As everyone says, it is a GREAT subject. Packed with content, sometimes the lecture slides seem endless, but still, it was a very well-organised, interesting subject. One tip is to form a study group where you can discuss lecture materials with your peers. Attempting to explain something yourself, and correcting each other, is the best way you can maximise your understanding, especially in a full-on subject like this. (warning: very easy to fall behind so be mentally prepared!)

One of the hardest subjects I've ever done, but also one of the best, and undoubtedly the most rewarding. While I did say I found it hard, I also found it very manageable - yes, there's a lot of content, but if you keep on top of it week by week you'll be fine. What made it so great were the lecturers - all experts in their field, and with plenty of experience lecturing (and it showed!). The content itself was super interesting, and being able to recognise links between different subject areas once you'd learnt it all was so rewarding. I know people do a lot of fear-mongering about this subject, but it's really not that terrible! I ended up loving it, and I know I wasn't the only one in my cohort who felt that way.

So good and so helpful for becoming a doc!

It's an absolutely fantastic subject! Easily my favourite I've ever done, although there is a lot of content and it's quite in depth it's generally very very interesting and each topic complements the others really well. My advice would be to attend all your lectures. There are 7 a week, and if you skip one before you know it you're really far behind. Remember that lecture capture is very unreliable, and if it goes down it's extremely difficult to catch up before the next lecture. I'd also recommend doing weekly summaries to try and condense it all into a page or two, and start preparing for it over the summer by learning amino acid structures and characteristics!

MCB was definitely the most challenging subject I have done so far, but it was also the most rewarding. The content is really interesting and I found it to be really well taught. The coordinators somehow managed to integrate the 5 core study areas pretty well, and I found it really interesting to view issues such as cancer through the lens of each area. MCB covers biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, microbiology and immunology, and pathology, so there is a lot to take in. Having said that, it really is worth the effort, and I came out of MCB thoroughly satisfied. I came out of this subject with a solid understand of the basis of a number of diseases, as well as a great base knowledge of the functioning of the body.

Fantastic subject. It is true that you need to work hard - I would recommend learning those amino acids nice and early, as you will have a lot on your plate as the semester progresses. You will most likely only be questioned on the amino acids in multiple choice questions, but hey, every mark's a plus, and they are easy marks to get if you know them. Committing the amino acids to memory when you have the time to do it slowly and properly will mean more time during SWOTVAC to focus on the topics that are more likely to come up in written sections. Despite the obvious drag of having a lot to learn, I found that the amount of content covered in this subject provided me with an excellent grounding for future years of study. I majored in biochemistry, and found that I had learned either the same amount or perhaps even more than my science peers in the field of biochemistry. And what's more, I had also been given a taste of genetics, cell bio, microbiology, immuno and path - an opportunity which would be almost impossible for a science student who would need to enroll in a separate subject to cover each of those areas of study. At the end of the day, I had a well-rounded knowledge base and I was also able to make an informed decision about which area I would most like to major in. The subject was also interesting, structured and well-taught - it was a win-win for me! So stick at it, study hard! I'm sure the pain will pay off for you too :P

Don't believe the hype about how bad this subject is. If you are able to keep up with lectures(this is hard though) and study adequately then it's not too bad at all. Pretty much you need to treat it as two subjects(as that's what it really is). The lecturers for MCB are the best in their fields and are mostly very clear in their explanations of the course material as well as assessment. What I enjoyed most was probably the integration of the 5 separate topics(Biochem, Genetics, Cell Biology, Immunology and Pathology) into broader areas of medicine and their applications. They really weave it all together to show you the bigger picture, rather than memorising lots of tiny little facts.

6 lectures a week requires you to keep on top of the workload! I recommend attending lectures and working consistently. Although a difficult subject, it was great having the 5 topics - Biochemistry, Genetics, Cell Biology, Microbiology and Immunology and Pathology - to get an understanding of each. In depth concepts such as Cancer were very interesting to study. It is hard because of the huge amounts of content you have to memorise, but interesting nonetheless.

A subject which covers interesting topics but requires dedication as the content is enormous but manageable. Time must be allocated as if it was two subjects. Somewhat organised structure in the subject and intriguing lecturers. Lecture notes were decent (although quite content heavy) and the textbook readings are not required (unless further understanding is desired) Most assessment in multiple-choice format, though it is often difficult to discern the correct response, unless great care is paid to the wording of the question and keywords. An enjoyable subject nonetheless.