Optometry or biochemistry

Hi
I am currently applying for university but I am really confused about what to do. I like the sound of both optometry and biochemistry but they are both very different degrees.
I was hoping someone could give me advice on either one and which one has better job prospects.
Also would it be possible to apply for both and how would I then write my personal statement?

In my humble opinion, I think you should study biochemistry. I am biased in that I myself am applying for biochemistry, but I think all in all, biochemistry is a more versatile field than optometry. Optometry is a hyper-focused field with very few applications outside of it, so if you decide to study it, you will essentially be "locked in" to this field. Biochemistry is more diverse in its career prospects, as you can go into a multitude of related fields, such as oncology, pharmacology, chemistry, et al. While both fields are related, I would caution you against writing a personal statement blending both optometry and biochemistry, as optometry is a very practical field, while biochemistry is more theoretical.

Ultimately, the decision is yours based on what you would truly like to study more, but I just want to put my own opinion out there for your consideration. Good luck in whatever you study!

you can technically apply for both. i assume you'd write your ps for one course and send all of them off with that ps statement. then the admissions team of the other course would ask you to write another ps for that one.

This isn't guaranteed; the other course is not obliged to consider an alternate PS and may well only judge on the basis of the single PS. Additionally for allied health professions the personal statement can be quite important for them to assess the applicants knowledge of and commitment to the associated career.

In my humble opinion, I think you should study biochemistry. I am biased in that I myself am applying for biochemistry, but I think all in all, biochemistry is a more versatile field than optometry. Optometry is a hyper-focused field with very few applications outside of it, so if you decide to study it, you will essentially be "locked in" to this field. Biochemistry is more diverse in its career prospects, as you can go into a multitude of related fields, such as oncology, pharmacology, chemistry, et al. While both fields are related, I would caution you against writing a personal statement blending both optometry and biochemistry, as optometry is a very practical field, while biochemistry is more theoretical.

Ultimately, the decision is yours based on what you would truly like to study more, but I just want to put my own opinion out there for your consideration. Good luck in whatever you study!

Optometry is a vocational course preparing you to work in that allied health profession. If you want to be an optom, then that course is necessary. You'll need to look into the current state of the profession to get an idea of graduate prospects. For optometry after the course you will need to do a pre-registration year apparently, where you undertake work placements to complete the final stage of clinical training, before you become fully registered. I don't know whether this is like the foundation programme for medical graduates where you more or less will end up somewhere after you complete the course (although more popular areas may be more competitive) or if there are fewer placements than graduates each year. This may be something to investigate when researching the course.

On the other hand biochemistry is an academic degree, which isn't connected with any specific profession. You could go into a lot of things, but for any of them you're doing to need to ensure you get appropriate work experience while you're completing your degree (e.g. summer internships/vacation schemes etc). In a biochemistry degree you need to be doing the work to make yourself employable. Bear in mind a biochemistry degree by itself won't necessarily allow you to work in e.g. an NHS lab at the grad level. For most people it's either a essentially the first part of a training programme to become an academic research scientist, or just "a degree" to then progress into an unrelated graduate job (e.g. in the civil service, business, etc). Some might get a job in e.g. the pharmaceutical or biomedical industry or similar, although I'm skeptical about the prospects for this without a masters at least if not potentially a PhD.

If I did want to work in the nhs, what would I have to do after the biochemistry degree?

If you wanted to work in an NHS lab as a biomedical scientist (including in a biochemistry lab), you should not do a biochemistry degree.

You would need to do an IBMS accredited biomedical sciences degree at minimum, but that is still a more difficult route because you then still need HCPC registration, which would require you to complete a professional portfolio while working in an NHS lab. Some IBMS accredited BMS courses have "sandwich year" variants which allow you to undertake a placement in an NHS lab where you could complete the portfolio, but those placements are very competitive.

The best route would be to do a Healthcare Sciences (Life Sciences) degree, which includes the placements integrated into the course and which is both IBMS accredited and allows you to register with the HCPC directly when you graduate. You can then immediately apply to band 5 BMS roles in the NHS. See here for more info on the specialisations in the "life sciences" area, and course providers: https://nshcs.hee.nhs.uk/programmes/ptp/about-the-programme/

There are also some degree apprenticeship routes to become a BMS in the NHS I believe, although usually these are for existing NHS staff to apply to internally I think.