Why Biology is better than Chemistry (In my opinion)

A few years ago, as a High School student, I faced a difficult decision when asked to decide upon a major to pursue in college. I have always known I wanted to be a Doctor (Ophthalmologist to be exact) but I was not sure about which path to follow. I was actually shocked to find that “Pre-Med” was not a major! How dare! The idea that one could be a Chemist, Biologist, Physicist or even an English major and still become a doctor was confusing at first. Why would I struggle with a hard major when I could take kinesiology (which I learned was a fancy word for Physical Education) or art and still be eligible to apply to medical school?

Fortunately, I had the support and experience of my teachers in High School to give me some advice. I kind of miss the good old days when my teachers actually liked me, now they do not even know my name and that is because I am smart. Foolish College Professors! Going back to my point, I asked my science teachers for advice.

I was hoping choosing a major was a simple task like choosing a shirt, if you like a shirt you buy it and that is it. Nonetheless, choosing a major to pursue was difficult because there are many trade-offs to consider and different things can be learned from different majors, all of which could be useful to learn to become a doctor. I asked Mr. Kowalski, my IB Biology teacher for a suggestion and he obviously said “Biology” but I decided not to take his word for it, as trustworthy as he is, and continue my inquiry. Mrs. Martinez followed, my Chemistry teacher, and she established for the first time the same argument I was deemed to hear over and over again by Professors trying to convince me to change my major. “If you had asked ten years ago, the answer would simply be Biology. However, now with the current studies in Chemistry, I believe Chemistry is most fundamental for people pursuing a medical career.” Darn it! I should have asked ten years ago. Finally, I resorted to a person I believed would be unbiased, Mr. Padgett, my Physics teacher. I was hoping an easy answer “Biology or Chemistry?” but he came altogether with a whole different way of thinking that led him to believe I should be a Physics major. According to him, Biology derives from Chemistry and Chemistry derives from Physics which is why Physics is the most fundamental and important science. However, I did learn some English in high school too and I was able to spot the equivocation in his argument.

Finally, I resorted to the one person who is ALWAYS right, the one person who could solve the puzzle without any bias and thinking only of what is truly best for me, my mother. Mom said the choice was fundamentally mine. She reiterated that she would support me disregarding my decision, but I can’t seem to think of a mother who wouldn’t---  “ha I hate you cause you chose Chemistry over Biology and have decided to exile you from the family!”--- but finally stated that I should disregard what everyone says and do whichever one I really enjoyed the most. She claimed that even if “X” was better than “Y” for instance, and I chose whichever one was better but I did not enjoy it, I would probably do a crappy job because I don’t like it. On the other hand, I would excel at whichever major I really enjoyed.

Therefore, it is evident that Biology is better than Chemistry, in my case. Whether one choice is better than the other is very debatable. However, one can always make the right choice FOR HIM/HER. Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours.