Ecology, zoology, biology or chemistry

I'm in year 12 at the moment and I know uni applications are ages away but I've been trying to think about what course to do but I just can't decide.
I'm really interested in the environment and conservantion (both plants and animals) which is why ecology and zoology spring to mind. But I've been thinking that these are too specific and maybe I should do a general degret like biology or chemistry.

I just don't know :/ (I'm taking maths biology chemistry and geography at alevel)

Reply 1

Epitype

Taking Biology at university would be your best bet. I do something similar to Biology (Biomedical Science), and I get to chose modules in Environmental Biology, Pharmacology, Biochemistry etc.
You could also look at Joint Honour courses (I think that's what they're called), where you can do something like BSc Biology and etc... or even Natural Sciences?

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 2

username1333513

biology sounds like a good idea, i study chemistry and there isn’t much variation in the modules

Reply 3

TheScarlyWarly

Based on your interests Biology would be a good bet :smile:

Make sure that you research courses very thoroughly before applying. A lot of degrees embed knowledge form other subject areas. Some biology degrees will have a lot of chemistry embedded in the curriculum, and a lot of zoology degrees will have some ecology embedded into the curriculum. If you do enough research into the courses available, I'm sure you'll find one which matches your interests perfectly. If you really haven't decided by the end of your A-levels, a gap year might help you decide (a gap-year certainly helped me decide!).

Reply 4

Munias

Hi, I would recommend biology!

I did the same A-levels as you and also had the same interests, and faced a similar dilemma. I started out doing a zoology degree, and had the to option to switch to biology after first year as the first year was the same for all the biologists and zoologists. I switched to biology for the sake of having a broader degree, and was glad I did. I was still able to tailor my degree to ecology, behavior and conservation, with one plant module thrown into the mix. It has helped me in my job hunt after uni, as my new jobs requires some plant ID skills!

With interests in the environment and conservation, it's really good to have a good grounding in botany, including evolution, invasive species and pollinator networks.

It's definitely important to look at the specific modules of the course. I never realised how much biology degrees could differ between different universities until I was at uni! It's worth visiting as many universities as possible to look at the facilities and the research interests of the lecturers.