classes that helped

[squishedgrape]

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hello people!!

My undergraduate advisors are constantly telling me that taking Biochemistry, HISTOLOGY, and Systems Physiology before Medical School is incredibly helpful that they should be almost mandatory.......

For thos of you who took these classes and are now in medical school, do you think taking the classes really helped you out??


I'm trying to plan out my schedule, and I'm trying to decide whether to take those science classes or just for fun classes like PHotography and Astronomy......


Thanks!!!

 

[rxfudd]

I'd say biochem was pretty helpful, especially since it's not as intuitive of a class as something like physiology and you may appreciate having the extra time to get used to it. That said, there are LOTS of people who do the bare minimum prereq's for med school and do just fine in all their classes. Taking classes beforehand might make you feel more prepared and confident, but it probably won't do all that much for you in terms of actual grades.

The reason for this is that most schools don't test you on generalities that you might have taken with you from your undergrad courses. They test on very specific, very detailed facts that only stay with you for a few months at the most (for most of us, at least). Physiology is less like this and you may actually benefit from a previous course. I would MUCH rather have taken things like photography and astronomy and would do it that way if I were to do everything over again.

 

[doc05]

Originally posted by squishedgrape
hello people!!

My undergraduate advisors are constantly telling me that taking Biochemistry, HISTOLOGY, and Systems Physiology before Medical School is incredibly helpful that they should be almost mandatory.......

For thos of you who took these classes and are now in medical school, do you think taking the classes really helped you out??


I'm trying to plan out my schedule, and I'm trying to decide whether to take those science classes or just for fun classes like PHotography and Astronomy......


Thanks!!!

ignore your undergraduate advisors. they are incompetent are completely unenlightened with regard to medical school.

 

[rxfudd]

Originally posted by doc05
ignore your undergraduate advisors. they are incompetent are completely unenlightened with regard to medical school.

Agreed...looking back, undergrad advisors have absolutely no idea what they are talking about when they tell you anything about actually being in med school.

 

[Winged Scapula]

You will hear, time and time again, that Biochemistry is helpful. And it is. If I recommended one class to take before medical school that might be remotely helpful, it would be Biochem.

You can do without Histology or Systems Physio (not that I even know what that is).

 

[Qafas]

I think all the classes you have listed are helpful in med school. I took anatomy, physio, and biochem in undergrad, and histo during a year I spent in grad school. As noted by others above, biochem is especially helpful. The rest you can do without. You will get plenty of them in med school, and even if you haven't taken them before you will catch up soon enough. I suggest that you take them if you really want to and have some electives to kill. Otherwise, don't worry about it.

 

[squishedgrape]

ahhhhh you guys are great!!

Thanks for all your responses~~!!

 

[shag]

We covered about 90% of my undergrad biochem in the first week of the course during medical school. Organic and general bio should be enough to do well. Take the fun classes; you'll have plenty of time to beat yourself down during medical school 🙂.

 

[DrMom]

Originally posted by shag
We covered about 90% of my undergrad biochem in the first week of the course during medical school. Organic and general bio should be enough to do well. Take the fun classes; you'll have plenty of time to beat yourself down during medical school 🙂.

There is definitely something to be said for this.

 

[12R34Y]

I would take physiology, immunology, and biochem.

Everyone always says "do what is fun, relax, take photography etc.."

I'd rather take a class that is intersting (I'm assuming you think science is interesting since you are going to go to med school) AND helpful to me during medical school.

I love the biologies and they are very helpful during medical school in my opinion.

I'd rather feel more comfortable in medical school than goof off during my senior year of undergrad.

I took immunology and frankly.......I don't know how you could pass in medical school' immuno without having been exposed to it before. It's fairly easy for me, but many of my classmates are completely and utterly lost. Same with physiology and biochem. If you have seen it before it will only be easier later.
just my opinion

later

 

[uclacrewdude]

Dude, you gotta take at least one fun class. Plug in to the rest of the world.

I never took it, but one of my bio profs advertised taking an Arabian lit course. All of its translated, and gives a lot of insight into a culture most Americans know nothing about.

Besides, you ALWAYS get asked what your outside interests are in the application process. I once took a modernism class (when I was, through a technicality, an honors student) that, surprisingly, gave me an appreciation for Modern Art. Gave me a language to explain why I like the art I like. Try not taking an art class, then explaining why you enjoy going to art galleries, for example. You can't fake that stuff.

Or simply go with a class that's easy on the schedule, and take that time to maybe check out a club on campus, or play IM football or something. Or use that extra time to regain your sanity.

 

[Street Philosopher]

90% of 1st semester biochem in 1 week type of comments are very misleading. more likely than not, during the 1st week you will pick and choose a few things and gloss over stuff from the 1st semester in college, not cover all of it in the same detail or level of understanding.

people think medical school is so hard and much harder than college. that's not exactly true. it's tougher, but not THAT much tougher.

but yeah, the specific example does go to point out how pointless it is to take unwanted classes during college to "prepare" for a week's worth of med school material.

the way i think about it is that, sure, the physiology majors are a few study hours ahead of me for medical school, but i am 4+ years ahead of them in other things, like my non-science major, for example. whoopdy doo

 

[Lara]

I definitely feel the biochem class I took some years ago in undergrad prepared me very well for med school. It definitely wasn't all covered in week one! Just having seen the metabolic pathways for carbs and lipids before was a great help.

Histo is boring enough that you should just take in once in med school and be done. 😛 The physio course *could* be helpful, but no guarantees. I also took it and don't recall it making much of a difference in my case.

So unless the biochem profs are awful, my two cents would be to take the class and then whatever you like...might I make a plug for Spanish? 🙂

 

[mattorama]

I took a full blown gross anatomy course for fun as an undergrad this summer...I forsee that making my first semseter of med school next year at least a little more enjoyable. 😀 😀

 

[souljah1]

I would take a good class on ethics, on the economics of the health care industry, and a public speaking course. while biochem, etc may help you a little in the first and second year, I'd say it is even more important to get a little public speaking under your belt (helps when you have to present patients on the wards), an understanding of the health care system, and a course that gets you thinking about ethics and how they factor in different professional scenarios.

If you are interested in biochem, then by all means take it. I enjoyed biochem, but is was a requirement for me (as was micro and physiology).

Best of luck.

 

[LoneSEAL]

Two subjects should be taken before med school: biochem and immunology.

B

 

[sacrament]

I was an engineering major who took only the minimum required pre-med classes, and I didn't feel that I was at any significant disadvantage as compared to my classmates who took biochem, anatomy, etc. That being said, if any class would be especially helpful, it would have to be biochem, as has been noted.

 

[DocRuth]

I know this is slightly off topic, but the classes I took which were most helpful in the application and interview stages were Health Policy and Health Promotion.

I haven't started med school yet so I can't answer the original question, but I'm hoping that my embryology, histology, physiology, and biochemistry come in handy at some stage. Fortunately, I enjoyed it all the first time round, well, except biochemistry.🙄

 

[gwyn779]

I took biochem in undergrad and it did NOT help me. I think it was actually a harder class, but the emphasis was so different from what we had in med school. I took several fun classes my senior year like art, japanese, and music. I am so glad I did.

Take classes that interest you. You really don't need Histology. Definitely take Photography over that.

 

[gluon999]

Do you guys think that taking a class in Pharmacology or Immunology (besides Biochem) during under grad is a good idea?

 

[gwyn779]

Only if you think they're interesting.

 

[DALABROKA]

Originally posted by gwyn779
I took biochem in undergrad and it did NOT help me. I think it was actually a harder class, but the emphasis was so different from what we had in med school. I took several fun classes my senior year like art, japanese, and music. I am so glad I did.

Take classes that interest you. You really don't need Histology. Definitely take Photography over that.

You don't need to take upper division science courses, but when the rest of the class is busy memorizing the side chains of 20 different amino acids, learning for the first time how to tell the difference between pseudostratified columnar ET and stratified columnar or cuboidal ET, and trying to retain enough early embryology to answer the exam questions, and you're watching TV, you will be thankfull. It is not necessary, but it makes life easier(at least in the begining)!

DALA

 

[grouptherapy]

if i could have a conversation with myself before i started college, i would tell myself to take as many bio courses that mirror the med school courses as possible, ie anatomy, histo, biochem, cell bio, physio...

the first year of med school was just so intense for me. there were just too many damn things to memorize.

 

[jvarga]

Unlike most posters up until now, I have to disagree with the usefulness of taking undergrad level science courses with the pretense of "preparing for med school". You should obviously take the required courses and maybe a couple of the more challenging upper-tier science courses to keep your mind on the right track, but I would not waste precious pre-med school time taking classes that you will only see again in med school. Talk about redundant!

Contrary to popular belief, having been exposed to these subjects prior to med school will not give you a significant advantage over those that have not. Med school classes (for the most part) are taught in much more detail than those in college. The knowledge retained from college courses will at most save you only minutes of overall study time. Are these few minutes of study time really worth the semesters spent (or wasted) in college? If you confidently spend time "watching TV" while your classmates are dutifully studying (as suggested by a prior poster), I assure you that it would only be yourself (not your classmates) that would be at the disadvantage when the final grades are handed out.

College is a time to study and experience the rest of the world! You have the rest of your life to be a doctor. Take time now to study those things which interest you...religions, philosophy, history, the arts, language, and even travel. Remember, none of these subjects are offered in med school and you will seldom have time to study these in as much detail after you start med school. If biochem, physiology, or anatomy happen to interest you the most, go ahead and take them, but do not take them if you are only trying to "prepare yourself"...you will only be wasting your time and money.

From my own personal experience, the top three "waste of time" classes I took in college:
1. Biochem
2. Organic
3. Comparative Anatomy

 

[thackl]

Wow! The opinions are pretty strong and equally split. I'm an engineer trying to avoid bio shock. I'm taking Micro, anatomy and genetics this semester and plan to take biochem and physiology next semester.

To be completely honest, I would rather take some spanish and health policy courses. I don't know what to do?????

 

[maxheadroom]

One more opinion . . .

I found Biochem and Histo to be super-valuable for M1 year. While you'll need to learn more in each field, you won't be totally clueless about the basics. You need physiology. Everything else should be interests-based.

 

[adude]

If you want to look ahead to 3rd and 4th year then I would say that Spanish would be probably the most useful class to take unless you go to med school in Montana or something.

 

[jed2023]

Originally posted by jvarga

Contrary to popular belief, having been exposed to these subjects prior to med school will not give you a significant advantage over those that have not. Med school classes (for the most part) are taught in much more detail than those in college. The knowledge retained from college courses will at most save you only minutes of overall study time. Are these few minutes of study time really worth the semesters spent (or wasted) in college?


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I think I follow the poster's point, but I think you can only get a good answer to this question by considering your own nature and your personal goals. For example: Are you a slow/medium/fast learner, when you initially approach a subject you haven't been exposed to? Are you going to a med school w/ honors designations or letter grades and trying to honor as many classes as possible? Etc, etc.
The only way that taking courses like biochemistry or immunology isn't going to help you out later on is

1. You didn't learn much in the first place because you focused a lot more on memorizing than understanding.
2. You have a very poor memory.
3. You don't study enough in your med class because you think "I already know this stuff, I'll take it easy."


Quote: "The knowledge retained from college courses will at most save you only minutes of overall study time."

This is the exaggeration of the day. If this is the case, why go to college in the first place. We'll forget it all anyways.

 

[DALABROKA]

Originally posted by jvarga
Contrary to popular belief, having been exposed to these subjects prior to med school will not give you a significant advantage over those that have not.

I disagree. Everything is easier to learn the "second time around."

Originally posted by jvarga
Med school classes (for the most part) are taught in much more detail than those in college.

In my experience, the exact opposite is true, depending on the rigor of the undergraduate program you're in of course. As posted previously, many times u-grad courses are more difficult than med-school courses because you simple don't have the time to go into great detail. For example, we spent four lectures covering the early embryonic period in our first week of class. This encompassed the first six chapters in the embryology text. It was quite amusing to sit in lecture as the professor glossed over the very intricate processes that occur during this time frame. In u-grad, we went into details of this period that were barely even mentioned in the med-school text! So, as I (and two of my friends that took the embryo together in u-grad) were giggling about how superficial the med-school level embryo was, the rest of our classmates' heads were spinning. We wound up having to "explain" what was going on to them! So, while the rest of the class was scrambling to memorize hundreds of details in embryo, we were able to concentrate on the areas that we were not as well equipped for. I can't see how this is not advantageous! You absolutely don't need to take all the same courses in u-grad that you will have in med-school, but having a few areas that you are truly strong in will allow you to concentrate more on those areas that you are not.

Originally posted by jvarga
The knowledge retained from college courses will at most save you only minutes of overall study time.

This is ludicrous.

DALA

 

[jvarga]

As with most things in this world, everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Some dutifully voice theirs louder than others. Myself, I state what I have learned throughout my years in medicine with the optimistic hopes that it will help some future colleague. Little does it affect me whether or not my opinion is accepted.

With that said, many of the points stated by the "opposing side" are valid. Yes, I agree, taking a class for a second time is definately easier. However, that was not my point. My point was and still remains: do you really need to spend (or ask your parents to spend) a significant amount of time and money to take a class that will only minimally help you when you take it again in med school? (By the way, do not confuse "taking a class again" with covering the same material in college that is covered in med school). When considering this decision, you should definately weigh it against the opportunity of taking those classes (as mentioned previously) which will aid you in becoming a more "worldly" and thus a more competitive doctor.

If you happen to feel that you are lucky enough to attend a college that offers an incredibly advanced course in biochem, anatomy, phys, etc. that is so advanced that you needn't study the material anymore and might as well bypass the basic science years, take the Step I, and proceed with the clinical years...congratulations, for you have found the proverbial needle in the haystack! If that is the case, by all means take the courses. For the rest of you attending the colleges in the real world, I encourage you to make the decision with caution since time misspent is time lost! I could only wish that I could regain the time I wasted taking some of those "med school prep" classes.

I also agree with the jed's points about the benefits of college courses being highly dependent on individual characteristics and preferences. However, jed failed to mention the most important factors involved in determining a class' helpfulness: who is teaching the class (important for background and teaching style) and what is the focus of the class (will the material covered and emphasized in the class be similar to that which is seen in med school). From my experience, a class could be essentially useless if either one of these key factors is sub-standard.

One last point in reply to dala. I would not be so bold and quick to judge somebody's opinion as ludicrous, especially considering your relative inexperience in the matter (a brand new first year med student?--please correct me if I am wrong). If you wish to do well come third year, I highly suggest you treat your elders with a tad more respect. (Hint- check the profiles prior to replying).