Early College with an Interest in Science

[Neutrina]

The reason I have created this topic is because I was recently recruited for this program that allows you to attend college early, more specifically, three years early. I am very interested in a wide-range of scientifc topics to pursue for a career from cosmology to philosophy, however, the more I think about it, the more I realize I might be way out of my league. Eventhough I am passionate about different sciences, I am not entirely sure that I am intelligent enough in this field to seek a career in it. I don't want to wake up one day and realize that I didn't try to achieve my dream career because i was intimidated, but I also don't want to invest time in something that I am utterly in over my head about. If you are going to reply by lecturing me about how socially stunted I will be if I basically skip high school, go ahead, but I would really appreciate some advice pertaining to a career in science.

 

~Thanks

[EdEarl]

Everyone is different. One person may better understand people, another art, and someone else mathematics. You must decide which thing is best for you, perhaps with help from teachers, family and friends. Unfortunately, people may give advice that is based by their likes and skills, instead of considering your likes and skills. Thus, consider why someone gives advice to be sure they are not biased from their own perspective, rather than yours.

 

Also, consider that an education teaches many things, including critical thinking, writing, and math that apply to most scientific disciplines, as well as information specific to a given field. The order you will be given classes will first include subjects that apply to many kinds of science, which will give you time to adjust your curriculum as you progress through one degree plan to another more advanced degree.

 

I recommends you choose whatever you like best, and keep in mind you can change your mind later. Although, if you change your mind too often or too late, you may need to take extra classes; therefore, do the best you can to make the right decision early.

 

Good luck

And, welcome to sfn.

[overtone]

Somebody doesn't think you would be over your head academically - you are being recruited. Who are they, and do they know both you and the program you face?

 

If not, find someone who does - you can't tell for yourself, becuase you don't know the program.

 

Then you face the question: if I'm OK academically, do I want to do this? Intelligence is not the big factor, btw - lots of very good scientists are just regular smart people, not incredible geniuses, who know how to get stuff done. The main issue might be whether you are looking at a lot of wasted time and no fun in high school - some people really like high school, and get a lot out of it. If that isn't you, you have nothing to lose, eh?

[Neutrina]

Thank you, this has helped me more than you know. I never anticipated that I would get this quality of responses.

[EdEarl]

You are welcome. Enjoy!

[Popcorn Sutton]

I seriously enjoyed high school. I had so many friends back then and my education was more diverse than I could have ever anticipated. I was in art, student news, theatre, band, science, foreign languages, and I was able to be immature and goof around with my friends whenever I wanted. The effort was absolutely minimal, and that is partially what made it so much fun. Of course, after high school, you find that all your friends are moving on with their lives, and those friends become very distant. In my experience, I've lost touch with almost all of them. It's nice to see them here and there, but in reality, we just turned out to be completely different people following completely different paths.

 

I was more of a college person, but let me tell you, it took me a lot of time before I realized just how serious college was. There was no cowpieing, and you really had to devote yourself to the work that you do and spend some serious time doing it. There is no loophole (unless you can manage to bribe your professors). It also depends on where you choose to go. If you choose to stay home and attend a local college/university, then you probably won't have much fun. If you go away, there is plenty you can do, and a lot of fun to be had, but still, it's serious work.

 

In any case, I would suggest that you do anything necessary for survival. Whatever needs to be done, get it done. Plus, if you attend college early, and get a degree at a young age, you'll look like a straight up genius. Whether that is true or not is a completely different story though. Like I said, I enjoyed high school, but also, high school can have a very negative impact on your behavior depending on who you associate yourself with. Either enjoy your time in high school, or grab life by the horns and don't cowpie with it. College will help you be successful. If it were me, I don't know what I'd choose.

[Neutrina]

One of the main reasons I decided to do this was because I wanted a bigger diversity of classes and I just felt that high school wouldn't have done anything for me except waste my time (academically). The hardest part about all of this is the fact that I have to leave my friends behind. Yes I can try to keep up relationships, but let's be realistic. Many people have dismissed what I plan to do and it hasn't been easy. The funny part was that I actually went to high school for two days.

 

One of the multiple reasons I decided to consider something other than high school was that my school refused to place me in any of the classes that I needed and wanted simply because I was a freshman. For example, they wouldn't let me take Spanish and placed me in French not for any reason besides the fact that my needs were not as great as the older grades. So, I decided that I just wouldn't take a language, but they said that I had to take a language class. I talked with them about it and they completely shut me down and I started to get a reputation among the staff of being "disorderly" and "self-absorbed".

 

Now, you might think that if things were that bad I could just switch high schools, but there aren't any other high schools around where I live for at least 50 miles. Also, when I think about it, if my minimal experience in high school had been the most perfect experience there ever was, I still think that I would have chosen to take part in this program. I am thrilled that I was chosen to partake in this opportunity and I can't wait. As for the work load, I will try my best and hope that it is enough.

Edited July 19, 2013 by Neutrina

[Popcorn Sutton]

Oh yea I remember the constant rage and paranoia among the students and staff in high school. Now I remember. I did not like being treated the way they treated us.

 

College is much better. But don't be a nuisance and don't experiment in class unless it is supervised by someone respectable.

[EdEarl]

Nice thing about college is you can drop a class if you are overloaded, but you will probably do well. Just do not get behind, and expect to catch up at the last minute, at least for the first month. You will learn how to pace yourself by the end of your first semester. Although, some classes can be unbelievably difficult.

 

I took a class once, in which 90% of the students were taking the class again. The previous semester a professor, who did not want to teach undergraduates failed most of the class. Of 150 students starting the class about 15 took the final and 1 passed. It was a faculty-administration battle. Students suffered because they had to retake a class. IDK if it affected their transcript. It is best to drop a class you feel is too much, as quickly as possible, so it does not show up on your transcript.

[Popcorn Sutton]

Respect your professors. They are very smart people and worked extremely hard to get where they are. If your opinions clash, it could leave lasting anxiety, or it could be one of the best moments ever. Sometimes those things will happen simultaneously. Psychosis can and does happen among students, so be careful, it's best to see a therapist for those types of occurrences.

Edited July 19, 2013 by Popcorn Sutton

[CharonY]

Intelligence per se is definitely not the defining factor of student success (as already mentioned). It depends more on acquiring certain skill sets, including e.g. good time management and the ability to organize knowledge. Do not confuse the latter with memorizing huge amounts of stuff, either. While that will help short term, it is easy to get overwhelmed if you try to stuff very little detail into your head. One of the key elements of organization is to figure out what of a given chunk of information is the real crucial bit and how can you use that as building block that helps you understand a subject, rather than just parroting some random information.

 

Another aspect is that in order to excel at a subject, one should try to be genuinely interested in it. People who are very good at certain disciplines are not good because they are geniuses, but because they spend much more time thinking and researching a subject (independent of class) because they are fascinated by it. So obviously picking a topic that you think that may be important, but for which you do not really interest you will feel like uphill battles every time. Also, do not confuse with passion with the the general topic with true and deep interest. It is easy to be passionate (for a time) about certain "cool" elements, but you also should be interested in the nitty-gritty of the subject. But if you are, the work does not appear to be that hard anymore, since at some point it suddenly becomes fun.

 

With regards to respect, I would suggest treating everyone (professor or not) with some basic respect. Finally, college education is more a general ticket to a variety of career choices, but by itself it does not offer or guarantee one. While science careers require degrees, a career inside or outside academia does not crucially depend on your undergrad choices. While you need not worry too much about it at this point, you should be aware that academic jobs are hard to get. But regardless, age does not play crucial rule whatsoever.

 

On a personal note, I enjoyed college much more than high school, but that is mostly because the topics that interested me were not covered sufficiently on the high school level (also, the local library was not so well stocked and internet was pretty much useless too). Also, it was easier to find like minded people there (where else can you discuss over lunch what your favorite parasites are, without appearing to be weird). But honestly, at this early stage it is hard to predict whether either choice will have any significant impact on a career path. Most of the time it often boils down to being at the right spot at the right time and there is only so much that you can do to optimize your chances. As such my advice would be that you should do it if you can enjoy the work that it requires. You should not do it just because you think it is critical for your career. The really important choices come later.

[Genecks]

The reason I have created this topic is because I was recently recruited for this program that allows you to attend college early, more specifically, three years early. I am very interested in a wide-range of scientifc topics to pursue for a career from cosmology to philosophy, however, the more I think about it, the more I realize I might be way out of my league. Eventhough I am passionate about different sciences, I am not entirely sure that I am intelligent enough in this field to seek a career in it. I don't want to wake up one day and realize that I didn't try to achieve my dream career because i was intimidated, but I also don't want to invest time in something that I am utterly in over my head about. If you are going to reply by lecturing me about how socially stunted I will be if I basically skip high school, go ahead, but I would really appreciate some advice pertaining to a career in science.

 

~Thanks

 

You don't necessarily need a background in science to pursue a science career. What I mean is that experience while working with professionals can build up a skill set so that you can break into further research. However, without a theoretical understanding of the mechanics of what you're working with, you will be blind to many things that you are working with, thus being little more than a machine or (bench monkey). Also, being educated in doing research on your own makes a person a valuable asset, because there is less teaching required to make a lab member independent.

 

In reference to being a social person, you would definitely learn to become a social person in college or university as you learn to work with others, develop comraderie, and work in teams with people in order to accomplish a goal. And, in many ways, that's a utilitarian perspective on social relationships. There is a whole realm of social psychology and sociology what it means to have a social relationship with one or more people. In general, I've adapted to a business-like philosophy, which not many people like; but it helps develop connections with people. I do not believe you will become a socially stunted person by leaving high school early to pursue academia and knowledge, as I consider academia to be a social atmosphere with mature people with common goals. High school tends to have a lot of flaky people who don't care so much about intelligence, knowledge, and progress: The people are simply watching after themselves, making ends meet, and living life without striving for excellence.

 

A career in science can be experience-based or educational-based. It's all about networking (who you know) and what you know. Sometimes it's more about who you know. However, if you start making connections really early, you'll quickly develop the "who you know" part.

 

A thing to keep in mind is to do your best and seek to do better, which is part of doing your best.