?how do you make biochemistry interesting?

[gc1983]

---

Members don't see this ad.

hey,

ive got loads of problems with biochem. the way it is?at my med school is that its way too scientific with hardly any clinical correlation..im finding iot soo hard to go through harpers which is the specified text for the exam...
does anyone have any advice or tips as my medschool future depends on me passing it this year.

 

[jed2023]

Biochemistry, along with gross anatomy and histology, is one of the first year subjects that requires a lot of straight memorization. Some of this is unavoidable and can be interminably boring at times. But I have two main suggestions for more making it more interesting.

1.) Use a source of questions to test yourself as you go along (BRS biochem, a pretest book etc), so that you mix in some active processing w/ just reading. It might seem like this is just adding in another task to do, but in the end it's another form of review (and one which forces you to think.)

2.) Insofar as possible attempt to emphasize understanding over brute force memorization by asking yourself general questions (and trying to answer them) as you read. "Why is it that gluconeogenesis requires additional enzymes compared to glycolysis?" "How do electron transport chain inhibitors ultimately affect oxidative phosphorylation in terms of oxidation/reduction of upstream and downstream members (and why?)"

 

[BigBadBix]

One thing that helped me was to think about the big picture, rather than getting hung up in the details that the "parade of phd's" will go into. Those may be important for exams, but I would first get the big picture in mind and then add them in once you have a framework. For example, with pathways, draw the starting point & endpoint first. Then look at the rate-limiting step, and any steps that require important coenzymes or produce useful substrates. Then think about why the body needs the pathway and which ones it interacts with that you have already learned. If you see a name that looks familiar, look through your notes to find it and figure out how the pathway you are working on fits in with the previous pathway you drew out. Start keeping lists of things that keep coming up (e.g. "reactions involving pyruvate," "uses for NADPH," etc.).

I also used lots of color in my notes to make things stand out. And the night before exams I drew the pathways over and over on a white board to drill them into my head.

I actually thought biochem was interesting because you can see how the body puts chemicals to use--to make energy or proteins or whatever. High-Yield Biochem will not be enough for your class, but it is excellent for helping you see the big picture. You'll probably want it for board review anyway, so I'd consider buying that.

I hope some of that is helpful...hang in there!

 

[tatabox80]

IMHO I think it's pretty much impossible to make biochem interesting 😡

 

[KyGrlDr2B]

Originally posted by tatabox80
IMHO I think it's pretty much impossible to make biochem interesting 😡

Agreed!

 

[unregistered]

Please read the "cocaine problem" post.

 

[Tazmaniac]

The best way to make biochem interesting is to pass it and move on to Second Year, where you won't see it as much. It's not supposed to be interesting, and there is very little clinical correlation. Relax, it's (yet another) just a hoop to jump through to get to an M.D.

-Todd MSIV

 

[amelie]

but Basic Medical Biochemistry: A Clinical Approach by Marks, Marks, and Smith, has been doing the trick for me. Includes all the relevant stuff plus clinical correlations and tidbits of other chemistry-related medical stuff.

 

[Barry Otter]

It would take extra work, but one way to make it more interesting is to look up all the clinical correlations.

In glycogen storage diseases, try to figure out what would happen in the case of a G6PD deficiency. Look up some basic information about the disease on the web or in a book, including photos of patients with the given disease.

Pay special attention to diabetes and lipid metabolism.

 

[Dramkinola]

Nobody else used Lippicott's?
I took the page with all the pathways and drew it on a big posterboard and filled in the important enzymes in a diffent color... and marked the defects in another color... and stuck it on my wall above my desk...
that way when i got bored of studying, i'd look up and look at it for a while...

 

[DW]

Originally posted by Dramkinola
Nobody else used Lippicott's?
I took the page with all the pathways and drew it on a big posterboard and filled in the important enzymes in a diffent color... and marked the defects in another color... and stuck it on my wall above my desk...
that way when i got bored of studying, i'd look up and look at it for a while...

lippincott's rocks my world. thank god i havent wasted any money on stryer yet.

 

[phllystyl]

IM a big fan of the Marks^2 Basic Medical Biochem book as well. Lots of interesting clinical information

BRS is good for quick review.

I guess Im just a geek for actually thinking how everything works from the bottom up is shweet.