Chemical Forums
Specialty Chemistry Forums => Biochemistry and Chemical Biology Forum => Topic started by: mimickson on January 16, 2020, 01:19:49 PM
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I'm a sophomore in high school who wants to get into biochem and I'm currently taking precalc. Thing is, I really do not like math. I managed to get an 89 my first quarter and unfortunately this last quarter isn't going so well for me. I'll probably end up with a 70 or something. I'm starting to wonder if I should take calculus next year or not, and if this is going to affect my chances of getting into a biochemistry course in college. Also when I say I don't like math, it's because I don't like doing math on its own/for school, but when I'm applying it to science I don't mind doing it. Any help is appreciated
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You can easily get a job without doing much math. when you need to do it you do it when applying to science. Especially with biochem you wont be doing much at all.
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On the one hand, mathematics (including calculus and simple differential equations) has helped me as a practicing biochemist. The take-home message is that you never know what intellectual tools you will need when doing research. On the other hand, I would be careful about what inferences one should draw from performance in one high school course. In other words, you may do better in a different course.
I don't think that your chances for being accepted into college will be strongly affected (although I am far from sure), but undergraduate degrees in chemistry often require some calculus and some require differential equations or linear algebra. Therefore, you may have to deal with calculus sooner or later.