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Asked by indygrant to Claire, Kate, Matt, Rob, Sam on 18 Jun 2013.
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Robert Woolfson answered on 18 Jun 2013:
Stick with it. Science gets an awful lot more fun as you get further into it. The first few years is a lot of work as you learn all the basic theories. Once you begin to understand them, you can start to use them to do research, which is where the real fun is.
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Sam Geen answered on 18 Jun 2013:
Find things that you’re good at and that you enjoy doing – if you’re not good at maths, you can still do biology, for example. Work hard at school – it’s really worth it. If you don’t understand something, work at it until you do – often understanding something is just getting used to it. This is especially true of maths, which you need to practice hard at, but once you’ve got it it’s usually not so bad. At GCSE choose science subjects, but also other things you’re interested in. Then at A-level you can specialise. Do a science subject at university – if you decide you want to do research, a PhD can be useful but there are plenty of good science jobs where you don’t need a science degree! If you’re not good at research (and don’t worry, not everyone is!) you can find jobs about science, like writing about it in magazines or telling people about it. There are lots of jobs in science on all sorts of things, so it’s a good career to aim for.
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Kate Husband answered on 18 Jun 2013:
Kind of goes without saying that you need to do well in maths and science, but also I think being passionate about science is important and you can show that by reading around about science and finding out what you think is the most interesting bit (perhaps something you might not study at school like geology or pyschology).
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Matthew Pankhurst answered on 18 Jun 2013:
I would agree with pretty well everything in the other answers. I’d also add that nothing is stopping you from learning some very important skills now. Looking at things and drawing or writing down what you see (and when) is what we call observing, which is a very important skill. All skills take practice, so if you’re aspiring to be a scientist, try observing and recording and see what you find. Remember, not all discoveries happen instantly, sometimes you have to keep at it until you see a pattern – and that’s where the discovery is, made from lot of tiny little observations. Good luck with your aspiration!
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Claire Lee answered on 19 Jun 2013:
Everyone has great advice. I want to emphasise the practicing – it really really does make a difference. I’ve taught first-year physics at university, and the more examples you do, the better you will get. Just reading through a solution will not work, you actually have to do it. (because of how the brain works)
I honestly wish I had done that more when I was at school and university!
Also, something that hasn’t been said is – surround your self with as many good people as you can. A lot of science is hard work, but a lot is about who you know, too. If you can, try to get to know as many scientists as you can, and don’t be afraid of asking them questions or advice, most likely they’ll love it 🙂 If they remember you, they’ll think of you when bursaries become available, or when they need an assistant for a summer job, or even if they’re doing some radio or tv thing and need someone enthusiastic on the show. Most scientists I think are good people, and if they see that you are enthusiastic and willing to work hard, then they will work hard to help you too.
Comments
indygrant commented on :
Thank you guys!