biology or medicine?

hey guys
it’s me back again for another post about my inability to make decisions

i’m currently in lower sixth and take bio, chem, geography, and maths.

basically, for a really long time I was sure I wanted to study biological sciences at uni. I genuinely really love and am so passionate about the subject and academics in general, and the idea of studying it makes me excited. BUT, this year i’ve been having second thoughts as I’ve realised that after uni there aren’t really many career options that I like the sound of. i feel like i’d get bored doing lab or field research, an office job is my worst nightmare, and teaching just isn’t for me.

So, I’m considering doing medicine instead. I feel like maybe it would be a good option as i like the sound of having a career in it and i’d still get to exercise my love of biology. This summer i’ve started volunteering, joined st. john’s ambulance, done courses etc so i’m not too worried about the personal statement aspect.

anyway that was very long winded but I guess i’m just looking for advice/ opinions ahah from people who are doing/ have done a degree in either medicine or biology. a couple of questions below

also, if you study medicine, do you end up learning a lot of in depth biological/ physiological concepts and stuff?

Reply 1

Reality Check

22

Original post by anon50512

hey guys
it’s me back again for another post about my inability to make decisions

i’m currently in lower sixth and take bio, chem, geography, and maths.

basically, for a really long time I was sure I wanted to study biological sciences at uni. I genuinely really love and am so passionate about the subject and academics in general, and the idea of studying it makes me excited. BUT, this year i’ve been having second thoughts as I’ve realised that after uni there aren’t really many career options that I like the sound of. i feel like i’d get bored doing lab or field research, an office job is my worst nightmare, and teaching just isn’t for me.

So, I’m considering doing medicine instead. I feel like maybe it would be a good option as i like the sound of having a career in it and i’d still get to exercise my love of biology. This summer i’ve started volunteering, joined st. john’s ambulance, done courses etc so i’m not too worried about the personal statement aspect.

anyway that was very long winded but I guess i’m just looking for advice/ opinions ahah from people who are doing/ have done a degree in either medicine or biology. a couple of questions below

also, if you study medicine, do you end up learning a lot of in depth biological/ physiological concepts and stuff?

You sound like you're thinking of medicine because you're running out of other options. That's a a big 'no' to medicine, basically.

Reply 2

McGinger

18

As above - if you have to think about if you want to do Medicine or not, then don't do it.
Its not a second-thought career.

There are plenty of other areas to look at at - Neuroscience, Biomedical Science, Genetics, Pharmacy, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Immunology, Natural Science, Life Sciences Marine Biology, Zoology etc. Just take a look down this list of courses at Liverpool and see what interests you : https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/

Reply 3

Jpw1097

19

Original post by anon50512

hey guys
it’s me back again for another post about my inability to make decisions

i’m currently in lower sixth and take bio, chem, geography, and maths.

basically, for a really long time I was sure I wanted to study biological sciences at uni. I genuinely really love and am so passionate about the subject and academics in general, and the idea of studying it makes me excited. BUT, this year i’ve been having second thoughts as I’ve realised that after uni there aren’t really many career options that I like the sound of. i feel like i’d get bored doing lab or field research, an office job is my worst nightmare, and teaching just isn’t for me.

So, I’m considering doing medicine instead. I feel like maybe it would be a good option as i like the sound of having a career in it and i’d still get to exercise my love of biology. This summer i’ve started volunteering, joined st. john’s ambulance, done courses etc so i’m not too worried about the personal statement aspect.

anyway that was very long winded but I guess i’m just looking for advice/ opinions ahah from people who are doing/ have done a degree in either medicine or biology. a couple of questions below

also, if you study medicine, do you end up learning a lot of in depth biological/ physiological concepts and stuff?

Do you actually want to do medicine?

You will learn basic science and physiology, particularly during pre-clinical years, though the extent will depend on which medical school you go, we had a quite a lot of in depth basic science. However, during clinical years you will forget a lot of the in-depth science, though you will retain the basic principles underpinning clinical medicine. The great thing about medicine is that with one degree, you can do so many different things - you can do GP, medicine, surgery, radiology, histopathology, some will be clinician scientists, some will move over entirely to research.

I disagree with others who think that medicine should be something that you’ve always wanted to do, or if you’re unsure whether you should do medicine then you probably shouldn’t. I think it’s perfectly reasonable to weigh up your options.

Reply 4

mike23mike

16

If you want to undertake research then medicine is a long way round of getting there. Absolutely you can take medicine and with 40+ specialities and a further 80+ subspecialties then there is a huge choice of career lines to follow e.g. You can specialise in paediatrics and then further specialise and become a paediatric endocrinologist.

However that's 5 years at undergrad followed by a further 2-3 years as a junior doctor then joining a 5-year training programme (e.g. Paediatrics) with some seriously hard Royal College of Medicine or Surgery exams to take before you can become a consultant in your chosen field.

With biosciences, you can do a masters and then a PhD and become a specialist in 7 years - half the time compared to the doctor route.

biology or medicine?

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