Hello,

Quick question. My undergrad degree was in Computer Information Systems. So I don't have much of a science background. I'm almost finished with all the basic required Pre-med courses, and I did very well in them.

But the question is.....should I take extra science courses (which are not required) inorder to strengthen my science background?

I'm particularily concerned about BIOCHEM. Is it better to take it before going to Med School?? Some people told me that if I never took a BIOCHEM class in undergrad, I would have an extremely difficult time with it in med school, no matter how hard I study. I heard scary stories about that class. Is it really that bad?

Any feedback/advice would be appreciated,
Thanks very much!

Yes, your courswork will be tough, but you won't be the only one who has never taken biochem.

If you are worried about it, take some more upper-division science before you start. It could never hurt.

MitchDC

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MitchDC/MD
RUSM 2006 Graduate

I would buy a review book like a princeton review etc and read it like a text book to try and understand some broad topics. Then go through it again and take some notes/outlines of the topics. You'd be surprised how much you'll be able to learn by yourself. If you have any questions....I'm sure someone from your undergrad chem department would be glad to help you out, especially if it's just for some clarification.

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Just remember that life down here is not a sprint, it's a 4 semester-long marathon.

Just based upon my experience at AUC, I would advise learning as much Biochem before going to med school as possible. If you are a good self studier just get and read the book Champe and Harvey. All of biochem in one semester is just an overwhelming ton of material.
I'd also ditto that for Anatomy. Get Netter's book and Flash cards and get way ahead on them.

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Marriage is gay and should be banned.

I read Lippincott Biochem and the histo book and the langmans embryology all in their entirety before showing up for Semester1.

I don't think it helped. I'm apparantly more of a lecture person than a self study type.

I wish I took as much time as necessary to take non-fluff courses in Biochemistry, Anatomy and Pharmacology.

What's the hurry anyway ? I got 4 years of cramming then a few more years of residency anyway before I considered "done".

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...fade out to the wail of a lonely saxophone.

The best is to take the biochem book that we will have to take for the class and start studying it. There's no point to read other biochem books if we need to have Meisenberg's for the class. i borrowed my book from the library...

Whereas biochemistry is not required, you may find familiarity with the subject matter helpful and allow you more study time for other medical school subjects.

For those not yet in medical school, doing well in undergraduate biochemistry is not an "automatic A+" in medical school biochemistry, which is more pathophysiologic in its emphasis. One possibility, therefore, is to audit the undergarduate biochemistry class if you are worried it will devastate your GPA prior to medical school admission applications.

Another viable option is imply to purchase a lovely copy of Lippincott's Biochemistry for pleasant leisure reading. Enjoy!

Best wishes in achieving your dreams!

I think taking any bachelor's-level class that relates to any course in med. school is a good idea. Most always you will finish the material covered in 16 weeks of under-grad course within a few weeks of med. school. I could be wrong about this but every med. student that I have talked to says this.

On the flip side, it is not absolutley necessary to take these classes at under-grad level. One can do just as well without taking them before hand, however it may take a lot more work and a lot more determination, unless you are a "good" student.

I, well, am an average student so I am trying to absorb all that I can before I start. Even knowing some of the terminology before hand will help, and even better if I can get some of the major concepts down. Best of luck.

“Without preperation opportunity is an empty promise.”
Justice Allen C. Page

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"Excite me physically and I'll love you for minutes. Excite me intellectually and I'll love you for life."
MDSomeday

“If you haven’t found something strange in a day, it hasn’t been much of a day.”
John Wheeler

Thanks for everyone's responses. Ok I guess I will buy the book early and start studying it before I go to Med School. So now the question is, which book does Ross University use?

"Lippincott's Biochemistry" or "Meisenberg's Biochemistry" ?

Thanks

the official book for the class is dr. meisenberg's book. he's the head of the biochem dept here and he'll be teaching some of the biochem lectures.

a lot of students also read lippincott's biochem. it has a different approach, which works better for some people. personally, lippincott worked out better for me, but my friends read meisy's book from cover to cover and loved it.