Guest syim Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 Hey everyone I'm terribly sorry if this has been posted again, but how did you decide what major you went into. I've heard mixed reviews about everything. Like biochem is what you want to take if you want to go far in the world, and stuff like that. please advise a little freshman thanks ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lactic Folly Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 What was interesting to me, that I could do well in, and allowed me to take the prerequisites for applying to medicine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Teemster Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 Hello syim, You should major in whatever interests you the most, because you're more likely to excell if you're interested. Don't forget that you're going to be spending a lot of time and money on this, so do something that you love. Med schools don't really care what your major is as long as you challenge yourself within that major by choosing advanced level courses, and doing extra curriculars. Good luck with your decision, Teemster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RageoftheDragon Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 I've heard of Anat. majors doing poorly in many classes in first 2 years as they feel they already know the material (anatomy of course), study less, and end up flubbing the tests. I was advised agianst an Anat degree by the med advisor. RotD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 I'd rather have studied something anatomy related than the biochem degree I did do. It may be "the future" of biology and medicine, but right now all it leads to is test-tube washing or being a pharmaceutical company's biatch. Medicine is still much more anatomy and physiology oriented than biochem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest terminalprep Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 I'm surprised you were advised against doing anatomy-- It's what I was leaning towards. I figured it would be a great background for a career in medicine, and it seemed somewhat interesting... Has anyone else done anatomy? I realize there are only a few (Bachelor) programs in Canada, which is another reason I was leaning towards it... Hmmm. Looks like I'll need a backup plan. :S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest moo Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 I'm actually in disagreement with UWOMED2005 on this one. Anatomy is actually being de-emphasized in a lot of med schools. It's not as important as you might think to the practicing physician (to the surgeon, it will be but you learn most of your anatomy during clerkships, not out of some book). Especially with the advances in bio-technology, anatomy has become somewhat of a lost art in medicine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest terminalprep Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 Ok....soooo.... tell me what to do now. *L* Really, tell me so I can quit thinking about it. :S Seriously, one advisor suggested biology/psychology... Originally, I wanted to do a 5 year Arts and Science (so I could do history as well, something I enjoy), but I was advised against that. I love all Sciences (with the exception of physics), so I'm not concerned about winding up with a course I don't enjoy... My mind is just set on getting the best MCAT scores possible. So I guess my question is... ARE there any programs that offer a better prep than others? I thought maybe anatomy, but, hey... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lactic Folly Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 In my opinion, MCAT scores are much more a function of the concentrated practice and review leading up to the test than what program you took. As long as you have those basic first year science courses, which should be part of most biomedically-related majors, you'll have the foundation to hone your test-taking skills on (and how much of those courses do you retain after taking them anyway?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Steve U of T Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 My mind is just set on getting the best MCAT scores possible. There isn't really much anatomy on the MCAT (if any at all) if I remember correctly. As far as the biological sciences are concerned, it's mainly molecular biology/biochemistry, physiology, genetics, microbiology. Also, all of it is at a pretty basic level (i.e. not beyond second year). I don't know what school you're at, but I'd imagine that you can get some background in each of those subjects through a variety of different programs. I'm at U of T in the physiology program, and although the focus of my studies is (of course) physiology, I have been required to take molecular biology, a couple of biochem courses, and I've had the freedom to also take genetics, immunology, and some pathobiology courses. Actually, all life science programs at U of T require molecular biology, and most require biochemistry, and a lot require a genetics course, all of which provide a sufficient amount of preparation for the MCAT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest moo Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 Anatomy is useless for the MCAT. Biochem would help a bit for the MCAT but honestly, no major prepares you better for med school or the MCAT. I did math and physics in undergrad, and had only taken half a year of biology when I took the MCAT and still rocked the Bio section. The biology you learn in undergrad (plants, verterbrate physiology, etc.) you will never touch in med school. Courses that would help in med school are physiology and biochem, but again, I really don't think you should waste your time in undergrad studying something you will learn again in med school since most of the basic physiology and biochem stuff are covered in a really short time. Case in point: our "fundamentals" unit in first year was 6 weeks long and consisted of biochem, genetics and cell bio. Granted, we didn't learn everything in as great depth as in undergrad but I would say we covered everything in a typical semester course EACH of biochem, genetics and cell bio (especially considering after the fact that I ended up taking all three by the time I graduated). I mean there's nothing wrong with majoring in a science... I'd recommend either biochem or physiology if you really want to prepare for med school. And then maybe take some history courses on the side. Don't get too hung up on the "double major" or "major with an arts minor" designation stuff on your transcript. Med schools don't really care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TimmyMax Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 Hey, I have to agree with UWOMED2005 on this one- medicine is pretty much all anatomy and physiology, especially in the clinical setting. There is very little biochem in medical school and any of the stuff covered you can just memorize. For example, you'll never have to know bonding patterns or chemical structures in medical school- you will have to know the products of each pathway (maybe), but again, that's something that you can just memorize. The biochem covered in medical school is on such a superficial level that I've found that my bio/chem background has really granted me little advantage in the grander scheme of things. Anatomy and physiology on the other hand, form the basis of medicine. Anatomy is extremely important to know, especially if you are planning on heading into surgery, but it applies to all disciplines of medicine (except maybe psychiatry), so I'd work on getting a couple of credits in that if at all possible. Physiology is perhaps most important to know, because it is really the basis of how things work. There is a ton of physiology to know, and a couple of credits in physiology (stick to animal phys, plant phys is useless in medical school) would be a great asset heading in. As for biochem, yeah, it is important, but in a clinical setting, it is really left to the lab and all you have to do is interpret the results. In medical school, it may help you understand a few concepts better or more easily, but in the grander scheme of things, I'd argue that anatomy and physiology are much more important, especially for medical school. BUT, with that being said, I am not advising people to skip out on chemistry credits- they are still VERY, VERY important! All I'm saying is that if you can help it, be sure to get an anatomy and physiology courses if at all possible. Best of luck! Timmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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