How Do I Prepare to Study Plant Biology in University?

By Dave Cass

My specific field is experimental plant biology. I will list what I think are some things high school students can do to prepare for such a field below:

strong interest and coursework in biology in general
strong interest and coursework in plants as living organisms, not just specimens on herbarium sheets (note: plant specimens on herbarium sheets have their place)
reasonable background in math and chemistry

I think that experimental plant biology is probably more competitive than it used to be; therefore, it is important to approach it with a solid background and interest. I recognize that not all high schools offer specific plant biology coursework. This could be partially remedied by taking biology courses where the fundamentals of biology (cell division, growth, genetics, nutrition, etc.) are presented.

I was successful in my career, but my success would have been greater if I had had a better math (including statistics) and chemistry background. I had a fair bit of biochemistry (4 courses), which was good, but I should have had some physical chemistry as well.

Dave Cass, Professor Emeritus, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, and 3M National Teaching Fellow.

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