elementary
principles of metabolism, bioenergetics, cell structure
and function to develop a molecular view of how the
cell works.....they said yes. so biochem is apparently a broad defintion.

It is very broad. In med school, a lot of what you'll learn in biochemistry is molecular biology.

 

[emno]

I have taken it and now I want to drop as I am finding it too much.
Will a W look bad in bio in my transcript?

thanks

 

[Dr Lyss]

To echo what some others have said, if you have space take it. It can only help. Will it make biochem in med school significantly easier? Kind of. It makes the beginning a little bit of an easier adjustment. I took one semester of biochem and I'm really wishing I took both because it seems the people who have a solid foundation are adjusting just a tad bit easier because this is their second time seeing it. However, in a few weeks it will all be fresh new stuff.

So if you have the space, take it. it can only help you.

 

[Rendar5]

im curious if all the med students recommending it are first years who are taking it right now and haven't had much perspective yet? because in the retrospectoscope, biochem is a pretty minor part of med school and is one of the easier portions in terms of material to learn even for those who have not taken it compared with the rest of med school, not to mention that college biochem is not important in the long-run to the practice of medicine, and it is not really tested on to any significant extent after the med school course finishes up.

 

[armybound]

I'm recommending it because it makes class a tiny bit easier. I'm in no way saying it's important.

When you get thrown into med school and the tons and tons of info you have to learn for gross, you take any advantage you can get. I'd happily take a course in undergrad if it meant I could save myself a few hours of studying in med school

 

[ThaliaNox]

I'm seconding armybound. We may "just" be first years taking the material, but we also ARE first years taking the material, with all that means. Med school is a LOT of work. I cherish those hours per week I am saving by having a biochemistry background because they are allowing me to continue having somewhat of a life outside of school. Honestly, the nonscience majors in our class are currently living in the library. Of course, all that may be small beans in the long outlook on the life of a physician, but I will settle for a few hours back in return for taking an undergrad class which wasn't that bad and WAS required by some medical schools.

 

[Rogue Synapse]

I am "just" a fourth year who says you should enjoy your college experience and not stress about preparing for med school. I was a philosophy major who didn't take biochem in college; it was my best class when I started med school, and I didn't live in the library. I would say that based on my friends' experiences who took biochem, it may ease your initial burden in med school by maybe 5%. It's also easily the least important class you will ever take in med school.

 

[Omni]

I'd recommend to take it, not just because it may help in med school, but also because the class is pretty interesting. You look at thing you all ready know from a different perspective. It opens new doors to understanding biology, so you should definitely take it.

 

[Dissected]

im curious if all the med students recommending it are first years who are taking it right now and haven't had much perspective yet? because in the retrospectoscope, biochem is a pretty minor part of med school and is one of the easier portions in terms of material to learn even for those who have not taken it compared with the rest of med school, not to mention that college biochem is not important in the long-run to the practice of medicine, and it is not really tested on to any significant extent after the med school course finishes up.

you're probably right, but it made the transition into learning an inordinate amount of material far easier, for me at least. Thats what really made it worth it. To be honest, we covered all of my biochem in college within 1 and a half units, which was like 3 weeks. But it helped me learn how to study that much material in a short amount of time.

 

[fahimaz7]

I'm a first year. If it makes it easier, why not take it?

 

[Beta Cell]

I'm taking it, but I imagine it wouldn't be much harder to learn biochemistry in medical school.

 

[halekulani]

i took it in undergrad and grad school
it makes things a lot easier IMO so you can focus on more important subjects like anatomy