How can I be successful in science?
Image by SIphotography
When you think about pursuing a career in the sciences, I’m sure that your first thought is that you need to have a complete understanding of science, straight A’s, and be exceptional in every way with extracurricular activities and honors so that you stick out from your peers. It won’t hurt, but it’s not as required as you may think. I hope that this article can quell some of those anxieties based on my own journey and what I believe truly mattered when it came to becoming a successful scientist.
1. Good Grades ≠ Successful
Early on, when I was in middle school and high school, I knew that I wanted to become a scientist, but I didn’t realize how science-heavy that path would be. I know, how silly. Science IS in the name, but my motivation was helping people who are sick with my future research, and I thought that that intention would be enough. This ideology would become important later on in my journey but in the beginning, grades in biology, chemistry, physics, etc., were considered really important. I was told this by teachers and trusted advisors, who had good intentions, but as I look back now, it wasn’t what mattered most. For context, I was a B-, almost C student, and just on that alone I was led to believe I wouldn’t be able to pursue my dream, let alone not being part of clubs or having high honors. So how did it work out for me? Well, I believe that it was my attitude and my commitment to my own success. I began to cultivate and work on other things that could represent me more as a student than my “average” grades. Some of my strengths were teacher recommendations, community service, and my drive to do my best, whether that be in asking my more equipped peers for help or forming study groups where we could share and build on our problem solving. I felt these attributes would be more than enough to show any high school or college that I could be a prime candidate for their consideration. And spoiler alert, it really did convince them!
2. Challenge yourself, but don’t overwhelm yourself
Another thing to emphasize is that you’re not supposed to know everything about science when you leave high school, let alone middle school. I kid you not. That’s why you aim to go to college, where you’ll take more advanced classes that will go over the basics and build upon them. Even when you enter into graduate school, you’re still learning, and you’re not expected know everything because you’re still in the early stages of your career. Take advantage of that! Set your own bar and reach above it; impress yourself, not others. Don’t worry about what you did or didn’t do in your earlier days, what matters is the now. Of course, I recommend if you want to improve yourself to reach out to teachers and ask for tutoring or spend more time on the subjects that you feel your weakest on, but don’t bombard yourself with being “the best”. You only have to do your best. If you do that, then as you travel down this path, you’ll sharpen your skill set to be able to handle the challenges ahead of you. The moment will come when, if you commit, everything will click. It did for me and trust me, I’m not some extraordinary person, I just kept going no matter the obstacle, and you can too.
3. Comparison to others is not healthy for your success
I’ll admit, this one was hard for me to stick to too. As I sat in my graduate school courses, it was hard not to notice what everyone else was doing. How their eyes seemed focus, their breathing steady, and their hands scribbling with a fury I have not seen before. It was daunting and scary, feeling like I already had to play catch-up even on the first day. And I remember being anxious about it. However, I reminded myself that we all came from different walks of life and had different opportunities. That we all have different strengths and weaknesses. Sure, I may not be as fast as my peers with writing my notes to the beat of the professor’s lips, but I was creative, and I used that to design diagrams and pictographs of my notes, and that made a huge difference come exam time. That creativity even helped me venture into other avenues, such as becoming a freelance writer, which I’m working on pursuing at the moment (How I am doing? J). This perspective kept me on the right path. So, don’t worry about anyone’s else capabilities, just focus on your own and run with them. Use them in your pursuits; they’ll be more than enough, trust me.
4. Have your goal at the forefront of your thoughts
During your journey there must always be a goal in mind. This will be the most important motivator as you follow this path. Right now, it can simply be to spend less time on Tik Tok, maybe start reading that series you’ve been putting off, or study for your next exam and do better than you did last time. Regardless of whether your goal is big or small, working toward it will benefit you and give you confidence that you can succeed. Now, I’m not saying that things aren’t going to be difficult from time to time, and I’ll admit graduate school still had its rough patches. However, with my goal in mind, year after year, it got easier and easier to continue, even when I felt like it was all too much. I persisted and obtained my graduate degree, my ultimate goal. And it was exhilarating! Science is now a topic I’m very comfortable with, a stark contrast from where I started. Goals take time, commitment, and the belief that one day you can obtain them. I’m living proof that you can be successful in science even if science makes your head hurt right now, because the most important thing shouldn’t be if you finish the race first, but that you finish the race.
Edited by Emma Hays
