Micro w/o taking biology?

December716 · Jun 21, 2006

At my college, Bio is a pre-req for Micro. The first day of the class, the instructor gave us an average grade of the students she has had who have done poorly in Bio. Basically, they didn't pass her class. She's a tough instructor, though, and I don't know what your class will be like, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you can study and have a good understanding of certain components of Cellular Biology. We just breezed over glycolysis, cellular respiration, fermentation, but we were expected to have a full understanding of these topics, since they are taught in Bio, and they can get kind of tricky if you haven't studied them before. At the level my teacher expected us to know them / understand them, and at the level she tested on them, it wouldn't be something you could learn in the amount of time you would have along with learning the other stuff you need easily. I devoted many weeks to just studying the cellular respiration with a Bio tutor during Biology just to have an understanding of it.

I don't think it would be impossible, but I think you should definitely get a study guide or something similar for Bio to assist you with some of the important topics that apply to Micro.

WannaBeMaleRN · Jun 21, 2006

Yes, you will need some kind of Bio prior to Micro. Could even possibly be an A&P perhaps if you've had that but if not, atleast a basic bio will or should be required before hand. I am taking Micro now and before I signed up they said I needed a regular Bio. I said check my past courses, they did and said oh lots of Bio's.

donna64 · Jun 21, 2006

I was out of school 23 years..never took bio classes and took both my a&p's before micro and I got a B in the class..A's in both of my a&p classes...so it is possible if you study..good luck

atrice, BSN, RN · Jun 21, 2006

I was out of school 23 years..never took bio classes and took both my a&p's before micro and I got a B in the class..A's in both of my a&p classes...so it is possible if you study..good luck

Same here....our school recommended taking a bio I before starting A&P. A&P I & II are prereq's before you can take micro. I had been out of school for 10 yrs and did not take any previous bio class and jumped into A&PI and then A&P II and pulled A's in both classes.....I then took micro. Good luck

GooeyRN, ADN, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN · Jun 21, 2006

The college I graduated from required you to take any biology class before taking micro. I took enviromental science years before at the same college, and they counted it as my bio prereq. However, the enviromental science course had nothing to do w/ micro. I still attained an A in micro. So you will be fine if your college does not require biology first. The last time I had a real bio class before then was also 9th grade. The only thing that was difficult was that I did not know how to work a microscope. But I learned. (I doubt I could do it now!)

moonischasingme1 · Jun 21, 2006

The pre-req for Micro at the school I went to was either Biology 1 or AP2, so I just took AP1 and AP2 and I got an A:)

CrazyPremed, MSN, RN, NP · Jun 22, 2006

To the OP...

Microbiology is a very difficult course. It is basically a continuation of the cellular biology learned in general biology. I can understand how some of these classes can push back applying, and it stinks. Where I am, almost every program requires Micro and it fills up pretty fast (I ended up taking it online because I couldn't get into an in-person section). I would recommend waiting and taking the intro class. Even though a lot of the info may not be seen again, some of it will follow you into you healthcare career. It may even make pathophysiology bearable. I say...TAKE THE INTRO CLASS!!!

CrazyPremed

FireHorseNinja · Jun 23, 2006

[color=gray]bio (cells and molecules) was a pre req for any 200+ science class at my school. if your school doesn't require it, than i suppose that you don't have to take it. however, it would serve you well to take it. you will have to work twice as hard to understand anything without it. micro” biology". in biology you are mostly covering eukaryotic cells, and in micro the majority of the time you’re looking at prokaryotic, as well as viruses, etc. you need to know your kingdoms, and basic chemistry. the lab is lots of fun, hands on... making lots of slides, and we did an unknown lab were you had to identify two microbes in a broth by utilizing all the test's you've learned along the way. just pay attention and study...

[color=gray]"[color=gray]ability is what you're capable of doing. motivation determines what you do. attitude determines how well you do it."[color=gray] [color=gray]ability, motivation and attitude are all ingredients of a winner, and they cannot be omitted or substituted. coach lou holtz

cad4296 · Jun 23, 2006

Bio is a pre-req for ours as well, but we do have a couple of people in our class that slid in somehow. However, they aren't doing too well because alot of the basic concepts you learn in biology and are expected to know in micro. I don't think it's inpossible, but I do think it will take that much more outside work to do well. May not be worth the risk if you need to do well to get into the program.

stnurse2008 · Jun 23, 2006

I did not have bio before micro it was not required and i passed, it was the first college class i had taken and i took it with anatomy, maybe if the school had requirements like the others i would have done better. It is possible to pass though i did it.

AmericanChai · Jun 23, 2006

Ours is a pre-req. I took it 10 years ago but now I need to convince the Micro professor that I still know my stuff before I enroll in Micro. I will probably just take it again as a summer school course. I got a B last time, maybe I can get an A this time.