<p>How did those of you with science majors decide on your particular track? Was it something you had in mind since childhood, or did you go in as an English major and change your mind?
How do plans made in high school compare to those made in college? Are they still the same, did they change, and if so, how?
Also, what kind of things did you all do to explore science careers? Volunteering, internships, google searches?
Thanks! :)</p>
<p>What areas of science do you find fascinating? What do you read about and like to watch tv docs about? Do you have any burning questions on a subject you’d love to find out more about? How are you getting on in high school science?</p>
<p>Once you’ve got a few ideas have a look on youtube. There are so many career videos online which are great. You might have a couple of options for college. Make sure your college offers all of them and get to work. College can make or break a subject.</p>
<p>I’m fascinated by infectious disease, in two specific areas, hemorrhagic viruses and mathematical modeling. I’m doing very well in science in high school, or so I’d like to think. I have A’s in honors Bio and Chem and am planning on taking AP Bio, AP Chem, Honors Physics, and if I have the time, AP Physics C.
I would LOVE to explore blood clotting related to hemorrhagic viruses like Ebola, but they’re a bit dangerous and hard to get clearance to work with them 
Also, I’ve always found it so incredible that you could use math to figure out where a disease originated and where it would spread. It’s always been a goal to be able to map a possible spread of a virus through a city.
I never thought about using youtube! Thanks!
Also, do you know anything about this field that might be useful? I’m looking at molecular or microbiology and applied mathematics double major and going to either medical school or grad school for virology or something.
I really appreciate your reply, highland_poppy. Are you a science major?</p>
<p>I would say, if you have many broad interests, start with a broad degree that will allow you to explore during your first year or two. You may double major in applied math and microbiology starting out and then find you prefer one over the other. Also, it is important to know that your interests are likely to change. In fact, there may be a field that you have not been exposed to that will catch your interest in college. That is exactly what happened to me.</p>
<p>Another piece of advice would be to go with your gut when it comes to choosing your major. I wanted to study physics but started in engineering because of job security. It only took a year before I realized I would regret NOT doing physics so I changed my major to physics and now I am much happier.</p>
<p>To explore my interests when I was in high school, I did a ton of Google searching and subscribed to several science magazines to get a feel for the cutting edge stuff going on. I also got a chance to do some research and I really loved it. Once I was an undergrad, I jumped into research right away and it has really guided my interests and narrowed my focus.</p>
<p>The reason I plan on taking hs physics is to make sure I don’t absolutely love it and move away from bio
What research did you do as a high school student?</p>
<p>I wish research was more widely available. It seems like these kids around me are fed these types of things on the platter, I’m not even sure how to find about exploring these different oppurtunities. Maybe I don’t have the right kind of parents, my mom does her best but being a single parent she has to work often and she doesn’t seem “content” with life if you know what I mean… On the other hand, this stellar girl at my school who got a 36 on the ACT and probably has a 4.0, has the most active, available parents, and is involved in so many things, has the money and time to do whatever scientific pursuits she desires…</p>
<p>I’m not saying anyone’s parents are bad anything, I’m sure if she had the time/money she would want the best for me, as any mom would.</p>
<p>Sorry about that tangent, but it’s just unfortunate to think that there are many people in this country, or across the world that have great minds, or very smart and are locked out of being able to contribute to science because of monetary or time constraints…</p>
<p>But I find my own way to stay interested in science. I didn’t try at all in Middle School, so I was automatically placed in regular classes Freshman year. I wasn’t challenged at all, thus leading me to be much lazier, so I earned somewhat subpar grades (3.5-3.7 realm), and now I wasn’t mentally, sufficiently prepared for junior year where I’ve decided to take all but one class as honors. Oddly enough it has been my best year yet, despite having taken no honors fresh and 1 class soph year, in biology. I’m trying to explore all the different realms of science, taking AP Enviro and Honors chem this year, and AP Physics + AP Chem next year.</p>
<p>I got a low B in Chemistry but I feel like I really understand the material. I did very well on the reactions test and pretty good on my final. It’s so interesting and I feel like I’m going to remember this stuff for the rest of my life, or so I hope.</p>
<p>I search google so often about science junk. I even bought a telescope for few years ago - a really nice one, and It’s just internally fulfilling to see planets in the night sky or look at galaxies. Then I go to the book store and read about it, buy books about physics (I’m currently reading “The Little Book of String Theory”, it’s a short book by a professor at Princeton). And I think to myself I really want to do this one day. I love math, I have never not understood a concept in math. I make lots of silly mistakes though and that brings me down. I rush too much, I take tests too fast… I can see the relationships between numbers and other numbers and stuff. I would not mind going to work for 8 hours a day doing math equations or chem junk. Unfortunately that’s not the best option…</p>
<p>However, I’m sort of confused on where I want to go with my life. Sciences are in a bad spot, in the case of job-finding. But that’s awful. This is such an interesting subject, and I want to practice it as a job for my life. But of course, the science “market” is governed by how much big business demands for scientific methods, few groups and people actually research science for the sake of knowledge. They did that hundreds of years ago… not anymore. The majority of humans are desensitized to intellectual pursuits. Listening to modern rap “music”, eating potato chips, watching Keeping up with the Kardashians, what happened to reading Principia for fun or learning to play a new instrument?</p>
<p>I would be very uncomfortable in such a lifestyle, a robotic, carefree, ignorance-is-bliss lifestyle. </p>
<p>It’s like, the most interesting, eclectic, beautiful but fundamental things, are the “worst”. It feels like the only places people can get jobs in, or at least from what I’ve heard, is either engineering or business, and other specific careers (nurse for example). In the ideal world, I want to be able to get a PhD in some science discipline and be able to find a job. That simply isn’t the case anymore, there will be years after I graduate before I’m even considered.</p>
<p>Thus I must find the balance between my dreams and reality, because I can’t snap and make the world a better place. I am being lead into the realm of engineering because it has a lot of math and science and applying it, but from what I’ve read of where engineers are typically working, in factories, wearing hard hats… It seems too industrial for me, too capitalist. I want to be in a lab with a coat or something lol.</p>
<p>I completely understand what you mean, ctesiphon. I’ve stopped reading teen fiction and started reading books on everything from brain death to Euler’s constant Gamma. I’ll have to check out that book you mentioned. I make silly mistakes too
I’ve emailed a bunch of professors about their research with no results, unfortunately. I don’t want to be ‘locked out’ like you mentioned, but I don’t know what to do, which is why I made this post.
“It’s like, the most interesting, eclectic, beautiful but fundamental things, are the “worst”.”-I know this wasn’t what you meant, but sometimes the worst natural things (like diseases or unsolvable math problems) are the most elegant and beautiful.
I really appreciate your post. I would love to meet more people like you.</p>
<p>Reading your posts brings back memories of when I was in high school… I went to a small rural high school with no AP classes or honors programs. I always felt it was unfair at the time but now I’m glad I took all those classes in university.</p>
<p>You asked about the research I did in high school. I was lucky enough to have one teacher who really cared and ran a field biology summer course between my junior and senior year. We mostly did bird tagging and some water quality work… Not exactly “research” but it really sparked my interest. We also had star parties where I looked through a telescope for the first time. That summer was when I realized for the first time that science was really awesome. I then started reading about science a lot and eventually gravitated towards physics and math (pun intended). </p>
<p>You say that only well off people get opportunities to do research in high school. Not at all true. There is a summer research program at a university near my town (Missouri university of science and technology) where you can GET PAID to do research. You guys should apply, it would be a great experience.</p>
<p>I also was worried about doing science and so started in engineering in college. After taking more physics and math classes, I knew I needed to change to physics. I don’t regret this decision at all. Even if I get my PhD and can’t find a job and have to change fields, at least I was able to contribute something to science. That is my goal and everything else should work itself out.</p>