Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Questions about Biology/Zoology at uni

69 replies

BlueMarigold · 14/10/2020 06:40

We have started looking at unis for DD (Year 12) so she will know where to apply next year.

Does anyone know about Bangor and Aberystwyth and what they are like? She is very interested in Bangor but I am worried because I read in the news that Bangor are making staff cuts.

What is happening at the universities this year with regards to field trips? Are they just cancelled?

Does anyone have experience of their child doing Zoology or Biology that can offer some advice and reassurance? How are they getting on at the moment during this pandemic?

TIA

OP posts:
WINDOLENE · 14/10/2020 09:06

From personal experience research uni's then let her make the final decision.

Hairyfairy01 · 14/10/2020 09:15

The staff cuts in Bangor are related to those working with international students.

Original poster
BlueMarigold · 14/10/2020 10:03

@Hairyfairy01 thank you that is reassuring. DD really liked Bangor based on the online open day. It’s her favourite at the moment.

@WINDOLENE yes she will make the final
decision. Still lots of time. She has heard about both Bangor and Aberystwyth and wants to understand the differences.

OP posts:
Guymere · 14/10/2020 10:19

Both isolated! Quiet. Biology opens up more career possibilities than Zoology. Aber is 37th and Bangor 86th in league tables. There are better options if her grades allow.

Hairyfairy01 · 14/10/2020 11:27

Bangor is only a bit over 3 hours to London on a train and Liverpool, Manchester and Chester are all within easy reach. It's small compared to many university cities but it has a close knit feel where nothing is to far away. It's relatively safe as well. I guess it all depends on what your dd is looking for but I guess if she's thinking about these 2 uni's she's happy with the smaller type of university. Be warned though, both of these university's retain many of their students for many years after graduation 😉

Original poster
BlueMarigold · 14/10/2020 12:13

@Hairyfairy01

Sorry I don’t understand the implication. I am totally dense when it comes to reading between the lines.

OP posts:
Hairyfairy01 · 14/10/2020 15:14

A lot of people stay in the area long after graduating (myself one of them). It isn't a bad thing, it's almost like a little 'ex-pat' community. I don't think my parents ever considered they would have welsh speaking grandchildren for example. It's such a lovely area that many graduates choose to stay basically.

Original poster
BlueMarigold · 14/10/2020 15:58

Ah I see! That’s a positive thing! Thank you x

OP posts:
Naem · 14/10/2020 20:42

@Guymere Could you explicate a bit more on "Biology opens up more career possibilities than Zoology."
DD is obsessed and obsessive about animals and (albeit only Year 10) wants to study Zoology at university. She has even chosen a university(!?!) - Sheffield, having fallen in love with their location and the sound of their course (some of the variations come with a placement, which I guess might be useful). She even told me - I want to go to Oxford after that but not before - on the basis that their undergraduate course sounds like it is only half zoology (and half plant botany). Not that I think she would get into Oxford, somehow I don't see the GCSEs being high enough, for starters. Not sure whether it is realistic after an undergraduate degree at Sheffield either. I am really not sure any of this is wise (and do Sheffield really require AAA for a zoology course??) But I feel I could do with some counselling about its merits.

Guymere · 14/10/2020 21:11

Biology is the broader study of all organisms. Zoology is primarily the biology of animals. The career opportunities for zoology tend to be in animal related work but obviously not as a vet. It lends itself to further study and research but I don’t believe the jobs are well paid. Biology is a lot more diverse and students can specialise post grad. So zoology narrows choices down quite early. But, if this is what she wants, then she should do it.

Yes. Sheffield do want AAA for both. GCSEs would need to be mostly 9,8 with a few 7s for Oxbridge. Not sure about their entry A level requirements.

Look at what Sheffield require for each course and see what syllabus she prefers. It’s a highly rated course but Bristol want lower grades and they are very good too. Their Zoology degree also has plant biology so she needs to understand why this is included.

The Complete University Guide for biological sciences ranks the university and you can then compare and contrast the courses. The entry requirements vary too. It takes quite a lot of research but you should be able to narrow them down.

Tickledtrout · 14/10/2020 21:28

A level biology will give her a good idea of more areas of biology that she hasn't considered yet. Undergraduate Biology students tend to have a choice of modules anyway so she might be able to cover the zoology topics she's interested in and anything else she's taken by, in a biology degree. Field trips can be more amazing with zoology though ( assuming they're allowing students out of their bedrooms by the time your daughter goes). Both biology and zoology degrees should be accredited by Royal Biology society.
High A level grades is standard for biosciences in a good university. My advice is that unless she's interested in medicine, pharma or biomed, to choose her second A level science to play to her strengths; maths and chemistry or even physics if she's going to get an A, or definitely a B (Manchester, for example, openly make a reduced offer for candidates with "hard sciences"). Otherwise it's psychology or geography.
BTEC science with distinction would work too ( Sheffield say they take this but one to check out. Other universities definitely do) but consider a foundation year as the jump from BTEC to degree can trip up a few people; it's not about ability, more teaching and learning style.

Tickledtrout · 14/10/2020 21:38

Ah she's in y12. What A levels is she studying?
With regard to your question about lab time and field trips; my DD at Birmingham studying biomed, flatmates studying biosciences and medicine. All hoping for lab work later in the semester, some remote practicals ( watching online). Similar to get friends who've gone to study similar in Sheffield, Liverpool, Bristol. Watch this space

Ginfordinner · 14/10/2020 22:15

Naem Sheffield's entry requirements are AAA - AAB depending on A level subjects. Chemistry is always a good A level subject to do with biology as there is some crossover.

Original poster
BlueMarigold · 14/10/2020 22:25

DD is doing Biology and Psychology is her 2nd science.

She’s going to put at least one uni that wants high grades (probably Sheffield or Bristol) and the rest will be low to medium grades. She also liked Leeds, Exeter and Royal Holloway from looking at the courses online.

What approach is best? Put lots of high ranking unis in the hope you get at least two offers? Or should you put unis that match your target grade.

The other thing is we don’t have target grades yet. No idea what they will be but I heard they could be two grades lower than her GCSE grades. If that is the case, she won’t want to be wasting time applying to unis that want all As.

Bangor want 80 UCAS points.

How hard is to get an offer even if you meet the target grades? These courses seem quite competitive....

OP posts:
Original poster
BlueMarigold · 14/10/2020 22:33

@Skerryberry thank you so much! I will show her in the morning.

OP posts:
titchy · 14/10/2020 22:35

You should expect offers from most, if not all and keep your favourite as firm, with a lower, or 'same but less competitive' as insurance.

On that basis depending on confidence, 2 aspirational, 2 definitely achieve, one low in case things start to go pear shaped. Choose final two in middle year 13 when grades can be better judged.

TenThousandSteps · 14/10/2020 22:41

Biology is a wider degree and will give her more options later on. She will be able to choose modules in Years 2 and 3 that can be more animal focused. Zoology may narrow her employment opportunities later on.

Ginfordinner · 14/10/2020 22:44

When DD was in 6th form the advice from school was to have one or two aspirational, one or two achievable and one or two insurance. Any combination to make up 5.

bravotango · 14/10/2020 22:55

If sticking with a straight biology degree find a course that shares plenty of modules with Zoology BSc - that way she can graduate with a biology degree but can taken modules in Zoology.

Also worth looking at what sort of things the lecturers work on outside of teaching as that will influence course content. For example, evolutionary/genetics things at Edinburgh, seabirds at Liverpool etc.

Alternatively, possibly riskier, have a look at Ecology degrees (Liverpool Uni is where I did my first one) - you get the "animals" side of things (Zoology) and a lot of applied stuff like human impact, environmental change etc which lends itself to consultancy, research, outdoor recreation, sustainability... etc. I'm biased but find Ecology much more interesting than Zoology! And - with such a crossover with Ecology, the fun trips and labs are likely to be available on both courses. DM if you want anymore info.

Tickledtrout · 14/10/2020 23:00

Does her school qualify her for a contextual offer from Bristol?
www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/contextual-offers/

Aim for a mix of aspirational and deserve to get. You can only firm one and insure one and the lower offer institutions are more likely to be in clearing, anyway.

Guymere · 15/10/2020 00:20

80 ucas points is CDD at A level. That’s a very very low entry requirement. Definitely an insurance choice. However Bangor do a 4 year course which Requires 128 ucas points. That’s ABB. Quite a difference.

Original poster
BlueMarigold · 15/10/2020 06:14

I think they lowered it recently @Guymere because it says 80-128 is the typical offer for the integrated masters at Bangor.

Thank you @titchy - that is reassuring. I thought the offer would be based more on the personal statement than the actual grades. My concern was that she hasn’t got anything exciting to talk about and on the open days we went to, everyone else seems to have been swimming with turtles or done conservation work with pandas. DD did have some work experience in a local farm lined up but it got cancelled.

@Tickledtrout
Because of the school she goes to and our postcode, she will be eligible for contextual offers at most places. You are right and the Bangor Zoology Course was in clearing for ages. Is it risky to not list it but apply there if required?

Thank you @bravotango! I will DM you.

OP posts:
Naem · 15/10/2020 07:42

@Ginfordinner Thanks - it is just that Sheffield medicine is AAA (and they will offer AAB if an A* or A in an EPQ) so I was amazed that Zoology was the same. Is there really the same level of competition for Zoology as there is for medicine?

Ginfordinner · 15/10/2020 08:34

I wouldn't have thought so. Have a look at Sheffield's website re entry requirements.

Swipe left for the next trending thread