Should I skip molecular bio?

[ponyo]

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Hi,

My school, for some reason, accepts SATII grades for skipping Molecular Bio. I took that in freshman year of high school (June 2005... wow) after taking a year of honors bio but AP bio was not available at my school.

I also took a semester of molecular bio with lab at my community college, I think circa 2006 (or maybe 2005, I really have no idea).

I want to skip Mol Bio so I can take Neurobiology, which I think is much more exciting. However I am worried that I am not adequately prepared for the BS section of the MCAT since I never took AP Bio and what little Bio I did take was from so long ago.

Is the depth that the MCAT goes into for BS something that I can study on my own time? Is it easier to have taken the course more recently and at a more advanced level?

Thanks so much 🙂 🙂

 

[EMS5]

If you grasp bio well, it is something you can conquer in your MCAT studies. Plenty of non-science students do well on the MCAT having taken not much more than the bare minimum pre-reqs.

Looking at the content as of lately, taking a genetics course would be a good idea; depending which genetics course you take they may pre-req you to take molecular bio. My school offers molecular genetics and a less intense genetics course (molec genetics is mostly for the students on the cell/molec bio track)

I'm assuming you already took general bio. Check out your major requirements and that should tell you a little more about what your school requires.

 

[TTigers70]

You got credit for an upper level science class from an SAT II?

It won't be essential for the MCAT but I am shocked that anyone would allow credit for anything but an AP (and even at that credit is given for intro classes)

 

[ponyo]

I don't think I explained clearly... molecular bio IS our gen bio 1. We don't have a lower level bio than that. So I haven't taken bio since basically freshman year.

 

[ponyo]

Molecular bio is the lowest-level bio. And my school doesn't give credit for anything, APs or otherwise. I just get the choice to skip pre-requisites for higher level biology courses because otherwise all biology courses require molecular bio as a prereq.

 

[wristbandMD]

Molecular bio is the lowest-level bio. And my school doesn't give credit for anything, APs or otherwise. I just get the choice to skip pre-requisites for higher level biology courses because otherwise all biology courses require molecular bio as a prereq.

So...in your freshman year of high school (you said about 2005), you took molecular biology (which, from what I can decipher, is the same biology most high school students take?)

Now, your college is allowing you to skip general biology 1, because for some reason they accept your high school class as an equivalent, correct?

This enables you to skip general biology and complete higher level biology classes? (Do I have the story right?)

Does this mean that you haven't taken any biology courses in college thus far?

If not, I would say take Molecular Biology or some sort of General Biology courses. (You still need the series for med school. They won't accept a high school course, even if your college does.)

If you've taken General Biology (all of the series), I think you're fine to go without the course. Do what you enjoy. (Neurobiology FTW!!)

 

[orthomyxo]

Molecular bio is the lowest-level bio. And my school doesn't give credit for anything, APs or otherwise. I just get the choice to skip pre-requisites for higher level biology courses because otherwise all biology courses require molecular bio as a prereq.

Oh...I think everybody thought you were talking about the upper division class called molecular bio. Personally, I wouldn't skip it since it'll be a good refresher course if you haven't seen bio in a long time. I'm also not sure that med schools will be too cool with you skipping pre-reqs without having AP credit, but I'm just guessing here.

 

[EpicBearMan]

Is the depth that the MCAT goes into for BS something that I can study on my own time?

Yes.

I want to skip Mol Bio so I can take Neurobiology

Since you already took molecular bio once in college, and you are more interested in neurobiology, I would go for it. Your post confused me at first since molecular biology is an upper division class at my school, and the most difficult course in my program (order of magnitude more difficult than o-chem).

 

[DaisyBuchanan]

FWIW, I know USC's medical school has a mol bio requirement, but I think it's the only one.

 

[mspeedwagon]

As someone that was a biology major with a focus in neuroscience and that took neurobiology, I would definitely NOT skip out on molecular biology (especially not in order to take neurobiology).

It's a decision I made that I lived to regret. The MCAT doesn't test any neurobiology, but molecular biology is VERY heavily tested. I recently took molecular bio and almost instantly my BS has improved. In retrospect, I should never have skipped molecular. Don't make the same mistake.

 

[rHinO1]

Yes.



Since you already took molecular bio once in college, and you are more interested in neurobiology, I would go for it. Your post confused me at first since molecular biology is an upper division class at my school, and the most difficult course in my program (order of magnitude more difficult than o-chem).

I'm a fifth year senior, majoring in human biology and I think my upper division molecular biology course was the most challenging course I've had in college.

 

[ponyo]

We don't really have a "series" of general biology... The lowest bio courses that we have are Molecular Biology and Principles of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior... and everybody tries to get out of both of them. You can get out of them if you got a 4/5 on AP Bio or over like 750 or something on the SAT II Bio (which I think are totally not equivalent but whatever).

Our premed counselors tell us that we are allowed to take any biology courses in the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology department for the purpose of fulfilling our biology pre-requisite. Is that not true? I was under the impression that we just had to take human bio courses for the prereq, not general biology courses (since we don't really have those). Our pre-med website certainly hasn't listed the ecology half as a prereq...

I think I'm getting the impression that maybe I should take it just to be safe.. But the thought of going through intro bio labs for the third time, especially after having already done bench research with the basic techniques (pcr, cloning, electrophoresis, microarrays, etc.), kind of pains me. Plus the lab is said to be super tedious and require 10 hour lab reports...

 

[rHinO1]

We don't really have a "series" of general biology... The lowest bio courses that we have are Molecular Biology and Principles of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior... and everybody tries to get out of both of them. You can get out of them if you got a 4/5 on AP Bio or over like 750 or something on the SAT II Bio (which I think are totally not equivalent but whatever).

Our premed counselors tell us that we are allowed to take any biology courses in the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology department for the purpose of fulfilling our biology pre-requisite. Is that not true? I was under the impression that we just had to take human bio courses for the prereq, not general biology courses (since we don't really have those). Our pre-med website certainly hasn't listed the ecology half as a prereq...

I think I'm getting the impression that maybe I should take it just to be safe.. But the thought of going through intro bio labs for the third time, especially after having already done bench research with the basic techniques (pcr, cloning, electrophoresis, microarrays, etc.), kind of pains me. Plus the lab is said to be super tedious and require 10 hour lab reports...

For the MCAT, general biology is all you need. It's kind of strange your school doesn't offer that series. Although, every school is different in how they do things. For example, I needed both genetics and metabolic biochem as prereqs for my schools molecular biology class. My schools molecular biology course was nothing like general biology.

I wouldn't take mol bio twice, and I wouldn't expect it to help you that much on the MCAT (genetics or physiology are probably just as helpful). Just get a good MCAT study guide and take whichever bio class you think you will like the best. Besides, if you are bored in mol bio then you run the risk of a poor grade.

 

[ponyo]

Thanks everybody for your responses! It seems like it couldn't hurt to take the intro bio and I don't want to run the risk of missing anything.

And I'm jealous of all you people with courses like physiology. My school is well-known for its politics/business/humanities people... and as a result our science program, at least for undergrad, is somewhat neglected.

 

[Rendar5]

You're in college with limited time there, so you should minimize your unnecessary classes in favor of fun and/or useful classes and maybe a class you spend 30 minutes a week on and skip all the time and can still get an A in (I did this myself). So honestly the answer depends on 2 things: are you intrinsically good at biology, and are you doing a biology-related major.

1. If you're intrinsically good at biology, then you should not be taking the MCAT into consideration. In this specific case, you can easily learn everything you need to in order to do well from a basic test prep course and repeated practices. If you're not naturally good at it, then I would make sure to take basic bio classes in college.

2. If you're doing a bio-related major (and the reason you're doing this better be because you love the subject), then you need to ask people at your school in your field how useful they found it. If you're not a bio major, then take an upper level if you're interested and like a challenge, or take the lower level (don't skip) and coast through, your call. Neither answer is wrong.

 

[ponyo]

You're in college with limited time there, so you should minimize your unnecessary classes in favor of fun and/or useful classes and maybe a class you spend 30 minutes a week on and skip all the time and can still get an A in (I did this myself).

I agree with you completely. I spent the first two years of college doing lots of humanities and history and psych classes so now I have my psych major out of the way almost completely (just need a senior thesis + like 1-2 others). I am also majoring in chemistry.

The problem is I have NO idea whether or not I'm intrinsically good at bio because I've hardly taken any and I'm just beginning to study for the MCAT... I took and loved neuroscience. Does that count? :/

Plus I'm taking pchem and biochem this semester so I don't want to overwhelm myself...

 

[wolverinepwns]

I didn't even know you could skip Mol Bio, its a core bio every premed has to take! its like saying can I skip over biochem! some of the concepts you learn in Mol Bio are crucial for later classes! now if you can/want, you should skip over ecology!!!