Why I switched from Biology to Physics

Richard Feynman interview:

[marilinkuusk]

It's a bit sad to see so many comments here saying that biology sucks or is boring or whatever. I major in genetic engineering and minor in materials science so I study all three in sense. It has made me realize that everything is so closely related and it's quite ridiculous to say that one field is better than the other. I know many physicists who make fun of biologists but have no understanding of how the science of their own bodies works. Its honestly pretty damn amazing how life is just a big pile of unconscious molecules working together and keeping a conscious structure going.

All that said, we should make fun of political science majors instead.

[marvinschmoll]

Speaking to a physics community:

Andrew: If any of you are familiar with Richard Feynman...

[thesneakygamer]

I didn’t like lower division biology classes because i did think they were all about memorization, however the farther you get in biology the more it becomes about understanding concepts and application

[hajirahf]

As a microbiology major, I can say that the more you get into the field, the more you realize further down the line that, although there is a fair amount of memorization, it comes down to problem solving and application of concepts. Biology (especially micro) is fast evolving and I think it is only after delving deep into the material that you realize how fascinating and complex the structures that govern life truly are. Knowing that this holds true with the other sciences, I sometimes wish I had more than one life to live so that I could perhaps learn a little of each.

[justtoolit]

I'm a Bio major who's thinking about changing to Physics lol but damn calc 3 looks scary lol

[dayunggxddblvzx]

lol im in bio and cellular respiration is very interesting. the fact that all of this is going on at a molecular level makes it all the more intriguing. I find myself thanking my body, alot more, simply for keeping me alive. God forbid one of those electrons didn't carry over and you would be all in on the citric acid cycle.

[christinasolis]

I switched from Bio to Astrophysics to Physics because 1. I suck at memorization and 2. I wanted to learn the fundamentals. Becoming a physicist was the best thing I’ve ever done!

P.S. I absolutely love your videos! You’re hilarious and tell it like it is! Please keep making more :)

[raph]

I did the opposite: wanted to become a physics major, ended up in biology through maths, geology and environmental classes. Found out that what I called "biology" was actually a dent in a very large field and that what I loved most was actually ALSO biology lol! I had to come to terms with that, but I still love physics very much, but more as a hobby :) Respect!

[kirstenlina]

I switched from a music composition major to physics. I originally didn't think I had the mathematical skills developed to do well in the major despite the love for astrophysics I found through Carl Sagan, Hawking, and Feynman. I am halfway through my degree as a physics major with Sci.Ed/Math minor and I am so glad I made the change. Thanks for making great videos on your experience through your own career, they have really helped me find my footing along the way.

[PimpMatt]

Biology is what got me into chemistry. Chemistry is what got me interested in physics. They are all connected with one another and they're all hella fun when it comes to figuring out solutions. While I do really enjoy chemistry and the topics of physics probably more than biology, the solutions created out of biology are really abundant. Abundant in a sense that we apply it more to our lives. If I want to figure out autism, our understanding of neurology and perhaps an understanding of physics, I can go back to animal biology and study simpler life forms like nematodes because they too have cephalization like we do. Study these creatures as a "lab rat, " introduce them to things that may affect their nervous system and apply that to a larger scale like a human. We can even manipulate their prenatal development. That is why biology is fascinating in its own sense. It's only boring if you aren't creative with it and that goes for all sciences.

[jaquelinerodriguez]

thank you so much for uploading these videos. You are doing exactly what you’re trying to do with these videos and honestly i’m really i glad discovered your channel

[Christopher-vivf]

I switched from philosophy to history...oh wait wrong video

[andrewrezendes]

I'm a non-trad student and also recently switched from Bio (Pre-med) to Physics. I was struggling to put Physics texts down in order to study the Bio courses I was actually enrolled in. Glad I found your channel.

[simplynicolebeauty]

yay! I'm a biology major at clemson university and I love it! I'm glad you are pursuing your passion

[rohithnarra]

Andrew, you make me feel more confident about my decision to pursue the physical sciences and I appreciate that.

[darkrebel]

That's an awesome story, I can relate to a lot of it. I was originally an engineering major because of the pay, but then I started reading books like The Greatest Show on Earth by Dawkins and very quickly became fascinated with biology. I wanted to learn more and knew that popular science books could only take me so far, so I switched majors to Cell and Molecular Biology, and now I am starting my PhD in biomedical sciences in August. I have really fallen in love with biology and chemistry, and I'm even a undergraduate TA for a physics class this semester because, well, physics is awesome too lol.

[dheibeljr]

BRO!!!! TAKE FOR GRANTED THIS AMAZING GIFT... PARENTS WHO CARE. I have tried countless times over the years to explain physics concepts to my parents to start a discussion on anything science, really anything other than useless small talk, safe space pleasantries, meaningless bullshit, and every single time I get shot down. They flat out dont care and dont want to talk about it. It "isnt important" cue my head exploding. They'd rather discuss their day at work or who is going where for some dumb ass vacation or stupid useless info about unimportant people. Realize how lucky you are to have parents intelligent and/or curious enough to enjoy or at least tolerate discussing science of any kind with you.

[katie-stnx]

I think bio is just hard science at the most macro level, physics is cool but for me knowing specifically what is working is more interesting than specifically how it works if that makes any sense. Like how myosins use the alternating charges of microtubules to move around is more interesting than why those charges make it move. But every science is important, and I'm glad you found your passion!

[Jamony]

Hey! The same thing happened to me, did bio for a 2 years, it was fun. But I didn't like talking about (or thinking about) the citric acid cycle, and the like. The nail in the coffin came for me when I did a 6 week lab placement. I realised I didnt care enough about proteins to deal with those little s**ts every day. So I went into physics, tried that, and realized (finally) it was maths I enjoyed the most. Now Im in my final year of that. Loving it too.

[beatrix]

That short clip was refreshing as Thank you for including it as part of your vid!