Most difficult course

Applying to Med School? Get In Or Your Money Back
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
13132

13132

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2010
Messages
940
Reaction score
392
I'm curious to see the responses here.

Classes like: Organic I and II, Physics I and II, Inorganic, Molecular, Biochem etc.
Members don't see this ad.
 
Ornithology, hands down. I studied more for that class than the rest of my classes combined.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Modern algebra

Biophysics (simply because the prof had never taught it before and so taught it at a very high level. I had a take-home exam given on a Friday, due on Monday at 8am, that took 36 hours to complete)

Graduate-level physical organic chemistry
 
Has been chem biochem for me, but it's largely professor dependent in this case.
 
I have seen that the professor can make all the difference for better or worse.
 
Undergrad- Organic Chem I

Med School (so far)- biochem cuz I didn't take it in undergrad
 
Vertebrate Functional Morphology (Read: Evolutionary Anatomy/Physiology).
 
I thought gen chem II or inorganic or "quantitative chem," whatever it's called was the worst. I hate algebra. Or was it based on calc? Either way it was math and I fcking hated it. I worked hard for that B+. I also worked hard for orgo and physics but they were much more enjoyable. It's more intuitive, for me at least, learning a reaction mechanism from a visual perspective than a numerical perspective.
 
Marcus Brody said:
I thought gen chem II or inorganic or "quantitative chem," whatever it's called was the worst. I hate algebra. Or was it based on calc? Either way it was math and I fcking hated it. I worked hard for that B+. I also worked hard for orgo and physics but they were much more enjoyable. It's more intuitive, for me at least, learning a reaction mechanism from a visual perspective than a numerical perspective.
Click to expand...

I completely agree with that. I had to work far harder in math based chem for my grade than I have to in organic so far (although I hear organic II is a different story). I prefer something I can see since I am spatial.

Did any other class besides a science provide anyone with unusual difficulty?
 
Biochemistry is known as one of the worst classes at my university. The material isn't too bad, but the professor was absymal.
 
Marcus Brody said:
I thought gen chem II or inorganic or "quantitative chem," whatever it's called was the worst. I hate algebra. Or was it based on calc? Either way it was math and I fcking hated it. I worked hard for that B+. I also worked hard for orgo and physics but they were much more enjoyable. It's more intuitive, for me at least, learning a reaction mechanism from a visual perspective than a numerical perspective.
Click to expand...

I found Ochem so challenging because I'm not spatial at all. Give me some numbers anyday of the week. Which I suppose is why PS was my best MCAT section and I thought gen chem and physics were a joke.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
ddroukas said:
Vertebrate Functional Morphology (Read: Evolutionary Anatomy/Physiology).
Click to expand...

+1...similar course at my undergrad called comparative vert. anatomy...got a C and and to make matters worse I had to take it 2nd semester Senior year, that being the only class I had left to take to fulfill my requirements for lab credit hours for a BS. Luckily I had gotten into medical school in March of that semester so my level of caring plummeted after that
 
Organic II lab. :mad:
 
The most difficult class I've ever taken was a film history class. The book was HUGE, and we weren't taught anything in class. Watched one movie every class period. Then we had to read this giant book full of names, places, directors, actors, studios from all around the world from the past 70 years and know them for the exams.

Killer
 
msquaredb said:
I'm curious to see the responses here.

Classes like: Organic I and II, Physics I and II, Inorganic, Molecular, Biochem etc.
Click to expand...

At my university there is a unanimous vote for H A+P, this class is generally easy, but there is only one professor for the class here, and they are supposedly a fanatic. However, everyone also says that even after failing the class they learned a lot more than they thought possible. I have yet to take it. :rolleyes:
 
It has definitely been OChem II. Not that its necessarily hard, but it just takes an absurd about of time to study for the exams!
 
I'm stunned there have been no votes yet for physical chemistry. I mean, it's inorganic chem, physics, calculus and the world's most frustration lab portion. (Error analysis with calculus... blaghhh!)

P-Chem has to win, hands down.
 
Electromagnetic Fields: A 4 credit advanced physics class that covers Electrostatics, Magnetostatics, and Electrodynamics in one semester.

The class started with 6 people, but we lost two after the few recent assignments and our last exam. I average about 20-25 hours per week total in this class; last week I spent about 30 because we had an exam and an assignment due on the same f-ing day. You need to budget so much time for homework that you have to neglect your other classes just to get it done. My binder for my notes is over half filled already, hopefully I don't run out of space before the semester ends!

edit: the pre-med prereqs are nothing compared to this. I think I've already spent more time in this course than all the other science pre-reqs combined.
 
Physiology with multiple multiple choice exams. It was the most challenging yet probably the most rewarding class at the same time.
 
Graduate-level Econometrics. Makes me want to cry just thinking about it.
 
ThaliaNox said:
I'm stunned there have been no votes yet for physical chemistry. I mean, it's inorganic chem, physics, calculus and the world's most frustration lab portion. (Error analysis with calculus... blaghhh!)

P-Chem has to win, hands down.
Click to expand...

It because most people dont take pchem.

But i agree, i think it is the hardest class of all, by far.
 
My systems neuroscience class. It's far and away the best class I'll take in undergrad, interesting as hell, but damn do I have to put in a lot of work for the exams. 25 of the hardest multiple choice questions I've ever seen (professor openly admits to trying to trick students, so only the kids that know the material cold can spot his tricks and get the right answer). We also have 12 1 page essay questions given to us the week before the exam that we have to prepare. Well... we don't have to prepare them, but you're going to be one sorry soul trying to think of what to write for them AND get those MC questions done in an hour.
 
Out of the standard premed classes, I'd say Orgo 1, since it took me by surprise. I tried the standard study the night before the final and assume you can learn the whole semester but that didn't work.

Of all my undergrad classes, I'd say biomechanics of the cell. I still have no idea what the two profs were talking about or how the math worked.
 
My roommate has an honors molecular class that is formated very much like what you described and it does sound terrifying.
 
Harder than OChem... harder than PChem.. harder than transport phenomena.. harder than bioprocess engineering...

Chemical engineering thermodynamics. We cover the entire semester long mechanical engineering thermo within the first three weeks. (with no previous courses)
 
The hardest class I have taken so far has been Biochem just because the shear amount of information. First 5 weeks with enzyme kinematics and stuff wasn't too bad and then we had 5 weeks of pathway, after pathway, after pathway, after pathway. :cry:
 
Biochemistry (for the reasons above ^)

& molecular biology
 
For me, it was a ***** communications class--it was hell for me, as a shy person to do those weekly speeches.
 
optical spect (mathematically describe photon migration in tissue..:mad::mad::mad:)
 
Human osteology.

We had to reach into a paper bag and identify bone fragments.
 
Tissue Culture. Sure, growing mamalian cells in flasks sounds awesome, but in reality it is mostly a lot of pipeting and solution mixing. Not to mention all of this is done under a cramped hood.

Also, the prof. was a total drag. Very critical and made us stay way over each lab (~1 h). Near the end, I just wanted to break something.
 
Either Quantum Mechanics or Inorganic Chemistry. Once you have to start trying to understand what an electron actually is, things get messy...
 
I would say Biochemistry, Molecular Genetics, and Bacterial Genetics were the hardest I took as an undergraduate!!
 
Most challenging/difficult: Calculus I and Physics I (abysmal teachers for both)

Most challenging to get through because I hated it/was absolutely bored: Statistics. It was basic but SOOO dull.

I felt all other classes had a level of interest/easiness sufficient enough for me to do well in...
 
Science- Plant Taxonomy

Everything else-Pottery, I bet I spent 8-9 hours a weekend trying to glaze, flame, and get the damn pot to look right!!!!!!!
 
Astarael said:
Either Quantum Mechanics or Inorganic Chemistry. Once you have to start trying to understand what an electron actually is, things get messy...
Click to expand...
the key is to understand you won't understand, and then everything suddenly becomes clear and mathematical
 
2nd semester biochem, or endocrinology (we used a med school txtbook...it was like trying to take a drink of water from a fire hose)
 
bleargh said:
the key is to understand you won't understand, and then everything suddenly becomes clear and mathematical
Click to expand...


Yeah, I eventually figured that out. A little on my own, and mostly from this quote:

"I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics." -Richard Feynman
 
curbye said:
2nd semester biochem, or endocrinology (we used a med school txtbook...it was like trying to take a drink of water from a fire hose)
Click to expand...

your just lucky you got the med school textbook; my professor for physiology taught the class as a med school test but could not give us a med text to follow by, only the usual undergrad physiology textbook. When it came to endocrinology, the professor again taught it like a med school class but at least he gave us the medical school textbook so it much easier to follow along!
 
msquaredb said:
Did any other class besides a science provide anyone with unusual difficulty?
Click to expand...

Yes, my introduction to mass comm class. Haha there were soo many random facts to know and that's all the teacher asked on the tests....All random and none of them tied into each other. I studied more for that class than any of my science classes!

Also, calc three sucked. I failed it the first time because I was just lazy and it was the first class in college that challenged me. The second time I studied like crazy and understood it all really well with an excellent teacher...except that whenever we got to the tests he just wanted proofs and theorums of everything. He would pull out physics stuff and tell you to prove its true...I don't like those kind of tests!
 
Of the pre-med prerequisites, Ochem and Physics tend to be a toss-up for "most" people who take the class.

Of the med school classes in MS1 (I can't speak to MS2), I wouldn't say it's the hardest, but I think that most people have difficulty in one of the following: (1) physiology (2) anatomy -- tons of rote memorization (3) immunology

I've heard in MS2 the two hardest are (1) Pathology and (2) Pharmacology

Of the undergrad courses I took (standard bio major), I'd say molec cell bio or ecological modeling would have to take the cake. In undergrad I was a night-before/morning of crammer, and it worked for pretty much everything else but those classes. Ha, ha.
 
Labs, any labs. They are all gay and most of them take more effort than the 3 credit class that they are attached to.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

B
online biochemistry course
Replies
2
Views
171
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
F
Club President as most meaningful activity?
Replies
4
Views
593
LizzyM
LizzyM
X
Not putting clinical experience as most meaningful?
Replies
13
Views
774
Med Ed
Med Ed
It’s Over!!!
T20 schools with most generous merit aid
Replies
2
Views
1K
MercifulCamper
MercifulCamper
M
  • Question
Which area of my application should I focus on most?
Replies
8
Views
582
chilly_md
chilly_md
Top