Warwick without Biology Background

[danbutler05]

Hi,

I'm sure this question has been asked before but I can't find much recent info from current students:

As the selection centre approaches and the chance to study at Warwick becomes more of a reality i'd like to know from current students what would be involved to get up to speed considering the last time I had any formal teaching in biology was 10 years ago at GCSE level. As such, my stock answer for anything biologically related would currently be "....errr....osmosis???" combined with a hopeful look.

If I get an offer i'd like to read up on the biology (and probably brush up on my A level chemistry too) before September so i'm not miles behind everyone who has just graduated from their biochem degrees!

A-level biology and chemistry revision guides seem an obvious start but any pointers on particular areas or learning resources would be appreciated. The last thing i'd want is to give up my house, job and life to then realise a few months in that I can't keep up with the course because I don't have the basic knowledge to get me through!

Also, at the open day it was mentioned that now Warwick is open to graduates with a wider range of degrees that there would be a refresher course at the start of phase 1 to ensure we're all up to speed with the basic science foundations. Is this something that any of the current students on here have done? Any feedback on this?

Thanks!

[ab0cjh]

Wouldn't worry about it. just learn the basics from A level revision guides and you'll be fine. The refresher/crash course warwick does is good enough. There isn't too much biology involved, well not much of the molecular stuff anyway. Same is true of chemistry.

My background was in structural engineering and I'm now in phase 2 at warwick.

You'll be fine

Craig

Hi,

I'm sure this question has been asked before but I can't find much recent info from current students:

As the selection centre approaches and the chance to study at Warwick becomes more of a reality i'd like to know from current students what would be involved to get up to speed considering the last time I had any formal teaching in biology was 10 years ago at GCSE level. As such, my stock answer for anything biologically related would currently be "....errr....osmosis???" combined with a hopeful look.

If I get an offer i'd like to read up on the biology (and probably brush up on my A level chemistry too) before September so i'm not miles behind everyone who has just graduated from their biochem degrees!

A-level biology and chemistry revision guides seem an obvious start but any pointers on particular areas or learning resources would be appreciated. The last thing i'd want is to give up my house, job and life to then realise a few months in that I can't keep up with the course because I don't have the basic knowledge to get me through!

Also, at the open day it was mentioned that now Warwick is open to graduates with a wider range of degrees that there would be a refresher course at the start of phase 1 to ensure we're all up to speed with the basic science foundations. Is this something that any of the current students on here have done? Any feedback on this?

Thanks!

[GenericName]

Not be negative...but I know someone who is doing GEP at Warwick with no Bio background at all and he's finding it really tough. That said, he is only one person, and everyone's different, but he's pretty damn smart (over 700 in UKCAT) so I guess just make sure you put 1000% into it so you don't fall behind?

[FutureDrH]

Hey
I'm in the first year atm, and there is really only one module that you benefit from having a biology/biochem background in. It is a pretty tough module, and I know people struggled with it but there are extra classes, and if you put in the work (i.e. go through the reading list properly before getting here, keep on top of notes when you start, and take advantage of the extra help!!) then you should be absolutely fine.
There are plenty of people who don't have a biology bakground who still got excellent marks in our first exams.
H

[danbutler05]

Great, thanks. I'm guessing that the infamous "molecules" module might be the tougher one so should I get an offer i'd definitely try and get up to speed on that before September.

[lbdidi]

Hey,

I'm in the first year and I did Psychology too and graduated in 2006 so I had no science background and was out of the whole studying mode. I did find molecules to be a bit of a killer but only really because I got behind from the start because I was trying to learn all of the basic stuff in the first few weeks which I really should have done beforehand! So I would definately say go through the reading list that they sent you over summer before you get there because if you have no science background at all it will make you feel so much better when lectures start to at least be familiar with some of the terminology. You just need to know the basics because they will teach you the rest and like other people said there are extra classes and some catch up lectures in intro week. I would really recommend 'Catch up biology for the medical sciences' (Bradley & Calvert) just to get a basic overview of some of the topics. They do a chemistry one as well but I didn't use that as much.

All in all though, if you do decide to come here don't worry about it! Molecules ended up being my best mark in the first set of exams and like the others have said there are loads of people with none-science backgrounds that do really well. Good luck at selection centre

[munkie]

Not be negative...but I know someone who is doing GEP at Warwick with no Bio background at all and he's finding it really tough. That said, he is only one person, and everyone's different, but he's pretty damn smart (over 700 in UKCAT) so I guess just make sure you put 1000% into it so you don't fall behind?

Sounds like someone I know

Yes it's tough, but not impossible. I think about 1/7 of Warwick 1st years come without a Bio A Level so you're certainly not alone.

[GenericName]

Sounds like someone I know

Yes it's tough, but not impossible. I think about 1/7 of Warwick 1st years come without a Bio A Level so you're certainly not alone.

Haha, I bet it does! Don't let the smart thing go to your head...

[olimorgan]

To be fair even though the module is the toughest to revise without prior knowledge its always the one people score best in on exams (except for sociology which shouldn't count) because they revise it so much more and the questions are fairly easy.

[danbutler05]

Thanks for the opinions, very useful. I'm at the selection centre tomorrow so am hoping that learning molecules is the most of my worries after that!