how hard/interesting is a biology degree?

looking to start one in september and interested to see how people rate it. of course things like interest and difficulty are entirely relative, and vary depending on person and university.

But I would say at A-level Biology is objectively easy content wise, but difficult volume wise. As in there is very little in the course that is genuinely hard to grasp/understand. But rather there id so much of it. And i think most people would agree. Just wondering how this translates to degree level.

Inteeest is of course more subjective. But have people found their biology degrees interesting/fun? I’m having doubts, it was certainly my favourite A-level but i found large parts of it very dull; and I’m questioning if it’s the right degree for me.

Thanks for any insight

Reply 1

ExeterStudentRep

Official Rep

Original post by othello03

Hi Othello03,

Like you've already said, whether something is interesting or difficult can be subjective. I graduated my biology degree last year so I may be a bit biased, but I thoroughly enjoyed my degree! I'm now studying a Master's (also in biology :smile:

).

I think it could be useful to talk about my biology degree to give you some insight, but do remember this may be very different to other universities. Biology was my favourite subject at A-level too, which was one of the main reason I decided to do it as my degree.

Biology is a broad subject. In the first year of my biology degree all modules were compulsory to make sure everyone had an equal fundamental understanding across a range of topics. The modules encompassed animals, plants, microbiology, genetics, biochemistry etc (so a very wide scope). Some of the content can be repetitive from A-level but what I really liked about the layout of my first year is that I learnt what I liked and wanted to pursue further vs what I didn't like so much. In following years, you can choose optional modules and as the years go on, they get more specific. For example, in first year you can learn the basics of animal biology like the phylogenetic tree, in second year you can learn about animal ecophysiology, and then in third year you can learn about advanced applications of physiology e.g. how do bar-headed geese fly over the Himalayas? By third year you are learning about current real-world science! You can also do years abroad, placement years and research projects. My research project what the highlight of my degree.

In terms of workload, for me it was manageable, and it helps to be proactive and organised (which is probably the case for most courses). But again this varies from person to person and courses.

I think it's normal to worry about whether you've made the right decision for yourself. I certainly had my doubts before going. But now after graduating I know I made the right decision. I would recommend looking at the types of modules available at the universities you are looking to go to, if you already know what you find more interesting. You can also (at Exeter, I don't know for other universities) read descriptions of modules, what the learning outcomes are, how the module will be taught, how it will be assessed, all the modules you can take etc. This should help you figure out whether you would enjoy.

I hope this helps! I know I'm a bit biased as I've enjoyed my degree but whether or not you do decide to do biology, I hope you really enjoy! Good luck with your decision-making, and if you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask.

Bethan
University of Exeter Student Ambassador