Biosciences vs Chemistry related courses

How would you choose and why?

I’m struggling with which to apply to, could anyone share why they went with one or the other, what made you interested etc?

Course example
Chemistry: medicinal and biological chemistry
Biosciences: bio processing of new medicine, medical biosciences

Reply 1

dentistjoe

Original post by TSR Hippocrates

Hey there, thanks for posting a question in the Medicine forum. :biggrin:

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Reply 2

dentistjoe

Reply 3

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by dentistjoe

Hi @dentistjoe,

I'm currently a second-year chemistry undergraduate. However, when I was applying to uni I had a very similar dilemma to you. Ultimately, I decided I had more interest in chemistry and limited interest in biology so chose chemistry. It really depends on your interests, career goals and strengths.

From my own experience, I chose chemistry because I enjoyed chemistry more than biology at A-level and so did better in it. I figured that this may hold true at university too. I also wanted to contribute to drug design/ discovery and I knew that chemistry provides the foundational knowledge that I could use to specialise later on. The benefit of chemistry is that it can be applied to so many careers in the future like clinical scientist, CSI, toxicologist etc. because of the array of skills you learn like problem solving and laboratory skills.

Comparatively, I decided not to choose a bioscience because I did not have interest in many areas of biology. From what I gathered at the time, it gives you an understanding of how biological processes can be applied to medical advancements and this was not as appealing to me. That being said, the degree can still lead to lots of careers in healthcare, research, biotechnology etc.

My best advice would be to attend open days at universities you're interested in and chat to all the departments, students and view the facilities. For me, this helped me choose Lancaster before I had even finalised my course choice. If you can't go in person, there are often online resources that can help you understand further.

For my final course decision I considered 5 main things:

Interest: Consider which subject truly excites you and makes you curious. Which area would you be eager to study for several years?
Long-Term Goals: Think about your career aspirations. Do you see yourself working more on the chemistry side, developing drugs and therapies, or are you more interested in the biological aspects of medicine?
Strengths: Reflect on your academic strengths. Which subject are you more proficient in?
Course Content: Review the specific modules or topics covered in each course. Which ones interest with you the most?
Future Flexibility: Consider the potential pathways each degree could lead to. Are you open to exploring a variety of roles, or do you have a specific career in mind? I used the Prospects website for this (https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree).

Both degrees have their merits and what is right for one person may not necessarily be right for the next person. The best you can do is make an informed choice. It may even be helpful to chat with your teachers or careers advisor to go over things with you.

Good luck with your decision and if you have any more question please feel free to ask!
-Beth (Lancaster Student Ambassador)