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Biology Major in Uni
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1
#1
0 Frags +

I'm currently having a very hard time finalising what I want to do in University. Thought TFTV may be a nice place to look in addition as I'm sure there are some people with good advice.
I was thinking about Medicine for a long time but for multiple reasons I have very much gone off the idea. So now Biological Sciences seem like the best for me.
Anybody here studied similarly in Uni? Would appreciate some advice and perhaps some convincing to go for it.

Fyi I'm only applying this year, either in October or January depending on what I want to do. Still got one year of Sixth Form to go.

I'm currently having a very hard time finalising what I want to do in University. Thought TFTV may be a nice place to look in addition as I'm sure there are some people with good advice.
I was thinking about Medicine for a long time but for multiple reasons I have very much gone off the idea. So now Biological Sciences seem like the best for me.
Anybody here studied similarly in Uni? Would appreciate some advice and perhaps some convincing to go for it.

Fyi I'm only applying this year, either in October or January depending on what I want to do. Still got one year of Sixth Form to go.
2
#2
8 Frags +

I did biology undergrad and am currently finishing a research masters in bioscience with a biology (ish) PhD starting in 2 months.
I big factor is what sort of biology you want to do as many uni's offer a different aspects of biology. I'm much more focused towards biochemistry, molecular and micro biology but I made the mistake of going to a mainly ecology based university (Swansea).
Also what you want to get out of it, there isn't that much work specific to a biology degree. Out of the many people I know who graduated a year ago in biology/marine bio/zoology only about half of them have graduate jobs.
It is a cool subject though with a lot of different areas to focus on.

I did biology undergrad and am currently finishing a research masters in bioscience with a biology (ish) PhD starting in 2 months.
I big factor is what sort of biology you want to do as many uni's offer a different aspects of biology. I'm much more focused towards biochemistry, molecular and micro biology but I made the mistake of going to a mainly ecology based university (Swansea).
Also what you want to get out of it, there isn't that much work specific to a biology degree. Out of the many people I know who graduated a year ago in biology/marine bio/zoology only about half of them have graduate jobs.
It is a cool subject though with a lot of different areas to focus on.
3
#3
4 Frags +
ilikesheepAlso what you want to get out of it, there isn't that much work specific to a biology degree. Out of the many people I know who graduated a year ago in biology/marine bio/zoology only about half of them have graduate jobs.

Just on this note, there are a few things you absolutely should do during university to help with this.

If your university offers a co-op program for your major (or anything else that's just work terms under a different name), you should take it. It's the easy way to get work in your field during the year, and as long as you do good at your jobs it builds the connections to get hired there after graduating too. It just makes getting your foot in the door so much easier. In my major (cs, which is pretty good for jobs) the worst I've heard is some people not getting a job for one work term, vs people out of the co-op program who potentially don't get a job in the field their entire time there.

Your professors are one of the best ways to get a job relevant to your major too. Some do research at your university and need helping hands, and some work in the industry and know how to put in a good word for when their company is hiring. Meeting them during their office hours or after class, asking insightful questions, showing interest in the subject, and just talking to your professors is good for a lot of reasons (learning more, potential grade bump-ups, usually they're also just nice people in general) but also because they're a good connection to have.

Getting involved with your major's society, or hanging out in the lounge if you've got one, can be a great help. Again it can help your grades (you might become friends with the people marking your work, you'll likely meet other go-getters in your courses that can help / do group projects with, and you'll certainly meet someone who already went through your courses) and it's good to get involved in general. But these are mostly people also looking for work in the field and could tell you about places you've never thought of, or give you a good reference for the places they're working. On top of this often being where aimed-at--university-students jobs get posted, and often meeting your professors there too.

For bio in particular, do labs would be my advice too. One of my friends is a chemist who gets involved with their company's hirings, and a surprising amount of their graduate employees are bio majors who had more lab hours than their chem counterparts. They can teach the chemistry needed faster than they can train competence in labs, and I'd imagine it'd be the same for many other jobs.

[quote=ilikesheep]Also what you want to get out of it, there isn't that much work specific to a biology degree. Out of the many people I know who graduated a year ago in biology/marine bio/zoology only about half of them have graduate jobs.[/quote]
Just on this note, there are a few things you absolutely should do during university to help with this.

If your university offers a co-op program for your major (or anything else that's just work terms under a different name), you should take it. It's the easy way to get work in your field during the year, and as long as you do good at your jobs it builds the connections to get hired there after graduating too. It just makes getting your foot in the door so much easier. In my major (cs, which is pretty good for jobs) the worst I've heard is some people not getting a job for one work term, vs people out of the co-op program who potentially don't get a job in the field their entire time there.

Your professors are one of the best ways to get a job relevant to your major too. Some do research at your university and need helping hands, and some work in the industry and know how to put in a good word for when their company is hiring. Meeting them during their office hours or after class, asking insightful questions, showing interest in the subject, and just talking to your professors is good for a lot of reasons (learning more, potential grade bump-ups, usually they're also just nice people in general) but also because they're a good connection to have.

Getting involved with your major's society, or hanging out in the lounge if you've got one, can be a great help. Again it can help your grades (you might become friends with the people marking your work, you'll likely meet other go-getters in your courses that can help / do group projects with, and you'll certainly meet someone who already went through your courses) and it's good to get involved in general. But these are mostly people also looking for work in the field and could tell you about places you've never thought of, or give you a good reference for the places they're working. On top of this often being where aimed-at--university-students jobs get posted, and often meeting your professors there too.

For bio in particular, do labs would be my advice too. One of my friends is a chemist who gets involved with their company's hirings, and a surprising amount of their graduate employees are bio majors who had more lab hours than their chem counterparts. They can teach the chemistry needed faster than they can train competence in labs, and I'd imagine it'd be the same for many other jobs.
4
#4
4 Frags +

Alright mate, Stylax here. honour to carry your peripherals bag at LAN. I still havent washed my hands following that

No idea what you should pick but One thing I will say is that regardless of what you study , the job market is becoming more and more flexible, to the extent that you're can go into a wide range of jobs that are unrelated to your degree subject just because you have one. Or you can do a one year masters conversion like I did ( from history into economics). So essentially there's less pressure to choose a career right now than people think.

Though this is secondary to the above more specific advice. Essentially just don't get stressed about it

Alright mate, Stylax here. honour to carry your peripherals bag at LAN. I still havent washed my hands following that

No idea what you should pick but One thing I will say is that regardless of what you study , the job market is becoming more and more flexible, to the extent that you're can go into a wide range of jobs that are unrelated to your degree subject just because you have one. Or you can do a one year masters conversion like I did ( from history into economics). So essentially there's less pressure to choose a career right now than people think.

Though this is secondary to the above more specific advice. Essentially just don't get stressed about it
5
#5
3 Frags +

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