This question kind of sounds dumb even to me, but I will ask any way. Did anyone go to the Med school even though they didn’t like the biology courses? I only studied biology in my 10th grade, which is basic biology. I’m not sure if I like biology or not(my path has been Math so far) but I want to go to Med school. I’m going to buy a pre med anatomy book and give a quick reading to see if i like it, but wanted to know what you guys think
I loved high school biology (phenomenal teacher), but strongly disliked freshman (college-level: who the heck cares about taxonomy?!?) biology. The more advanced college biology courses got, and the more specific to humans, the more I liked them (and my grades showed it).
My husband hated high school biology (lousy teacher who actually got busted for growing pot in the back room) and never even considered taking biology in college. Now he wishes he had…
Bottom line, the basic courses teach principles and patterns that aren’t necessarily fun to learn. Whether you like them or not doesn’t really matter; it’s what you get out of them that allows you to get to the interesting stuff later.
Good luck figuring out your own path!
I wouldn’t say that you have to like all aspects of Biology, but I would say a healthy interest would be expected. Like I hated most of microbiology, i really could give a flying flip about the peptidoglycan layer of bacteria. That being said I did find parts of Micro interesting, like the way organisims, (particullarly humans) reacted to that bacteria.
So if you are starting from scratch, I have a feeling learning about plants, insects, fish and amphibians is not going to be something you “like”
I wondered the same thing because I absolutely hated high school biology. In fact, I had developed an aversion for the sciences. But since my interest in medicine blossomed a couple of years ago, I have found my cc level biology classes to be interesting. This seems somewhat backwards, but it works for me.
I really think it has to do with the teacher too. Teachers, if bad at teaching, can really really screw how you view things. I have been very lucky in my choices in science professors and for the most part have loved everything science. You have to realize that much of your first year in med school is basically all science, so like Bailey said, having a healthy interest is advised. But if you haven’t taken bio yet since high school, then don’t stress till you have already begun!
I can agree with that; the aformentioned Micro class had a prof whole was all about the nitrogen cycle, so he was more interested in that which made the class pretty suck.
I’m glad you posted this, because I was going to respond in your other post.
I absolutely hate(d) biology. I am much better with numbers and anatomy so the physical sciences attracted me much more.
So - in response to your question. NO - you don’t have to LIKE biology, you just have to tolerate and crush it, like all the rest of your classes!
Thanks all for taking time and responding. Are there any books I can read to get a feel for what I will face in the Med school?( I plan the hell out of every thing, just doing the same with the Med school too :))
- Dilemma Said:
Thanks all for taking time and responding. Are there any books I can read to get a feel for what I will face in the Med school?( I plan the hell out of every thing, just doing the same with the Med school too :))
Nothing really can prepare you for what you will face in medical school, unless you happen to be a professional boxer and are used to getting knocked silly all day long!
If you are trying to decide if you want to be a physician, go shadow a physician. Being a student and being a physician are apples and oranges. I hated the process, but love the end result. It sounds like you are trying to figure out if you like the process without putting any thought into the result.
More than just shadowing a physician, go volunteer in a clinical in-patient setting. Lots. Four hours/week. Ongoing. Then decide if it’s worth learning to like biology.
Cheers,
Judy
Hi there,
I just want to add that while I did like college biology I will admit the various plant chapters were a wee bit of a struggle to squeeze into my brain (I had to read them out loud to myself in a NPR voice to remember anything)
But the point I really want to make is that I have come to realize that it is possible to convince yourself you really love a subject if necessary.
At the beginning of last semester I thought Physics would be the worst thing that ever happened to me but I just decided that I was going to try and pretend It was my favorite class, and shockingly it worked! I started thinking of the problems like sudoku puzzles and when I left after the final exam I realized I will really miss that class…the A i worked my behind off for helps my fond feelings too ; )
Anyway I think sometimes the basic classes are maybe not full of the material that makes your heart sing but it can be fun to take on the challenge! (and hopefully it will allow us all to achieve the dream)