Great classes to take BEFORE medical school

[pathdr2b]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I think the following 3 classes will be very helpful:

1) Medical Terminology- Should be obivious but many students don't take it - Also an easy 'A"

2) Biochemistry I and II- From what I hear, this is one of the first year classes that gives med students a hard time

3) Anatomy & Physiology - It's never to early to learn how to memorize info!

 

[Yogi Bear]

Originally posted by pathdr2b
I think the following 3 classes will be very helpful:

1) Medical Terminology- Should be obivious but many students don't take it - Also an easy 'A"

2) Biochemistry I and II- From what I hear, this is one of the first year classes that gives med students a hard time

3) Anatomy & Physiology - It's never to early to learn how to memorize info!

hmmm...i don't think medical terminology is a class that's available at mosts schools.

 

[lola]

Originally posted by pathdr2b

1) Medical Terminology- Should be obivious but many students don't take it - Also an easy 'A"

that's a class??

 

[lola]

you beat me to it, yogi 🙂

 

[pathdr2b]

Took it at the University of Florida!!

 

[agent]

ill probably be at least taking the biochems and maybe histo / genetics /immunology while in college

 

[Dr Chooch]

My undergrad had a medical terminology class. It was called scientific etymology or something like that. But you know what, I took it freshman year and I don't remember any of it now, so I guess it doesn't really matter! hehe 😛

 

[Jalby]

I was just thinking about this recently. By all means, take Biochem. That is definately the class that I feel most people arn't adequately prepared for and have the biggest problem with. It also helps you understand other classes like pharmacology.

Also, anatomy would be a great class to take. I would also recommend a general physio class. Not one where you have to memorize tons of stuff, but where you get a good overview of everything.

Lastly, nuero anatomy would be a great class to have. I havn't taken that here yet, but have been told that is one of the hardest things in the entire first 2 years.

 

[agent]

Thanks for the advice jalby.

 

[DrMom]

Originally posted by agent
ill probably be at least taking the biochems and maybe histo / genetics /immunology while in college

These are also good recommendations.

I also recommend anatomy & physiology as the OP mentioned.

 

[agent]

Yeah I forgot that one.. silly me. Anatomy is actually my favorite... not all the memorization, but the hands on 😉

 

[Nefertari]

After completing all the premed prereqs & secondaries, I'm SO burnt out that the only class I can deal w/ this semester is statistics. As far as biochem, I'm hoping to take the intense summer version should I hear from Keck or UC Irvine. My plan was to relax as much as possible this year (which actually has been harder to do than I thought)-- to be refreshed & ready to start med school this Aug, if God willing.

lola, wasn't it you who mentioned a distance/tele biochem course available through UC Berkeley Extension? If so, how's that going for you? And do you know if they have a summer course? Thanks.

 

[agent]

How're you doing in stats? That can be tough.

 

[Katie]

biochem is a must; I found the course to be much easier than I expected when I got to med school b/c I took Biochem I + II in undegrad.

physiology is very helpful; try to take mammalian, vertebrate, or human physiology. Definitely gave me an edge in Physio so that I could study for Anatomy in med school; we took the 2 classes together (unfortunately)..

also, take plenty courses outside your major (if you're a science major); you only get to take advantage of these courses while you're in college. If you find a course on a favorite literary genre or author in the English dept., go for it (I took Intro to Shakespeare expecting to hate it but ended up loving it). Foreign languages, particularly Spanish and Chinese, are also very helpful and foreign language courses give you a chance to learn about other cultures and possibly even study abroad. Behavioral science courses can also be helpful, and the occasional aerobics, tennis, swimming, scuba diving courses are a nice break from routine. If nothing else, med schools like applicants who go for as broad an education as possible.

 

[applejuice1979]

Most community colleges that have a nursing/dental assistant or other health program have a medical terminology class. Mine was 2 units and it helps a lot. It actually corresponds well with anatomy & physiology.

 

[gramcracker]

Amen, Katie.

Take some medical ethics, take some foreign language, take some philosophy. Take some religion.

Take non-science.

You'll have science out your wazoo once you're in med school.

 

[lola]

Originally posted by Nefertari

lola, wasn't it you who mentioned a distance/tele biochem course available through UC Berkeley Extension? If so, how's that going for you? And do you know if they have a summer course? Thanks.

this is the biochem distance learning course i'm taking: http://explore.berkeley.edu/UCExt/courseview.asp?secid=184&value=8.2.&action=Internet

it looks like you can still sign up for it.

unfortunately it is only worth 3 units, but it's all that i could do b/c i thought i'd be working full-time -- i'm not actually, but that's a whole different story & i've already paid for the class. i think irvine requires 4 units if i'm not mistaken. either irvine or usc. i took the class b/c of those schools but neither seem to like me

anyway, i can't tell you much about it as i'm just now starting lesson 1 🙂 i wanted to wait until i finished another class last semester. in a couple of weeks i can probably tell you more about how it's going as i plan to start doing a lesson/week. you should take it so that i can have someone to discuss the problem sets with 😉 it's awfully lonely all by myself...

there are 10 lessons, 1 at-home closed book mid-term, and 1 final. your grade is mostly determined by how well you perform on the final, which is in-class.

the potential problem with it is that it may not be very good prep for med school biochem. so far it seems like cell bio all over again. bleh.

 

[IlianaSedai]

I survived fine without taking anatomy and physiology, so I think if you don't have time to take these courses as an undergrad, you don't need to bother.

I did take biochem, however... I then discovered first-year medical biochemistry was pretty much a rehash of my undergrad introductory biochemistry course (but in less detail). However, it was helpful to have taken it as an undergrad (twice, no less! 😀 )-- first-year medical biochem definitely would've been a very different and bewildering experience without the previous background.

 

[Trajan]

Latin and Greek.

...or at least some classics courses in translation. I'm going to miss talking about those texts so much in med school!

 

[kreno]

Take a HEALTHCARE economics class! I'm biased 'cuz i'm an econ major, but still... that class is really so important, and explains so much why our healthcare system is m*ssed up! Also, $$$ runs the world... so, to know what runs your hospital is good info!

 

[BatmanMD]

just like what the other people say, take Bio-Chem. However, a molecular class may also be helpful b/c during my 1st year they tried to cram a TON of molecular stuff down us (PCR, operons, signal cascades...), which a lot of Biochem classes only 'touch' on.

Other than that, a basic phys. class and probably Histo. Not a fun class by any means, but important in 1st year and in 2nd (path).

 

[rbassdo]

Originally posted by gramcracker
Amen, Katie.

Take some medical ethics, take some foreign language, take some philosophy. Take some religion.

Take non-science.

You'll have science out your wazoo once you're in med school.

I agree. undergrad might be the last time to take things like social psych or sociology - classes that might contribute to your understanding of people and their needs outside of traditional medicine.

 

[Nefertari]

Originally posted by agent
How're you doing in stats? That can be tough.

The course I'm taking starts next week @ my community college. Since it's basic stats, all computer-based & is the kind of course that folks from all kinds of fields are required to take, I heard that it won't be too bad. I skimmed thru the text today & they're actually some cool examples. I think it also depends on the instructor--someone w/ a good sense of humor & who can point to useful applications would certainly help make it less dry.

 

[2badr]

Originally posted by Yogi Bear
hmmm...i don't think medical terminology is a class that's available at mosts schools.

it's a requirement tho for health science majors so of course the school offers it.If you do have to take it I would advise testing out of it-it's not a difficult subject.

 

[Nefertari]

Originally posted by lola
this is the biochem distance learning course i'm taking: http://explore.berkeley.edu/UCExt/courseview.asp?secid=184&value=8.2.&action=Internet

it looks like you can still sign up for it.

unfortunately it is only worth 3 units, but it's all that i could do b/c i thought i'd be working full-time -- i'm not actually, but that's a whole different story & i've already paid for the class. i think irvine requires 4 units if i'm not mistaken. either irvine or usc. i took the class b/c of those schools but neither seem to like me

you should take it so that i can have someone to discuss the problem sets with 😉 it's awfully lonely all by myself...

there are 10 lessons, 1 at-home closed book mid-term, and 1 final. your grade is mostly determined by how well you perform on the final, which is in-class.

the potential problem with it is that it may not be very good prep for med school biochem. so far it seems like cell bio all over again. bleh.

Hey, lola! Yup, it was you. Thanks for all the info @ the course--I'm going to hang onto it for the summer. I'm in exactly the same situation as you since I would only subject myself to the biochem torture b/c of Irvine & USC-Keck. If I don't hear from these two by May, then the consolation is that I don't have to take biochem until med school. hehe 😀 (USC is being a pain in the butt by also requiring a separate basic molecular bio course 🙄, so maybe the cell bio part will help you in the end)

It'd be cool to take this biochem w/ you, but I'm sorry I can't since my plate is full already. Plus, I can't bear the agony of going thru the whole course (the second semester of orgo was pure hell for me) & not hearing from irvine or USC (so far, i've gotten no lovin' from these guys 🙁 ).

 

[wolferman]

I recommend histology. Some of those tissues are kind of hard to recognize, so seeing them prior to medical school ought to be a big help.

 

[Moskeeto]

My gf took the Medical terminology class at a community college, i think most offer it, if you really want to take it. I took a Latin and Greek scientific root words class, which was a fancy name for med terminolgy here at UCD. It was the easiest class i have ever had. But it named about every medical condition and procedure known to man, Taber's couldn't keep up.
Also, Systemic Physiology is an awesome, awesome class. theres a lot to learn, but its really interesting. I tried a medical ethics class, but it was awful. the instructor just talked about b.s. that had nothing to do with ethics and little to do with medicine. I think sociology and philosophy are fun classes, they help with more than science, if they work for you, they can help with your understanding and people skills.

 

[Random Access]

History of Pornography.

 

[YaFwiendToluene]

Clinical Pharmacology, Medical Terminology, A Bio-ethics course, BioChem 1,2, Human Physiology, Clinical Immuno and maybe an Advanced Organic Chem course.

 

[Adcadet]

Originally posted by YaFwiendToluene
Clinical Pharmacology, Medical Terminology, A Bio-ethics course, BioChem 1,2, Human Physiology, Clinical Immuno and maybe an Advanced Organic Chem course.

...and a partridge in a pear tree.

 

[CRAZYTERP]

Originally posted by Random Access
History of Pornography.

It's funny at UMD they offer a class in human sexuality. It was basically the first class to fill up every semester because all the seniors (science and non-science) sign up for it. The prof is supposed to be amazing and believe it or not they watch porn all the time. Anyhow, all kidding aside, I heard it is an awesome class so anyone interested in some "nice clean fun" take it.

Even we are probably talking about classes that will give you crazy kids a leg up in medical school (I don't knoiw why anyone would want to put themselves through the pain earlier than necessary) I would def recommend taking some humanities classes. I took a bunch of classes completely out of my major and was definitely the better for having done it. I was able to find out I loved English after taking to courses and decided to finish with a minor.

For those of you who are looking more into the science realm, I know Mammalian Physiology is supposed to be an incredible class and other electives like Neuroscience are pretty cool classes too. My favorite though was Endocrin. Lots of pathways, but still pretty cool.

-CT

 

[manicmaven]

Medical terminology is truly helpful. If you don't want to enroll in the local Comm. College, you can stop by the book store and pick up a med terminology text book. You'll fly through it in about three weeks. The only benefit to having the class is that you get the pronuciation down hearing it spoken outloud. Of course, you could always just watch ER.
😉

 

[Random Access]

Originally posted by CRAZYTERP
It's funny at UMD they offer a class in human sexuality. It was basically the first class to fill up every semester because all the seniors (science and non-science) sign up for it. The prof is supposed to be amazing and believe it or not they watch porn all the time. Anyhow, all kidding aside, I heard it is an awesome class so anyone interested in some "nice clean fun" take it.

Don't they also have a Fireproofing 101 class at Maryland? Translation: Burn S**t for Fun 101.

 

[Gleevec]

Originally posted by Random Access
Don't they also have a Fireproofing 101 class at Maryland? Translation: Burn S**t for Fun 101.

I think they started offering Fireproofing 101 after crazy Terp fans started setting their school and adjoining neighborhoods on fire. I would take it if I was at UMD for that reason alone.

 

[Gleevec]

Originally posted by 2badr
it's a requirement tho for health science majors so of course the school offers it.If you do have to take it I would advise testing out of it-it's not a difficult subject.

Most schools dont have health science/technical undergrad majors (with the exception of engineering).

 

[boomuntilnoon]

Sociology of Death and Dying
Health Psychology
Science, Technology, and Politicks
Forensic Chemistry

 

[SM-UCLA tech]

i think everyone is way off base here....

the most important class is Human Sexuality!

that way when you are cooped up with your study partner/partners and you need a little relaxation....you can
apply some of your knowledge to help both of you really enjoy
your much needed break!😀 😀 😀

 

[DrMom]

On a totally different note: SM-UCLAtech I've been trying to PM you but your mailbox is full!!!!

 

[CRAZYTERP]

Originally posted by Gleevec
I think they started offering Fireproofing 101 after crazy Terp fans started setting their school and adjoining neighborhoods on fire. I would take it if I was at UMD for that reason alone.

Yeah if I remember correctly they started offering those classes just prior to our betaing duke at home on Shane Battier night.

Although I think the sore loser class was originated in Durham. Wasn't it Gleevec?

 

[desertscholar]

I'm taking med term this term. The class is full of nursing and health tech majors. So I quietly sit in the back listening to all the Doctor jokes. Thank God the prof didn't ask us to state to the class what are majors are like some profs do. Otherwise every time a Doctor joke is made, I might of found sly eyes focused on me.