<p>Hello everyone. I am just about finished with GE but I need about 49 more science and math units. I am a science major and im hoping to become either a M.D or medical scientist. Im leaning more toward a medical scientist.</p>
<p>I know this is sord of a funny question, but when will I start to gain the skills and knowlede of a scientist? I just don't feel like one and I just dont see how a few undergraduate courses is going to prepare me to research or do<br>
advanced study.</p>
<p>I have just finished general chemistry last semester and done well in it and got an A, and next semester I am barley starting first semester Calculus. I hear so much about how hard gen chem is and how its suppose to be the science major break in. I enjoy learning science and I feel that I have gained some problem solving skills, but I just dont see how at this rate in 3 years im going to be come this guy that can do research, search for cures and make medicine etc.. My question is a bit confusing but im sure alot of you know what I mean. But I guess this is just how it happens so im just accepting it for now and believing it. I like to hear some of your thoughts.</p>
<p>tlu3010, Never stop asking why?, a question that creeps up in your head when your reading a subject, or 'bout an intriguing phenomenon.</p>
<p>And then----find the answer! </p>
<p>Why? That three-lettered word, will be the most powerful driving force in your pursuit to higher learning. And before you know it, you'll have gained so much knowledge, and a deep grounding in that subject, you'll "become this guy that can do research, search for cures and make medicine etc."</p>
<p>Also, don't put off doing research till youre sure you know everything about the subject. Start right away--be very inquisitive, and proactive in doing extensive background reading on the topic(s). Seek a mentor to help you attain your intellectual goals etc. etc. and etc. And then, youll START to gain the skills and knowledge of a scientist right away.</p>
<p>For example, if you took an intro Bio course, it wouldn't hurt to volunteer in a Bio research lab, and start learning new stuff on your own, and of course, asking Why? </p>
<p>And by the time finish taking those "49 more science and math units" all the while never ceasing to challenge yourself intellectually by doing research (and asking Why? Of course), I am sure you would have laid yourself a very strong foundation to become an excellent Medical scientist.</p>
<p>I don't know. Is there a certain feeling someone gets when they are a scientist? Have some trust in yourself. You enjoy learning and people seem to be well off armed with the knowledge they attain after they graduate, and you will be wiser in three years no doubt. A lot of learning could be fit into three years. </p>
<p>I'm actually a bit worried myself. I'm not in college yet, but I often notice that once in a while I might forget something I've learned over time. What would happen after college, or even medical school, when I need to use this knowledge to work in the real world? I've decided that I'll put faith into the fact that school and experience will prepare me for the future and that the fact that my love for learning will reinforce me.</p>
<p>1.) Wait until you have some research experience before assessing your feelings regarding research.</p>
<p>2.) My guess is that you will start feeling like a scientist soon after you begin doing research, but I will also mention that most of these people who "search for cures", etc., do not begin that process immediately after undergraduate school - i.e. they get a PhD first, so there's no need to feel "that way" even after another three years.</p>
<p>Thanks for you comments. That was a hard question to answer but I really hope so. Im just scared because I don't want to be this person that just fools around in a lab all day and doesn't do anything because he forgot everything that he learned in college but he got his degree. Forgetting is something that always happens. You learn something one semester, but two semesters later you forget. I just hope its like the time tables lol. Through more and more exposure you never forget. But I am still forgetting.</p>
<p>Start working in a lab and you will soon begin to understand research. Simply finding "the cure" is just a part of it. When you do research, you are focusing on one project and you learn everything about the area in science that the project requires. What I am trying to say is that when you work in a lab your focus is very narrow and you do not need to know everything. Only about what you are working on. You will do a lot of reading in your area and there will be plenty of people in the lab to explain anything that you do not understand. I starting working in a lab in high school so I didn't have any college classes behind me and though I had to be taught a lot, I caught on soon enough and was just as productive as any grad student. If you start in college, don't worry about being expected to come up with any brilliant ideas. You are just there to learn and to do the benchwork that the postdoc doesn't have time for. It is a lot of fun and you get to meet great and intelligent people (maybe even someone who will later write you an amazing recommendation). Just try to find a research position as grad students, postdocs and professors need people like you to do work for them. At least try it one summer and if you don't like it, then you can easily leave after three months. I hope this helps a little.</p>
<p>scientists are people who can
1. find a novel and worthwhile hypothesis to explore
2. set up an experiment to provide at least some insight to an answer for this hypothesis or even answer it
3.* explain and advertise your hypothesis and results so that everyone else thinks youre doing a great job as a scientist</p>
<p>there is no special feeling that you get when you are ready at any given time you just work with what youve got majority (90+%) of people do not become great scientists but this still does not prevent them from engaging in research nowadays things are so complicated due to so much information that has been found in previous decades and centuries, that most people just focus on one area and become pros at it, and they also work in groups collaborating with each other so you are not expected to tackle important scientific issues by yourself when you are an undergraduate and are still learning the basics of everything</p>
<p>I used to think that being a great scientist is something that anyone smart enough can do given enough education but now I think that it is an inborn trait some people just never develop mastery of basic concepts, common sense when it come to experimentation, and this intuition that all great minds have about the science they engage in so stuffing your head with facts you learn in classes will not make you a scientist it will definitely help out but learning is one thing, and being able to connect facts that youve learned is another school can force you to learn facts, but connecting these things in your head and putting it all together depends on your minds capacity only and while many people can put in load of hours and basically recite entire textbooks, very few can work with the information in such way to become great scientists</p>
<p>to help yourself out you can:
1) find a lab and work in it on your own project this way youll learn about such things as literature searching, collaborating with other researchers, setting up certain timeframes for your project, dealing with advisors, presenting you work, and even about emotional components of research (most project dont work out how can you deal with it if yours is a dead end one? or what if you lose interest but you've put in loads of work already?)
2) read modern literature compare article published in Science or Nature or Cell to articles written in crappy journals this will give you a sense of what is a hot topic and what is not, and what kind of research gets published in good journals
3) be proficient with the basic theory that you learn you do not have to memorize everything to the least detail, but Ive noticed that people who are most successful at research know their fundamentals by heart
4) try to be interdisciplinary for example, if your major in biology, it also helps to know some biochemistry and/or biophysics, depending on your interests a few decades ago departments used to be strictly one subject now there is a move to get people exposed to different areas of science you have to be a pro in one area of your choice and yet also have some exposure to other areas here is an example of what happens if you solely focus on one field: a post-doc at a local lab put a virus into mice this virus was carrying a metal atom that would help to determine where the virus went he worked a year feeding and slaughtering mice and studying their organs not surprisingly, he found that the metal went into the liver this guy got his PhD at UC Berkeley, a very prestigious research school for PhDs in science yet he had no grasp on biological concepts and viola he wasted a year of his time doing bs science</p>
<p>oh and by the way, if youre planning to do something with science, an MD is probably not the best choice for that and MD/PhD or a PhD will teach you more about how to engage in independent work, how to develop your own project, while an MD is more intended for those who would like to work in a service position, treating patients</p>