Biochemistry?

[SistaKaren]

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I posted this on the pre-allopathic board, but I figured that it'd probably be better here, because I think that more people would know the answer to this question:

I was just curious...how important is having biochemistry prior to going to Med School? I wasn't really considering taking it (I'm a nonscience major), until a friend of mine who is in her third year of med school said that it helped her understand the material better. What are everyone else's thoughts? Did it help to have it, or am I okay without taking it?

 

[UnderGrad]

Hi. I may not be the most qualified to answer this question, but I will give it a shot.

I am currently taking Biochem at the university level. The only thing I can tell you is that MY course (can't speak for everyone's) is so watered down, I don't see how it will ever help in medical school.

Most of the topics we have covered in biochem were better explained to me in organic chem.

Just my $0.02.

 

[RyanCole]

I will say that repitition is the answer to all of science and medicine.

By seeing in once, even if watered down which it usually is in college, it is at least an introduction. This way, when you are in medical school and required to understand the basics and apply that to critical thinking, you will not be so overwhelmed at having to memorize the basics with the extras. I have found that any experience (class or other) that I had before going into a class has helped me by serving as a good foundation. I'd suggest if you have the time and gumption, a good physiology, immunology, and microbiology class. These are pretty standard foundations seldom required by schools but that offer a great general understanding for medicine in the body.

Okay, so maybe that was like my 8 cents, but I get carried away sometimes.

Ryan

 

[kent14]

People in my class say that everyone that took biochemistry before they came here had a big advantage when we took it here because it was not taught so well (like most things in med school). Oftentimes, in medical school, they will go straight into the nitty gritty details and ignore the big picture, which oftentimes undergrad covers, and it really helps to understand the big picture before you start memorizing the little details. I had a really good biochemistry class in undergraduate, we used the same text as most med schools and we learned the same amount of detail. I will say that in terms of taking a class during undergrad for the purpose of doing better grade wise may not be useful, studies have shown non-bio majors do just as well in the science classes as the people that have seen it before. But it is very useful again in actually understanding it and learning it the first time and I really enjoy explaining things to my classmates when I understand something and they don't because the teacher didn't explain it well, so that's another plus too. The minus is probably because sometimes when I study, I skim over stuff that I think that I already know because I learned it before, but I didn't learn the one or two minor details of new information they teach, and those two details are usually the the things they test us on over here. But that's just me, everybody is different.

 

[GreatPumpkin]

It would be nice to have it prior. But, it is certainly not needed. I didn't have it and many of my classmates didn't as well. It was a tough class, but by no means the toughest of the year.

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Rob
http://views.vcu.edu/medimf/rob/greatpumpkin.shtml

 

[UnderGrad]

Sounds like my class may be more useful than I originally thought.

Good to know!

 

[Djanaba]

Biochemistry is a prerequisite for my medical school. Even if it had not been (and was not at many schools I applied to), I would have found it helpful anyways. Sure, you can learn the material once you get in, but there is SO MUCH to learn, every bit you have some prior knowledge on already makes life easier for you. If you can take the course and do well in it (i.e., your schedule isn't overloaded already), do it. I cannot imagine that you would regret it.

 

[SistaKaren]

Thanks so much for the advice! I think I'll definitely end up taking it then. And I also appreciate the suggestions on the other classes that would be helpful as well! Thanks!

Karen

 

[Cobragirl]

As of Thursday I will OFFICIALLY be done with undergrad (despite the fact that I graduated LAST year!

)...and my Biochem II course. Although I have to admit that I haven't studied for the class the way I "normally" would (since I've been accepted and it doesn't help my gpa...nor is it required by the med-school I'm going to..) it's still been nice to at least SEE the stuff. Even with my helf-a$$ studying, I realize what a BEAR biochem could be in med-school since they will obviously be teaching it at twice the speed that my undergrad course was. I'm glad I took it...I'm sure I'll have a slight advantage over my peers that haven't. I'm also glad I took developmental biology (core-requirement at my school) as I've been told by several med-students that the embryology section of anatomy REALLY slows some people up!