chemistry

emilyfurnival

why do we have to do chemistry for medicine and not biology ? biology is more medical

Reply 1

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by emilyfurnival

why do we have to do chemistry for medicine and not biology ? biology is more medical

Hi @emilyfurnival,

I totally get why the confusion, it feels like Biology should be the obvious choice for Medicine since it's all about the body, right? But the reason Chemistry is usually required and not Biology is because Chemistry is kind of the underlying science behind how the body actually works.

A lot of things in medicine, like how drugs interact with the body, how enzymes function, or even stuff like respiration and pH balance, are rooted in chemistry. It basically gives you the tools to understand what's happening on a molecular level, which is super important in medicine. Also, Chemistry is seen as a subject that builds really strong problem-solving and analytical skills, which med schools really like. Biology is definitely useful, and lots of people take both, but if unis had to pick one science that gives you the best prep for the course, Chemistry usually wins.

Hope this helps,
Danish
BCU Student Rep

Reply 2

DerDracologe

Study Forum Helper

Original post by emilyfurnival

why do we have to do chemistry for medicine and not biology ? biology is more medical

This is university dependant. Many uk unis only require biology or require biology and/or chemistry. Chemistry being required is more common though.
Chem gives a good foundation for a lot of the medicine content which will be biochem related, as the above poster said. If you dislike chemistry but are aspiring towards med, i would seriously consider whether med is the right course for you.

Reply 3

Emma:-)

Entertainment Forum Helper, Careers Forum Helper

Original post by DerDracologe

I agree

Reply 4

klafow

Original post by emilyfurnival

why do we have to do chemistry for medicine and not biology ? biology is more medical

we ask ourselves this all the time :frown:

but i agree with everything said above, chem is great for developing problem solving which is essential as a doctor and also explains a lot of the stuff going on in our bodies
and some unis don’t require chem so definitely check out entry requirements for unis.