What makes biochem difficult?

[bonez318ti]

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I am taking biochem I right and can't figure out what makes it so difficult.

Ive heard people discussing how difficult it was and how it orgo pales in comparison to biochem.. but through the first 4 weeks or so of class (mainly intro/proteins), things just seem like a rehash of orgo with a bit of basic bio thrown in.

It doesn't seem all that difficult.

In orgo, I learned that the key to the class was in the stability of the transition states and intermediates.. realizing that was pretty much all i needed to know to do well in orgo. Is there a similar mantra for success in biochem?

Thanks for any help..

 

[terzian]

I am taking biochem I right and can't figure out what makes it so difficult.

Memorization of pathways, and the simple fact that the material is incredibly dry. You spend half the class like this 😴 and the other half like this 😱 with a little of this 😕 thrown in for good measure. The goal? To take the final like this! Good luck!

 

[liverotcod]

terzian, that was really cute. I've got Biochem I this semster, and I think you're on the money.

 

[CanIMakeIt]

Exactly.....so far it is not that difficult but I can see a curve ball coming when we start taking about the different patways and more structures 😴

Oh sorry...... did I just go to sleep.......

Later

 

[nimer1456]

Memorization of pathways, and the simple fact that the material is incredibly dry. You spend half the class like this 😴 and the other half like this 😱 with a little of this 😕 thrown in for good measure. The goal? To take the final like this! Good luck!

I am a biochem major.... That is exactly how I felt. My first biochem class what like 🙂 . My second biochem class was 😱 and then on the final. The classes I am in now are decent... but still annoying. Basically it is hard because there is so much to know and the exams are killer (at least here). I wish you the best and learn those 20 aa's asap.

 

[Uegis]

College biochem only covers a fraction of what medical school covers, at least the amount of detail and breadth. I was a biochem major too. Its just memorization of pathways and molecules. Pretty easy. But the labs are a bit more difficult.

 

[The JockDoc]

In my biochem, we had study guides with all of the pathways and so on that we had to know. Usually, it was memorizing everything on 98% of the slides anyways. The memorization is straightforward though. It just takes time. I think a big key to biochem is thinking about how each process interrelates. For example, if I get an increase in ATP, what effect does it have on phosphofructokinase? Will this impact Acetyl CoA production? What does that mean to all the other pathways? Stuff like that. I actually enjoyed biochem more than regular bio because it was comparatively cut and dry. Although, I thought that most lectures were boring too; many times the lecture adds nothing to the slide.

 

[Uegis]

In my biochem, we had study guides with all of the pathways and so on that we had to know. Usually, it was memorizing everything on 98% of the slides anyways. The memorization is straightforward though. It just takes time. I think a big key to biochem is thinking about how each process interrelates. For example, if I get an increase in ATP, what effect does it have on phosphofructokinase? Will this impact Acetyl CoA production? What does that mean to all the other pathways? Stuff like that. I actually enjoyed biochem more than regular bio because it was comparatively cut and dry. Although, I thought that most lectures were boring too; many times the lecture adds nothing to the slide.

Yup, feedback inhibition helps on the MCAT too. Favorites include endocrinology and the Bohr effect.

 

[dnelsen]

My biochem sucked because the prof. was horrible. He would lecture at the 10,000 foot level and then his test questions would be taken off some obscure data table in the textbook.

Q: what is the tilt off of the axis for bases in Z form DNA?


I **** you not...

 

[davematthews]

I liked biochem... I mean I loved it, biochem will forever be an integral part of medicine...you cannot get away from it, it follows you always as el drugos pathways are biochemical in nature. BE SAFE my friends, there is much more to biochem than cycles and structures.

My biochem sucked because the prof. was horrible. He would lecture at the 10,000 foot level and then his test questions would be taken off some obscure data table in the textbook.

Q: what is the tilt off of the axis for bases in Z form DNA?


I **** you not...

 

[trying]

We had to know the entire cycle + the rate det step, the co-factors, where each ATP was made, irreversible steps (ie rds, but not always), total ATP used, total ATP made and net ATP for about 15 cycles. The good part is once you commit all this to memory, the final ends up being pretty easy. It becomes more like a puzzle, where you might have to start with glucose-6-P and show how it is made into some random intermediate in the TCA. Takes a lot of effort, but not that bad.

I am taking biochem I right and can't figure out what makes it so difficult.

Ive heard people discussing how difficult it was and how it orgo pales in comparison to biochem.. but through the first 4 weeks or so of class (mainly intro/proteins), things just seem like a rehash of orgo with a bit of basic bio thrown in.

It doesn't seem all that difficult.

In orgo, I learned that the key to the class was in the stability of the transition states and intermediates.. realizing that was pretty much all i needed to know to do well in orgo. Is there a similar mantra for success in biochem?

Thanks for any help..

 

[Noeljan]

We had to know the entire cycle + the rate det step, the co-factors, where each ATP was made, irreversible steps (ie rds, but not always), total ATP used, total ATP made and net ATP for about 15 cycles. The good part is once you commit all this to memory, the final ends up being pretty easy. It becomes more like a puzzle, where you might have to start with glucose-6-P and show how it is made into some random intermediate in the TCA. Takes a lot of effort, but not that bad.

I agree. I thought biochem was really easy, don't let people scare you at your school. I heard the same things maybe that is why I studied for it so much. It was more enjoyable than organic though, which made it easier in my opinion. Once you understand certain enzymes you can pretty much figure out what is going on.

 

[yancantcook]

for schools that don't require biochemistry, is it really necessary to take it during college?

 

[Medikit]

I thought Biochem was pretty easy, but as with most classes that are information focused rather than concept focused the difficulty of the class depends more on the professor than anything else. My second semester of Biochem was one of the hardest classes I've ever had and it's mostly because the teacher made it that way.

 

[blondie]

Biochem isn't bad at all. My first class (metabolism) was a little tougher than the second (molecular bio), but neither were really killer. The key is just understanding your pathways. It's a lot of memorization, but once its committed to memory, it's not bad at all. I thought it was much moreinteresting than Ochem, so it was a lot easier to study. Don't be intimidated.....

 

[Childe]

As with most classes, it depends on the school and the professor. It can be very easy if he tests on general principles or concepts. If, on the other hand, he tests on inane esoteric crap like mine did, it is difficult. Memorizing only becomes hard when there is a lot of it. Pathways are relatively easy, its the structures and random info that really screw you...

 

[STIG]

i m taking biochem this semester too. seems like a lot of memorization to do

 

[Mr. Seeds]

Here is a link to my biochem professor's "metabolic melodies" site. It is seriously funny. During the last class before the final, the whole class of some 200-300 students sang these as a "review" for the final.

http://www.davincipress.com/metabmelodies.html

My personal favorite is the "Battle Hymm of Biochemistry"

 

[Mr. Seeds]

BTW, from my experience biochem I was not too bad. Biochem II, however, was exponentially harder.