Student’s bold switch to science pays off with Olympiad success

“The biology Olympiad really gave me some pep in my step in terms of self-confidence, because I had evidence from something so difficult, that I actually could do it.  Sarah ‘Asher’ Little

Three A-level students at Coleg Sir Gâr have successfully taken part in British Biology Olympiad, a UK-wide science competition.

British Biology Olympiad is open to year 12 and 13 students across England and Wales and questions are set on the biology curriculum, however, the competition recognises students who have taken the time to independently further increase their subject knowledge.

Sarah ‘Asher’ Little, was one of the students who took part and gained a bronze award for their work. 

In their GCSEs, Asher was awarded an A in biology and chemistry and a B in physics but opted to study media, psychology and drama for their A-levels.

However, with their natural love of drama, studying it began to feel like an obligation and they have since swapped to biology which they say is the best decision they could have made. 

Asher completed two multiple-choice tests on A-level biology content from year one and two which presented them with various scenarios, including the behaviour of octopi. “What I gained from this experience was more confidence in my own abilities, as it proved I do in fact know my biology content,” said Asher. “It has helped make me feel more prepared for the upcoming exams and as I’m planning on completing a scientific degree, it will help me boost my UCAS application.”

The competition linked with both Asher’s love of marine life and their psychology work with octopi, which featured in the test, being intelligent beings capable of complex behaviours. It consisted of two, 45-minute multiple choice papers taken online at college. 

Currently, Asher is totally rethinking their career and has opted to stay at college to take up chemistry next year and focussing on her abilities in science. “I’m waiting for an autism diagnosis as well so I can struggle a lot with too much on my plate, so spacing out all my courses has really helped me not spread myself too thin and severely burn myself out,” they said. 

Keeping their options open, they say that as they are queasy with medical matters, they’re thinking about pharmacy, as they’ve always been fascinated by the medical field but being a pharmacist would still allow them to be an integral part of the healthcare service. 

Asher Little said: “I’ve really gone full steam ahead into science because the field is so broad and science is full of objectivity with theories and evidence to prove them. 

“The biology Olympiad really gave me some pep in my step in terms of self-confidence, because I had evidence from something so difficult, that I actually could do it.

“It was something I couldn’t even prepare for because none of the past papers have answers for the questions, so I was really pleased to get a certificate and a bronze award.”