Question regarding career in science

[kenigmalive]

I just got my O-Level , result wasnt as good as I expected but I managed to get 6 credits , I always wanted to be a marine biologist but I failed to get a credit for my chemistry (I got credits for biology and physics as well ) , my main question is , Is there any careers related closely to biology/physics but not chemistry ? because Im really interested in biology/phyics field. I cant enroll A-Levels for chemistry because I failed to get a credit even though I passed. I'm a kind of guy who loves working around nature , I cant really think of any career related to biology that does not require chemistry.Please help me as I have 6 days left to apply for a college .

Regards,

[SciB]

Hi,

I would apply anyway and work it out later. A basic understanding of chemistry is necessary for biological sciences and all the core curricula i know of in college require that you pass a chemistry course in some form.

Find a good tutor and work hard. You can learn it, and the more you study it the easier it becomes. You will see how necessary it is for understanding biology at the molecular level. I love to be outside too and do field work with invertebrates, but my appreciation of the little critters is much greater because i know how their body chemistry works. Keep at it!

Sybee

[yvetteds]

Hi - I read the post by Sybee, and I have to agree! The more you learn about biology, the more you will actually find the chemistry easier to understand if you apply it to living systems. I too, found pure chemistry courses harder than my biology courses - but as I got into upper level biology courses, the chemistry involved with biological systems seemed easier to understand once I had a way to apply it. For example - learning about chemical formulas for proteins, fats, etc, and reactions in chemistry classes seemed difficult for me - but once I saw the same information in biochemistry applied to enzyme reactions, and living systems, it all made sense! A cell membrane functions because of its chemical structure - it defines its function. The same with genetics - once I understood the importance of the bonds in DNA, for example and how they worked for replication and protein synthesis, the easier it became to understand the chemical structures and functions. In the environment, chemistry is working in the water, air, soil - and creating habitats for living organisms and their life functions.

Chemistry alone is like memorizing math equations - but applying chemistry to living systems is like using the math to build a bridge or a building.

Keep at it!

[connief]

Hello there,

I also completely agree with the experts above. If biology is something that you are passionate about, I would just go for it! Chemistry is not an easy subject, but like the other experts have mentioned, there will be some introductory chemistry courses that you have to take as a biology major just because some basic chemistry is quite important in understanding how biological systems work. In college, if you were struggling with any chemistry concepts, I would try to go get some help from tutoring if that is available, but if not, I would encourage you to seek out the teaching assistants or professors for your courses whenever they have office hours because they will be able to help you in understanding the concepts. Also, I just feel like learning chemistry takes practice, so definitely try to practice as much as you can when you are learning the material, and also try to think of it in a real life context. Like the expert above mentioned, once you put the chemistry concepts into the context of biological systems, it will help you make more sense of it for sure. Keep at it, and don't be afraid to apply for biology programs for college--it'll work out!

Let us know if you have anymore questions.

Best of luck,
Connie

[sfpacman]

Hi There,
I totally agree with the experts above. Chemistry is fundamental for understanding living organism. The more advanced biology classes you take , the more you would appreciate the stuffs you learn from physical science (Chemistry and Physics). If you are truly interested in learning about living organism, you have to deal with chemistry sooner or later. Don't let your test-score from your o-level discourage you from pursuing your dream and doubting your ability to do well in Chemistry. After all, Chem is Try.