chemistry or biology

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kaylanicole

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What would be a better degree before going to optometry school...Bachelor's in Biology or a Bachelor's in Chemistry?

Thanks
 
depends on your interest, chem is def. harder than bio in terms of lots of calculations are involved in general chem and p chem. If you like both subjects, major in biochem
 
Major in whatever you think you will enjoy the most and do the best in.
 
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As far as pre-reqs go, you will probably be much closer to a Biology degree than a Chemistry degree when you finish them.

But either way you are still going to have a fair amount of upper-level courses required to complete a major. So it's really just a decision of what upper-level courses you would prefer.

And as far as the OAT goes, as long as you have most of the entry courses completed by the time you take it, the upper-level courses don't matter.

So just major in whatever you will enjoy the most and whatever you will do the best in (to keep your GPA up). Shoot, major in History if you really want.

Besides, it's nice to have a degree in something you enjoy as a fall-back if for some reason Optometry doesn't work out. (Or just to get jobs and internships along the way.)
 
do whatever you enjoy! Obviously if you have a major based in the sciences you will fulfill more requirements while taking your prereqs. I'm a health sciences major/biology minor, I personally feel as though health sciences is more relevant b/c so many of the bio courses at my school emphasize things that I really hate learning about, ie. plants, details on the cell/molecular level, plants, animals, oh, and plants. So I take a bunch of health classes because they are all about people, and not other organisms. And I was able to fulfill my biology minor with all of my prereqs.
 
Take a careful look at the prereqs required for the schools you potentially want to attend and then choose your program. I know at my university many of the anatomy and physiology classes I needed were restricted for pre-med majors only. So look into this carefully, you don't want to put yourself in a desperate situation trying to get all your prerequisites completed. After considering that, I would then consider the advice others have listed above concerning your personal academic strengths, weaknesses and interests.
 
Major in whatever you think you will enjoy the most and do the best in.

this is so true. Looking back now I would have done a different major in college and then just taken pre-reqs instead of majoring in biochem. But, in undergrad I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life.

OH well, hindsight as they say... 20/20 right 😉
 
I would suggest chemistry just because there is so much more you can do with a chemistry degree than a biology degree. Just in case optometry school doesn't work out!
 
I would suggest chemistry just because there is so much more you can do with a chemistry degree than a biology degree. Just in case optometry school doesn't work out!


i can't agree with it more. i have a bio degree, but i have to work in the chemistry industry as little bio opportunities are out there. bio migh be good if you have at least a master. for a BS only, chem is a much better option in the job market than bio.