Caseys500 Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 Biochem sucks for sure...best precursor for it is actually Bio 101 (depends on how the teacher presents the stuff though). Ochem definitely helped with the structures and knowing how they work. My final was HARD last fall in Biochem. Know the name, structures and 3 letter designations of 20 Amino Acids. Citric acid cycle structures, names and products. Glycolosis, names structures, products, and intermediates...ugh. My Ochem class really sucked though. There was one test that I was one of the first ones done at a little over 4.5 hours! I was glad to take the final which was limited to 2 hours. That class was taught by the department head though...very tough. I guess I just wanted to chime in with my complaints as well! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BlueHusky Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 If it was just memorizing structures and spitting them back out, fine, easy...but this crap of knowing reactions and being able to synthesize molecules in order to make what my prof wants from the chemicals given just blows me away. I see NO point to this - I try studying with my little model kit and just bust out laughing thinking about how completely retarded and unimportant this is. I do not want to do research, I want to help patients, and I don't need Orgo to do it. Made a C- in Orgo I, have avoided Orgo II, and I'm taking Biochem (yes, without Orgo II) this fall...yikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medicated Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 You really don't need o-chem for biochem. Some people will say it helps, but biochem is more memorization of structures than elaborate reaction mechanisms. I too found organic chemistry to be frustrating and unhelpful (as I already stated above). :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 The % of med schools that do not requir those courses are way higher than the % of PA schools....out of 145+ PA programs there are maybe three to five that do not require A&P and even with those programs you are required to complete a certain amount of biological science courses and they specifically state that A&P is highly recommended and most/all med school's don't require microbiology or anatomy/physiology, though not all PA schools require A&P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Not entirely true, many PA programs require Biochem, and to take biochem at most schools you have to have had at least the first half of O-Chem. BTW-why in the world did you go to PA school just to go to med school after? yeah i hate that schools "require" organic chem 1 for biochem. luckily my school doesn't check to make sure you have the pre-reqs, so i'm finishing up biochem this semester w/o ochem 1. Organic is definitely unnecessary for biochemistry. Very true MCHAD..... EMPAhopeful you have to be careful with that type of biochem. Take University of Nebraska for example, I had emailed several course descriptions for bio chem courses because the school I attend requires both Ochem I and II to take biochem. In the end the would only accept the course from my current school because they wanted a biochem that "usually requires oraginc chem as a pre or co req":rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Do you guys have a tutoring center? I know at my school we have SI (student instructed) sessions and also for test review Just blew another orgo test. I was literally pulling out my hair and crying last night over this class. Looks like I'll probably get a C, which isn't accepted at most PA schools. Hell - it isn't even accepted at our Nursing school. This class is like some kind of horrifying reality show. Started out in 2 large auditoriums and now its down to a couple dozen students. A student got his test and threw up today. For this test, the prof wanted us to memorize the following structures: All 20 Amino Acids!! NAD+ NADH All 8 B Vitamins ATP ADP A, G, C, T, U nucleotides Meaning we had to literally recall these from memory and copy the structures exactly. Zwitterions, Watson-Crick bonds, Isoelectric points of Amino Acids. We also had to know everything about DNA transcription, translation, Okazaki fragments, restriction enzymes, polymerases, ect . . . I studied like crazy for weeks for this exam but I can't seem to get all the structures straight in my head. Its just rote memory but I keep mixing up the locations of functional groups. Its been so stressful because I'm also taking a very hard upper level physiology where more than half the class has already flunked. I am also working part time and have a long commute. The sad thing is this is a required class to get in our schools nursing school and they don't accept a C. Last year they only accepted 2 students who re-took a class. AND THAT'S THE NURSING SCHOOL! I feel like my dreams are slipping away and now even my backup plan (nursing) seems out of reach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoRyou Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 dude, as mentioned many times previously, o-chem/biochem/gre are not required at a large # of excellent programs taught at every academic level(yes, you can get an entry level ms and never take these), so why kill yourself? you will never use this info again in your medical career ever. you can score a perfect score on both pance and panre without ever taking these(trust me on this).one of the reasons to become a pa and not a doc is not having to take ochem. "back in the day" if I had to take ochem I would have just gone to medschool.... I do see this was originally posted back in 2009, but I think Bob Dylan says it best ... "For the times they are a-changin'." As I type this the year is 2013 and it does seems like O-Chem is more the norm than not these days. Orgo I&II, learning about insects, and even calculus stunk, but in the end, you have to get through it if you want to break into medicine (well, not necessarily the insect part). ...my man Bobo says it the best; I absolutely LOVE that! Here is another quote that seems appropriate ... “Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult-once we truly understand and accept it-then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.” ― M. Scott Peck (RIP M. Scott Peck) BTW look at my avatar on here I think it says it all :wink: FWIW ... I need to remember this post when I am ready to take O'Chem because I am sure I will be cussing too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemegroup Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 I did well in Orgo ... probably because I took the text with me to breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining hall :D The lab rocked! We got to extract pure caffeine from tea leaves ... I kept that little vial of white powder with me for years, I loved telling people it was cocaine hahaha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted March 4, 2013 Moderator Share Posted March 4, 2013 there are still lots of great programs in 2013 that do not require ochem or biochem. check out university of wa, a top 3 school. no requirement. I don't think any of the cert, a.s., or b.s. level programs require it. probably 60-70% of ms programs do. my alma mater (hahnemann/drexel) only requires gen chem 1 and 2. they list biochem as optional along with a list of other optional courses and do not even mention ochem on their site at all. chemistry haters can still find an excellent pa program in 2013. when the day comes that ochem and biochem are required at every pa program it will be time for most applicants under 40 to just buckle down and apply to medschool. one of the significant reasons to apply to pa school is to avoid coursework like this and tests like the mcat which do not measure ability to practice medicine. if pa and md/do prereqs were the same back in the day I would have never considered pa school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemegroup Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 he won't admit it, but emed actually carries around a little organic and biochem reader in his back pocket, he sneaks peeks when he thinks no one's looking ... one of his patients told me, i swear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoRyou Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 he won't admit it, but emed actually carries around a little organic and biochem reader in his back pocket, he sneaks peeks when he thinks no one's looking ... one of his patients told me, i swear Heme I promise NOT to tell a soul :wink: your secret is safe with me and the world. Err I mean just me LMAO and congrats on Orgo! Heme, I might need some help so I might kidnap you very soon and get some 1-1 tutoring when the time is right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted March 5, 2013 Moderator Share Posted March 5, 2013 he won't admit it, but emed actually carries around a little organic and biochem reader in his back pocket, he sneaks peeks when he thinks no one's looking ... one of his patients told me, i swear SHHHH! someone might think I know what an hmg co-a reductase inhibitor is......:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 The original post sounded like you are going through life thinking every class is a "match point" in tennis. It isn't. I took organic as my first class after 20 years out of the classroom and was happy to get a C. I also got accepted in the PA programs I applied to. Take a breath! Two steps forward and one step back every so often! Good luck. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1479372099/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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