When did you guys take biochem?

[Pete Clat]

I am in my fourth semester, and I'm finishing up my orgo sequence now. I was just wondering when you guys took Biochem. With the progress I have made, it seems like I would have to apply in my senior year summer instead of my junior year summer (since Biochem won't be complete in time for an april MCAT).

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[eteshoe]

I took my first biochem course during my junior year (after ochem). It doesn't matter if you take the MCAT late - take it once you know you can do well on it. A gap year can be quite beneficial.

 

[Hospitalized]

Concurrently with organic chemistry 2, during spring semester of my Junior year.

 

[djsbaseball2014]

Im finishing my last quarter of O-chem this spring as a second year and was planning on taking Biochem this upcoming summer. Really only doing this to see if i like it enough to change my major to it!

 

[Pete Clat]

It doesn't matter if you take the MCAT late - take it once you know you can do well on it. A gap year can be quite beneficial.

Ya, that's what it's looking like.

Concurrently with organic chemistry 2, during spring semester of my Junior year.

Ah, lucky. My school has orgo II as a prereq for biochem.

 

[Halcyon32]

I am in my fourth semester, and I'm finishing up my orgo sequence now. I was just wondering when you guys took Biochem. With the progress I have made, it seems like I would have to apply in my senior year summer instead of my junior year summer (since Biochem won't be complete in time for an april MCAT).

From what I can tell, you can complete Biochem I next semester and then take the MCAT in January if you feel confident enough. You don't necessarily have to take Biochem II, as well. I've heard that Biochem I is enough to cover all the material on the MCAT and if not you can check your syllabus and compare it with the MCAT content outline and see which subjects are missing and study those few topics on your own.

 

[allantois]

Sophomore year; don't remember much of it a year later...

 

[trickydick]

I took it spring semester of freshman year concurrently with organic chem 2. For any current or future college freshman, do not do this.

 

[WedgeDawg]

I took it at the beginning of junior year (having taken orgo my sophomore year). My class was probably split 50/50 juniors and seniors.

 

[jqueb29]

I didn't. Old MCAT was the best.

 

[Fission Chips]

I took it with Ochem 2, Embryology, and Immunology first semester of senior year. Coming from a Molecular Bio major, I found biochem to be much easier than most of the other science courses. Immunology put Biochem to shame in terms of time invested, but I'm sure it depends on the teacher. It's not bad at all if you have down the basics from Ochem and a pretty thorough understanding of Molecular Bio. Somewhere on youtube is a video called "learn 20 amino acids in 20 minutes." Watch that a few times, know your arrow pushing mechanisms, and have your memorization skills dialed down and you should be good for an A. The intricacies can be a little intense but again, nothing more than an upper level MCDB course, and certainly a joke compared to 1st year med school classes. Biochem lab is another story though... that was a fair challenge.

 

[Fission Chips]

On a side note, I would STRONGLY agree with @eteshoe in taking a gap year. You can certainly learn a lot in the "real world" and get to live your 20's up a bit. In the end, one year will not make a huge difference in your life (although at this point, you may be saying 'well that is one year of attending salary that I will miss out on', to which I may reply, 'then consider it the best 200-700k you ever spent in your 20's', at least you'll have some awesome stories to tell.)

 

[McSpicy]

Talk to your pre-med advisor about when to apply. A gap year may be beneficial for finishing up the pre-reqs before you prep for the MCAT. I took biochem my junior year, but I took the old MCAT so there wasn't much upper-level biochemistry on the exam.

 

[raiderette]

I took biochemistry while studying for the May MCAT. I was able to apply early in the cycle.

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[Summerlax2016]

I can't take it till this coming fall, when I will be a senior, because I transferred and had to redo all my chemistry. Self studied biochem for the mcat in january, ended up with a 128/126/130/129 for a 513

 

[familyaerospace]

I took Biochem in medical school.

 

[EverStriving]

I still haven't taken biochem yet, and did just fine on the bio/biochem portion of the MCAT. Most likely I'll take it next spring, before (presumably) matriculating.

 

[frosted_flake]

I took it fall of my senior year. One of the easier classes I have taken. PS- you don't need organic 2... it is very BIO heavy... at least at my school.

 

[Dr.TonySoprano]

junior year as one of my last science classes before graduating. after orgo 2

 

[Terror Billy]

I took it junior year fall semester, very helpful class for the "New" MCAT. If you can take a Molecular Biology course that also helps with this new test and gives you a bit more depth and for me at least a better understanding of the scientific method/reasoning passages.

 

[whatever5]

Online after I graduated.