I know many people who are biomedical science majors and we all complain about our courses. This article is written for my fellow BMS majors to relate to. I believe that every major has their difficult courses and here are mine. These are courses that one is required to take for the major and doesn't include electives such as pathophysiology or cadaver lab (by far the hardest class I've ever taken). I am also currently a junior and thus have not taken capstone.
5. Human Physiology
Human physiology is number five. Most professors begin with the nervous system and cells and this progresses into respiratory, urinary, and circulatory systems. The reason why this is on the list is because of the sheer amount of information you learn while in this class. This is by far one of the most interesting classes I've ever taken (with one of the best professors). A lot of it is presented in the form of pathways so it's not just rote memorization. Most biomedical science majors are looking to get into medical school so this class is likely very relevant to your field.
4. Introductory Microbiology
Another information-heavy course but definitely one of the best courses I've taken. Kind of helped that the professor was super passionate about the subject (especially the way he talked about pathogenic bacteria and how they evade the immune system). You begin with a bit of cell biology and it progresses into disease control, immunology, and bacteriology.
3. Human Anatomy
Most people are good at anatomy but I felt like it was one of the hardest classes that I've ever taken. It was so hard that I had to retake it in order to get into cadaver lab (interesting class by the way but be prepared to get wrecked). GVSU takes a systems based approach, meaning that you go through each system.
2. Human Genetics
This course also has a ton of information and I felt like there was more plain memorization than the other few courses. Some people do well with memorization but I'm better with pathways. Another super interesting course but it's a tricky one.
1. Physics (especially first semester)
*sarcasm* Does this come as a surprise? I would argue that cadaver lab is much harder than physics but it's not required for the major. Personally, I even found physics interesting, especially the second semester. The first semester is mostly kinematics, forces, and torque. The second semester is waves, light, and circuits. The reason why most students struggle with this course is because exams are based on applying the information and using what you know to find what you don't know. Furthermore, it's a lot of using multiple equations to get an answer and there's no straight path to an answer. You gain a lot out of this course, including critical thinking skills (very underrated) and learning how things work in the world. For real. I see physics everywhere now.
