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predent9
Which course is more difficult and what makes it more difficult?
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I felt that immunology was more difficult than Biochemistry for me. There are a few factors that might have made me feel this way. I missed a couple of classes, due to the interviews, during immunology and my mind was all over the place this past semester. Also, our instructor taught at Harvard Med school many years ago and he treated us very close to how he taught Med students. I loved biochemistry and I did great in the class. Immunology is astonishing as well. It is a heavily detailed class depending on the instructor.
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Neither class is going to be easy lol
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In dental school, there's very little focus on immunology. It's a very short class. Biochem is a much larger course spanning quite a bit of material. So if you were to judge based solely on the amount of material, Biochem is harder.
That being said, I found immuno to be harder than Biochem mostly because of the teacher that taught immuno. He had a very thick accent and I found it hard to follow along. The exams were also poorly written in my opinion all of which gave the impression that the class was harder than biochem which I took at the same time. Material itself wasn't tooooo difficult to comprehend. I think with the right teacher, neither course is hard. The teacher makes all the difference haha
That being said, I found immuno to be harder than Biochem mostly because of the teacher that taught immuno. He had a very thick accent and I found it hard to follow along. The exams were also poorly written in my opinion all of which gave the impression that the class was harder than biochem which I took at the same time. Material itself wasn't tooooo difficult to comprehend. I think with the right teacher, neither course is hard. The teacher makes all the difference haha
Biochem hands down. Both are beneficial, and difficult, but biochem will be more beneficial for dental school. However, take what you think you will enjoy. Because if you hate a the class we tell you to take, you might not get a good grade in it and thats really all that matters. The decision is yours.
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I think immunology is much harder than biochemistry. Biochemistry is mostly brute memmorization and everything fits in somewhere in a logical manner. Take for example a reaction cycle... if you don't remember something you can probably figure the answer by looking at the names of the enzyme or whatnot. Also much of biochem is covered in many other science classes.
Immunology on the other hand is all over the place and it would be much more beneficial to have taken it previously. The nomenclature is brutal and if you go to a school where the teachers are mean and cranky, they could easily make this the hardest class you will have ever taken. A potential 300+ CD molecules to memorize and their interactions with each other...and the alternative names for them that keeps changing every other year...not an easy task. The overall picture and general concepts aren't too difficult, but the depth require to master the subject is wayyy too much for a normal person...It really depends on the teacher you get and how hard they want to make their exams.
Immunology on the other hand is all over the place and it would be much more beneficial to have taken it previously. The nomenclature is brutal and if you go to a school where the teachers are mean and cranky, they could easily make this the hardest class you will have ever taken. A potential 300+ CD molecules to memorize and their interactions with each other...and the alternative names for them that keeps changing every other year...not an easy task. The overall picture and general concepts aren't too difficult, but the depth require to master the subject is wayyy too much for a normal person...It really depends on the teacher you get and how hard they want to make their exams.
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If you are considering taking either you are much better off asking people who have already taken the classes at whichever school you'll be taking them at. The difficulties will vary significantly based on the school and professor.
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Both courses are taken in dental school, Biochem obviously is more emphasized more on the boards. However having a solid grasp of immunology will help you understand things somewhat better with other courses in relation to inflammation, abscess formation, etc.
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word. even professors teaching the same class differ in difficulty, sometimes significantly. i dont see how people that don't go to your school can answer this question..
In my opinion you will get more mileage out of Biochemistry as others have stated. I never took immunology in undergrad though and after just finishing it in dental school it may or may not have helped. Bio chem however, has helped me in a couple of my first year classes quite a bit. If you have time take both of them. Any classes that cover first year dental school material will only serve to make your first year that much easier. I know the students in my class who struggle the most haven't taken a lot of those classes and when you are in the first year sprint pace it is a lot easier if you are trying to recall information you have already been introduced to than trying to learn that information for the first time. Seriously I think few students are really prepared for how fast the pace is and the volume that is presented. Anyway nuff said. Good luck in your pursuit and enjoy whatever class you decide on. Personally I loved bio chem.
