So summer session is almost over and Bio II is looking like an A. Go me!
On Aug 20, I start at my local 4 year university. I will be a Communications major while finishing my pre-reqs as electives. I’m going in slow with only Precalc and 1 Comm. class to try and gauge the intensity of university classes while preserving my GPA. I never take any more than 3 classes in any case.
My next plan was to take Physics in the Spring to get it done with the math fresh in mind. I have Chem, Orgo, and Physics left and I’d like to squeeze biochem into these last 2 years as well. (It will likely take me closer to 3)
Which leads me to my question. What do I take biochem with?
I’ve heard Biochem + anything is a bad idea, but if I have to double up, is biochem more complimentary to Chem I or II or Orgo? In other words, which class should I take alongside biochem? I’m just trying to get some sort of medium range plan going here.
Thanks
At my school, orgo was a pre-requisite or co-requisite for biochem. There is some orgo involved in biochem, at least the way it was taught at my school - a few mechanisms, for example, nucleophilic substitution, etc. Aside from the direct orgo connections, biochem is an upper-level chem elective (was at my school, at least, a 300-level course), and so a VERY good knowledge of chemistry was expected from day one. I wouldn’t recommend taking it without having had two semesters of gen chem, but that’s just me.
Even if it is some how an option, don’t take biochemistry before or with Chem 1, Chem 2, or Organic 1. If you are dominating all your classes-I’m talking Good Will Hunting levels-then I’d say it’s worth the GPA risk to take Orgo 2 and Biochem 1 at the same time. But you should take biochemistry with something that isn’t related to Inorganic or Organic and after you’ve had the full sequence of general/inorganic and organic chemistry (unless you are subbing biochem for orgo2). Chem majors at my school take it with “analytical chemistry.” The biology and molecular biology majors take it with classes like immunology or genetics. The non-science majors take it with online classes that have open book tests.
I would NOT take Biochem without taking both chems and organic first. It’s not as bad as taking a calculus-based Physics class while learning calculus (you don’t learn calculus things in sync with your need to know them for your physics exams), but it is equally un-advisable.
Not to be negative, but by the time you are ready to take biochem you may find that several of the school’s you are interested in require genetics or another upper-level bio course that are less stressful when combined with Biochem than the typical pre-reqs. 
Ok then. A strong message received loud and clear. Thanks for the warning. That could have been a costly mistake.
- Matt1986 Said:
Was that a shot in ref to my communications major?
Haha I didn’t even see that! The love of my life has a BS and MA in journalism so I love to take shots at non-science majors whenever I can 
…but she is smarter than me so the last laugh is her’s.