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Subject to drop after Year 12 AS?

Currently taking Maths, Bio, Chem and Physics.

I want to do a degree in natural sciences, starting off in Biochem/Chemistry route. I've been mainly thinking of dropping Physics for a while after getting the AS grade, but possibly Biology instead as the course isn't very interesting compared to Physics, and my grades in Physics are slightly better recently. Thoughts?
Original post by swaus
Currently taking Maths, Bio, Chem and Physics.

I want to do a degree in natural sciences, starting off in Biochem/Chemistry route. I've been mainly thinking of dropping Physics for a while after getting the AS grade, but possibly Biology instead as the course isn't very interesting compared to Physics, and my grades in Physics are slightly better recently. Thoughts?

Well if you want to do biochem then the decision is basically already made: drop physics!
as a medic my opinion may be swayed slightly, but I personally think that biology is a better combination then physics with chemistry just because A2 chemistry is quite organic heavy! However, if you prefer physics as a subject you probably won’t want to study biochem at uni, so physics in the choice to keep.
it is worth looking at the Y13 content for both subjects and deciding which you prefer now, then decide what you want to specialise in, then decide which your better at (prioritise in that order), and then you can come to a fully informed decision!
Reply 2
Original post by DrWilson173441
Well if you want to do biochem then the decision is basically already made: drop physics!
as a medic my opinion may be swayed slightly, but I personally think that biology is a better combination then physics with chemistry just because A2 chemistry is quite organic heavy! However, if you prefer physics as a subject you probably won’t want to study biochem at uni, so physics in the choice to keep.
it is worth looking at the Y13 content for both subjects and deciding which you prefer now, then decide what you want to specialise in, then decide which your better at (prioritise in that order), and then you can come to a fully informed decision!

It's not that I don't like Biology (the human biology bits are abit dissappointing but membranes and cell biology has been genuinely interesting, aswell as the immune system) but the evolutionary and non human biology is very dull. The long exam questions that have very rigid marking schemes also kills alot of the enjoyment I have in learning about the topics when it gets forced into learning mark schemes to common long answers, but Physics is more fair in that regard and doesn't have such a "bloated" spec. Yeah idk it just seems like the a level falls short compared to the biochem books such as Oxygen / power, sex suicide which introduce more significant ideas like free radicals....

If there's more going for chemical processes at second year and maybe more anatomy though, Physics will probably go. Still a hard choice because nuclear physics/partle physics/astrophysics at second year sounds like good content :frown:
Original post by swaus
It's not that I don't like Biology (the human biology bits are abit dissappointing but membranes and cell biology has been genuinely interesting, aswell as the immune system) but the evolutionary and non human biology is very dull. The long exam questions that have very rigid marking schemes also kills alot of the enjoyment I have in learning about the topics when it gets forced into learning mark schemes to common long answers, but Physics is more fair in that regard and doesn't have such a "bloated" spec. Yeah idk it just seems like the a level falls short compared to the biochem books such as Oxygen / power, sex suicide which introduce more significant ideas like free radicals....

If there's more going for chemical processes at second year and maybe more anatomy though, Physics will probably go. Still a hard choice because nuclear physics/partle physics/astrophysics at second year sounds like good content :frown:

Which exam board are you with?
With AQA Y13 content is photosynthesis and respiration which are acctually very interesting biochem topics, then homeostasis, nerves and muscles. It then becomes more genetic-y, with genes & evolution, inheritance and genes & ecosystems, followed by the control of gene expression incl. stem cells and cancer.
Try to look past the exams they are crap, but you’ll be glad to put up with them if you prefer the content and find it more useful! If you want to go into chemistry or bio, I’d pick bio to take to A2 if you change your mind for physics then stick with physics to A2, just be aware what you’d be limited to if you dropped bio, you’d lose all the biosciences degrees and you chemistry units at uni, wouldn’t be able to focus of biochemistry topics like proteins, dna or amino acids!

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