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Important Points to Consider If You Wish to Study Biology at High School

by Oct 13, 2016Biology

Biology is one of the most popular sciences taught at school. At an age when children become extremely curious about changes in their bodies and surroundings, biology is often perceived as the answer to their questions. However, a lot of students struggle with Biology at the high school level because they are underprepared and ill-equipped to understand the complex concepts it entails beyond the very basic level.
So before you choose to study and pursue Biology at the high school level, here are some important points for you to keep in mind to ensure that you’re making the right choice:

  1. High School Biology is different from Middle School Biology:
  • School curriculums differ from university to university, but most schools follow a basic pattern when introducing students to specialized sciences like Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Most schools introduce these subjects at the Middle school level to give students a chance to develop a basic understanding of them before choosing a stream in High School.
  • If you enjoyed studying Biology at the middle school level and wish to pursue it at the high school level, you need to be prepared to work hard.
  • While middle school introduces you to Biology, High school develops your knowledge of the subject and gives you in-depth details of complicated concepts and processes. So if you found Biology easy in Middle school, don’t expect it to be a cake walk through the High
  1. Understand your interests:
  • Ask yourself, “Why do I want to study Biology in High school?” In order to understand your interests and motivations, you must be completely honest with yourself when you ask yourself these critical questions.
  • Don’t take up the subject on a whim as you just might regret it later. Ensure you have an interest in Biology. Think about whether you enjoyed studying it at Middle school.
  • Do you need more than a rudimentary understanding of Biology? Do you think students should have at least a High school level understanding of Biology? Is that why you are choosing to study it? Are you being pressurized by parents or peers? Are you taking it up because your friends are?
  • If you’re worried about career options in your field of interest like Commerce, you may want to consider these Top Career Options for a Commerce Student.
  • These are important questions you need to consider when making this choice as most schools will give you a limited number of options to choose from and you need to ensure that you’re not making a mistake picking Biology over a subject like Computer Science or Linguistics which you would rather pursue instead.
  • High School Biology is not Sex Ed class. If that is your reason for pursuing it, you’re making the wrong choice.
  1. Don’t underestimate the subject:
  • A lot of students consistently underestimate High school Biology. It is a specialized science with a lot of complex concepts and antiquarian scientific terms. Many of these processes are invisible to the human eye, so the concepts may come across as abstract and difficult to grasp. The scientific terms are often very difficult to spell and remember.
  • While a good memory is an asset here, not all of this can be learnt by rote. These concepts need to be understood.
  • If you wish to pursue Biology, do your research, look up the High school syllabus before you commit to it. If possible, try and sit in on some classes to ensure that this is what you wish to study.
  • So much of Biology is taught with the help of diagrams, and you will have to study and reproduce many of these. The diagrams need not be works of art but if you are seriously challenged in that department, you maybe disadvantaged from the get go.
  • Similarly, if you’re squeamish about certain aspects of the curriculum, this may not be the ideal choice for you, so consider your options carefully and make an informed choice.
  1. Consider the facilities provided by your school:
  • High school Biology requires more than basic class lessons, textbooks and class notes. If you wish to pursue High school Biology, try to ensure that your school has the facilities to do justice to the subject.
  • You will need a good teacher, a well-equipped library and state of the art laboratory equipment. These are factors beyond your control, but they will contribute a great deal to your understanding of the subject.
  • Sometimes you may have to make a practical choice in the absence of adequate facilities. Otherwise, you can buckle up and prepare to work twice as hard to make up for whatever you cannot control.
  1. Have a long term goal:
  • High school students are often confused about what subjects to choose. Some schools offer a choice of subjects while others require you to stick to their curriculum. Either way, the best reason to take up Biology at High school level if you have a choice, is by finding a way to link the subject to your career goals. This will give you the confidence to pursue the subject with the dedication it requires.
  • If you wish to study medicine, marine biology, palaeontology, biochemistry or microbiology, then this is the subject for you.
  • Even if you are certain that you wish to study all pure sciences at the High school level and make a decision to pursue one in college, this is a good choice. Otherwise, you could take up Humanities, Commerce or a combination of other sciences like Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.
  • Don’t forget that if you wish to pursue further studies in Biology, you will also need an understanding of Chemistry so ensure that you are well equipped on all fronts.

So keep these points in mind when you choose to study Biology at the high school level. Consider all your options carefully and make a choice. However, do not fret; you can always switch fields in college if you find yourself pursuing a subject you do not enjoy but in the first year only.