Online Biochem before MCAT or self teach and take after?

[sd35]

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Wspp guys. I am testing May 2026 so I'm looking a bit far ahead, but I wanted to know how to go forward. I'll be graduating this Fall 2025 with all my prereqs for med school except Biochem and Orgo 2. Im taking an in person orgo 2 course offered at my local cc for that spring 26 semester but no where offers biochem in person that doesn't conflict with work too (need to get clinical hours), there's only online. I know online courses are frowned upon so I want to know whether you would recommend self teaching myself biochem then taking an in person course at a 4 yr the following summer or fall or take the online cc course or even UCSD Extension.

 

[chilly_md]

If your local CC offers it as an online option, it likely is not separately listed in the transcript as online. You will have to double check that though.

If you are graduating after this fall semester, you should consider fitting it in somehow at your 4 year school.

 

[sd35]

Yes my school doesn’t separately list CC courses taken online so you can’t tell. I would take the biochem this Fall, but unfortunately I’m already taking 18 credits.

 

[polymerization]

I didn't know this when I was going through undergrad, but if your school separates biochemistry into two semesters (Biochemistry I/II), it's very likely you'll need both for the MCAT, which tests heavily on metabolic processes you won't learn until Biochemistry II, which is not generally a requirement for medical schools or most typical pre-med majors outside of the chemistry department. It's kind of like Organic III, you know there's more science to learn, you just assume your school only requires the relevant stuff. Not true.

That was a pearl-clutching realization for me in my last semester of college as I was preparing for the MCAT, and one that I think hurt me because by the time I found out, there was not enough room in my plan for the cycle without postponing a year, and I just wasn't willing to do that.

I could be wrong here but it sounds like you want to take Organic II and self-study Biochem I/II in parallel prior to your May test... which means that by the time you finish your spring semester in April, you will only have a few weeks' familiarity with major C/P and B/B content areas and will have been trying to bridge gaps in your understanding across several courses that build on each other.

I don't want to tell you to push back your test, because I'm an applicant and literally nobody to offer advice to anyone... but consider sitting down with someone that tutors biochemistry at your school and ask them how you might be able to do this intelligently, if you choose to press forward.

Seeing my process from the other side now, I can acknowledge I wasted a lot of time and effort into endless rabbit holes trying to study for the MCAT because I just didn't know what I didn't know. I assumed all coursework was modular and could be taken and processed in whatever order you want, and that was just not my actual experience.

 

[chilly_md]

Yes my school doesn’t separately list CC courses taken online so you can’t tell. I would take the biochem this Fall, but unfortunately I’m already taking 18 credits.

Is there anything you can cut that's not needed for graduation requirements/pre-reqs? I agree that you should not go beyond 18 credits.

 

[sd35]

I didn't know this when I was going through undergrad, but if your school separates biochemistry into two semesters (Biochemistry I/II), it's very likely you'll need both for the MCAT, which tests heavily on metabolic processes you won't learn until Biochemistry II, which is not generally a requirement for medical schools or most typical pre-med majors outside of the chemistry department. It's kind of like Organic III, you know there's more science to learn, you just assume your school only requires the relevant stuff. Not true.

That was a pearl-clutching realization for me in my last semester of college as I was preparing for the MCAT, and one that I think hurt me because by the time I found out, there was not enough room in my plan for the cycle without postponing a year, and I just wasn't willing to do that.

I could be wrong here but it sounds like you want to take Organic II and self-study Biochem I/II in parallel prior to your May test... which means that by the time you finish your spring semester in April, you will only have a few weeks' familiarity with major C/P and B/B content areas and will have been trying to bridge gaps in your understanding across several courses that build on each other.

I don't want to tell you to push back your test, because I'm an applicant and literally nobody to offer advice to anyone... but consider sitting down with someone that tutors biochemistry at your school and ask them how you might be able to do this intelligently, if you choose to press forward.

Seeing my process from the other side now, I can acknowledge I wasted a lot of time and effort into endless rabbit holes trying to study for the MCAT because I just didn't know what I didn't know. I assumed all coursework was modular and could be taken and processed in whatever order you want, and that was just not my actual experience.

Wow that is not something I had considered. My college does only offer one Biochemistry course that I assume combines the content, but I’ll definitely have a sit down with my advisor and some Biochem majors at my school. Thank you.

 

[sd35]

Is there anything you can cut that's not needed for graduation requirements/pre-reqs? I agree that you should not go beyond 18 credits.

I go to a smaller liberal arts college so there isn’t much flexibility in class schedule. I did go and look and I wouldn’t be able to substitute the biochem course they offer into this semester’s schedule. Would you say going forward with the UCSD Ext course in the spring is detrimental to my cycle?

 

[chilly_md]

I go to a smaller liberal arts college so there isn’t much flexibility in class schedule. I did go and look and I wouldn’t be able to substitute the biochem course they offer into this semester’s schedule. Would you say going forward with the UCSD Ext course in the spring is detrimental to my cycle?

It's fine to take it through UCSD.