Intro to biochem?

[pxton]

Hi! I haven't taken my biochem pre-req yet. Im looking around and most of the bio chem classes in my area are "intro to biochem". Would vet schools accept this instead of "biochem I"? Will it make a big difference? Some of the vet school websites just say "biochem" others say "biochem I".

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[pxton]

I should actually say SUMMER biochem classes seem to all be "intro to biochem" and I rather get it done in the summer rather than fall/spring

 

[puppydogtor]

Vet schools are pretty strict about pre req's.. I would think that most won't accept it, but you can also email admissions to find out.

For example, I took genetics when classes were online due to the covid lockdown and my university offered pass/fail. I struggled so much in that class as did many of my classmates, and the class was a bell curve so getting a good grade depended on how everyone else did. We also had to choose p/f before final grades were posted. I ended up getting a B+ and regretted pass/failing. Several schools said they would not accept p/f. I emailed them, explained my situation and that I could get my prof to email them my letter grade, and most schools said it was okay whereas one (NC) said they would not accept it and I could not apply to that school.

I also took Intro to Statistics for Life Sciences instead of biostats, and all of the vet schools okay'd that as well since the course content was almost identical. I just had to email them the syllabus for them to approve it.

 

[JaynaAli]

Hi! I haven't taken my biochem pre-req yet. Im looking around and most of the bio chem classes in my area are "intro to biochem". Would vet schools accept this instead of "biochem I"? Will it make a big difference? Some of the vet school websites just say "biochem" others say "biochem I".

It’s probably more important to see what is covered and how many credit hours it was. When I was in undergrad a long time ago, there was a 5 hour intro to biochem course (I think it was biochem anyway, it might have been organic chem) that my instate accepted, but the schools in neighboring states required 8 hours of biochem so the 5 hour survey course wouldn’t have satisfied requirements. Best to reach out to the schools you want to apply to and ask…be prepared and have the course description and all that ready for them to look at.

 

[PetVet23]

It definitely depends on what's covered in that specific course when it comes down to whether or not it will be accepted. Biochem (parts I and II) at my undergrad was a 3-credit lecture and separate 1-credit lab. I had only taken the first part lecture when I was applying to a school that said they required 4 credits, and was in the process of figuring out how to take the 2nd part (I had already graduated) when I talked to admissions and they looked at the class and said they would take it and I didn't need the 2nd part. So I guess long story short, you can always reach out to the school(s) you're interested in to see if it would be accepted!

 

[pxton]

So i'm currently looking at taking the class through Rutgers, but online. The little description on the registration page for "intro to biochem" says "The chemistry and metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and other biologically important compounds". The longer description that I found for it is "This is a one semester survey course of biochemistry and will focus on an introduction to proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates and the lipid family of biological molecules. In addition, we will discuss metabolism of carbohydrates, fatty acids and nitrogen in the body as well as the signaling that controls them. In order to appreciate these, students will be taught the basic structure of molecules and the biochemical reactions that allow them to form more advanced macromolecules in the organism. The overall goal is for students to understand that many of these reactions or metabolic pathways relate to each other in the organism." It appears to be 3 credits.

From what it seems like 3 credits is all the vet schools that I can apply to require. Im using applytovetschool.org to help condense that information to see it all at once rather than flipping through all the school websites.

The other school that I would be considering near me is offering the "biochem I" class, but in person. The description is "Investigates the chemistry of proteins, enzymes and enzyme systems, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleic acids; studies glycolysis, Krebs Cycle, basic membrane structure, transcription of DNA and biotechnology techniques. Prerequisite: CH 204." This one would satisfy the schools that state "Ochem required as pre-req". This one is also 3 credits as well.

But I will definitely call around and see! The only problem is that at the moment I could probably apply to 18 of the schools ( counting internationally) (no in state school for me yet - NJ! Rowan in 2025 if I want to wait!), so i'm not sure I want to contact all of them!

But thanks for the help!! I'll update on what they answer when I ask!

 

[pxton]

Okay 18 I think was an exaggeration, it all depends on what bio chem i take and if i take microbio with or without lab, but still a lot of schools!

 

[WonderingStudent]

With the schools that you meet the prereqs for I would further look through to see the number of OOS seats they have and their average GPAs for the accepted classes. This can possibly help narrow down your choices as you can weigh ie if you want to spend money applying to a place that takes a low amount of OOS students.

 

[max_wildlife]

def agree with everything everyone is saying, here to say my principles of biochem course was accepted at ohio and tufts, so you never know. i asked them both and it ended up being fine. different than intro to biochem, but didn't need to go the biochem I/II route.

 

[pxton]

Okay little update! Just got a response so far from from : KSU, SGU, Penn, Uni of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Missouri, LSU

They have have stated that the class will work - as long as it’s 3 credits and have a orgo chem pre-req for it they have no problem with it

I’m going to go ahead and register for the class. Thanks!