Which biochem class to take?

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xsoppy

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At my school the "general biochemistry" class is a senior level class with prereqs that make it almost impossible for non-biochem majors to take it, and I've also been told it's well above the level needed for the MCAT. I don't have the option to take this class before the MCAT but I can take a class called "concepts of biochemistry" or "biochemistry for biotechnology and life sciences". Here are the course descriptions of each:

Concepts - Short course in fundamentals of the chemistry of living systems. Introduction to major categories of biochemical substances, metabolic pathways, and principles of biochemical information transfer.

Biochem for biotech - Survey presentation of the basic principles of biochemistry as they apply to biotechnology. Topics covered include protein structure, enzymology, cellular organization, and biochemical regulation. Special emphasis will be given to gene structure, transcription, and translation, cellular organization, and cloning, sequencing, modification and expression of recombinant DNA. Examples will be given of agricultural/medical/industrial applications of cellular and molecular biochemical knowledge.


I'm only taking this class for MCAT prep so is there one that sounds better for that? My academic advisor said to take concepts of biochem but I'm not sure how familiar with the MCAT he is.

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I wonder what prerequisites for that biochemistry class that you don’t have as a premed?

I would guess concepts because it seems more general and it covers metabolic pathways. It’s probably also going to cover enzymes and some genetics as well.


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At my school the "general biochemistry" class is a senior level class with prereqs that make it almost impossible for non-biochem majors to take it, and I've also been told it's well above the level needed for the MCAT. I don't have the option to take this class before the MCAT but I can take a class called "concepts of biochemistry" or "biochemistry for biotechnology and life sciences". Here are the course descriptions of each:

Concepts - Short course in fundamentals of the chemistry of living systems. Introduction to major categories of biochemical substances, metabolic pathways, and principles of biochemical information transfer.

Biochem for biotech - Survey presentation of the basic principles of biochemistry as they apply to biotechnology. Topics covered include protein structure, enzymology, cellular organization, and biochemical regulation. Special emphasis will be given to gene structure, transcription, and translation, cellular organization, and cloning, sequencing, modification and expression of recombinant DNA. Examples will be given of agricultural/medical/industrial applications of cellular and molecular biochemical knowledge.


I'm only taking this class for MCAT prep so is there one that sounds better for that? My academic advisor said to take concepts of biochem but I'm not sure how familiar with the MCAT he is.
Take the concepts course. I have no clue why the biotech one goes into genetics coursework. You likely will have enough of this in other courses such as genetics or gen bio. The pathways in the concepts course is the stuff that will appear on the MCAT.

Check online if you can find a fuller syllabus for the concepts course. The pathways you need are: glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, pentose phosphate, glycogen synthesis and breakdown, TCA, electron transport, urea, and others. Your course should go over amino acids in depth, proteins, the role of pH in blood, and many other things I have not named. If the course contains all these things then it is the more universal biochem that all unis offer.
 
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I wonder what prerequisites for that biochemistry class that you don’t have as a premed?

I would guess concepts because it seems more general and it covers metabolic pathways. It’s probably also going to cover enzymes and some genetics as well.


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To take general biochem you have to take "biochemical calculations" (only offered in the spring) and you have to take ochem before biochemical calculations. I'm a rising junior and I took ochem sophomore year so in theory I could take biochem calculations next spring then take general biochem in the fall of my senior year but I'm taking the MCAT next spring.

The general biochem class is really only intended for biochem majors and it's known as one of the hardest classes at my university.
 
Take the concepts course. I have no clue why the biotech one goes into genetics coursework. You likely will have enough of this in other courses such as genetics or gen bio. The pathways in the concepts course is the stuff that will appear on the MCAT.

Check online if you can find a fuller syllabus for the concepts course. The pathways you need are: glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, pentose phosphate, glycogen synthesis and breakdown, TCA, electron transport, urea, and others. Your course should go over amino acids in depth, proteins, the role of pH in blood, and many other things I have not named. If the course contains all these things then it is the more universal biochem that all unis offer.
Yeah I have already taken genetics so that seemed redundant to me. I signed up for concepts so I should be getting the syllabus soon, thanks for the info
 
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To take general biochem you have to take "biochemical calculations" (only offered in the spring) and you have to take ochem before biochemical calculations. I'm a rising junior and I took ochem sophomore year so in theory I could take biochem calculations next spring then take general biochem in the fall of my senior year but I'm taking the MCAT next spring.

The general biochem class is really only intended for biochem majors and it's known as one of the hardest classes at my university.

That must be biochem I and II named in a weird way. I was a biochem major and I was required to take 2 biochem classes.


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