Choosing one last prep class

[LivestockDoc]

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Alright, I've got all my applications in to the vet schools. Assuming I get an offer from at least one of them, this Spring will be my last chance to take classes that will give me some extra prep before I get to put my Big Girl pants on next Fall.

I have the option of signing up for ONE of the following when I register in a couple of weeks (I can only fit one in my schedule):

Cell Bio
Immunology
Neuroanatomy
Pharmacology

Knowing what you know now about the difficulties of vet school, which one do you recommend I take? If you could rank them (1 being the class you think would be most helpful, 4 being the one you think would be least helpful), I would be MUCHO appreciative. That way if I can't get into the #1 class, I can try for #2.

Many thanks in advance!

 

[cuitlamiztli]

1) Neuroanatomy
2) Immunology
3) Cell bio
4) Pharmacology

It's a close tie between neuro and immunology for #1... both would certainly be beneficial, but IME neuro was harder to get the first time around so it would be helpful to take it prior to matriculation. Cell bio is third because some people struggle with it (I'd move it to #4 if you were comfortable with biochem and your other biology courses). Pharm is last because I'm not sure if any schools teach it before 2nd year (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) and things tend to change.

 

[twelvetigers]

Pharm would be hard to learn right off, seems like.

I'm taking immunology next semester! I would opt for histology, but the school stopped offering it. Neuroanatomy sounds cool. We have a behavioral endocrinology course that's really awesome, but it never matches up with my fall schedule. I had to elbow my way into parasitology as it is...

 

[sumstorm]

Cell Bio
Immunology
Neuroanatomy
Pharmacology

I would rank it:

1) immunology
2) pharmacology
3) neuroanatomy
4) cell bio (unless you have a real weakness here)

The reasons is that immunology seems to get more convoluted each year with new discoveries, and was one of our toughest courses and for us was a first year course (so would have been a leg up.) Pharm is a major course here (5 credits 2nd year) and being familiar with a lot of just drug names before hand would have been very helpful. Neuroanatomy for us is only a small portion of our anatomy course, and while it was a lot of stuff to retain, it was not a significant enough portion of our class, was repeated in a lot of other classes (including pharm, embryology, and physiology) that it just doens't seem valuable as a foot hold to me. If you have no knowledge of things like kreb's cycle, gluconeogenesis, etc, cell bio might be worth while.

 

[eventualeventer]

See, I think that cell bio has been VERY helpful in physio chem and histology, two major courses in our first quarter here (aka when we are still figuring this vet school thing out). It is making first quarter that much easier because I have learned the concepts already, even if I don't remember all of the pathways. I did struggle with it some because I am more of a big-picture, whole-organism sort of thinker, so I ended up taking two cell bio courses in undergrad to challenge myself to really grasp it.

Some of this depends on your undergrad. I had very little cell bio in either basic bio or biochem (I took a 1-semester compressed biochem course). All I remember from undergrad biochem was having to memorize the amino acid structures, talking a lot about enzymes and hemoglobin, and learning about glycosaminoglycans. Signal transduction, cellular organization and organelle function, overview of glucose metabolism (we didn't have to memorize the steps), membrane function, etc., were all cemented for me in my cell bio classes.

OTOH, while we haven't had pharm yet, I am familiar with a heck of a lot of drug names from clinical exposure and extracurricular reading about treatment of diseases. I think that's a second-year class here at UCD, too. Not to mention, as above, things change a lot and the pharm class at your undergrad is most likely human-oriented. There is more variation in drug approval, usage, and dosing between species than there is in the basic cell biology, which is much more consistent across taxa.

I suppose both of these depend on your personality and clinical experience.

I never took immuno in undergrad and I don't know yet whether this is something I will regret. It seems like a very complex subject, so that might be worth taking as well.

I suppose my final ranking would be:
1) cell bio
2) immuno
3) neuroanat (might be fun depending on the course content and instructor)
4) pharm

Caveat, I haven't finished 1st year yet and all the schools structure their curricula somewhat differently. Also, the UCD curriculum is supposed to change sometime in the next year or two, so what I am experiencing may not apply to your class depending on when the change is implemented.

 

[aretoo]

I would rank it:

1) immunology
2) pharmacology
3) neuroanatomy
4) cell bio (unless you have a real weakness here)

The reasons is that immunology seems to get more convoluted each year with new discoveries, and was one of our toughest courses and for us was a first year course (so would have been a leg up.) Pharm is a major course here (5 credits 2nd year) and being familiar with a lot of just drug names before hand would have been very helpful. Neuroanatomy for us is only a small portion of our anatomy course, and while it was a lot of stuff to retain, it was not a significant enough portion of our class, was repeated in a lot of other classes (including pharm, embryology, and physiology) that it just doens't seem valuable as a foot hold to me. If you have no knowledge of things like kreb's cycle, gluconeogenesis, etc, cell bio might be worth while.

I would rank them the same, for the exact same reasons. Good luck!

 

[Savethewhales]

Great question... these are my options:

1) Parasitology
2) Immunology
3) Embryology
4) Cell Biology
5) Biology of Vertebrates

I can possibly fit in 2 of those...any suggestions from the vet med students out there???

 

[168135]

I'm debating whether to take human neurobiology (400 level) next semester. I might consider it if it's going to be beneficial. Plus, there is no lab for that course! I'm currently registered for ichthyology (also 400 level), which would help me if I had any interest in aquaculture... 😛

I've heard mixed opinions on whether human anatomy and physiology is helpful... I was wondering the same about neuro.

 

[eringobraugh]

If any of you applied to CSU I would definitely rank immunology #3 or 4 even. I took it years ago (2004ish) and don't remember anything but the class is still one of our easier ones, in my opinion.

I would say:
1. neurobiology
2. cell bio
3. immunology/pharm
4. immunology.pharm

For savethewhales, if I had to pick 2 I'd do cell bio and either immunology or biology of vertebrates

 

[Ben and Me]

But a lot is going to depend on the quality of the professors that teach/organize each class where you end up.

For example, two of the aforementioned classes are very disorganized at Penn and just about drove me crazy -- so, I really wish I had taken them. However, had the professors been better, I don't think it would've been an issue!

 

[primatevetjess]

So much depends on where you're applying. Here at Davis, the immunology course/professor were pretty awful. I was lost the entire time, didn't learn anything, and it was my worst grade last quarter. So I would rank that #1. Neuro, on the other hand, was my favorite class to date. The professor was amazing and enthusiastic and a terrific teacher. I learned a ton and did really well, so that would be #4. Cell bio is pretty good here... I didn't take a cell bio course but did really well, but it would probably come in handy. Pharm is a second year course, so you may not retain much by the time to reach it. Plus, like others have mentioned, a lot changes.

So, for UC Davis, my recommendation:
1. Immunology
2. Cell bio
3. Pharm
4. Neuroanatomy

 

[LivestockDoc]

Thanks for the input, everyone! It's interesting to read the different opinions based on where you are attending.