Best Classes Before DAT. Scheduling Help

[JCE96]

Hello all,
I am a sophomore, and after this semester I will taken
Calc 1 and stats
general chemistry 1&2
principles of bio 1&2
Organic 1
and several core classes

I am currently making my schedule for next semester and I plan to take
Organic 2
Cell Biology
Genetics
a core class

I also plan to take an additional class (most likely biochem) and study for the DAT next summer. I plan on taking the DAT the first week of August after I finish my summer class.
Are these classes sufficient to give me a good background of the material that will be on the DAT? There is a chance I will not be able to register for all these courses, so which biology courses are best to take? Any other ideas or information would be much appreciated!

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[DMikes]

Yes. I would say Organic 2, Cell bio are most important. Followed by biochem then genetics. That's my opinion, though.

 

[WaveRace]

Definitely get Organic 2 in, that's a must. For the DAT, cell bio and biochem would both be important (although I didn't take cell bio, I'm a chem guy). IMO the only mandatory class before the DAT would be the organic 2, but I'm all for doing upper-level classes. I'd also caution against putting too much on your plate while studying for the DAT. It's different for everyone (studying for 2 weeks vs 4 months, working part time while studying, only studying, etc). Do what works for you. Your DAT score matters a lot.

I would add that any upper-level biology/chemistry classes are going to be helpful. You're going to start seeing the same topics come up again and again across classes, and topics start to make more sense after having been exposed to them several times (even if you are pulling A's in classes). Even classes that are far beyond the scope of the DAT are helpful, just because you develop an intuitive sense of general science topics. You're going to know more than is necessary in several topics, which is both a positive thing for DAT studying, and just cool in general. A Physiology class would probably be directly helpful for the DAT, if you're looking for additional classes.

I'm more of a chemistry person myself... I took physical chem, advanced o chem, a few biochem classes, bioinorganic, etc. Of those, only biochem had info that was pertinent to the DAT, but I think they all helped me in their own way.

 

[super frank]

My school offered a DAT prep course. It was four credits with a lab.

 

[asdf99]

Of those courses, Ochem2 is probably the most important.

That said, I did not have Ochem2 and I didn't think it was THAT big a deal.

 

[averageasian]

from personal experience, i took genetics and cell/molec bio as my only upper level biology classes before taking the dat. I was a sophomore at the time. I was really good at those subjects and reviewing for them was easy but my exam did not focus on those topics very much unfortunately. So your biology exam can vary across different spectrums of subject focus and difficulty.

as stated above, orgo 2 is a must. you will be exposed to many rxns. that will help you when you review orgo for the DAT.

 

[JCE96]

Definitely get Organic 2 in, that's a must. For the DAT, cell bio and biochem would both be important (although I didn't take cell bio, I'm a chem guy). IMO the only mandatory class before the DAT would be the organic 2, but I'm all for doing upper-level classes. I'd also caution against putting too much on your plate while studying for the DAT. It's different for everyone (studying for 2 weeks vs 4 months, working part time while studying, only studying, etc). Do what works for you. Your DAT score matters a lot.

I would add that any upper-level biology/chemistry classes are going to be helpful. You're going to start seeing the same topics come up again and again across classes, and topics start to make more sense after having been exposed to them several times (even if you are pulling A's in classes). Even classes that are far beyond the scope of the DAT are helpful, just because you develop an intuitive sense of general science topics. You're going to know more than is necessary in several topics, which is both a positive thing for DAT studying, and just cool in general. A Physiology class would probably be directly helpful for the DAT, if you're looking for additional classes.

I'm more of a chemistry person myself... I took physical chem, advanced o chem, a few biochem classes, bioinorganic, etc. Of those, only biochem had info that was pertinent to the DAT, but I think they all helped me in their own way.

Thanks for the help! I am a biology major, but I should definitely be able to get into an organic 2 class in the spring and hopefully cell bio as well. There are more limited spots in genetics so I may be taking vertebrate zoology in it's place. The plan study wise is to start reviewing gen chem and bio 1 over Christmas break to jog my memory and after spring semester I am taking the one class (likely biochem) that will be 8 weeks (two days a week) so I will be able to study for the class and the DAT full time during that time period.

 

[amaghsou]

Anatomy/Physiology and Biodiversity. Not many will recommend that, but if you take them and study, you will be SET for the DAT. Biodiversity and Anatomy are two sections that often times make up a large portion of the DAT for bio and its a major weakness for most people who take the test. If you master those, you will be good, along with genetics and cell biology that you are planning to take.

 

[Henry Killinger]

They way you have everything set up right now is perfect, I'd just charge through if I were you. Good idea taking calc and stats, that will help with QR (Standard Deviations, Probability, and what have you)