Can a student with no science background excel in science?

[Jelx]

Hypothetically speaking, if a student has little to no background in science at the age of 22, how likely would the student, if of average intelligence, be successful in switching majors and pursuing a career in science?

[insane_alien]

how hard can you study? its possible if you put the work in.

[CPL.Luke]

yeah if you have the money than you can just start back in at the intro classes and go with it.

[EvoN1020v]

I recommend that student to get courses in college or university.

[blike]

Of course you can! Many high school students entering college science majors have little to no science background. It's all about what you put into it.

[weknowthewor]

See Einstein wasn't a scholar in his school life. But still he is a no.1 scientist who told us E=MC2.... so, no matter it depends upon the students willingness...

[EvoN1020v]

See Einstein wasn't a scholar in his school life. But still he is a no.1 scientist who told us E=MC2.... so, no matter it depends upon the students willingness...

 

The OP in the first post said "average intelligence", while Einstein is way above average intelligence.

[RyanJ]

Hypothetically speaking, if a student has little to no background in science at the age of 22, how likely would the student, if of average intelligence, be successful in switching majors and pursuing a career in science?

 

If you put enough work into the subject of choice I'd say you could do well at it but that depends on you.

[Genecks]

If you study while eating, going to the bathroom, walking around, listening to music, doing laundry, etc., then you ought to be able to excel in science.

 

Yeah, any person at just about any age can start learning science. There is some memorization involved.

[blike]

If you study while eating, going to the bathroom, walking around, listening to music, doing laundry, etc., then you ought to be able to excel in science.

No way. Undergraduate science is largely quite doable without giving up much of your life at all. My friends and I always think back to the good ol' days of our undergraduate degrees (all of us had science majors). At the time we may have thought we had it bad but now we laugh at that idea. Some classes required more effort than others (organic chemistry and biochemistry come to mind), but doesn't even begin to demand the time that upper level studies do.

[Genecks]

I put all my time and effort into studying, researching, and applying things. It really depends on how far the person wants to go up the ladder.

[jackson33]

passion or interest in a subject is vital. if you have the thirst to understand things to a self satisfaction rather than another's opinion your half way home.

i would like to know what field your thinking of. so many have little or no financial rewards your best bet would be to study a science field as a hobby. since your 22 with no science background your likely already on another path.

if that path is one where science could advance a career, go for it part time.

 

keep in mind, today you can take some courses on line, that have college credit. the time you spend on them determine the completion and after a couple you will either forget it or be on your way...

[Genecks]

No way. Undergraduate science is largely quite doable without giving up much of your life at all.

 

True. But a person will excel if he or she gives up a lot of things. Undergraduate years are doable, but they are not excelable if a person messes around with friends and love life; that's why there are school clubs. I really suggest people let go of worldly things and prepare for the future instead of wasting time in the now. Think of all that time a person could have earned a college degree while in high school. The person could have graduated high school by putting lots of emphasis out there. There are problems, however: people want to live life.

 

However, I'm thinking once people get in their twenties, they understand that people typically still suck and things keep repeating themselves. The best thing to do is go full force, stop wasting time, and get done with education as soon as possible.

 

Don't think too much about the future; don't think too much about the past; prepare for the future by living in the now.

 

If people can grasp the concept I live my life by, they will excel.

 

One last thing: If you hate school, then learn faster.

 

It's a joke I've made. If someone says to me, "I hate school," I will say, "learn faster.

 

It's like pulling off a band-aid.

[CPL.Luke]

meh there's more to life than preparing, what would you be preparing for? eventually you will have a good career going and then you can still bury yourself into it and beoe a ceo/ top researcher whatever else you wanted to become, not spending any time on love life or friends. And you can keep on going like that until you wake up one morning probably sometime in your 40's or 50's and you'll discover that you traded your life for a suit and some money, and if your lucky the admiration of some people who you will never meet or know.

 

 

that is not the way to live life.

 

Personally I work very hard at my physics degree right now, I want to be up there at the top of he physics world. But I do not want to trade my life for some prize to put on my mantlepiece. And the fact is you can have both, you can be a great researcher and live life all a the same time, all that matters is that you love what your working at, and you take the time out to do other things and live.

 

And if you ask me how I kow that this works, I can tell you

 

I failed highschool, I went through and never did any of the asigned work and kept at my own thing, I made friends and had my fun. In the process I discovered exactly what I wanted out of my life (which is another discussion all together) and at the end of my junior year of highschool I decided I had accomplished everythin I wanted to and I dropped out. I got a GED and went to community college for one semester.

 

I have now been accepted into UMASS for the spring semester, maybe I'll spend a few semesters there and transfer out I don't know, butwhat I do know is that you need to find what you want in life and go after it, if you want to enjoy your life and be successfull you can, no matter wha background you have.

 

Just look at my record I went from being a highschool failure on my way to joining the 5 year highschool senior club to going to a major university in just 1 semester, while living my life and and making friends.

[EvoN1020v]

It's vital to have your life balanced with school and friends. I go to university during the week, and I go out and see my friends/girlfriend on the weekends. It has been going well for me so far.

[Genecks]

Nah. I'm done with the red-herring posting.

 

It shouldn't be too difficult to switch majors. However, as described above, it really is the passion that helps someone become strong-willed and determined.

[Sisyphus]

I would think it would depend on what field you're trying to get into, and what your undergraduate study was (even though it wasn't science). It's my understanding that different fields have greatly different levels of specific undergraduate requirements.

 

I'm actually in kind of a similar predicament. Come the spring, I will have a double major in philosophy and the history of mathematics, with minors in physics and French. In other words, I'll be just slightly underqualified for a huge range of careers and educational choices. I'm really curious what people think about this.

[Genecks]

I'm really curious what people think about this.

 

I'm thinking we ought to move this thread to the education board.

[GutZ]

I'd really hope so, I don't know what I would gauge myself intelligence wise, but even if I do it as a hobby, I hope to advance in material science, but I find too many fields interesting though. Biology, Physics, Chemistry, any one of those are quite interesting to me. I'd like to get a PhD, the scientist that I work with have such interesting jobs (R&D).

[FreeThinker]

Maybe my story will help you out.

 

I was a good student up to year 10. However, in year 11 and 12 I failed everything. Met the wrong people and did wrong things... Even though I could not enroll into any University ( my enter score was nonexistant) , I did a TAFE course in Network Engineering. First year, I failed every subject. I simply was not interasted. Besides school, everything else in my life was going down the drain. Alchocol, drugs, fights... By the age of 21 I managed to finish first year of TAFE. Than one day I came along 'The Blind Watchmaker' by Richard Dawkins. I dont know why I bought the book. I did not even read anything since year 10. It was propably the best decision in my life. Something changed that day. I went back to Tafe and finished my course with mark in the high 90's. I kept on reading science books throughout the Networking Diploma. At the end of the Diploma I started my own Network consulting bussiness, which is full time now. I just finished my first year at Monash University studying the Bechlor of Science. I was in the top 10% of the entire course. I have an unbelivable passion when it comes to Science. I love going to class. It is NEVER too late, you just have to want it...

[EvoN1020v]

What was so special about "The Blind Watchmaker" by Richard Dawkins?

[FreeThinker]

What was so special about "The Blind Watchmaker" by Richard Dawkins?

 

Well, I found the way he explained the bat sonnar, for example, amazing. It just showed me another outlook on lilfe, one I did not have before: that complexity is beatifull, but understanding it makes it even more so.

[EvoN1020v]

Well, I found the way he explained the bat sonnar, for example, amazing. It just showed me another outlook on lilfe, one I did not have before: that complexity is beatifull, but understanding it makes it even more so.

 

By bat sonnar, you mean bat sonar.

[FreeThinker]

Yes.

[casperl]

The OP in the first post said "average intelligence", while Einstein is way above average intelligence.

 

Intelligence is another debatable subject. In my opinion what makes Einstein do those things are different than what most of the people call "intellgience".

 

Motiavtion is one of those important things which can help the student that you are talking about to succeed.