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Weird A-level Combination: Biology without Chemistry?!

Now, before you ask, I have been reading a lot of TSR forums on the matter which may have exaggerated my worries, but there seems to be a consensus that taking chemistry at A-level as well as biology is the 'usual' and recommended thing to do, especially if you want to pursue biology at a top university.

Personally I'm more interested in the ecological/zoological/evolutionary side than biochemistry or molecular biology, but will the lack of chemistry reflect oddly/badly on my uni applications? Will I have to get higher grades in my other subjects (probably maths + geography) to compensate for its lack?

Aaargh the internet makes things so easy to worry about >:/ please leave any thoughts/advice below! °~° :]
No, chemistry is not a requirement for biology/biological science courses. You might need a second science subject and/or maths alongside biology for some universities. It's best to check the websites of the unis you might potentially want to apply to. But just to reassure you, here's what Oxford say about the requirements for their biological sciences course: Biology/Human Biology at A-Level (or equivalent higher qualifications) is normally required. There are no “ideal” combinations of subjects.

Imperial: A in Biology (compulsory)A in Physics, Chemistry or MathematicsA in an additional subject (excluding Critical Thinking or General Studies)

UCL: Biology required plus one from Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics.

That's not to say doing chemistry wouldn't be useful to you, but it shouldn't be a huge disadvantage either, especially if you do maths. Good luck :smile:
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Original post by victoria98
No, chemistry is not a requirement for biology/biological science courses. You might need a second science subject and/or maths alongside biology for some universities. It's best to check the websites of the unis you might potentially want to apply to. But just to reassure you, here's what Oxford say about the requirements for their biological sciences course: Biology/Human Biology at A-Level (or equivalent higher qualifications) is normally required. There are no “ideal” combinations of subjects.

Imperial: A in Biology (compulsory)A in Physics, Chemistry or MathematicsA in an additional subject (excluding Critical Thinking or General Studies)

UCL: Biology required plus one from Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics.

That's not to say doing chemistry wouldn't be useful to you, but it shouldn't be a huge disadvantage either, especially if you do maths. Good luck :smile:


Thank you! It can be hard when teachers are all saying different things, but I'll be sure to look into individual unis more :biggrin:
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Haha I thought this thread looked familiar in the search, it's mine!
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Haha I thought this thread looked familiar in the search, it's mine!

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