Natural Sciences or Biochemistry?

Hey guys,

I've applied to do biochemistry and natural sciences, and currently I'm thinking of the following unis as potential firm/insurance(if I get offers from them all lol.XD):
Natural Sciences: Bath (AAA)
Biochemistry: Imperial (AAB)
Biochemsitry: Bristol (AAB)

Just wondering, which one is the best choice? I like all 3 of these courses and each have their good and bad parts but I really can't make my mind up about which one. =/
Also, if any of you're on these courses, it'd be really interesting to hear your views so please do share them if you would liek to! =D Thanks a lot guys! ^__^

Reply 1

Ejit

5

Assuming that for natsci you want to major in biology and chemistry,

Would you prefer to study the integration of biology and chemistry, or the two as seperate subjects? Is it specifically biochemistry that interests you most, or the two subjects as seperate areas?

Imperial is probably going to give you the best graduate prospects. The other two are both very well regarded as well though.

What location appeals to you most?

Congratulations on the Bath offer by the way! I really wanted to apply there as the course looks great.

Reply 2

Nimbus

OP

12

Ejit

Assuming that for natsci you want to major in biology and chemistry,

Would you prefer to study the integration of biology and chemistry, or the two as seperate subjects? Is it specifically biochemistry that interests you most, or the two subjects as seperate areas?

Imperial is probably going to give you the best graduate prospects. The other two are both very well regarded as well though.

What location appeals to you most?

Congratulations on the Bath offer by the way! I really wanted to apply there as the course looks great.

Hi Ejit,

Thanks a lot for the help! =]

Well, I wasn't really sure but yeah, I think I'm most likely to choose to major in bio and chem. =]

The thing is, I really do love the biochemistry aspect but I'd also love to do various parts of biology and chemistry separately too(that's one of the reasons why i appleid to Bath, but then at the Open Day, the admissions tutor said they no longer offer biochemistry as an option so that kinda shot my hope down a bit..=/).
What I reeaaally enjoy is probably the molecular biology and genetics/biochemistry areas but gahh, it's really hard to just specify my interests as they seem to be jumping everywhere9but mostly around biochemistry lol.xD).

I was thinking of choosing Imperial, but I wasn't too sure of their whole "our courses have the biggest practical element than anywhere else!" thing (I know it sounds bad but I'm not too keen on practicals, perhaps because it's the element where I've lost pretty much all of my marks in throughout GCSE to A-level, hehe.XD).

Anyways, thanks a lot! And congrats on your offers! =]

Reply 3

Nimbus

OP

12

Sorry for reviving this issue again, but i'm still undecided as ever! D=

Is Bath's natsci course more suited to future scientists, is Imperial's going to be better generally?

Are there any Bath natscis or imperial biochemists on here? =] If so and you're willing to spare just a few minutes, can you tell me a bit about how you've found the course and what kind of things you're thinking of doing in the near future after your degree? =] I'd really appreciate it! ^__^

And I guess just a little more about myself:
I don't know what I want to do really but I think the most likely path I'll take is do a Bsc, go into work for a year or something(and gather work experience) and apply for medicine. =]

Thank you all again.^^

Reply 4

Mo-Zaki

Nimbus

Sorry for reviving this issue again, but i'm still undecided as ever! D=

Is Bath's natsci course more suited to future scientists, is Imperial's going to be better generally?

Are there any Bath natscis or imperial biochemists on here? =] If so and you're willing to spare just a few minutes, can you tell me a bit about how you've found the course and what kind of things you're thinking of doing in the near future after your degree? =] I'd really appreciate it! ^__^

And I guess just a little more about myself:
I don't know what I want to do really but I think the most likely path I'll take is do a Bsc, go into work for a year or something(and gather work experience) and apply for medicine. =]

Thank you all again.^^

Out of interest, why didn't you apply to Medicine as an undergraduate? Im only wondering because im in a position where both Biochemistry and Medicine interest me, and so i'm not yet sure what to go into.

Reply 5

Nimbus

OP

12

Mo-Zaki

Out of interest, why didn't you apply to Medicine as an undergraduate? Im only wondering because im in a position where both Biochemistry and Medicine interest me, and so i'm not yet sure what to go into.

Well, I was thinking of applying for medicine before going for biochemsitry. I had many many reasons for doing medicine, but similarly, not to do medicine. At the end of the day, I feel it's better to not jump into the whole "medicine world" idea straight away without fully understanding what careers that require medicine degrees(yes...esp as a doctor) will be like, and also what responsibilities I'll have.
Of course, doing a medicine degree doesn't mean you HAVE to be a doctor or another health staff but a medicine degree will be training you to be one, and the vast majority do end up being doctors...

It's really a personal decision really and you have to question your motives for wanting to do medicine carefully. You may have strong reasons for doing it already, but you'll also have to consider reason for why you shouldn't do it now. I think it's one of those degrees that you shouldn't rush into until you're sure about your future.

Reply 6

ScienceHarp

Hi, I know this thread was quite a while ago - but I was reading this, and thinking 'THIS IS ME!!' haha. I have just finished Year 12 and I have decided to apply for Biochemistry/Natural sciences and possibly do post graduate medicine as I do not want to apply for medicine until I am absolutely sure its for me. This post was in 2010 though so you must be at the end of your undergrad degree by now? I was just wondering whether you did decide to go for medicine in the end or whether you are doing something else?

Reply 7

Nimbus

OP

12

Original post by ScienceHarp

Hi, I know this thread was quite a while ago - but I was reading this, and thinking 'THIS IS ME!!' haha. I have just finished Year 12 and I have decided to apply for Biochemistry/Natural sciences and possibly do post graduate medicine as I do not want to apply for medicine until I am absolutely sure its for me. This post was in 2010 though so you must be at the end of your undergrad degree by now? I was just wondering whether you did decide to go for medicine in the end or whether you are doing something else?

Hi, sorry for the belated reply! I wasn't expecting a thread I created some time ago to be revived again!

Anyway, your mindset sounds pretty similar to mine back then indeed.
I decided to go for medicine in the end (applied for it in my final year) and luckily my application was successful and I'm doing medicine now. =]

Though I was very close to just wanting to pursue pure research in the early part of my degree (it was not until I got to do my internship, i.e. experiencing research over a longer period, that I appreciated more what it demands and what suits me).

I've came across people who were so determined to do medicine throughout their first non-medical degree, as well those who seriously considered doing medicine, but then their desire disappeared over the years as their interest in their subject took over.

So don't worry about making the wrong decision - just go with your heart and choose what you enjoy doing, you'll end up doing what suits you that way. I hope this helps. =]

Reply 8

India_2

1

Original post by Nimbus

Hey guys,
I've applied to do biochemistry and natural sciences, and currently I'm thinking of the following unis as potential firm/insurance(if I get offers from them all lol.XD):
Natural Sciences: Bath (AAA)
Biochemistry: Imperial (AAB)
Biochemsitry: Bristol (AAB)
Just wondering, which one is the best choice? I like all 3 of these courses and each have their good and bad parts but I really can't make my mind up about which one. =/
Also, if any of you're on these courses, it'd be really interesting to hear your views so please do share them if you would liek to! =D Thanks a lot guys! ^__^

I was wondering how you wrote your personal statement tailored to both. I am thinking of applying to natsci and biochem no idea what to wirte

Reply 9

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

17

Original post by Nimbus

Hey guys,
I've applied to do biochemistry and natural sciences, and currently I'm thinking of the following unis as potential firm/insurance(if I get offers from them all lol.XD):
Natural Sciences: Bath (AAA)
Biochemistry: Imperial (AAB)
Biochemsitry: Bristol (AAB)
Just wondering, which one is the best choice? I like all 3 of these courses and each have their good and bad parts but I really can't make my mind up about which one. =/
Also, if any of you're on these courses, it'd be really interesting to hear your views so please do share them if you would liek to! =D Thanks a lot guys! ^__^

Hey!

I’m Oliver and am currently a fourth year in natural sciences studying synthetic chemistry and biochemistry pathways so thought I’d share a bit about my degree in order to help choose between natural sciences and biochemistry.

Natural sciences is definitely one of the most flexible degrees out there allowing you to study across two or three different departments. In my case, I chose chemistry and biochemistry pathways and this was really valuable for me as I was really keen to pursue modules in organic chemistry which wouldn't have been possible with a pure biochemistry degree. With such a flexible degree, there is also the option to alter you pathway choices as you progress through your degree. For me this was great as I was able to drop my physical chemistry pathway after first year, allowing me to take more modules in biochemistry along with the organic chemistry I was really interested in.

I really enjoy the breadth I get from a natural sciences degree as I'm able to make links between different modules I'm taking in chemistry and biochemistry and appreciate how all of science is interlinked!

Hope that is helpful and best of luck with your decision 😊 Feel free to ask me any other questions if you have any

Oliver (Student Ambassador)

Reply 10

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

17

Original post by India_2

I was wondering how you wrote your personal statement tailored to both. I am thinking of applying to natsci and biochem no idea what to wirte

Hi !

I’m Oliver and a 4th year Natural Sciences student at Lancaster. When writing my personal statement, I was in a similar situation as I was applying for both chemistry and natural sciences courses. The way I did it was to focus on chemistry as my main scientific interest but then talk about my other A-level subjects and other science interests and try to relate them all back to chemistry. This way you can convey your passion for your main subject (such as biosciences, or chemistry in my case) as well as showing your interest in interdisciplinary science which is key for studying natural sciences.
I hope that is helping and feel free to ask me any more questions :smile:

Oliver (Lancaster Student Ambassador)

Natural Sciences or Biochemistry?

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