weird Bio program at my school..

[nikefan13]

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At the university I attend, their bio program REQUIRES that you take 2 quarters of ecology, genetics, biochemistry, and molecular biology(completed in the first two years). Realizing that all med schools require a year of general biology and the MCAT tests your knowledge of biology, will this be sufficient for the BS section since most of the classes that are required of our major seem to help little on the MCAT(that's the impression I'm getting)? What do most universities cover during general biology since I heard that genetics, biochemistry, etc. are just extra classes....

 

[Pinkertinkle]

I'd say that they're adequate. While some advanced classes such as physio will help, in the time you take those classes you'll stray too far from the basics on which the MCAT is based.

 

[robotvascular]

Focus on the basics!
The 2 semesters of general biology should prepare you for the MCAT.....Just know the basics inside and out....

 

[nikefan13]

how can I learn the basics if the school REQUIRES different subjects such as genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology that I believei isnt covered in the regular year of general biology at other institutions. Correct me if I'm wrong...

 

[cmb81]

how can I learn the basics if the school REQUIRES different subjects such as genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology that I believei isnt covered in the regular year of general biology at other institutions. Correct me if I'm wrong...

IMO, the aforementioned classes will help reinforce your knowledge of general bio. Im sure you'll learn all the basics in general bio anyways those classes will make the MCAT easier for ya.

 

[lorelei]

OP, you're saying your school requires those classes INSTEAD OF, not in addition to, regular intro bio, right?

If so, I'd suggest trying to fit in a physiology class at some point. Then I think you'll have a pretty good survey of what the MCAT covers. (You could check the list of topics at the AAMC and compare it to your course syllabi to be sure.) Or, you could take an intro bio class over the summer somewhere else, though that might be a waste of time. Or maybe a Kaplan/TPR class.

At my school they had three intro bio classes: "Genes and Evolution" (genetics, a little biochem, evolution obviously), "Organisms and Ecosystems" (reproduction and development, physiology, some ecology at the end), and a class I didn't take due to time contraints, so I don't recall the name but it was basically over cell bio, I think. Since I didn't take the third class, I had to learn cell bio on my own - I had never heard of the Krebs Cycle until I opened my MCAT review book, for example. But it wasn't a big deal to fill in the gaps since I had learned most of what I needed.

 

[cmb81]

OP, you're saying your school requires those classes INSTEAD OF, not in addition to, regular intro bio, right?

If so, I'd suggest trying to fit in a physiology class at some point. Then I think you'll have a pretty good survey of what the MCAT covers. (You could check the list of topics at the AAMC and compare it to your course syllabi to be sure.) Or, you could take an intro bio class over the summer somewhere else, though that might be a waste of time. Or maybe a Kaplan/TPR class.

At my school they had three intro bio classes: "Genes and Evolution" (genetics, a little biochem, evolution obviously), "Organisms and Ecosystems" (reproduction and development, physiology, some ecology at the end), and a class I didn't take due to time contraints, so I don't recall the name but it was basically over cell bio, I think. Since I didn't take the third class, I had to learn cell bio on my own - I had never heard of the Krebs Cycle until I opened my MCAT review book, for example. But it wasn't a big deal to fill in the gaps since I had learned most of what I needed.

Oh, if so then i completely misunderstood the OP.

 

[katiekate]

My university did the same thing. I took Genetics, Molec and Cell bio, and Biochem within the first two years. I think these classes would be damn near impossible to understand without working knowledge of basic bio that you would get in your first two semesters of intro to bio. So if you can get through these classes just fine, you will have no proble on the MCAT BS section. BTW, Genetics is a major helper for the MCAT as is Physio.