Upper Level Bio Recommendations

[musashi]

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Hey current med students, the schedule of classes just came out for my University for Spring '12. I only have 2 prereqs left and have invoked the TX academic fresh start. I am in that category that needs to take upper level Bio courses to show to adcoms a good trend. With my schedule as a paramedic I have the following to choose from:

-Embryology
-Cell Biology
-Molecular Biology
-Immunology
-Cancer Biology
-Biochemistry (although the prof. has a terrible reputation)
-Neurobiology

I'm leaning towards Neurobiology and either 1 of the following: Cell Bio, Molecular Bio, or Immunology.

What are your thoughts? Obviously whatever I take I need to do well, but in hindsight would any of the above course helped either on the MCAT or help establish a basic foundation? I know many of you will recommend Biochemistry but I'm hoping to wait until the Summer or Fall, to see if I can choose from a different prof. The prof. for the Spring has a horrible reputation and I need to well in that particular course.

In addition to the above I will be taking Physics II and Genetics at a local community college. I know what many will say about a CC, but I love the physics prof. and am okay with "taking classes at CC." I know many attendings and even have spoken with a couple of adcoms who did that very thing. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Bluesun]

For what it's worth, I've seen at least a few med schools list biochemistry as a plus.

 

[ShoTyme]

Biochem for sure

 

[FrkyBgStok]

Biochem hands down.

 

[musashi]

Thanks for the input so far. I expected the Biochemistry comments and have full intentions of doing so next year, but I'm hoping to wait and see if another prof. might sign up to teach it. If I choose to wait until another semester to take Biochemistry, based on that list I posted what classes do y'all recommend?

 

[cabinbuilder]

Biochemistry at my medical school was THE make or break course. Soo many people failed and had to remediate over the summer it wasn't even funny. If you can get a good foundation in that class before medical school your life will be that much less miserable. I'm glad I had it before going because it was soo hard to get through at the med school pace. You are talking an entire chapter of biochem in one hour of lecture. We got three test questions out of every hour lecture per exam. Think about it

 

[Morsetlis]

2-3 questions per lecture hour is on par with medical school.

Good luck 😀

 

[gunito]

Biochemistry at my medical school was THE make or break course. Soo many people failed and had to remediate over the summer it wasn't even funny. If you can get a good foundation in that class before medical school your life will be that much less miserable. I'm glad I had it before going because it was soo hard to get through at the med school pace. You are talking an entire chapter of biochem in one hour of lecture. We got three test questions out of every hour lecture per exam. Think about it

Damn, you made my brain hurt. I'm in biochem for my post bacc and we do a chapter every 1.5-2 days and that seems kind of rushed. I think it will help quite a bit for the MCAT as well.

 

[ShoTyme]

Thanks for the input so far. I expected the Biochemistry comments and have full intentions of doing so next year, but I'm hoping to wait and see if another prof. might sign up to teach it. If I choose to wait until another semester to take Biochemistry, based on that list I posted what classes do y'all recommend?

I'm going to be taking neurobio because it counts towards my psych degree as well as a med school goodie, but out of those you've provided, of course biochem is a must. Other than that, cell bio or molecular bio would be the way to go imo.

 

[EdLongshanks]

Hey current med students, the schedule of classes just came out for my University for Spring '12. I only have 2 prereqs left and have invoked the TX academic fresh start. I am in that category that needs to take upper level Bio courses to show to adcoms a good trend. With my schedule as a paramedic I have the following to choose from:

-Embryology
-Cell Biology
-Molecular Biology
-Immunology
-Cancer Biology
-Biochemistry (although the prof. has a terrible reputation)
-Neurobiology

I'm leaning towards Neurobiology and either 1 of the following: Cell Bio, Molecular Bio, or Immunology.

What are your thoughts? Obviously whatever I take I need to do well, but in hindsight would any of the above course helped either on the MCAT or help establish a basic foundation? I know many of you will recommend Biochemistry but I'm hoping to wait until the Summer or Fall, to see if I can choose from a different prof. The prof. for the Spring has a horrible reputation and I need to well in that particular course.

In addition to the above I will be taking Physics II and Genetics at a local community college. I know what many will say about a CC, but I love the physics prof. and am okay with "taking classes at CC." I know many attendings and even have spoken with a couple of adcoms who did that very thing. Thanks for the advice.

Besides Biochem, I found Immunology to be very helpful. Yesterday, our histology professor asked which cell in the picture that he popped up produced IgA. The answer was a plasma cell, but I don't ever remember him mentioning immunoglobulins in class. This was something that we were supposed to know from undergrad. A lot of medical school is like that. Cytokines, immunoglobulins, secretions of mast cells... all of that is assumed knowledge or knowledge that you will be expected to find out as background information and be tested on.

Oh, and no one should even consider starting medical school without taking Cell Biology. I don't see why it isn't a required course.

 

[wavewheel]

I'm sure it depends a lot on the professor, but my cell bio class is covering a lot of material that seems pretty darn clinically relevant. The prof talks about the biology of cancer cells a lot, I just wrote a paper on the role of cilia-related proteins in polycystic kidney disease, and we just did a group presentation on an SNP implicated in schizophrenia. If I can remember what I'm learning -- always a relevant question -- I think I'll be heading to med school with a solid foundation.