UC San Diego Extension Online Biochem??

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fernweh2438

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Ok there are way too many posts about online biochem courses, but I have yet to see anything about UCSD. I am trying to find a good online course and have not liked the reviews for UNE or UCB. Plus biochem at UCSD is only $550 which is far cheaper than I have seen anywhere else. So has anyone taken it?? What were your experiences?

Thanks in advance!

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Bump! Im on the site right now. Ive just started looking into online Biochem courses so Im not entirely sure what the potential implications are...
 
Ok there are way too many posts about online biochem courses, but I have yet to see anything about UCSD. I am trying to find a good online course and have not liked the reviews for UNE or UCB. Plus biochem at UCSD is only $550 which is far cheaper than I have seen anywhere else. So has anyone taken it?? What were your experiences?

Thanks in advance!

Did you end up taking this class? I am considering it and would love some feed back before I register!
 
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Bump! Any feedback from anyone who has taken the UCSD online class?
 
I took Genetics through UCSD Extension. Based on SteinEye's link it looks like the format is pretty similar for the Biochem class. I really enjoyed the class - quizzes were tough but fair, and the weekly discussion board posts were an awesome learning opportunity. I'd definitely take another UCSD Extension course.
 
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The UCSD extension courses definitely sufficient for grad programs? I need Biostatistics for DPT programs. Thoughts?
 
Hi, I'm trying to chose between UNE and UCSD for an online biochem course. Was wondering if anyone could give me feedback?
 
I took Genetics through UCSD Extension. Based on SteinEye's link it looks like the format is pretty similar for the Biochem class. I really enjoyed the class - quizzes were tough but fair, and the weekly discussion board posts were an awesome learning opportunity. I'd definitely take another UCSD Extension course.

AWESOME! I've been looking everywhere for a reasonable online genetics course after seeing terrible reviews of UNE and UC Berkley Ext. Could you give me a little more info about the pace and workload? I work full time so trying to find a reasonable balance. Anything would be appreciated.THANK YOU!
 
AWESOME! I've been looking everywhere for a reasonable online genetics course after seeing terrible reviews of UNE and UC Berkley Ext. Could you give me a little more info about the pace and workload? I work full time so trying to find a reasonable balance. Anything would be appreciated.THANK YOU!

I work full time too (actually full time and then some...) but I was able to handle it. The quizzes don't take very long to prepare for, and the discussion board posts take as much time as you want them to. I usually ended up going way down the rabbit hole and reading tons of related articles because I was interested, but you could certainly just read one paper and write a simple paragraph and still get full credit. One thing to note is that all the assignments are due on the weekends, which worked great for my schedule, but I know that's not ideal for everyone.

Also noteworthy, since that last post I've taken the MCAT and found the material from the genetics course extremely helpful. The MCAT isn't super genetics heavy per se, but it helped a lot with understanding some of the passages, and also was just nice to have a review of a bunch of material that was covered in basic bio classes from a slightly different perspective.
 
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Hi @suckitupbuttercup ! Thank you again for responding to this, this is so immensely helpful. I'm enrolled to take the online genetics course there starting this January (winter course). I was wondering if you could help me with a couple more remaining questions I have...
- How much, if at all, did you use the textbook? Are the readings necessary in order to succeed?
- Regarding the online and open book quizzes, did you feel you had enough time during them to thumb through your notes a bit, or did you find that you had to be familiar enough with everything to essentially answer questions on the spot, without notes? I ask because in my previous courses, open-book meant very little since you didn't have time to go searching anyway.
- Did you end up taking the final or just using that as your dropped quiz?
- How many hours per week do you think you spent on the course?

Thank you again!!

Cheers,

Maddie
 
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Hi Maddie - great that you signed up! I really enjoyed that class.

I did use the textbook. It probably wasn't critical - the quizzes really do focus on the material covered in lecture - but I liked that it gave me a broader perspective. You can rent it pretty cheaply on amazon.

For the quizzes, my strategy was to listen to the lectures and take notes, do a quick review of the notes, and take the quiz right away. I would usually take my best guess at an answer and then look it up (in my notes or the printed lecture transcripts) to confirm, and there was plenty of time for that.

I dropped the final :D

As for hours per week... oh man, too many. Probably a couple hours a week on the textbook, about 2 hours on the lecture and quiz, and then probably 6-10 hours digging into discussion board stuff. You don't have to spend that much time though. I was getting ready for the MCAT and really wanted to understand the material (and also found it interesting!) so I would read an article, then find another article to explain my questions from the first article, and so on and so on. But you're not required to dig that deep. You could probably do your own post and the response to someone else's post in an hour or two if you wanted to keep it simple.

Enjoy the class, and let me know if you have any more questions along the way!
 
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Thank you so much!! This is immensely helpful. I may take you up on those questions along the way. :) Good luck with everything med-school related!!
 
Hi Maddie - great that you signed up! I really enjoyed that class.

I did use the textbook. It probably wasn't critical - the quizzes really do focus on the material covered in lecture - but I liked that it gave me a broader perspective. You can rent it pretty cheaply on amazon.

For the quizzes, my strategy was to listen to the lectures and take notes, do a quick review of the notes, and take the quiz right away. I would usually take my best guess at an answer and then look it up (in my notes or the printed lecture transcripts) to confirm, and there was plenty of time for that.

I dropped the final :D

As for hours per week... oh man, too many. Probably a couple hours a week on the textbook, about 2 hours on the lecture and quiz, and then probably 6-10 hours digging into discussion board stuff. You don't have to spend that much time though. I was getting ready for the MCAT and really wanted to understand the material (and also found it interesting!) so I would read an article, then find another article to explain my questions from the first article, and so on and so on. But you're not required to dig that deep. You could probably do your own post and the response to someone else's post in an hour or two if you wanted to keep it simple.

Enjoy the class, and let me know if you have any more questions along the way!
Did your school take this course? Are the quizzes proctored? Are there exams that are proctored?
 
The quizzes/exams weren't proctored when I took it.

I'm not sure I understand the first question - are you asking about transfer credit?
 
The quizzes/exams weren't proctored when I took it.

I'm not sure I understand the first question - are you asking about transfer credit?
Would you happen to still have the syllabus for this course? Are the credits semester or quarter based?
 
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Sorry, I don't have the syllabus anymore. It looks like there's a new instructor since I took it, so the details may have changed anyway.

The class is quarter-based.
 
Sorry, I don't have the syllabus anymore. It looks like there's a new instructor since I took it, so the details may have changed anyway.

The class is quarter-based.

Did you have any issues meeting requirements with the class being quarter based?
 
It wasn't a required prerequisite at any of the schools I'm applying to. If any of your schools require it you'll probably want to check with the admissions office - both for the credit hours and for the fact that it's online.
 
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Would you happen to still have the syllabus for this course? Are the credits semester or quarter based?
Is this for genetics or biochem? I took genetics over the summer and have the syllabus if that's the one you're looking for (starting biochem on Monday).
 
I fully support UCSD extension (or any UC extension), but you MUST take the class in person! If you sign up early with UC extensions, you get a discount, but the alumni discount is usually better (I think any UC alumni discount works at any UC extension). @WhitecatBlackcat
 
I fully support UCSD extension (or any UC extension), but you MUST take the class in person! If you sign up early with UC extensions, you get a discount, but the alumni discount is usually better (I think any UC alumni discount works at any UC extension). @WhitecatBlackcat

Why (in your opinion) must they take the class in-person? There are many medical schools that have no preference as to whether or not the course is taken in-person as opposed to an online format.
 
Is this for genetics or biochem? I took genetics over the summer and have the syllabus if that's the one you're looking for (starting biochem on Monday).

Hi Kate,
I saw that you took biochemistry at UCSD Extension. I am debating on taking it through UCSD or Doane University. How was the course? Do you still have the syllabus? I would appreciate any information. Thanks!
 
I took Biochem at UCSD Extension on-line. I just wanted to reply to the "super easy quizzes" comments I saw here: There are 10 quizzes and class averages are not so high as to be labeled "super easy". The quizzes are timed 30 min and tick out on you. Yes, there is no final and there is some extra credit, but if you don't like timed quizzes then this could be stressful for you. I don't know how the UC Berkeley course which costs more does it so I can't compare.
 
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The quiz mean and median scores were close. The medians ranged from 75-90%. Quiz grades were all over the place. The lower quartile could be as low as 73%. No time to waste during a quiz with typically 20 questions in 30 minutes. Discussion posts were a big part of the grade. People generally put serious effort into the discussion posts. You can learn a lot from the discussion posts. No excuse for not getting 100s on all of your posts. Most students were not premed. It's probably the lowest cost option available online. I haven't taken the MCAT, so I won't speculate on if the course prepares you for it. If I need another course, I'll consider UCSD Extension again because of the cost. If you are applying in Texas, TMDSAS shows that the course is accepted as you can see at the link for University of California San Diego
 
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Anyone do Gen Chem with them? The professor has like a 2/5 rating and the class is asynchronous/online lol
 
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