Plants, animals, the human body, fungi…do these sound interesting to you? Do you like nature, need to always “have a reason why” and love doing research? If you answered yes to both of those, then Biology is the major for you.
Academics
As a biology major you will study, plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria in many forms and types. Biology majors study a general program where they look at living organisms and the systems and processes that permit life. Your coursework as a biology major will include cell biology, evolutionary biology, marine biology and plant biology.
What to know before you apply
To prepare for a major in biology colleges like students who participate in in science clubs and science fairs. They will look for students who are members of the Student Conservation Association as well as students who volunteer at their local parks, zoo or wildlife refuges. If you can’t participate in these specific things overall colleges want to see students who are active in sports teams, school government or have a broad variety of interests. As far as academics, it looks good on your application to have taken courses such as AP Biology, physics, calculus and AP Chemistry.
Questions to ask before deciding
When it comes time to pick your college you will want to look at what labs you will have access to as a biology major. It is also important to see if you will have opportunities for independent research projects and if you are able to work with professors on their research. Lastly, be sure to check out what areas of concentration you can study within the major.
Salaries
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2012, a zoologists and wildlife biologists made $57,710 and a biological scientists for a college made $66,360.
