Jun 3

Jun 3 Biology is a useless major.

Written By: Gen Nguyen | Read full profile

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Disclaimer: All majors are important however you use it. But whatever you major in is probably not gonna be in your line of work. Look at me, I’m a computational chemistry major but I’m writing these blogs and want to be a freelance web designer.

Unless you enjoy biology, wanna become anything within the field of biology (botany, microbio, etc.), or are premed, then maybe biology is a major for you. But not for me. I’m a chemistry major. Love everything about chemistry with organic chemistry being my favorite. So, it’s natural for me to hate biology with a passion.

Let’s break it down as to why it’s useless. But before we do—

What did one cell say to his sister cell when she stepped in his toe?

General biology is one of the core classes you have to take if you’re some sort of science major (chemistry, biochem, biology) or one of the classes you have the option of taking for science credit. It’s an amalgamation of topics covering macromolecules, cell biology, evolution, taxonomy, botany, zoology, ecology, and more. Sounds like a lot right? Wait until you actually take two semesters of bio. Heads up, it’s just a bunch of memorization.

Biology is basically the study of life (that’s literally its definition). But there’s more to life than what we see. For example, the human body is an organism composed of organs and organ systems. So basically, underneath the layers of skin, (which is an organ and has its own role as part of an organ system), it houses your OTHER organs: stomach, liver, heart, etc. Not only are you learning HUMAN components, there’s also PLANTS and ANIMALS. AND DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE ECOSYSTEM. This is basic biology that you have to know and understand to be able to dive deeper into aha… more biology.

As a chemistry major and a lover of chemistry, learning about macromolecules and diffusion isn’t boring. In fact, you have to know chemistry to understand this stuff anyways. Carbohydrates are, essentially, sugar molecules, which could be glucose, a 5 carbon and 1 oxygen ring with side chains. Lipids are, essentially, a bunch of carbons chained together. So basically, you’re learning chemistry (and organic chemistry) as well as biology. Might as well get a biochemistry degree.

But maybe I’m being too harsh and ignoring plants and other animals. They’re also a part of life right? You have different kinds of plants: vascular (roses) and nonvascular (moss). Different kinds of animals: echinoderms (starfish) and annelids (worms). And each kind has their own biological make up. I’m being really superficial here and saying all the stuff I remember from freshman bio (and with the help of Google of course). There’s obviously more than what I’m regurgitating.

I understand that biology helps in finding appreciation for mother nature but do I really need to know that earthworms have a coelom? Or that gymnosperms are a group of woody plants that produce seeds but no fruit or flowers? But are you really gonna need this in your daily life? I guess if you garden. If you’re like me though, and are afraid of bugs then probably not.

After the first year of biology, you learn genetics, evolution, microbio, human anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, etc., depending on your discipline if you choose one. Some schools will divide up the “biology” major into cell bio, microbio, or some other biology related topic. My school had straight up biology with different options: computational, human, plant, etc. Or you could major in biology and take all of the fundamental classes in each discipline. This goes back to the question of “what are you doing with your life” though. Are you teaching biology? What kind? Basic bio? Genetics? Are you going into research? What field? Plant? Microbio? Are you pursuing an MD? You don’t need a biology degree.

Sure, if you want to be a doctor you need to know and understand human bio. And having a bio degree, only taking bio classes, will definitely help with that. But there’s more to just biology when it comes to being a doctor. They have to know the business side as well especially if they want to open up their own practice. So, why not major in business and be premed? Yeah, you have to take more classes and try to understand other sciences ON TOP OF business, but I like to think that that’s what builds a person and character. It makes you a well-rounded person which is what most colleges usually look for and something we should all strive to be (Go YFFIES or be like eevees).

But trust me, unless you pursue a higher education or research, you’re gonna be stuck with a degree you desperately worked so hard for that has no benefit to your career. I know a lot of people who have a biology degree and didn’t use it. One of them became an accountant.

If you want something out of your degree, do something that doesn’t require solely memorization. Chemistry, for example, stimulates creativity and enhances math skills. Business builds communication skills and enforces decision making. OR you can double major and increase both memorization skills AND other said skill.

Bottomline

Biology is a lot of work. And by work I mean memorization. But it’s still hard. I’m not saying DON’T get a biology degree. What I’m saying is “is it really worth the trouble?” Is that biology degree really going to help you in whatever field you end up in? I’m also not saying you should major in chemistry like me. In fact, I tell people NOT to be a chem major unless they actually enjoy it.

There’s so many majors out there that might actually help you land a job. Sometimes I wish I was a computer science major. It probably would’ve helped me land a couple internships or jobs. But now I am unemployed with a computational chemistry degree.

If you do end up majoring in biology, be a computational biology major. You can make a lot of money if that’s what you’re into. But enjoy your college years! It’s 4 short years you’ll never get back.

Answer: Mitosis

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