please please help with a class decision

[hopeful555]

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Hi everyone! I desperately need your help I'm a junior taking my mcat in June. I have a fairly high GPA and am a hard-worker. I'm having a huge conflict in picking which biochemistry class to take. At my school, there are two types that are offered. One is biology based and one is chemistry based. I am very good at chemistry and organic chemistry so I originally signed up for the Chem one. However, the professor who teaches that class is infamous for his organic Chemistry because he makes it so hard. He's also very mean and condescending at times. This class is also on Friday evenings which means I wouldn't be able to go home whenever I needed to. However, a friend of mine told me that this class is relatively easy and not that bad. I switched out of that class and overloaded into the biology biochemistry because I know that professor. I was excited to take this class until I found out his grading scale. There are no exams except for the final. Also, he had quizzes every class period. These quizzes and other assignments are graded on a scale of 1-3. He rarely gives out 3s which means that it's usually a 1 or a 0. For example if he asks u to list 10 things and u list 8, then that's a 0. A girl who I talked to who had him for a different class said she never got a 3 and the highest she got was a 2.5. She said despite working hard she only got a B. That being said, I am very conflicted. I feel like on both ends I may lose. The most important thing to me rn is my gpa bc I have worked so hard to make it high. I don't want a professor who's known for being hard for organic (yet easier for this class as affirmed by one person. But most people hate him ). I also don't have the book for this class yet and we have an assignment due tmrw so I'm scared of that. In the other hand, the biology biochem course professor is great, it's just that his grading scale sucks as affirmed by many people. Please help a poor lost premed out

 

[pewpew95]

You're going to need to learn how to swallow a B or a C...hopefully not a D.

 

[hopeful555]

You're going to need to learn how to swallow a B or a C...hopefully not a D.

i know...its just that i got a B+ in a bio class last semester and I just didn't want it to happen again

 

[harmony14]

i would recommend the chem based biochemistry since you can always tolerate attitude but not skewed grading scales

 

[hopeful555]

i would recommend the chem based biochemistry since you can always tolerate attitude but not skewed grading scales

what do u think would help me more on the mcat? the chem one or the bio one?

 

[pewpew95]

i know...its just that i got a B+ in a bio class last semester and I just didn't want it to happen again

Honestly you'll be... many people get multiple C's and B's in a semester and still get into med school. And in med school, you won't be able to avoid professors who grade weirdly or professors with bad attitudes...you just gotta deal with it.

Idk what chem-based biochem is like, but MCAT biochem tests on your understanding of amino acids and their interactions with each other, some metabolic pathways

 

[hopeful555]

Honestly you'll be... many people get multiple C's and B's in a semester and still get into med school. And in med school, you won't be able to avoid professors who grade weirdly or professors with bad attitudes...you just gotta deal with it.

Idk what chem-based biochem is like, but MCAT biochem tests on your understanding of amino acids and their interactions with each other, some metabolic pathways

this is the biology one:
This course will introduce the principles of biochemistry to students who have a strong interest in biology. The course is a one semester survey of the chemistry of living organisms that will focus on metabolic regulation and pathway integration. It will also incorporate elements of molecular evolution as it relates to protein structure/function.

and this is the chem one:
A one-semester survey of the chemistry of living organisms. Topics studied include enzymes and enzyme kinetics, proteins, nucleic acids and protein synthesis, oxidative phosphorylation, photosynthesis, metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, and nitrogen-containing compounds.

 

[hopeful555]

this is the biology one:
This course will introduce the principles of biochemistry to students who have a strong interest in biology. The course is a one semester survey of the chemistry of living organisms that will focus on metabolic regulation and pathway integration. It will also incorporate elements of molecular evolution as it relates to protein structure/function.

and this is the chem one:
A one-semester survey of the chemistry of living organisms. Topics studied include enzymes and enzyme kinetics, proteins, nucleic acids and protein synthesis, oxidative phosphorylation, photosynthesis, metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, and nitrogen-containing compounds.

i should mention that the bio one is 335 while the chem one is 300

 

[hopeful555]

i should mention that the bio one is 335 while the chem one is 300

as of now, the biology one is full and no one seems to drop it...further, if i stick with the bio one, then ill have both monday and friday's with no classes which is great mcat study time..

 

[Mr. Babe]

Do what you can to get a good grade, but 1 or 2 bad grades is fine. You sGPA doesn't need to be a 3.9.

 

[pewpew95]

The chem based one will be definitely be better based on the description

 

[hopeful555]

Do what you can to get a good grade, but 1 or 2 bad grades is fine. You sGPA doesn't need to be a 3.9.

what's a bad grade...I'm sorry for sounding so dumb..i have a premed advisor who tells kids that they can't get into medical school of they have one bad semester

 

[Mr. Babe]

what's a bad grade...I'm sorry for sounding so dumb..i have a premed advisor who tells kids that they can't get into medical school of they have one bad semester

Well your pre-med advisor is an idiot then. I got a D, two C-'s, a C, and a B-. Yet I still managed to get accepted. Granted, I had a lot of credits (180+) to cushion the bad grades.

 

[Drez06]

Well your pre-med advisor is an idiot then. I got a D, two C-'s, a C, and a B-. Yet I still managed to get accepted. Granted, I had a lot of credits (180+) to cushion the bad grades.

I second this. I was also accepted with a CD, three C’s and 3 BC’s. I don’t consider a B to be a bad grade, and let me tell you, getting bad grades builds character and gives you something to build on and work towards. Don’t believe everything the premed advisors tell you!

 

[freedoctor17]

I took the chem one at my school and it was pretty good. Others took the bio one at my school and did fine as well. You seem to be leaning towards the bio one to have the 2 free days of study for MCAT. That sounds like a good idea to me. It sounds like both scenarios are a lose when it comes to professors so I'd take the one that gives you most MCAT study time. Also if the final is weighted high enough you could probably work really hard and still get an A.

Though I will say I have taken classes with professors I disliked and in the end they were fair with grading so it made up for it. That bio dudes grading scale sounds awful. And since you'll need to study this for the MCAT anyways taking the chem one might cover most of your biochem MCAT studying.

Either way make whichever decision you feel is best but also ask other students at your school if you can and get more opinions. One person saying it was easy isn't very reliable. They could be the only one who thought that.

 

[Microbug]

Take the one that will give you the highest grade. I didn’t learn a single thing in my biochem class. The exam is multiple choice question and professor go over review exam that’s 90% same as the actual exam. Did not go to class a single time except for exam, aced the class and did not hurt me for MCAT 90+ percentile

 

[freedoctor17]

Take the one that will give you the highest grade. I didn’t learn a single thing in my biochem class. The exam is multiple choice question and professor go over review exam that’s 90% same as the actual exam. Did not go to class a single time except for exam, aced the class and did not hurt me for MCAT 90+ percentile

If their class choices were like this I'd agree (though mine was pretty good and actually learned a lot from it) but it sounds like they're not sure which would result in a higher grade from their posts, so prioritizing based on other things like MCAT studying time may be better.

 

[Microbug]

If their class choices were like this I'd agree (though mine was pretty good and actually learned a lot from it) but it sounds like they're not sure which would result in a higher grade from their posts, so prioritizing based on other things like MCAT studying time may be better.

B or C also won’t kill you either, I think OP will be okay either way

 

[hopeful555]

thanks for all your replies i really do appreciate it! just to give u guys more background, the total number of point we can get in my biology based biochem class is 81. To get an A u need 62 points. he also gives u 7 point extra if u show up. I don't know if he curves. It's also his first time teaching the course in years. But the extra mcat time is very attractive
In the chem biochem, an A is a 92 or above, but he won't curve. However I have heard he is very good.

 

[freedoctor17]

thanks for all your replies i really do appreciate it! just to give u guys more background, the total number of point we can get in my biology based biochem class is 81. To get an A u need 62 points. he also gives u 7 point extra if u show up. I don't know if he curves. It's also his first time teaching the course in years. But the extra mcat time is very attractive
In the chem biochem, an A is a 92 or above, but he won't curve. However I have heard he is very good.

You realize that means you only need like a 68 percent in the bio one as long as you go to class? Seems like an easy choice lol

 

[hopeful555]

You realize that means you only need like a 68 percent in the bio one as long as you go to class? Seems like an easy choice lol

yeah but everyone who i have talked to who had him for a different class said it sucked and they wouldn't reccomend bc of the quizzes

 

[freedoctor17]

yeah but everyone who i have talked to who had him for a different class said it sucked and they wouldn't reccomend bc of the quizzes

Yeah I guess that's fair. I mean if a 68 percent is an A though (as long as you show up) it should be pretty easy to get a B. And I don't think you should be worried about getting a B if the lowest grade you've gotten so far is a B+

 

[hopeful555]

Yeah I guess that's fair. I mean if a 68 percent is an A though (as long as you show up) it should be pretty easy to get a B. And I don't think you should be worried about getting a B if the lowest grade you've gotten so far is a B+

you think so? the most enticing thing to me rn is the fact that id have so much mcat study time. However if i bomb biochem and the mcat, I'm going to be pretty dejected

 

[Microbug]

you think so? the most enticing thing to me rn is the fact that id have so much mcat study time. However if i bomb biochem and the mcat, I'm going to be pretty dejected

When is your MCAT? Tell me you didn’t schedule it around finals time

 

[freedoctor17]

you think so? the most enticing thing to me rn is the fact that id have so much mcat study time. However if i bomb biochem and the mcat, I'm going to be pretty dejected

If you're gpa is 3.8+ you're considered pretty competitive and I doubt one B will bring it below that. If you're taking the MCAT with 2 extra study days a week and bomb it then what do you think you'd do with 2 less study days?

Edit: also I'm not saying to take the B, but it won't kill you if you get one.

 

[hopeful555]

When is your MCAT? Tell me you didn’t schedule it around finals time

its june 1st...i have about a month extra to study

 

[hopeful555]

If you're gpa is 3.8+ you're considered pretty competitive and I doubt one B will bring it below that. If you're taking the MCAT with 2 extra study days a week and bomb it then what do you think you'd do with 2 less study days?

Edit: also I'm not saying to take the B, but it won't kill you if you get one.

i think I'm gonna stick with the bio one...u think that seems smart? a lot of seniors have been telling me to take the chem one but then again no one except one guy has taken the chem one. i am not afraid of hardwork..i dont mind putting in extra hours if i have to for the bio one

 

[Microbug]

its june 1st...i have about a month extra to study

If you’re a bio major and have completed most of your pre-req, I found it most efficient to just buy a crap ton of practice exams and review them (plus a book for critical reading) rather than purchasing sets of review books like Kaplan or TBR (which I bought and didn’t end up touching except for TBR CARS). Would recommend next step and AAMC practice exams, save AAMC for last.

 

[hopeful555]

If you’re a bio major and have completed most of your pre-req, I found it most efficient to just buy a crap ton of practice exams and review them (plus a book for critical reading) rather than purchasing sets of review books like Kaplan or TBR (which I bought and didn’t end up touching except for TBR CARS). Would recommend next step and AAMC practice exams, save AAMC for last.

oh wow haha.u seem a lot smarter then me though lol

 

[Microbug]

oh wow haha.u seem a lot smarter then me though lol

Believe me I’m not all that bright (just ask my SO), just sharing my experience of ignorance so you don’t donate $500 to them.

 

[hopeful555]

Believe me I’m not all that bright (just ask my SO), just sharing my experience of ignorance so you don’t donate $500 to them.

too late 🙁

 

[Microbug]

too late 🙁

Still recommend Next-Step and AAMC, those are worth it. I did 6 (+1 diagnostic) Next-step practice and all the AAMC practice

 

[RaspberrySlushy]

From the descriptions the chem one covers more that will be on MCAT and sounds like a more straightforward grading system as opposed to the weird system with the other prof.

 

[hopeful555]

From the descriptions the chem one covers more that will be on MCAT and sounds like a more straightforward grading system as opposed to the weird system with the other prof.

but what if the chem one is just as hard if not harder

 

[RaspberrySlushy]

Sounds like it’s your stronger background. Plus, I’d rather have a tough but straightforward grading system as opposed to the one where you could get 8/10 and end up with a 0 as described in OP. Plus the description sounds much more in line with MCAT biochem so it’ll be good to have fresh.

 

[hopeful555]

Sounds like it’s your stronger background. Plus, I’d rather have a tough but straightforward grading system as opposed to the one where you could get 8/10 and end up with a 0 as described in OP. Plus the description sounds much more in line with MCAT biochem so it’ll be good to have fresh.

hmmm this is such a tough choice..have u taken the mcat recently?

 

[Microbug]

hmmm this is such a tough choice..have u taken the mcat recently?

Honestly, I didn’t learn anything in orgo or biochem and it was fine on MCAT. I did take PChem (more math and not really MCAT relevant) and Adv Cell Bio (covers some biochem). You’ll be FINEEE

 

[Mr. Babe]

Seriously, you just need to stop worrying so much. Sure it might end up being a hard class whichever you take, but duh.....it can be hard sometimes. Life isn't fair, but you'll figure it out. Go eat some ice cream

 

[calivianya]

When is your MCAT? Tell me you didn’t schedule it around finals time

Not necessarily a killer... just saying. I took my MCAT three days after my last final.

Granted, I did kind of want to throw myself off a cliff that week.