How necessary are upper level bio courses for medical school material?

[med17]

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Hi,

I am at UPitt and I am in the Gauranteed Admit Program. I need to keep a BCPM GPA of 3.75 and an overall GPA of 3.75. I am not sure if I want to apply out of the program or not, right now I want to keep the options open.

I am debating between a biology major and something else (hopefully that is less work).

I have heard that upper level biology courses like genetics, biochemistry, molecular bio, cell bio etc, while not required for med school admissions really help prepare you for the material to be mastered in medical school, and having taken them in undergrad helps performance...

how true is this?

Thanks

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Hmm...they probably wont help you immensely. One of those special postbacc things, on the other hand, would.

 

[Beta Cell]

Hmm...they probably wont help you immensely. One of those special postbacc things, on the other hand, would.

I'm inclined to agree. It wouldn't hurt and if you enjoy the subjects, go for it, but if you're just doing it for medical school, you'll be able to learn the material while in medical school.

 

[Bacchus]

Stay in the program. Pitt is an amazing school.

 

[Mattabet]

We're doing Biochem now. I took a quarter of biochemistry and physiology four years ago, and it is a little bit of a stretch. I can see where it might be helpful (though certainly not absolutely necessary) to take a little bit of biochem senior year or so. Not so much because it will necessarily prepare you for the concepts the same way you'll need to know them in medical school, but because I haven't thought about enzyme kinetics or the chirality of a sugar in nearly half a decade; there's some cobwebs that need to be dusted out.

Of course, it's unlikely that if you get into medical school you're not going to be able to handle new material. And your M1 biochemistry grade (if you're even in a system that doesn't do pass/fail) is going to make any difference for anything in your career. So I wouldn't go way out of my way to try to prepare for it. But if you happen to like biochemistry and are bored your senior year, go for it.

 

[med17]

so what advantage does a bio major have over any other non science major?

 

[Dr McSexy]

so what advantage does a bio major have over any other non science major?

Not much more than being familiar with terms, in terms of success in medical school once you are admitted. I would assume anyway.

I take upper level bio classes because I'd rather take them (read, I find them more interesting) than upper level history classes or similar. If the material happens to rub off on me, and it helps me in medical school, so be it. But I'm not taking the classes in the hopes that it will make medical school easier.

It also just happens to be that the upper level bio classes that I choose to take are more medically relevant (i.e. Immunology and not Plant physiology), because I find them more interesting.

 

[Lokhtar]

I'm at Pitt - can you have a guaranteed admit no matter your major, or do you have to be a bio major?

If you can be any major: SWITCH NOW! FOR GOD'S SAKE, SWITCH NOW!!!! TODAY!

Seriously, the average is set at C for most classes, and some of the upperlevel courses, after people have been weeded out, are absolutely brutal. Some, as with anything, are real easy.

But why take the chance? Major in sociology, focus hard on the science, and float to your destination.

 

[Lokhtar]

Not much more than being familiar with terms, in terms of success in medical school once you are admitted. I would assume anyway.

I take upper level bio classes because I'd rather take them (read, I find them more interesting) than upper level history classes or similar. If the material happens to rub off on me, and it helps me in medical school, so be it. But I'm not taking the classes in the hopes that it will make medical school easier.

It also just happens to be that the upper level bio classes that I choose to take are more medically relevant (i.e. Immunology and not Plant physiology), because I find them more interesting.

Oh.My.God. Did you put the words immunology and interesting in the same sentence? 😴

Plant physiology has got to be about 20 million times more interesting in every respect.

The two best courses I've taken were Evolution, Vertebrate Morphology. Not medically related, but it gives you such amazing appeciation, and especially Vertebrate Morphology gives you really good background to fit in the rest of biology.

 

[Dr McSexy]

Oh.My.God. Did you put the words immunology and interesting in the same sentence? 😴

Plant physiology has got to be about 20 million times more interesting in every respect.

The two best courses I've taken were Evolution, Vertebrate Morphology. Not medically related, but it gives you such amazing appeciation, and especially Vertebrate Morphology gives you really good background to fit in the rest of biology.

I'm guess I'm partial because I've been working in immunology lab for the last 3 years and the fact that I find biology on the molecular level fascinating.

I guess we're opposite. Evolution would bleh for me. Vertebrate Morphology, though, I could probably deal with a little better.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I think it's safe to say that nothing you learn in undergrad is going to be of immense aid in med school. Genetics, molecular bio, neuroscience, anatomy, physiology, and biochem are probably the most relevant subjects, but even all of those combined will help you with only a very small percentage of your classes. You'd be just fine without any of those courses, so don't feel pressured to take any or all of them.

 

[med17]

you guys have convinced me to take an easier major (non bio) take a few of the bio classes mentioned, maintain my 3.75 and spend the extra time preparing for the MCAT, research and volunteering....wooo 🙂

 

[Lokhtar]

I'm guess I'm partial because I've been working in immunology lab for the last 3 years and the fact that I find biology on the molecular level fascinating.

I guess we're opposite. Evolution would bleh for me. Vertebrate Morphology, though, I could probably deal with a little better.

It's funny - I can take biochem, molecular biology, pathophysiology, etc, just fine.

Immunolgy just brings a big bat of the 😴 everytime it's mentioned.

 

[tuffguy13]

I'm getting the general consensus that the undergrad courses in higher level bio are not that beneficial for med school itself. Are they needed for success on the MCAT, though? Or can you study and review enough to compensate for not having these courses?

 

[GTV]

I'm getting the general consensus that the undergrad courses in higher level bio are not that beneficial for med school itself. Are they needed for success on the MCAT, though? Or can you study and review enough to compensate for not having these courses?

I would have been completely screwed on the MCAT if I hadn't taken cell bio.

 

[fastboyslim]

I'm getting the general consensus that the undergrad courses in higher level bio are not that beneficial for med school itself. Are they needed for success on the MCAT, though? Or can you study and review enough to compensate for not having these courses?

I would have been screwed on the MCAT if I hadn't taken physiology. Biochem/molec bio helped me as well.

 

[Mace1370]

Courses like biochemistry, physiology, and anatomy can be immensely helpful.

I'm not sure why people are saying otherwise. Getting exposed to any amount of the M1 and M2 curriculum before hand can only make things easier.

If you want to play it safe and keep your GPA high, though, that's perfectly understandable.

You can always learn some stuff on your own, too. Getting a book like Netter's atlas and going through it, or even the netter flash cards, will help in gross anatomy for example.

Memorizing things like glycolosis/krebs cycle/etc. will also be helpful since that will come up first year.

Edit: Any of this actually being worth your time, however, it totally up to you. I would vote no.