Nov
25
Ok, basically I have a choice between a BA in chemistry and a BA in biology. I need to stress that I will /not/ use the degree regardless as I plan to apply to medical school and they could care less what your degree is in. That being said, I like both biology and chemistry, yet I am hesitant to commit to chemistry since at UC Davis (where I plan to transfer), and im sure elsewhere, you’re required to take a full year of physical chem as part of the degree requirements. I hear that it is obviously very heavy in physics and is extremely hard.
So my question is to those who are chemist majors who preferably have already taken one or more physical chem classes: Is it really that bad or not? As much description of pchem as you want will be much appreciated, however, keep in mind that I’m just finishing gen chem 1 so I may not understand any terms you use that are specific to organic or physical chem. Thanks!
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One Response to “Physical chemistry: spawn of satan or not that bad?”
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Medical schools may not care what your degree is in but there are courses offered in both departments that will help you pass the MCAT’s as well as give you a good foundation so you don’t fail out of med school.
Biochemistry…take it. Ace it. Take it again. Including the labs. A full year if your college offers it.
Human Anatomy and Physiology. You would be a fool not to take these courses.
Most medical schools require a course in genetics. I would go with molecular genetics as opposed to applied genetics.
Speaking of things molecular…take Cell Bio and Molecular Biology with the labs. Seriously. And pay attention. Keep your notes for all your science classes and review them every chance you get.
My college offered endocrinology and histology in the bio department. I took endo but not histology and I wish I had taken the time…
Depending on your school’s departments, I would say that getting a major in Biology or Biochemistry would be the way to go. You could alway minor in chemistry in which case you would get to try out pchem. I liked it a lot, especially the lab…but it was wicked hard.
To say that you won’t be using your bio or chem degree in med school is a huge mistake. All the liberal-arts majors got their asses kicked the first year of med school. (not that we all didn’t get a beating…but thay seemed really under-prepared). All the kids who had to repeat 1st year were liberal arts majors. Medical school is a trial by fire and you would do well to be as prepared as possible. Although having a wide variety of courses will help your admission chances. I still claim that my triple-major was the only reason I got into medical school in the first place (Biology/Chemistry/Philosophy).
I know you wanted a detailed report on pchem, but I hope this helps anyway.