Pre-req: genetics or intro bio + cell bio sufficient?

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Hey guys, I'm planning on applying to Tufts next year, and have a question about their pre-reqs. I need to figure out my last and final undergraduate schedule, ever (woo!) and register for them in a couple weeks, so making sure I have all my pre-reqs taken care of is pretty important.

I have all of Tufts' pre-reqs done, with the exception of genetics. Their admissions website states that a genetics course is not necessary assuming it was covered in the student's intro bio class. Given that genetics was covered pretty thoroughly in my second semester of intro bio, and later very extensively in my cell bio class... should I be safe in assuming I'm in the clear? The topic is definitely not my strong point (I'm more of a general bio, zoology, anatomy person... the bigger picture I guess), and I hear the class is killer, so I'm hoping to avoid taking it if I can replace it with a different upper level bio class.

Thanks for any advice, I'd rather not bother the adcom if I can as I'm sure they're currently swamped with more important frantic e-mails from this cycle's applicants!

*edited for silly grammar mistake
 
TheEvilShoe said:
should I be safe in assuming I'm in the clear?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't assume your safe. I'd contact to school and see if they can look at your course syllabus to determine if you are all set.
 
Yep, I concur. Talk to Tufts.

And may I just state that this is a blasphemous thing to me, as a person who may or may not be just a tad obsessed with genetics. 😉
 
Haha, hey now I didn't say I think the subject sucks! I actually find it quite interesting, but I would rather learn more about it during my free time than hurt my already not stellar GPA with a class that would surely kick my butt. I have a lot of respect for those who are able to wrap their brains around it well, but I'm not one of those lucky people :-\

Thanks though, I guess I'll send them an e-mail and hope they can get back to me some time in the next couple weeks.
 
I might be wrong, but I simply can't imagine genetics being thoroughly covered in an intro biology or cell biology course.
 
Tufts' website says:
"Genetics (one semester, unless included in General Biology): The course would ideally include fundamentals of classical, molecular, and population genetics, including genetic mapping, DNA structure and mutation, bacterial and viral genetics, genetic organization, and regulation of gene expression."
My first semester of intro/general bio mostly focused on population genetics and mapping, lots of giant Punnett squares and genetic migration problems, while the second semester was a quick introduction to molecular genetics and gene regulation, as well as viral/bacterial genetics.

Then molecular genetics was the largest component of my cell biology course... memorizing all of the ins and outs of... everything. The structure of DNA/RNA/tRNA/etc and everything else cell related, how it is all regulated and made, how proteins come about/what they do/how they do it, all molecular based, what diseases result from certain amino acid codon sequence mutations and why, had to learn way too many cofactors and enzymes that aided in various transcription processes, etc etc etc. I have terrible memories of that class, with exam averages hovering around 50% on a "good" exam. It would've been a huge help for the MCAT though had I stuck with pre-med instead of switching to pre-vet, as the questions were constructed similarly to each other.

I could dig up my old syllabus to show you but after your guys' advice it would be better to just e-mail Tufts 🙂

I agree that there is no way general bio would cover the same amount of genetics material as an entire class on the topic. However, given that they say genetics "unless included in general biology", and since I've taken the cell bio course at my school, it seems plausible that I may be covered. I'll contact them all the same though, and post their reply in case any one else is wondering the same thing.

Thanks for the input!
 
I say it's worth taking genetics while you're in school. Later you might decide to apply to a school that requires it-- A lot of places do. This is said by someone who still has nightmares about the class. I haaaaaaaaate genetics so much.. but it's good to have a solid understanding of it.

But anyway, everyone is right. Talk to Tufts.
 
My boyfriend (soon Fiancee yay) will be attending medical school in Boston pending acceptance(s) to one of the few he has already interviewed at, and we'd rather not spend another 4 years long distance if we can avoid it, especially if marriage is in the near future... So Tufts is the only place I'm planning on applying to. Plus Tufts is awesome anyway (I like it more than my instate school) and I also know the area as I've been here near Boston for the last few years working on my undergrad.

I've contacted Tufts already about switching my residency, and only plan on applying there, and will apply more than once as necessary if that's what life ends up throwing at me 🙂 Assuming my boyfriend's interviews didn't go as well as he felt, and doesn't get that shiny letter of acceptance at either place, the only other school I would be considering is VMRCVM in Virginia as that is where we're both technically currently "residents". The latter situation seems unlikely since he interviewed during both schools' first week of interviews (I'm jealous of his crazy good resume!), but who knows since acceptance anywhere seems to be a crapshoot these days... At any rate, the back up plan in Virginia doesn't require genetics either.

My GRE scores are quite good, but my GPA is borderline (just shy of a 3.5 at a competitive school with grade deflation... I want to pull it up to at least a 3.5 over the course of this year), so I would much prefer taking a different upper level bio course that I know play to my strengths better than would genetics. I feel that is currently my bigger priority if I end up having the choice to flee from the GPA-eating monster.

Good to hear I'm not the only one who struggled with the topic, as cool as it is. Urg! And thanks for bringing up something else to take into consideration.
 
TheEvilShoe said:
Tufts' website says:
I agree that there is no way general bio would cover the same amount of genetics material as an entire class on the topic. However, given that they say genetics "unless included in general biology", and since I've taken the cell bio course at my school, it seems plausible that I may be covered. I'll contact them all the same though, and post their reply in case any one else is wondering the same thing.
Click to expand...

Coming from someone who has been a TA for an upper division genetics course and also for general biology, it sounds like most of what you covered in cell bio is good for the molecular portion, but one thing I'd be concerned about as far as what you're missing from intro bio is the depth of understanding the experimental techniques used in genetics and the theory and application of them. That is, things such as genetic and physical mapping of traits, the principles behind and reasons for sequencing genomes, how we can use genomic data, and pedigree analysis, not to mention an intro to the lab techniques used in genetics and genomics and how to use bioinformatics resources. I feel like some of those things are important to anyone in the sciences, but then again, most of us research folk think our area is the most important thing to know, so take it with a grain of salt. 😉
 
nyanko said:
...but one thing I'd be concerned about as far as what you're missing from intro bio is the depth of understanding the experimental techniques used in genetics and the theory and application of them. That is, things such as genetic and physical mapping of traits, the principles behind and reasons for sequencing genomes, how we can use genomic data, and pedigree analysis, not to mention an intro to the lab techniques used in genetics and genomics and how to use bioinformatics resources. 😉
Click to expand...

We went over those also, with an indepth look at PCR gel sequencing, gel electrophoresis, recombinant DNA, so on. As well as how each of those work, what types of organisms and assays you can use them for, etc. I'm actually using those skills in my research lab as well as in my biochem lab. For the cell bio class, we also had to know how sequencing DNA aids in searching for cures for diseases like sickle cell anemia, paternity tests, or even to compare us to other organisms, and the like. I know we did some genetic mapping as well as other things, but it's been a couple years since I took the class so I don't remember all the additional details of what I learned back then. We flew through a 750 page textbook in one semester of hell.

The genetics course at my school doesn't actually have a lab component, but I'm taking the biochemistry course at my school with the lab option. So I'm actually putting gel electrophoresis, PCR, and other techniques to use. The lab portion actually isn't required in the pre-req (only the version without lab), so that might help me out also?

Oh and I totally get the enthusiasm for research! I'm currently involved with some research in bat autoimmune deficiencies, and people have to ask me to shut up about it... and I only really even chose to work in the lab in the first place to learn some lab techniques and figure out whether research is something I might want to pursue later. I can't imagine what kind of level of obsessiveness one must have after pursuing your own research in a field of your choosing!

I should get some work done before going to bed now. These foster kitties have drastically lowered my productivity... evil munchkins.
 
I'd say call or email them. They were very nice to me when I called about having only 2.6 units of biochem rather than the required 3. They had me send them via email a list of schools that accepted my 2.6 units and schools like CSU that accepted a different course (like mol bio) to make up the difference so that they could decide if they thought it was enough. Fortunately, they did. -phew- Stupid quarter system conversion!
 
I'd think it would be safe to just take the course anyways. As others have said, other schools require a full, complete Genetics course in order to be accepted. Again, calling the college would be a well thought idea as well. Good Luck!
 
Wow, I e-mailed Tufts admissions last night, and got an answer this morning! Pleasant surprise.

So for anyone else who might be in the same boat... this was their response after asking them about my situation:
"You have more than enough material in your biology courses to cover our genetics requirement. There is no need to take a separate genetics course. We do not need to evaluate your syllabi, this is very common among applicants. Thanks for asking this ahead of time."

Yay!

And again for those reminding that some schools do require the course, that's quite true and something to definitely be aware of, but I am not planning on applying anywhere else (except VMRCVM instead depending on how life pans out, but that doesn't require genetics either) 🙂 For personal reasons, but I wrote about them somewhere previously in the thread.

Thanks again! Hopefully this can help someone else who might have a similar situation at least with Tufts.
 
My boyfriend got into Tufts medical school!!!!! YAY!

Sorry, I'm going around telling everybody. I'm super psyched for him, he's gonna be a doctor!
 
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