Which of the "Big 3" College Sciences is the Best/Easiest/Least Bad?

[Free Bird]

I've put it off long enough, but this year, at some point, I have to take one of the three. Which is the best, or at least the least bad? Easiest? What should I expect from all of them? I took AP Bio in high school but the teacher admitted she did things very differently from college so that's basically a useless background reference.

[dead0man]

I think it depends a lot on the person.  Physics came easy to me compared to Biology which was easier than Chemistry.  But I've heard other people say the exact opposite.  I'd go with which ever one was most interesting to you.

[Alabama_Indy10]

Biology has always been the easiest to me and the most popular at my school. Chemistry is my favorite, though. 

[SATW]

I enjoyed taking biology classes. Chemistry sucks and I've never taken physics in my life.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Physics is very easy. Chemistry is hardest.

[Lechasseur]

I didn't take any of them, as in Europe you don't have the whole "general requirements" thing, your classes are all linked to your major somehow here. I last took physics and chemistry in the 10th grade and biology in the 11th grade, but I found biology way easier and I liked it way more than the other two, I'd imagine in college it would be the same.

[136or142]

I've taken the first level of both chemistry and physics.  Physics has the most complicated mathematics but chemistry and, I gather, biology have a lot more memorization.  The mathematics in chemistry involves balancing chemical equations while, I presume, there is a fair amount of statistics in biology.

Physics struck me as not requiring a great deal of memorization because it's mostly common sense beyond memorizing some numerical constants.  Chemistry (and biology?) involve memorizing a lot of scientific facts.

[Illiniwek]

Physics is glorious. Biology sucks and Chemistry can be just as bad with the wrong teacher (I had her...).

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Interesting, sexy and cool people do biology.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

If you're really into math, then physics is your best bet, if not then I'd say it really depends on what type of lab interests you.

[136or142]

If you're really into math, then physics is your best bet, if not then I'd say it really depends on what type of lab interests you.

Hey teacher, leave them frogs alone!

[Cassandra]

The intro biology classes will probably be easiest. What's your major?

[muon2]

As someone well-versed in advising that question (over a decade as an undergrad adviser in a university physics department), here are the initial questions I'd ask that are relevant to making a decision. I'll be happy to post my advice if you are interested.

What is your major (and minor)?
What are yours plans after college?
Is the science only for general education requirements?
Do you need one or two semesters of science?
Do you need a science course with a lab or just a lecture course?
You mentioned biology, chemistry and physics, but are there other sciences like geology or astronomy that would meet your requirement?
How are your math and writing skills?

[RFayette]

Chemistry was definitely easiest for me, but I find physics to be more interesting.

[progressive85]

Chemistry needs to die a painful death.  It comes right outta the pit of hell.  #Flunked3x

[muon2]

Chemistry needs to die a painful death.  It comes right outta the pit of hell.  #Flunked3x

As a field chemistry is trapped in it's pre-20th-century roots. The chemistry of molecular biology is completely diverged from materials science, but the common roots exist in handful of classes. If it seems too prescriptive or irrelevant it probably traces back to the inability to really go in depth on either of it's main branches given the common needs of both. I say that as a person who so loved chem as a child that I had my dad build me a bench lab in our basement that I would spend hours in.

[💥💥 brandon bro (he/him/his)]

My read of the intro sequences for each field:

Chemistry - My general chemistry class was taught by a theoretical chemist (actually more of a physicist than a chemist) so the class was very general thinking about physical rules for chemical reactions. Good class, lots of very basic math (basically algebra), but too general to feel applicable to anything in real life. Organic chemistry was very cool; if you have good spatial reasoning (i.e., can imagine arbitrary shapes in your brain, rotate them, imagine how they fit together) you will do very well. Also not very applicable but definitely a very different way of thinking than any chemistry class leading up to it. Many people hate it.

Physics -- First course is probably mechanics (laws of motion, etc.) which can be cool and applicable, but basic. Obviously lots of math. Second course maybe is in electronics, which is more cool and applicable. But it takes a while to get into the really exciting stuff. Higher level stuff if you make it there is a really interesting way of thinking about the world with lots of generalizability (insights into the other sciences and even into social sciences).

Biology -- Intro classes probably have the most applicability to real life ("oh, that's why they put out different vaccines every year... oh, that's why my body does that..." etc.), which means it probably has more potential to be exciting and relevant to your daily life. Common criticism is that a lot of intro biology classes are a lot of memorization; in a sense that is true, although a good class will involve a lot more critical thinking. Ecology is cool if you like being outside and everyone should do themselves the favor of learning how Evolution/Natural Selection actually works. Upper level classes will probably involve lots of statistics and maybe more math.

Underrated science -- geology. Gets a bad rep as memorizing types of rocks and while there is some of this if you get a major, geology is much more. Surface processes, meteorology and climate science, paleontology, landscape change, oceanography... plus by studying geology you tend to dodge annoying pre-med students and get people who are genuinely interested in what they're doing.

Obviously this all depends on your professor and the way you are already trained to think. I can answer more questions for you if you are interested.

[136or142]

Chemistry needs to die a painful death.  It comes right outta the pit of hell.  #Flunked3x

You needed Venus Flytrap as your teacher
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khD8fvpqKYI

[Meclazine for Israel]

[Del Tachi]

Biology

[Free Bird]

As someone well-versed in advising that question (over a decade as an undergrad adviser in a university physics department), here are the initial questions I'd ask that are relevant to making a decision. I'll be happy to post my advice if you are interested.

What is your major (and minor)?
What are yours plans after college?
Is the science only for general education requirements?
Do you need one or two semesters of science?
Do you need a science course with a lab or just a lecture course?
You mentioned biology, chemistry and physics, but are there other sciences like geology or astronomy that would meet your requirement?
How are your math and writing skills?

1. Political Science with the potential to switch to History
2. Probably grad school for either an MPA or M.Ed
3. Yes
4. Yes, I've already taken Nutrition as my first one, but it did not include a lab, which is what these 3 include
5. See 4. I need a lab now.
6. They exist, but they don't have a lab component.
7. I'm noted for being really good at writing. As for math, I do pretty good in classes, I just hate the subject matter.

[muon2]

As someone well-versed in advising that question (over a decade as an undergrad adviser in a university physics department), here are the initial questions I'd ask that are relevant to making a decision. I'll be happy to post my advice if you are interested.

What is your major (and minor)?
What are yours plans after college?
Is the science only for general education requirements?
Do you need one or two semesters of science?
Do you need a science course with a lab or just a lecture course?
You mentioned biology, chemistry and physics, but are there other sciences like geology or astronomy that would meet your requirement?
How are your math and writing skills?

1. Political Science with the potential to switch to History
2. Probably grad school for either an MPA or M.Ed
3. Yes
4. Yes, I've already taken Nutrition as my first one, but it did not include a lab, which is what these 3 include
5. See 4. I need a lab now.
6. They exist, but they don't have a lab component.
7. I'm noted for being really good at writing. As for math, I do pretty good in classes, I just hate the subject matter.

Based on the above I'd go for Bio if you think an MPA is more likely (the science class will matter less in that case). If you think the M.Ed. is more likely then a broader science base is perhaps slightly more helpful. In that case what ever feels further away from the nutrition course you took between Bio and Chem would make the most sense. Physics would clearly be furthest removed, but I don't know how much you'd enjoy it unless there is a well-recommended prof available.