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Maths for Biochemistry

I'm a lower 6th student considering, amongst far too many other things, a degree in Biochemistry.

My question is....how essential is maths for the degree? Everything else is fine academics-wise - I'm a high grade A student, but, as you can see from the signature, I haven't done Maths for A level, and don't even have Add Maths at GCSE. However, I know I'm good at it....my mind works that way and I came top of all the non-add maths people in the normal maths GCSE. An option would be taking on an AS level in it next year, but I don't want to do this unless I have to, in case it detracts from my English A2.

Reply 1

alispam

Depends what level of uni your looking at. Anything other than oxbridge/very top unis maths won't matter. Quite a few people will not have maths A2 or even AS. Most of these unis will run maths groups in the first year to make up for it. Oxford it would be an advantage for as more people going for here will have it, however I know that Chocolatecheese (on this forum) has an offer from Jesus, Oxford without any A level maths. And at my ox interview the tutor made it seem like many of the other applicants didn't have maths...

It will be useful to have some Alevel maths when your on the course. Not having done it since GCSE you will be rusty and having done no differentiation, integration etc. will be a disadvantage as it will be used. However if your're ready for a bit more work and think you can catch the maths up no prob.

I don't like maths :mad:

but have lived with it for 2 years due to usefulness so perhaps AS maths will be good (and TBH more useful than eng (especially if you've already got AS)

Reply 2

username43584

See, I intend to apply to Oxbridge so hence the slight panic. I'm starting to really regret not taking it...I was ready to but my maths teacher said no, then changed his mind when it was too late to change my subjects back! :mad:

I can't drop English though...I need the A2 level, but I also need an A in it, which I have to weigh up against taking up the extra AS level.

Decisions, decisions. I just can't make them!

Reply 3

stratomaster

I'm guessing they might want you to know mechanics for some of the chemistry involved.. so for oxbridge i'd guess A2 or AS maths at least would be an advantage.

Reply 4

alispam

From what i've heard mechanics isn't that useful - i did it at AS maths, stats is more useful - which i haven't done ironically. The most useful stuff will the pure - diff, integration, logs etc.

Reply 5

chocolatecheese

alispam

but have lived with it for 2 years due to usefulness so perhaps AS maths will be good (and TBH more useful than eng (especially if you've already got AS)

As alispam has said, i dont have Maths beyond GCSE and i have an offer from Oxford and the othr 5 unis i have applied to so not having maths is not a problem...when i first thought about applying to do Biochemistry i was really worried i wouldnt get in becasue i hadnt done maths...but i spoke to the unis and the tutors at Oxford...and they said maths is helpful to have, but not essential, becasue they teach you all the maths you need to know from scratch right from GCSE level....

they also said i wasnt at a disadvantage, becasue where i might have to work a little harder on the maths side of things, essay writing should be a breeze becasue i have taken History...where as others who haven't done an art subject my struggle a little on the essay stuff.

so there you go :smile:

hope that has put your mind at rest :smile:

please feel free to send me a message if there are any other questions about this...as i was in the same position as you last year and did a hell of a lot of research on it lol :p:

...so maybe i can put it to some use and help you too :biggrin:

Reply 6

alispam

chocolatecheese

they also said i wasnt at a disadvantage, becasue where i might have to work a little harder on the maths side of things, essay writing should be a breeze becasue i have taken History...where as others who haven't done an art subject my struggle a little on the essay stuff.

So i (not to brag) am in the perfect position with history and maths... :biggrin:

Reply 7

username43584

Thank you for the info chocolatecheese, and everyone else for that matter. :smile:

I hadn't been told that they'd teach you from GCSE level onwards so big sigh of relief....this has been worrying me for a while! I think I'll still consider the AS though....just to have experience of it rather than to gain a high grade. A person can learn the stuff without sitting the exam as well!

Reply 8

chocolatecheese

becca2389

Thank you for the info chocolatecheese, and everyone else for that matter. :smile:

Your welcome :redface:

good luck with everything! :smile:

Reply 9

stratomaster

alispam

From what i've heard mechanics isn't that useful - i did it at AS maths, stats is more useful - which i haven't done ironically. The most useful stuff will the pure - diff, integration, logs etc.

Maybe, but I read on some oxford chemistry thingy that they want mechanics modules specifically.. but maybe it's a different story for biochem

Reply 10

ally22

Hmmm, i'm first year Biochemist at Imperial. I did A level maths and got an A, and it really has me at hardly any advantage. We did some logarithms when we did thermodynamics and a little bit now we're doing enzymes kinetics, but it really really doesn't need a whole A level to cope with the maths standards here - I don't think it's an issue for you :smile:

Reply 11

cobra

If you do molecular biology and biochem at durham you do the first year core chem and bio modules, the chemistry requires a level maths and is taught from that point of view, complete with differential equations and stuff but it isnt terribly hard, there are 3 people doin the chemistry module without A level maths

Reply 12

Rach 2nd

I'm a first-year biochemist at Oxford but I didn't do A-level maths. The physical chemistry you need as a biochemist does involve some 'advanced' maths but nothing much beyond A-level. It is not an essential requirement on any biochemistry courses as far as I am aware, however if you are considering Oxbridge it would help to have an A/A* at GCSE but don't be put off applying if you have a B, afterall you are not applying to study maths! It might help if you could take up AS maths in your second year of A-levels but only if your other results won't suffer so you will have to judge how easy you will find it. I would suggest that statistics modules are more useful than mechanics modules but it does not really matter. However, it's not something you should really worry about because you will be taught, well at least you will be told, all the maths you need on your course. It just means you have to work a bit harder!

This is what I should know from my first-year 'Maths for Biochemists' course:

Graphical representation, indicies and logs, differentiation (product and chain rules), partial differentiation, integration (by substitution, parts, partial fractions) of polynomial, exponential, log, trig (using simple identies) functions, differential equations (0th, 1st, 2nd order processes), permutations and combinations, binomial theorem, complex numbers (basic introduction), measures of central tendancy, standard deviation, confidence limits, significance testing (parametric an non-parametric).

So, most of that is covered in A-level maths (to be honest hardly any of that is covered in AS maths anyway.)

I hope that helps.

Reply 13

alispam

Yes not all of that stuff is done at alevel - or at least not on my syllabus. So even with Alevel maths there's still stuff you need to know.

Reply 14

Prometheus

I got into oxford (as did my GF) without AS or A level maths, and Rach 2nd, for your list of biochem maths i love you in ways you couldnt not possibly imagine :-P