Biochemistry/ Chemistry v.s. Biochemistry and Cell Biology
I was researching the difference between the two majors and here is what I found. The majors are pretty much the same for freshmen year. First quarter of sophomore, if you are a bio chem/ chem major, you will be taking chem 100 A and if you are a bio chem/ bio major, you will be taking BILD 2/3 and the rest stays the same. Of course, bio chem/ bio majors aren't mandated to take the 20 series for math and the 2 series for physics. I noticed that chem 140 is organic chemistry and chem 141 is also organic chemistry; what's up with that? Anyway, I wanted to know which major will be better for the pre-med route. Thanks again.
1. it's freshMAN year, not 'freshmen year' (sorry, grammar nazi in me comes out)
2. you don't HAVE to take 100A in your sophomore year. that's a suggested plan. there are groups of labs you have to take as a chem/biochem major and they can be done in any order you wish, as long as prereqs are met. so i did chem 6bl/143M/143B my sophomore year, 143C/100A/112B my junior year, then 105A/112A my senior year. you'll notice that 6bl is required for anything, but 100A is only needed to take 105A, so i left it off as long as i could.
2. chem 141 is organic chemistry designed for the chem major -- slightly more accelerated, possibly nicer curve.
3. there is NO major best suited for pre-med. people go to med school from both majors. you should be using college as an opportunity to learn something you're really interested in, not only as a stepping stone for what's afterward. i know a bunch of med students with all sorts of majors: bio, chem, physics, international relations, buddhist studies ... just pick what makes you happy.
From what I've observed, Biochem/Chem is a lot harder/more "prestigious" because of the harder math/physics components (Math 20 series, Physics 2 or 4 series, P-Chem, etc.)
If you're going the pre-med route and aren't so great with math, go BIBC
What is a good schedule to follow for a Biochemistry/ chemistry major, in terms of classes to take,to be prepared for the MCAT by the end of sophomore year?
1. Look up topics covered on the MCAT from their website
2. Pick the appropriate chemistry classes off the UCSD catalog. Don't bother with the honors courses; the material covered in the 'regular' series is more than sufficient for the MCAT.
most chem majors even opt for the regular series, since the intensity of the honors sequence pretty much demands a really theoretical mathematics-minded person. and it's more important to build a solid foundation (and add onto it with optional electives later) than to bust your brains trying to understand stuff way out of your league.
No, please share. I'm not taking it anymore. During orientation, I talked to Professor Hoeger for a while and he was really enthusiastic about me taking the class after talking to me. I guess since it was coming from the professor himself, it was a rather biased pitch. Then again, all pitches are biased. And just because I'm not taking it anymore doesn't mean it's useless for you to share your experiences. So please, let the venting begin.
i'm premed and i took the regular chem series while one of my suitemates (bioengineering: premed major) took the honors series. in the end, he never got a solid "A" in any of the honors chem courses; i was fortunate to...you know;] anyways, i don't want to make a blatant comparison between our intelligence(s?), but he's in general more into learning than i am, yet still didn't get the same grades as i did.
of course you're not him, and you might be more focused/capable of getting A's in the series, but i don't think it's worth it. i'm sure it's better to get an A in a non-honors course than to get an A- in an honors class of the same course. even if you get an A in the honors class, the extra appeal that it will add to your med school app is slim, i hear. so in the end, it jus might not be worth the risk to take the honors series.
UNLESS...you've been the most brilliant student in all of your classes all your life. the classes go by a curve system, so if you've always been the best, you'll still be at least one of the best in these classes
