Guest Saberial Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 Hi there! First of all, congratulations to all the accepted applicants! I am planning to take BCEM 443 this fall and was wondering if anyone here has taken the course before? Any thoughts, comments or suggestions? I've heard that it is a killer course, is that actually true or just rumours? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HP Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 It's difficult, but not impossible. I got a better mark in 443 than I did in 393. Provided the curriculum doesn't change again, the DNA section at the start of the course isn't tested in the final, so the information load is a little more manageable than it might have been a few years ago. The lab component was also apparently relaxed a bit, but it might have been retooled again for next year. A lot of memorization is required, but if you practice often and try to understand the chemical reactions instead of simply memorizing structures, you should be ok. You'll need to have a good grasp on amino acids, glycolysis, and the TCA cycle. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest haikuguy Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 I took that course years ago, and found that the best way to study was to draw out the pathways on a large poster paper after each class. This allowed me to integrate the scattered reactions we learned into some sort of a whole... cheers! and good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Saberial Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 Thanks for the quick replies, I really appreciate your input. It's been a few years since I've taken BCEM 393, when you say good knowledge of the amino acids, will I have to go back and memorize the damn structures again? Also, are there old exams (MTs, Finals) or even labs available? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ale loofa Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 From my experience of BCEM 443, I found it difficult. They revamped the material last year (?), to basically squeeze two courses into one. You need to know DNA, RNA, amino acids, sugars & metabolic pathways, and fat structure, synthesis & metabolism. It would be recommendable to re-memorize all your amino acids. I'm drawing a blank on old midterms and labs: I don't remember using any, so I don't think any are available. But is there any such thing as an easy BCEM course? I was considering BCEM 537 (aka: MDSC 537)...has anyone every taken this course or have any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HP Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 Oops, I forgot about that...you'll have to remember some of the carbohydrate stuff from 393 too. And yes, it would be a good idea to know the structures of the amino acids. I don't know of any practice exams that would help. Since they changed the material so much, even if you could find a test from a few years ago it would be outdated. Dr. Voordouw(sp?) has a really good set of practice questions at the end of his notes, and I think the other profs tried to come up with some practice questions too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest riffraff Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 this may sound crazy, but since bcem443 was revamped this past year, I think it wasn't too difficult a course as long as you're used to rote memorization. over 30% of the class got either an A- or A. there are only 5 labs the entire course (i think there may be 6 this year) and i'd say it's one of the easier science courses i've taken in my undergrad (that's not saying that it's easy like a 200 level course, but easy in comparison to other senior level science courses). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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