is biochem upper div bio or upper div chem?

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murfettie

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It seems different schools file them under different departments...
Biochem would count as upper level div and fulfills upper div bio class requirement by some med schools if biochem was considered (BIO 333 or something?)
It would not count as upper level bio class if it is (CHEM 333)?
Just want some clarification

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I think many med schools wouldn't care if it's offered by the bio or chem dept. Even when it's offered by the latter, it's still bio-heavy. Check with the particular schools you're interested in. Which schools require specifically upper level bio?
 
I actually would consider biochem more of a chem class than a bio class. It's very chem heavy imo. I would check with whatever school has that req.
 
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it is both an upper level biology course and an upper level chemistry course. Either your undergrad will choose which department or, like my school, you can choose whether you want it to be listed as biol or chem.
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It is both an upper level biology course and an upper level chemistry course. Either your undergrad will choose which department or, like my school, you can choose whether you want it to be listed as BIOL or CHEM.

Unless your school (like mine) has a biochem department, and biochem courses get listed as BCH. Then it's still ambiguous. I would still contact the med school with the requirement and see what they say.
 
AMCAS counts it as Biochemistry. The department doesn't matter. Medical schools certainly won't look at it as a negative as long as you take it and do well in it, regardless of the department that offers it at your school.

My experience with the class was that it was about 50% bio, 50% chem. You need to know your organic to understand all of the structures, especially the amino acids and nucleobases. Things like steric hindrance is a recurring theme. Bonding is also a big part. But you also learn a lot about protein structures and function within cells. We also covered DNA>RNA>PROT (probably the 5th time I've seen this but there was more of an emphasis on translation). My professor finished the semester with a thorough discussion of enzymes, their structure and function, which really tied the whole course together, both the biology and chemistry aspect.
 
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I took two biochemistry courses: one in the bio department and the other in the chem department. The bio department course was a pain in the ass; we just had to memorize a whole bunch of information. I liked the chem course better because it was more mechanism based...
 
I took two biochemistry courses: one in the bio department and the other in the chem department. The bio department course was a pain in the ass; we just had to memorize a whole bunch of information. I liked the chem course better because it was more mechanism based...

Probably the biggest downside to biochem classes as a whole. They require a lot of memorization and have little overall concepts that need to be understood like regular bio classes.
 
Mine was apart of the chemistry department. Either way... it looks good.
 
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