Biochemistry is one of those majors where you’ll find that everyone you talk to will say, “Oh, you must be smart,” unless they too are in the major. As a first year at St. Bonaventure University, it’s a little daunting to have a lack of social time in the future hanging over my head, but I didn’t choose this major simply because I wanted to sit in a lab or do homework for the rest of my life. The opportunities that can come from biochemistry are way more than simply research, although that is definitely an interesting option.
For me, my passion for nutrition and health is what drives me to pursue this major. As a child I was given a little too much freedom with what I ate and started to notice changes in my health during high school that exercise could not solve. As a result, I became healthier, and nutrition became a subject of interest in my vocabulary. After taking an AP biology course and learning about the different chemicals that react within the body to give living things energy, I became increasingly interested in the micro level of nutrition and its chemical nature.
Biochemistry seemed perfect for this aspect of my interests. I also want the edge of a biochemistry degree so I can go to a great graduate school for nutrition and become a dietician or nutritionist myself someday. A profession working with people to make their lives better has always been on my checklist for future careers. Biology and pre-nutrition programs are usually the major/track choices of those pursuing careers in nutrition, but I discovered my interest in the field after I finished applying to college. It made sense for me to go above and beyond the usual standards, as schools love to see high-achieving, well-rounded individuals.
I’m so excited for what this major will help me achieve in the future and am already loving my biology and chemistry classes. Although it’s a difficult major, it has many benefits and for me, with my interests in biology on the atomic level, nutrition, and a challenging environment, the pros definitely outweigh the cons.
Interested in biochemistry? Check out our Science and Engineering section, which has tons of info on science majors, potential careers, and more!
