Genetics this summer?

[orthoboy]

---

Members don't see this ad.

.

 

[Cinclus]

I'm planning on taking Genetics in the month of June but I am wondering if it would be wiser to put it off till the fall and focus on the MCAT (which I will be taking in August). The good side is that it will probably help me with the bio section on the mcat (not just with the genetics section. They go through some DNA stuff, mitosis meiosis, etc...). The bad is that is 4 days out of the week, 4 hours a day, with an exam every week.

What do you guys think? If I don't take it, this fall semester will be very tough. I switched to a biology major in my sophomore year and I'm planning on finishing in 4 years, so I still have 29 hours of biology left for my senior year (9 of which are research).

Please let me know what you guys think. I haven't started studying yet for the mcat, and I'm planning on using Berkeley.

Thanks!

Don't do Genetics during one of the 1/2-summer sessions. It would be perfectly manageable over the whole summer or in fall/spring, but you'll be spending all of your time on the course if you do it in such a short amount of time. Focus on the MCAT; you need to know very little genetics compared to all of the genetics you'll learn in the course, so just focus on what's in the MCAT review books (since you're using Berkeley, you should be fine).

Source: Long-time graduate TA for Genetics

 

[orthoboy]

.

 

[GreenRabbit]

Take something that won't burn you out, like a 3 credit drawing class.

 

[orthoboy]

.

 

[GreenRabbit]

I would literally be wasting 900 dollars if I do that... I don't need any other core classes. Just biology classes, and genetics is the easiest out of the bunch. Ahhh it is going to be stressful now...

Better than spending $900 to do worse on the MCAT. And I only suggested it because you need to maintain your scholarship.

 

[orthoboy]

.

 

[PolIV]

It truly depends on you: what kind of study habits do you have; how do you manage your time; is biology/genetics a difficult topic for you?

I took genetics during the semester but didn't have to spend much time on it because I knew most of it from my research (I work in a genetics/micro lab). If you don't think that it will take too much of your time, take the course.

You should also consider the fact that the course is only 2 hours a day + studying and homework. Do you see yourself studying for 12 hours a day straight? I personally would not be able to do that. Have a life or else you'll go insane. I studied 5-6 hours a day at most (sometimes as little as 1-2), which worked for me. I can't just sit there for 12 hours and expect to get 12 hours of knowledge and skills from those 12 hours.

 

[orthoboy]

.