Question about Biochemistry Course

[EMEDPA]

hahnemann(now drexel).

[whoRyou]

you can do this quite well without ever taking ochem/biochem. ... some newer programs require these as a weed out mechanism but you won't actually use them in the program at all.

Sounds like a weed out mechanism AND/OR the schools want money. Either way the schools got you that is if you want to continue and get a degree and apply to PA school OR if you want to STAY in PA school. Sounds like O'Chem is the same - weed out, (or am I wrong in hearing what I have heard about O'Chem?), but thanks for informing us.

[sartort]

Biochem is fun. If you want to take it online, it's offered through Oregon State's E-campus with video lectures so you don't miss out and the exams are fair. You definitely need to study though. The book is also free currently for 300 level, written by the professor and his wife (another professor). It also has an O-Chem pre-req (also available online through the school, and a good grade for organic seems easier to get through e-campus because there is extra credit offered with same exam format as regular lecture).

[MedicinePower]

Sounds like a weed out mechanism AND/OR the schools want money. Either way the schools got you that is if you want to continue and get a degree and apply to PA school OR if you want to STAY in PA school. Sounds like O'Chem is the same - weed out, (or am I wrong in hearing what I have heard about O'Chem?), but thanks for informing us.

 

Orgo chem is the hardest science class anyone will ever take. I took a full year (with lab) and I now tutor for it at my local college. Students who are taking it regularly say things like "this is so much harder than gen chem" and "I wish I had studied before the semester started" and "I think I am going to drop this class". The reason being is the sheer amount of knowledge necessary to memorize and the tiny details

necessary in understanding how organic chemistry works. It's not hard to memorize that Reagent A turns Reactant A in Product A, but memorizing the dance of electrons, the bonds being forms, the chirality of those bonds, etc etc etc can be really hard.

 

For anyone who needs to take Orgo I strongly recommend the book "Organic Chemistry as a Second Language". I wish there was a similar book for biochem but it as of yet does not exist. Many wanna-be type books exist, but I've never found them to be good quality.

[sartort]

I didn't find organic to be hard, just very time consuming.

[Timon]

I think the saying goes if you find general chemistry difficult, organic chemistry will be easy. If you find general chemistry easy, organic chemistry will be difficult. I found this to be true in my case as organic chemistry seemed easier to me then general chemistry.

[MedicinePower]

I think the saying goes if you find general chemistry difficult, organic chemistry will be easy. If you find general chemistry easy, organic chemistry will be difficult. I found this to be true in my case as organic chemistry seemed easier to me then general chemistry.

 

I think I agree with this. I tutor for both gen and orgo chem (and biochem) at the college and it's clear that some students suffer terrible in gen chem (aka algebra word problems with 10,000 different formulas to apply) but thrive in orgo (no calculator needed). Bio chem is basically "you are on a bus, this guy gets on, this guy gets off the bus, etc etc". Knowing alpha vs beta saccharides is a plus.