Physiology, Biochemistry or Developmental Biology major?

[Reus]

Okay so I'm quite set with my Global Studies degree and figured out my major. However, for my Science degree I'm stuck between either Physiology, Biochemistry or Developmental Biology.

Does anyone have any insight on either? What they're like, contact hours, employment prospects, difficulty, content wise and/or enjoyability. Any sort of insight is appreciated!!

Thanks.

[julie9300]

I can't say too much on biochemistry since I didn't do it but I heard it's pretty hard, at least second year anyway (my friends have said third year is actually better). Just from reading forums etc. in the past, biochemistry majors aren't as useful as they used to be because most things in the lab are becoming automated. But obviously I can't say much on this since I have no idea what goes on in biochemistry.

Personally I didn't like developmental biology (although the staff was quite good and the units were pretty organised in second year). It kind of felt like first year bio again; if you're good at memorising, you'll ace the unit, but if you study based on simply understanding and deducing like me, then the amount of information you cover is slightly overwhelming (first semester covered things like mesoderm, endoderm, ectoderm sort of things). Second semester was a slight improvement, but only if you're interested in anything like anatomy. I think doing dev bio will give you some idea as to whether you want to pursue medicine or not, but if you're interested in research, I probably wouldn't even bother taking the unit, or at least not majoring in it. My lab demonstrators last year even said themselves not to major in it (didn't ask for a reason since I had no plans on majoring in it anyway), plus its a field of research you could probably easily get into with another major. From the dev bio demonstrators (and are/were doing their PhD) and lecturers in the dev bio faculty I talked to, none of them actually majored in dev bio/anatomy. Instead, they did majors like genetics, molecular bio, and even immunology. The labs didn't have much too. If you prefer hands-on sort of things, you won't get much out of the lab classes. The most you do is staining, but other than that you're observing specimens and answering questions. If you want to get a better idea of the exact things covered in DEV2011 and DEV2011 (at least in 2014) I can send you my full set of notes if you want

I took PHY2011 and the unit overall was pretty great. Easy unit in my opinion with awesome lecturers and a full set of notes provided too! Didn't continue physiology simply cause I realised it just wasn't something I was interested in. Contact hours were good for me since we only had 4 labs in a semester but I heard this year they've introduced tutes (not sure how useful they are).

[Reus]

I can't say too much on biochemistry since I didn't do it but I heard it's pretty hard, at least second year anyway (my friends have said third year is actually better). Just from reading forums etc. in the past, biochemistry majors aren't as useful as they used to be because most things in the lab are becoming automated. But obviously I can't say much on this since I have no idea what goes on in biochemistry.

Personally I didn't like developmental biology (although the staff was quite good and the units were pretty organised in second year). It kind of felt like first year bio again; if you're good at memorising, you'll ace the unit, but if you study based on simply understanding and deducing like me, then the amount of information you cover is slightly overwhelming (first semester covered things like mesoderm, endoderm, ectoderm sort of things). Second semester was a slight improvement, but only if you're interested in anything like anatomy. I think doing dev bio will give you some idea as to whether you want to pursue medicine or not, but if you're interested in research, I probably wouldn't even bother taking the unit, or at least not majoring in it. My lab demonstrators last year even said themselves not to major in it (didn't ask for a reason since I had no plans on majoring in it anyway), plus its a field of research you could probably easily get into with another major. From the dev bio demonstrators (and are/were doing their PhD) and lecturers in the dev bio faculty I talked to, none of them actually majored in dev bio/anatomy. Instead, they did majors like genetics, molecular bio, and even immunology. The labs didn't have much too. If you prefer hands-on sort of things, you won't get much out of the lab classes. The most you do is staining, but other than that you're observing specimens and answering questions. If you want to get a better idea of the exact things covered in DEV2011 and DEV2011 (at least in 2014) I can send you my full set of notes if you want

I took PHY2011 and the unit overall was pretty great. Easy unit in my opinion with awesome lecturers and a full set of notes provided too! Didn't continue physiology simply cause I realised it just wasn't something I was interested in. Contact hours were good for me since we only had 4 labs in a semester but I heard this year they've introduced tutes (not sure how useful they are).

Thanks so much for all that! I really appreciate it. With things being automated, that really puts biochemistry away. I know it sounds pedantic and in a sense inconsiderate but I'm looking for a major with the highest probability of employment (if post grad was not going to work out). I don't want to end up with a degree and debt where I can't get myself a sustaining job.

How much is developmental biology plant related? I seriously loathe that. We're doing things like mesoderm, endoderm and ectoderm now (in BIO1011) and hating every second of it haha. Also how much of it is human anatomy based? Or is it half half, dependent on units etc? Because I don't have a problem memorising things - pretty much the reason why I did well in Biology in VCE.

I'll message you about the notes, I'll be taking DEV2011 and DEV2022 next year nonetheless. Appreciate that too!!!:)

Looks like physiology is what I'm leaning towards right now... From what you've said it seems more appealing too. I wouldn't have a problem with 4 labs only haha. Tutes, in terms of my ATS1873 are actually so good as compared to my CHM1011 one's. Hopefully they're that good too. Have you got any insight on PHY2042?

Also what'd you end up majoring in?

Thanks again!!

[keltingmeith]

I'm DEFINITELY not an expert in biology, but there is a few things I wanted to point out:

Thanks so much for all that! I really appreciate it. With things being automated, that really puts biochemistry away. I know it sounds pedantic and in a sense inconsiderate but I'm looking for a major with the highest probability of employment (if post grad was not going to work out). I don't want to end up with a degree and debt where I can't get myself a sustaining job.

If by "post grad was not going to work out", you mean you're not going to do it, then forget about your major entirely. To get a job in science, you need honours MINIMUM, and often that isn't enough, so you'll need to look at getting masters or a PhD (read as: POST-GRAD). In fact, when you go onto your PhD, no one's going to care what you majored in.

Honestly, you have plenty of time to decide a major - you've got another 2.5 years to try out some units before you hit your final year and HAVE to make a decision (and you CAN, in fact, do all the units you need for your major in your final year), so you DEFINITELY have enough time to try out all three before you do your major. In fact, if my slim-knowledge of the biology section of the handbook doesn't escape me, you could walk out with 2 minors as well as the major if you try out all three areas. So don't rush through - at least wait until the end of the year to worry about making a "final" decision, because you don't have to decide next year's units until after semester 1 next year starts (remember how we keep talking about census? It's always in about the same place, and happens in all of your years).

To put this into perspective? Half of us here on AN are still deciding things like majors. Most of us, like you, know what broad areas we want to get into, but not much more. I know I want to go into maths and chemistry, but the exact type of maths? And the amount of either? I'm still not completely sure, and I've changed my unit plans a few times this year. Last year, I wrote about 20 different possible plans that I could take. I have a friend, in his second year of his three year science degree, who still doesn't know what he wants to major in. This year, he's taking biochem, chem AND physics, as well as a forced pre-req for third year physics, because he has no idea what he wants to major in at all. He has still (quite easily, might I add) set himself up so he can get a major in ANY *TWO* of what he's chosen, and will walk out with a minor in the other.

You have plenty of time, don't rush the decision because you think you're running out.

[Reus]

I'm DEFINITELY not an expert in biology, but there is a few things I wanted to point out:

If by "post grad was not going to work out", you mean you're not going to do it, then forget about your major entirely. To get a job in science, you need honours MINIMUM, and often that isn't enough, so you'll need to look at getting masters or a PhD (read as: POST-GRAD). In fact, when you go onto your PhD, no one's going to care what you majored in.

Honestly, you have plenty of time to decide a major - you've got another 2.5 years to try out some units before you hit your final year and HAVE to make a decision (and you CAN, in fact, do all the units you need for your major in your final year), so you DEFINITELY have enough time to try out all three before you do your major. In fact, if my slim-knowledge of the biology section of the handbook doesn't escape me, you could walk out with 2 minors as well as the major if you try out all three areas. So don't rush through - at least wait until the end of the year to worry about making a "final" decision, because you don't have to decide next year's units until after semester 1 next year starts (remember how we keep talking about census? It's always in about the same place, and happens in all of your years).

To put this into perspective? Half of us here on AN are still deciding things like majors. Most of us, like you, know what broad areas we want to get into, but not much more. I know I want to go into maths and chemistry, but the exact type of maths? And the amount of either? I'm still not completely sure, and I've changed my unit plans a few times this year. Last year, I wrote about 20 different possible plans that I could take. I have a friend, in his second year of his three year science degree, who still doesn't know what he wants to major in. This year, he's taking biochem, chem AND physics, as well as a forced pre-req for third year physics, because he has no idea what he wants to major in at all. He has still (quite easily, might I add) set himself up so he can get a major in ANY *TWO* of what he's chosen, and will walk out with a minor in the other.

You have plenty of time, don't rush the decision because you think you're running out.

Well that's a perspective haha. What's the difference between Masters and Honours?

I was looking at the handbook and I presumed that most majors you needed a minimum of units done in second year... hence why I am looking at it now. I'll definitely go past student services and get assistance with my course map thus far.

Also if you did change units before the census, wouldn't you be behind though?

[mahler004]

Cavaet: Not a Monash student.

Realistically, all three majors will be viewed by a prospective employer as a generic life science/biology major, and won't be viewed all that differently (if differently at all.) Some employers may slightly favour biochemistry as some see it as a bit more of a 'practical' major (totally not based here). You're generally not paid because you know lots about biochemistry/cell biology/whatever, but because they need a pair of hands in the lab that they can train. That's definitely not to say that there aren't other paths that don't involve a lab coat, but you'll generally need another degree to get at those (or serious connections or related work experience.)

You'll have trouble getting a job with just a BSc in any of those fields - a couple of friends have managed to get a job - these are largely lab technician jobs (effectively). One of them explicitly said the reason she was offered the job was because she had a good amount of practical experience (in the form of lab classes with good marks.) So yeah, don't avoid your prac classes. If you're thinking about going down a research path, also look out for research project subjects, or paid work in a lab.

As for post grad - again, what you major in doesn't really matter. It's possible to do Honours or Masters in a field that you didn't actually 'major' in without any trouble at all (even easier if your grades are good.) If you go through to a PhD, nobody will care what you majored in. If you stop at Honours/Masters, people will care about what skills you've picked up more so than what your degree/major is called.

Honours is generally a one year program - formally an extension of undergrad, but it's quite different.

Masters is a two year program, similar to Honours but with more coursework and a longer thesis.

And yeah, you've got plenty of time. I didn't choose what I was going to major in until (literally) timetabling day last year. It's good that you are thinking about this now - so you can think about second year prereqs, but you should be able to set yourself up to choose any one of the three (and more!) And the decision doesn't actually matter as much as people think, particularly between similar biology/biomedical majors.

[Reus]

Thanks for all that.

[alondouek]

Bit late to the party but whatever, I'm basically just here to advocate massively in favour of developmental biology

One of my majors is developmental biology, and in all honesty for me it's the greatest thing ever. In a lot of areas of study the undergraduate offerings are pretty stock-standard, classroom-ish learning with pretty boring, repetitive labs that don't cost the university particularly much to run (which is an issue in units like BIO1011/1022 with massive enrolments).

DEV isn't like that at all. In second year, DEV2022 is a very hands-on anatomy course with a strong focus on systemic, sequential and logical teaching rather than a more historical memorisation-based approach. DEV2011 and 3011 look more at core developmental processes and techniques (with 3011 obviously being more in-depth and involved, also focusing on experimental techniques used in developmental research). There are other DEV units such as DEV3022, 3032 and 3990 which focus on pathogenesis in development, stem cell development and biology and a major undergraduate research project respectively.

I chose to do DEV2011 in second year at the very last second, switching from IMM2011 (immunology, which wasn't compatible with my biomed units at the time) to MIC2011 (microbiology, which I wasn't too keen on) to DEV2011 which I hadn't really considered given that I didn't really like the animal development part of BIO1011 and 1022. Thank goodness I did that, since the first DEV lab I haven't looked back and I don't for one second regret that decision. The animal development part of BIO1011/1022 which turns a lot of people off isn't really exemplary of the DEV area of study - this is mainly due to the science faculty trying to cram every single department in the faculty into those two units so as to advertise different areas of study.

Obviously if you know what developmental biology is, you've done some reading on it and absolutely nothing about it interests you then it might very well not be your thing. However, one of the things I love about DEV is that other than being a very current, heavily studied and broad area of research with massive clinical influence and relevance, it is a truly multidisciplinary area of study. It integrates theory from physiology, biochemistry, genetics, microbiology, anatomy and immunology and uses all of them to understand the mechanisms, processes and potential manipulation of development at all biological levels.

There are several things that I really appreciate about developmental biology as offered by Monash:

• The units are extremely well organised.
• The lectures are almost always terrific.
• The assessment, e.g. MSTs and exams, are all fair and you're never tested on anything unexpected.
• The demonstrators are all really kind, helpful, fun and knowledgeable. They're also almost always happy to talk to you about their research (they're usually PhD students) or to answer any questions you may have.

However, possibly one of my favourite things about DEV is the quality and content of the labs (especially after DEV2011). Whereas in some areas on study like biochemistry or physiology the labs aren't great, or feel watered down due to large class sizes and limited funding, DEV labs are always really hands-on and you actually get to do cool stuff.

Examples:

1. In DEV2022 (an anatomy unit), there are a lot of dissections and the opportunity to go through human cadaver anatomy with a demonstrator.

2. In DEV3011, you get to dechorionate a mouse embryo (either wildtype or a Snai2 knockout embryo), stain and fix it to visualise some aspect of development mediated by that gene. Another really cool lab involves opening a window into a fertilised chicken egg and removing part of a limb bud (the apical ectodermal ridge) to investigate how a limb develops without that part.

So yeah, developmental biology is really cool, and really broad so there's something for everyone - from stem cells to whole body anatomy.

Let me know if you want any more information!

[julie9300]

Thanks so much for all that! I really appreciate it. With things being automated, that really puts biochemistry away. I know it sounds pedantic and in a sense inconsiderate but I'm looking for a major with the highest probability of employment (if post grad was not going to work out). I don't want to end up with a degree and debt where I can't get myself a sustaining job.

How much is developmental biology plant related? I seriously loathe that. We're doing things like mesoderm, endoderm and ectoderm now (in BIO1011) and hating every second of it haha. Also how much of it is human anatomy based? Or is it half half, dependent on units etc? Because I don't have a problem memorising things - pretty much the reason why I did well in Biology in VCE.

I'll message you about the notes, I'll be taking DEV2011 and DEV2022 next year nonetheless. Appreciate that too!!!:)

Looks like physiology is what I'm leaning towards right now... From what you've said it seems more appealing too. I wouldn't have a problem with 4 labs only haha. Tutes, in terms of my ATS1873 are actually so good as compared to my CHM1011 one's. Hopefully they're that good too. Have you got any insight on PHY2042?

Also what'd you end up majoring in?

Thanks again!!

No worries

Definitely not plant-related at all otherwise taking DEV probably would've been my biggest regret (I don't think many people enjoyed plant biology in first year lol). Second semester is actually the anatomy unit, so yeah, just don't expect much of that stuff in the first semester.

Yeah physiology is a pretty popular unit and at least in my cohort there's so many students majoring in it. Plus, the end of semester exam only tests concepts covered from week 4 or so, the lecturers point out what to study and what to not bother studying, and you could choose what questions to answer in the exam too (the good thing about this is you could skip one or two concepts that you find difficult and still potentially get full marks)--but they may have changed the format, just so you know

Sorry I actually didn't take PHY2042. I really only took PHY2011 as an elective to be honest since I'd heard it was an easy unit plus with the compulsory SCi2010 I had to drop something :/
Also just keep in mind you choose the right second semester PHY unit if you wanted to major in it! I know a couple of my friends had some trouble last year because they enrolled in the wrong PHY unit required for a major (though if you end up doing this, you could get DEV2022 credited over which is what my friend did)

[Reus]

Bit late to the party but whatever, I'm basically just here to advocate massively in favour of developmental biology

One of my majors is developmental biology, and in all honesty for me it's the greatest thing ever. In a lot of areas of study the undergraduate offerings are pretty stock-standard, classroom-ish learning with pretty boring, repetitive labs that don't cost the university particularly much to run (which is an issue in units like BIO1011/1022 with massive enrolments).

DEV isn't like that at all. In second year, DEV2022 is a very hands-on anatomy course with a strong focus on systemic, sequential and logical teaching rather than a more historical memorisation-based approach. DEV2011 and 3011 look more at core developmental processes and techniques (with 3011 obviously being more in-depth and involved, also focusing on experimental techniques used in developmental research). There are other DEV units such as DEV3022, 3032 and 3990 which focus on pathogenesis in development, stem cell development and biology and a major undergraduate research project respectively.

I chose to do DEV2011 in second year at the very last second, switching from IMM2011 (immunology, which wasn't compatible with my biomed units at the time) to MIC2011 (microbiology, which I wasn't too keen on) to DEV2011 which I hadn't really considered given that I didn't really like the animal development part of BIO1011 and 1022. Thank goodness I did that, since the first DEV lab I haven't looked back and I don't for one second regret that decision. The animal development part of BIO1011/1022 which turns a lot of people off isn't really exemplary of the DEV area of study - this is mainly due to the science faculty trying to cram every single department in the faculty into those two units so as to advertise different areas of study.

Obviously if you know what developmental biology is, you've done some reading on it and absolutely nothing about it interests you then it might very well not be your thing. However, one of the things I love about DEV is that other than being a very current, heavily studied and broad area of research with massive clinical influence and relevance, it is a truly multidisciplinary area of study. It integrates theory from physiology, biochemistry, genetics, microbiology, anatomy and immunology and uses all of them to understand the mechanisms, processes and potential manipulation of development at all biological levels.

There are several things that I really appreciate about developmental biology as offered by Monash:

• The units are extremely well organised.
• The lectures are almost always terrific.
• The assessment, e.g. MSTs and exams, are all fair and you're never tested on anything unexpected.
• The demonstrators are all really kind, helpful, fun and knowledgeable. They're also almost always happy to talk to you about their research (they're usually PhD students) or to answer any questions you may have.

However, possibly one of my favourite things about DEV is the quality and content of the labs (especially after DEV2011). Whereas in some areas on study like biochemistry or physiology the labs aren't great, or feel watered down due to large class sizes and limited funding, DEV labs are always really hands-on and you actually get to do cool stuff.

Examples:

1. In DEV2022 (an anatomy unit), there are a lot of dissections and the opportunity to go through human cadaver anatomy with a demonstrator.

2. In DEV3011, you get to dechorionate a mouse embryo (either wildtype or a Snai2 knockout embryo), stain and fix it to visualise some aspect of development mediated by that gene. Another really cool lab involves opening a window into a fertilised chicken egg and removing part of a limb bud (the apical ectodermal ridge) to investigate how a limb develops without that part.

So yeah, developmental biology is really cool, and really broad so there's something for everyone - from stem cells to whole body anatomy.

Let me know if you want any more information!

Like I told julie9300, you should so work for Monash With all this insight, you definitely should write up the handbook!

I appreciate the effort in replying. You guys have really helped (and made my choices even harder LOL). DEV2011 and 2022 sounds great to be honest - I've always enjoyed biology (except for botany). It looks like I'm really fixated in majoring in either DEV or PHY - but I guess time will tell. I really haven't been exposed to much BCH yet so who knows?

You mentioned a lot about anatomy for DEV which I am really interested in. Just don't want to regret it because of the plant side of it all haha - like you said with BIO1011.

Your example of;

1. In DEV2022 (an anatomy unit), there are a lot of dissections and the opportunity to go through human cadaver anatomy with a demonstrator.

Sounds sweet haha. If DEV is full of this, count me in! But can you comment on the amount of lab sessions, hands on and tutorial expectations? Is it quite jam-packed or time lenient? I get that university isn't an easy way out but I want a major with less stress and more enjoyability since I'm stuck between two, I may as well choose the most beneficial one.

What is like IMM like?

[alondouek]

Like I told julie9300, you should so work for Monash With all this insight, you definitely should write up the handbook!

I appreciate the effort in replying. You guys have really helped (and made my choices even harder LOL). DEV2011 and 2022 sounds great to be honest - I've always enjoyed biology (except for botany). It looks like I'm really fixated in majoring in either DEV or PHY - but I guess time will tell. I really haven't been exposed to much BCH yet so who knows?

You mentioned a lot about anatomy for DEV which I am really interested in. Just don't want to regret it because of the plant side of it all haha - like you said with BIO1011.

Your example of;

1. In DEV2022 (an anatomy unit), there are a lot of dissections and the opportunity to go through human cadaver anatomy with a demonstrator.

Haha! If Monash wants to pay me to shill their courses for them then I'd encourage them to do so

Just to clarify quickly, DEV has no plant biology in it - zero, nada, nothing. The only reason plant biology and animal development is taught close together (or at least it was when I was a Jaffy) in BIO1011/1022 is probably just unit scheduling. So yeah, no plants in DEV - otherwise I probably wouldn't have majored in it.

Anatomy is extremely relevant to developmental biology both as an undergraduate area of study as well as a field of research itself. That's why you have DEV2022, which is a pure anatomy unit. If you have any friends in biomed in second year or above, their BMS2011 anatomy unit is fairly similar to DEV2022 (though I'd say that as with many comparisons between science and biomed units, DEV2022 is the superior unit). While no other DEV unit other than 2022 is pure anatomy, the theory from that unit is critical for all the subsequent DEV units. If you're interested in anatomy I highly endorse a DEV major, it's terrific fun and genuinely interesting. As well as this, it's a rapidly growing field in sub-field of developmental biology such as regenerative medicine and stem cell biology, which is astounding stuff.

You can always do what a lot of people in science degrees do when they can't pick one major over another - just do both! DEV and PHY can be taken as dual majors; it just means you won't have room to do a minor in anything (which doesn't make a difference tbh). I know several people doing this combination and they generally enjoy it. I personally couldn't do a physiology major without going entirely insane (though apparently physiology is exponentially better in science than in biomed... which isn't difficult), but it's important to realise that you have a fairly flexible course plan and you can, to an extent, mix it up a bit of you can't pick one over the other.

Sounds sweet haha. If DEV is full of this, count me in! But can you comment on the amount of lab sessions, hands on and tutorial expectations? Is it quite jam-packed or time lenient? I get that university isn't an easy way out but I want a major with less stress and more enjoyability since I'm stuck between two, I may as well choose the most beneficial one.

What is like IMM like?

To the first question:
- DEV2011, when I took it, had a lab almost every week (though if I recall not all were compulsory). This consisted of a 1-hr tutorial in a small group with a demonstrator going over some optional pre-lab questions, then the next 1-2 hrs were spent as a whole class doing some labwork, histology or microscopy in the histology lab (CG63).

- DEV2022 was very different. In the past labs were largely optional, however they decided to make them compulsory for my cohort when we started. Initially I was a bit miffed at that, but it turned out terrific. The lab structure varied week-to-week, but most weeks you were in a set group with a demonstrator and a lot of the anatomy education was done as an interactive, flexible, station-based self-guided lab where the objective was to complete a worksheet based on wet specimens that you either dissect yourself or were presented to you by a demonstrator in a sort of revolving mini-tute. The staff also tried to make it fun (and dare I say, succeeded in doing so) by "game-ifying" some of the labs so that each class group would rotate around different stations to answer questions based on specimens and the winning group received some prize (gift card etc.). Fantastic stuff all around IMO.

- DEV3011: All labs are compulsory and take place most weeks, though some weeks are devoted to optional masterclasses or for your oral presentations etc. The actual labwork you do get to do in this unit is pretty technical, challenging and (for me) quite fun.

There are more DEV units but I haven't done them yet so I'll refrain from commenting on them until I can do so in an informed manner.


To the second question:

I'll preface this with an important note: I haven't ever actually done a true IMM unit (I'm currently taking HUP3011 - Pathology, which is under immunology), so I can't really give any insight into those units. However, based on casual chatting with friends, IMM appears to be interesting, if a bit intense and heavy on the information load (though this is partially true of DEV and most other majors in fairness).

Let me know if I haven't addressed anything or if you have any other questions!

[slothpomba]

Finally some AN kids in science (rather than biomed or the rest)!

I've done all three to various levels (i've got a single subject left in my science degree).

Contact hours i believe are all broadly similar. I only took biochemistry and developmental biology to second year level. In terms of official contact hours though, it doesn't vary much. In terms of work outside class, thats another matter. I found developmental biology stuffed to the brim with content, each lecture would easily have 50 slides (this was in 2013, may have changed since). That isn't necessarily bad if you like it but it is a lot of work.

Employability prospects are all similar i reckon. Biochemistry may have some minor edge because you may be able to leverage it into any kind of chem job (lab technician...uh...paint factory...). Really though, a science degree alone isn't significantly more employable than an arts degree, that's just how generalist degrees work. This is especially true considering how its taught at Monash. My friend at swinburn had far more practical skills taught (like how to run an ECG etc) which she leveraged into a job at a sleep lab for awhile. They also have industry placements. It's not the brightest scenario but one major isn't worse than the others.

Enjoyability is highly individualised, with that in mind:

I hated developmental biology but it was just a bad year for me in general. It had an insane amount of content when i did it, labs every week (which is unusual). I took it because i was considering medicine but i wouldn't take it again. I loved the histology and microscopic bits of it, i loved writing my project on the liver cells. The rest was fairly difficult and joyless for me though. I didn't really care to learn about all these different bones or development genes.

Biochemistry was interesting but i had fairly poor general chemistry skills (from first year). That said, it was a very interesting unit but i only took the one because i was struggling a little and i felt i would get less interested as it moved past the "general introduction" stage to the discipline.

I have a physiology minor and i enjoyed that a fair bit. A lot of the 2nd year units are interesting and organised fairly well. Ramesh and his second year unit (PHY2011) is immensely popular and he's won teaching awards. Third year is extremely hit and miss. There are several units that are poorly organised and/or people recommend you just dont take. If you major in it you will just have to stomach a few of these but there are also a few good ones you can choose.