how much work is cell bio and anatomy in college?

[Tofurkey]

Hi,

I'm considering taking cell bio or anatomy next semester, along with phy 2 and bio 2, and I'm wondering how much work that would be. How much studying/ memorization is there in these two courses compared to bio I or orgo I?

Thanks,

Tofurkey

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[bella_dottoressa]

Ochem is a lot of work obviously...I haven't taken cell bio or anatomy in undergrad yet, however I have taken upper division microbiology and physiology which should be pretty comparable....Anyhow, in my experience the upper div. bio classes you take are much nicer than intro bio. They aren't "weed out" classes, you have a better background, etc. The material is tougher obviously but the tests to me always seemed alot easier than the hellish things I took in intro bio. With bio I think it's always a time-consumer but I have definately found that the upper div's for me were a whole lot less stressful than intro. Anatomy is going to be a lot of memorization clearly while cell bio is going to be some memorizing but more understanding concepts and how things work.

 

[toastess]

i took cell bio my sophomore year along with orgo (or ochem if you prefer...) and it wasn't that bad. cell bio is all memorization, but i didn't think that it required any more work than any other class i took. it depends on what kind of lab course goes along with it. mine was an independent research lab, so i spent about 12 hours a week in the lab and 5 more doing research outside the lab. definitely cut into my orgo study time... but i would say that if the class has just a regular lab or no lab at all, it shouldn't be a problem for you.

 

[MoCookiess]

Actually, I'm in Cell Bio right now (in fact, I just had a test about an hour ago) -- I think that the rigor of the courses are somewhat variable on what the professor expects, but in my humble opinion, Cell Bio is even harder than Organic Chem. My bio prof is seriously going through an entire zillion page textbook in a single semester. However, I'd say the workload depends on your professors more than the actual content of the course.

 

[TTSD]

Cell Bio IS harder than ochem. You learn about the same amount of material.. you have these thick packets for tests that will test your analytical and memorizing skills.. stupid 10 page paper to write.. but then again, it ALL depends on your school.

What you will learn in Cell Bio (ours was called Cell/Molecular Biology.. but it was more difficult than our regular Molecular class), are topics that cover the broad spectrum of the cell. Most importantly membrane properties and the cytoskeleton. So if that isn't your cup of tea.. stay away if you don't need it.

Our school's anatomy course is a two-quarter comparative anatomy series. Quite frankly, I just wish our school would have one of those combined human anatomy/physiology courses like everyone else. In anatomy you'll go over skeletal, mucles, nerves, visceral, neuro, vascular.. for about ten different animals :-\ It's a lot of work. Though that's just the lab. In class you'll go over the mechanics, A LOT of physics, and evolution.

Have fun!

 

[lola]

i'd have to agree that cell bio is really hard, though as others have pointed out it probably depends on your school/prof. it was my hardest class in college other than pchem. there was soooo much memorization involved, and it was all new for me b/c i'd never gotten a good foundation in biology in high school or college. that being said, i'd strongly suggest taking itif you have an interset in it. you have to know a lot of that stuff in med school, and it's alot easier if you've had it before.

 

[Tofurkey]

What about genetics or biochem? How do those compare to cell bio?

I'm just trying to figure out what I can handle with my bio 2 and phy 2 that I'll be taking next semester.

 

[Childe]

im sure it is pretty school dependent

 

[basupran]

If you enjoy it, it isn't that bad.... Cell bio and anatomy are two classes one can EASILY fall for....

 

[UCLAstudent]

Originally posted by Tofurkey
What about genetics or biochem? How do those compare to cell bio?

I'm just trying to figure out what I can handle with my bio 2 and phy 2 that I'll be taking next semester.

I personally think that genetics is a million times harder than o-chem. Cell bio is tough and it involves a lot of memorization, but it is straightforward information.

 

[ad_sharp]

I tutor Human Anatomy and perform the cadaver dissections at my school. I can say firsthand that our anatomy, although consisting entirely of memorization, is not easy. It is probably one of the biggest weed-out classes at our university. The difficulty of this course, I am sure, is largely school dependent. You should consider whether or not your institution uses real cadavers or whether it is a comparitive anatomy course. I have spoken to people from other universities who took comparitive, and said that I wasn't a GPA killer. Here, it is definetly the lab that gets people into trouble. You should seek out a lab list and find out how much is included in this component of the course.

I have also taken both cell biology and biochem and found them both to be roughly equal in difficulty. There was a lot of memorization, but the exams focused largely on experimental methods and concept. This help me greatly on the MCAT.

I hope this helps, but be careful and do not overload yourself.

 

[SoulRFlare]

I took an anatomy and histology course along with organic, though I wasn't in organic lab at the time--probably a very good thing. The classroom portion of the anatomy/histology class was a lot of work, and the lab was even more intense. Durng a regular week (no exam) I would try to spend about 8 to 10 hours in the lab (this includes the two 2 hour lab classes.) During an exam week however, I'd try to spend about 16 hours in the lab (remember though, we had to do slides as well as dissections.)
Whether you're using cats or human cadavers, be sure to look at other people's cadavers--this can't be emphasized enough. There are peculiarities of each that you will want to be familiar with come exam time, because you never know which ones the professor will use. (For example, our cat had a bifurcated inferior vena cava--stuff like that would really throw ppl for a loop during an exam.) You won't have time to think about your answers, so know the stuff cold.
I've also heard tell of anatomy professors placing parts in the wrong places, rearranging parts, etc...and asking what they are. Though I'm sure most wouldn't do this, ask around about your prof before taking the class.

 

[Noeljan]

Hey there
I acutally thought cell bio was pretty easy,but when I say easy I don't mean you did nothing for an A. A lot of people were retaking in my class that did poorly with a certain other prof. I only took it once, with supposedly the "good" professor. You can do well,but you have to KEEP UP. Study and read EVERY single day. Pay EXPLICIT attention in lecture. I cannot stress that point enough. I think that is the most important point of my advice.
As for anatomy, I only took anat 113, which I guess would be pretty easy. It was, except it was a lot of memorization. Make flash cards, study them as much as you can. Good luck.

 

[TTSD]

Originally posted by Noeljan
Hey there
I acutally thought cell bio was pretty easy,but when I say easy I don't mean you did nothing for an A. A lot of people were retaking in my class that did poorly with a certain other prof. I only took it once, with supposedly the "good" professor. You can do well,but you have to KEEP UP. Study and read EVERY single day. Pay EXPLICIT attention in lecture. I cannot stress that point enough. I think that is the most important point of my advice.
As for anatomy, I only took anat 113, which I guess would be pretty easy. It was, except it was a lot of memorization. Make flash cards, study them as much as you can. Good luck.

Yup, one thing I've learned.. don't ask whether the subject is hard.. ask whether the PROFESSOR is hard.