Genetics

[christian15213]

Ok this is a multi question:

1.) Has anyone here taken Genetics or purposely not taken genetics and how hard was the Genetics course at your school.

2.) If in fact you did take the course was it a help when Taking the MCATS?

3.) If in fact the Genetics course you took was not that difficult do you feel that impared your MCAT score... Meaning, because you didn't have a rigorous college program for a particular course you saw how it affected your MCAT score???


The reason I ask is because I just took a Genetics exam today and couldn't BELIEVE how hard it was... I was really freaking amazed... The part that IRRRRKSSS me is that other prof's teach it at our school and aren't nearly as difficult... But I was sort of thinking it might be a good thing when comming to taking the MCATS...

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[sentry]

I didn't think genetics was all that helpful on the MCAT in terms of content--most of the genetics covered is of the BIOL 101/102 variety. The only positive for me was that having taken a higher level genetics class, all the MCAT genetics seemed really really easy. It was a nice mental boost seeing those 4-5 questions and knowing for sure that I had the correct answer.

 

[Law2Doc]

Ok this is a multi question:

1.) Has anyone here taken Genetics or purposely not taken genetics and how hard was the Genetics course at your school.

2.) If in fact you did take the course was it a help when Taking the MCATS?

3.) If in fact the Genetics course you took was not that difficult do you feel that impared your MCAT score... Meaning, because you didn't have a rigorous college program for a particular course you saw how it affected your MCAT score???


The reason I ask is because I just took a Genetics exam today and couldn't BELIEVE how hard it was... I was really freaking amazed... The part that IRRRRKSSS me is that other prof's teach it at our school and aren't nearly as difficult... But I was sort of thinking it might be a good thing when comming to taking the MCATS...

There was no genetics on the MCAT that wasn't covered by my basic bio prereqs. If you've done Punnett squares and Hardy Weinberg, your pretty much up to speed. However if your school is lacking in this subject, then do what you gotta. For most science oriented folks genetics isn't a particularly hard course. And it's certainly not one of the harder med school classes.

 

[Anastasis]

Ok this is a multi question:

1.) Has anyone here taken Genetics or purposely not taken genetics and how hard was the Genetics course at your school.

I took Genetics before the MCAT; Everyone swore that it was the hardest class at my university. I found it really enjoyable. It can be hard but it's also really enlightening to see how we work. At least that's how I felt

2.) If in fact you did take the course was it a help when Taking the MCATS?

like another poster said it increased my confidence on the MCAT (which I think is 50% of the game right there). But no, the added information isn't going to give you a boost on the MCAT (at least not one that's worth taking it over another class)

3.) If in fact the Genetics course you took was not that difficult do you feel that impared your MCAT score... Meaning, because you didn't have a rigorous college program for a particular course you saw how it affected your MCAT score???

Not at all - like I said, you covered this stuff in intro bio. But if you feel like you didn't get a good enough background, like Law2Doc said, do what you need to do.

The reason I ask is because I just took a Genetics exam today and couldn't BELIEVE how hard it was... I was really freaking amazed... The part that IRRRRKSSS me is that other prof's teach it at our school and aren't nearly as difficult... But I was sort of thinking it might be a good thing when comming to taking the MCATS...

You've got awhile til drop date right? See how it pans out. If everyone did as badly as you think you did maybe the course style will change. You never know.

 

[TimeChancellor]

took genetics but it wasnt that hard..........not necesary for it doesnt really help on mcat....dont waste time....unless your a genetical researcher,,,,good luck

 

[christian15213]

I took Genetics before the MCAT; Everyone swore that it was the hardest class at my university. I found it really enjoyable. It can be hard but it's also really enlightening to see how we work. At least that's how I felt


like another poster said it increased my confidence on the MCAT (which I think is 50% of the game right there). But no, the added information isn't going to give you a boost on the MCAT (at least not one that's worth taking it over another class)


Not at all - like I said, you covered this stuff in intro bio. But if you feel like you didn't get a good enough background, like Law2Doc said, do what you need to do.



You've got awhile til drop date right? See how it pans out. If everyone did as badly as you think you did maybe the course style will change. You never know.

Thanks so MUCH... I think I did VERY well, I just didn't like sitting there for the whole 2 hours racking my brain... I have had tests that are hard but this just seemed like he was TRYING to make anything and everything difficult for no real purpose... ANNOYING...

I guess another question is, why do prof's do this? Why do they go out and try to find a "GENETISIST" or "PhD" right in their class... you see what I am saying? it is like they are trying to run some type of boot camp for a war that isn't going on...

Infact, I think it is harmful because a lot of these kids have to get to med school, or atleast try and stupid crap like this makes it so hard on everyone...

I am all for a bell curve but I think it happes regardless, you don't have to go CRAZY about trying to make one.

 

[Law2Doc]

Infact, I think it is harmful because a lot of these kids have to get to med school, or atleast try and stupid crap like this makes it so hard on everyone...

Weeding out by colleges is, in fact, a good thing. Half the people who will apply to med school won't get in. Might as well start dissuading some folks earlier. The really determined folks will still do postbacs and whatnot, but the path of least resistance types won't be wasting so much time with the process.

 

[Jccripe]

For the mcat, genetics is not necessary. The mcat genetics should have been covered in your general bio class. I didnt take genetics and did awesome on the bio section. As long as you know the basics you will be fine.

 

[christian15213]

Weeding out by colleges is, in fact, a good thing. Half the people who will apply to med school won't get in. Might as well start dissuading some folks earlier. The really determined folks will still do postbacs and whatnot, but the path of least resistance types won't be wasting so much time with the process.

See I disagree with this... Because check out this article

************
Today Indian doctors have become a powerful influence in medicine across the world - from North America and Great Britain to East Africa, Malaysia, and Singapore. Nowhere is their authority more keenly felt than in the United States, where Indians make up the largest non-Caucasian segment of the American medical community. Indian doctors have found a home in the medical marketplace, where they are a mainstay in primary patient care in urban and rural areas. Numbering over 38,000, physicians of Indian origin account for one in every 20 doctors practicing medicine in the US. Another 12,000 Indians and Indian-Americans are medical students and residents - doctors in specialty training - in teaching hospitals across the country. And Indians make up roughly 20 percent of the "International Medical Graduates" - or foreign-trained doctors - operating in the U.S.





But new challenges may slow the influx of Indian doctors. Many say they are having difficulty getting US visas after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. And a professional backlash has challenged new immigrants looking to join the lucrative American medical establishment.

"It's never been easy to come to the United States, but it is even more difficult now," says Sharad Lakhanpal, president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) and a clinical professor of medicine at University of Texas-Southwestern in Dallas. "Moreover, there are many subtle forms of discrimination. Even second-generation Indians feel discrimination in application for residencies and fellowships at teaching hospitals. Some just don't get applications sent to them."

Ironically, these challenges come at a time when the US medical establishment, led by the powerful American Medical Association (AMA), says the country now faces a physician shortage in some regions and specialties. For the past two decades, the AMA and the government-appointed Council on Graduate Medical Education have recommended that US medical schools maintain a near-steady supply of 16,000 new doctors a year, despite a population increase of 24 percent between 1980 and 2000. Now worried about a potential shortfall of physicians, the AMA says international medical graduates (IMGs) can help meet the needs of a growing and aging population, and has pledged to help speed up visas for foreign doctors.




here is the source of the article

http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=3340

Now, if you're asking what is my point here it is...

Why are we trying to prevent our own kids from getting into medical school... Are we really saying that we can't let a few more of our own get in and serve all the areas of medicince we need??? I mean doesn't it make more sense to have 100% capacity of US doctors that are actually from the US...

 

[smuwillobrien]

I didn't find the Genetics class at my school hard, but there were two groups of people in the class - those that studied, and so the class was simple, and those that didn't study, and so the class was hard.

Any class you take in biology is going to help you to some extent on the MCAT. I think it was good for a couple of passages on the August MCAT - I can't remain much about what the actual passages were though - I remember something about incomplete dominance.

The Genetics that you need for the MCAT though is definately going to be easier than your Genetics class, which is pure Genetics. The MCAT tests 'basic science', it's mainly just the way it is worded that is hard.

 

[Law2Doc]

Why are we trying to prevent our own kids from getting into medical school... Are we really saying that we can't let a few more of our own get in and serve all the areas of medicince we need??? I mean doesn't it make more sense to have 100% capacity of US doctors that are actually from the US...

The problem with your argument is that 50% of US applicants still don't get into med school. And this is AFTER any college course weedout. So if you wanted to increase enrollment you wouldn't need to change anything at the college course level, you could just take more of those 17,000 or so folks who didn't currently get in anywhere.

Currently almost all allo schools are increasing enrollment by several percent a year for the next decade at the suggestion of various medical associations. And quite a few new schools are opening. At the same time there has been no movement in increasing the funding of additional residencies. This suggests to me a looming squeezeout of a lot of the non-US educated individuals from the match and residency process in the not too distant future. So you may get your wish. But it will come too late to help you personally. And will have nothing to do with college (nor should it).

 

[Wackie]

You've got awhile til drop date right? See how it pans out. If everyone did as badly as you think you did maybe the course style will change. You never know.

I agree with this. Perhaps the prof is weeding out students with an extremely hard exam.

 

[jstuds_66]

I never took genetics, did fine on the MCAT, and have no regrets for not taking it.

 

[RayhanS1282]

Ok this is a multi question:

1.) Has anyone here taken Genetics or purposely not taken genetics and how hard was the Genetics course at your school.

2.) If in fact you did take the course was it a help when Taking the MCATS?

3.) If in fact the Genetics course you took was not that difficult do you feel that impared your MCAT score... Meaning, because you didn't have a rigorous college program for a particular course you saw how it affected your MCAT score???


The reason I ask is because I just took a Genetics exam today and couldn't BELIEVE how hard it was... I was really freaking amazed... The part that IRRRRKSSS me is that other prof's teach it at our school and aren't nearly as difficult... But I was sort of thinking it might be a good thing when comming to taking the MCATS...

1) Yes, took genetics.

2) Helped somewhat but the bulk of the genetics that was on the MCAT was covered in Fund Bio and biochem.

3) Ummm...the course I took was difficult but by the time the MCAT rolled around I forgot everything I learned in my genetics class.

Honestly, drop the genetics class. I would suggest you take a physiology course instead because that really really helps for the MCAT.

 

[christian15213]

I didn't find the Genetics class at my school hard, but there were two groups of people in the class - those that studied, and so the class was simple, and those that didn't study, and so the class was hard.

Any class you take in biology is going to help you to some extent on the MCAT. I think it was good for a couple of passages on the August MCAT - I can't remain much about what the actual passages were though - I remember something about incomplete dominance.

The Genetics that you need for the MCAT though is definately going to be easier than your Genetics class, which is pure Genetics. The MCAT tests 'basic science', it's mainly just the way it is worded that is hard.

Incomplete dominance... think of a pink flower... reason is this. the dominant gene would be dominant even if heterozygous but it isn't... once the dominant is heterozygous it gives a mix from the dominant red with the recessive white to give a mix of pigment to the phenotypic "pink" color...

OMGGGGGGGGGGGG what have I become... I have been taking this class for 3 weeks...

 

[christian15213]

1) Yes, took genetics.

2) Helped somewhat but the bulk of the genetics that was on the MCAT was covered in Fund Bio and biochem.

3) Ummm...the course I took was difficult but by the time the MCAT rolled around I forgot everything I learned in my genetics class.

Honestly, drop the genetics class. I would suggest you take a physiology course instead because that really really helps for the MCAT.

hmmmmm what physiology??? never heard of that... explain? I really have never heard of this before.

 

[RayhanS1282]

hmmmmm what physiology??? never heard of that... explain? I really have never heard of this before.

It basically explains how parts of the body work. There's always some stuff with how nerve impulses are carried to the muscles, the nitty gritty of glands and their secretions etc. It's much more interesting in terms of concepts and really covers a bulk of the material that AAMC recommends you know for the MCAT.

 

[63768]

Incomplete dominance... think of a pink flower... reason is this. the dominant gene would be dominant even if heterozygous but it isn't... once the dominant is heterozygous it gives a mix from the dominant red with the recessive white to give a mix of pigment to the phenotypic "pink" color...

OMGGGGGGGGGGGG what have I become... I have been taking this class for 3 weeks...

lol i learned that in 9th grade high school biology.

and as rayhan said physiology is how the body works, can involve a certain amount of cell biology. it's often the complement of anatomy.

 

[christian15213]

lol i learned that in 9th grade high school biology.

and as rayhan said physiology is how the body works, can involve a certain amount of cell biology. it's often the complement of anatomy.

LOL, yea I think I learned it in 7th grade BIO, which was quite a while ago for me... But the fack that I know it now and how it works is what is pretty interesting now. I know bio touches on genetics but I think there is a lot to it that is actually pretty interesting.

But, I could care less right now because it is all about me getting into med school though...

So, why does Physiology help with MCATS... that is what I was wondering.

 

[63768]

But, I could care less right now because it is all about me getting into med school though...

So, why does Physiology help with MCATS... that is what I was wondering.

i don't think you should be so concerned with taking classes to help with getting into med school or doing well on the MCAT as the prereqs are all you really need for that. the only class outside of the prereqs that has shown to be consistently helpful is biochemistry. the ideas in that subject really helped me and my friends on the MCAT.

physiology doesn't necessarily help with the MCAT since it's rare for them to ask that kind of a question. physiology is helpful in that it will help you integrate topics in biology and will help later in med school.