Hmmm to take Biochem....or not to take Biochem...that is the question

[futuredoctor727]

sooo....im presently a post bacc student...and classes just started today. im only taking 2 classes this semester and 2 during the fall semester. as of now...im registered for medical microbio. and biochem....now the medical microbio class seems like its going to be very challenging...but it also sounds interesting..so im lowkey excited about this one. however...biochem...thats another subject. i despise organic chem...and i kno that makes up a good portion of the class...so basically...im scared.

to jump to the point....im wondering....should i take biochem. this semester instead of opting to take another class....which would be virology....because i mean...the point of taking these post bacc classes is to raise my gpa to GET INTO medical school. i realize biochem isnt going to disappear...but shouldnt i be trying to take classes that i think/expect to do well in??? i mean...i only have a year to boost my gpa....so theres no time for games....what do yall think??

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[DrYoda]

If you are planning on applying to schools that require biochem, then take it. If not, don't take it.

 

[Law2Doc]

sooo....im presently a post bacc student...and classes just started today. im only taking 2 classes this semester and 2 during the fall semester. as of now...im registered for medical microbio. and biochem....now the medical microbio class seems like its going to be very challenging...but it also sounds interesting..so im lowkey excited about this one. however...biochem...thats another subject. i despise organic chem...and i kno that makes up a good portion of the class...so basically...im scared.

to jump to the point....im wondering....should i take biochem. this semester instead of opting to take another class....which would be virology....because i mean...the point of taking these post bacc classes is to raise my gpa to GET INTO medical school. i realize biochem isnt going to disappear...but shouldnt i be trying to take classes that i think/expect to do well in??? i mean...i only have a year to boost my gpa....so theres no time for games....what do yall think??

A good handful of med schools require biochem a prereq these days, another handful note it as "recommended". If you might be applying to one of those, then I probably would take it. But yeah, virology is probably easier if you are looking for a science course to boost the grades. I personally would probably dump the microbio in favor of the biochem and take the virology, because no med schools require micro as a prereq.

 

[Mobius1985]

Biochem is nothing like Orgo. It's more interesting just because (IMO) it actually has relevance to the study of medicine. There is a lot of memorizing, though. By taking it and doing well, you'd not only boost your GPA, you'd also have a good knowledge of a class that may be covered in as little as six weeks during med school (though my school spent a whole year on it). I was very, very glad to have had the class previously as there is so much other material in first year that you need to give serious attention to.

 

[Hoju]

sooo....im presently a post bacc student...and classes just started today. im only taking 2 classes this semester and 2 during the fall semester. as of now...im registered for medical microbio. and biochem....now the medical microbio class seems like its going to be very challenging...but it also sounds interesting..so im lowkey excited about this one. however...biochem...thats another subject. i despise organic chem...and i kno that makes up a good portion of the class...so basically...im scared.

to jump to the point....im wondering....should i take biochem. this semester instead of opting to take another class....which would be virology....because i mean...the point of taking these post bacc classes is to raise my gpa to GET INTO medical school. i realize biochem isnt going to disappear...but shouldnt i be trying to take classes that i think/expect to do well in??? i mean...i only have a year to boost my gpa....so theres no time for games....what do yall think??

ummmmm....................biochem......................is.................worth...............it.............if.................you.............are...................going.....................to...................med...............school.................

p..........s.........

capital..........letters..........piss..............me...............off..............as...........much...........as.........sentences...........with..............one............period...........................................................................................

 

[MilkmanAl]

I'd take biochem. It'll facilitate your transition to med school by making the first couple weeks mostly review.

 

[cpa2md]

I am currently (as in, at this moment) sitting in a medical school biochem class. TAKE BIOCHEM!!!! Those of us who had biochem in undergrad (and for me, even more so Cell bio), are having a very easy time in biochem, whereas those who have not had it are sinking fast. It makes your first year a whole lot easier if you've had decent exposure to it.

While I'm at it, I'll add genetics to the list of recommended courses (which I had), and embryology (which I did not have - yuck!).

 

[futuredoctor727]

ok so ive read everyone's responses...thank you sooo much!! i think im going to go ahead and take the virology and medical microbio this semester...just to get my gpa started off right. and then next semester ill take another bio along with biochem so that i can at least have it on my transcript.

and because the class is so big....maybe i can still attend the class and study the notes so that next semester ill be more prepared...

 

[cougalum]

ummmmm....................biochem......................is.................worth...............it.............if.................you.............are...................going.....................to...................med...............school.................

p..........s.........

capital..........letters..........piss..............me...............off..............as...........much...........as.........sentences...........with..............one............period...........................................................................................

Awesome post!

Anyway, take biochem. It was required for my major, but it turned out to be one of my more interesting classes in college. Plus it is very applicable to medical curriculum.

 

[[pj]]

Biochem is very much helpful while in med school. Knowledge of ochem is necessary, but overall biochem does not compare to ochem.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Knowledge of ochem is necessary, but overall biochem does not compare to ochem.

Did you mix up the classes in that expression? I haven't had to know any organic chem whatsoever other than really basic nucleophile stuff while I've seen pretty much every topic in my biochem class come up.

 

[shiftingmirage]

I would take biochem. I heard that it tends to be the roughest class in med school so taking it before exposes you to the subject. As for orgo, the orgo in biochem is minute. We had to learn cycles that are organic based, but I don't think it really parallels orgo chem.

 

[centrion904]

Biochem is pretty much required or "recommended". This should be considered a requirement for any premed unless your uncle is the dean of the medical school. You may have to drop the medical microbiology course instead.

 

[sshashid87]

Definitely take biochemistry. After wading through all the s**t classes pre-meds have to take, you at least get to take a class that is really interesting. It is NOT the easiest class, and to get an A is quite a feat (our prof. only gave 5% A's, 10% B's, everyone else got C or lower)...if you want to learn something that will be of use later, take biochem. If you can do well, it will supposedly make the first 1.5 months of medical school easier, because it is essentially a repeat (not a med student so can't verify this, but it's what i've heard)...anyway, good luck...

 

[nellia]

definitely take biochem ! i loved that class - it was definitely really hard and you'll have to study but it's really interesting ! i think it's also included in almost every medical school curriculum so it'd probably be good to have a backround in it before you get to the big med.
i took 3 semesters of biochem for my major and i really think it helps a lot.

 

[[pj]]

Did you mix up the classes in that expression? I haven't had to know any organic chem whatsoever other than really basic nucleophile stuff while I've seen pretty much every topic in my biochem class come up.

What I meant was that you need to know some ochem in order to take biochem, not that you need ochem for med school. May bad, my original statement does sound strange when I re-read it.

 

[link2swim06]

The biggest problem I had in Biochem is knowing what to study. Looking back to get an A you need to just memorize the entire book (well the chapters you are covering). I studied the night before or all the exams and got a B, however, if my professor was more exact about what we needed to study I think I could have easily pulled an A.

 

[linguini]

I loved biochemistry. That probably makes me a nerd. Lots of memorization but definitely applicable to medicine and therefore worth taking. In fact, it was the only text book (Lehninger) that I saved from my undergraduate career.