All college students think about think about switching their major at some point. That’s not anything new. However, as of now, 40 percent of science and engineer majors drop and switch to a different major. As a science major who questions daily what I’m doing, here's an insight into our life and as to maybe why that number is so high.
When scheduling comes around, it’s almost impossible to fit everything in. Labs make you take 8 a.m. spots and then you squeeze all of your other classes in wherever you can. You mentally write in where you can nap, eat and breathe.
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“Syllabus week.” “Extra Credit.”
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Your teacher begins to talk about what the course will be about, dropping big names like electrolysis and immiscible, and you realize that this was a total mistake. Maybe science isn’t the route for you.
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Tests. You try your best to study. You go to office hours, spend your nights up doing practice problems, and you even are friends with your tutor on Facebook. But when that test comes out, you stare at it to make sure you have the right class.
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We all pray that everyone else did just as bad on the test as we did so that the teacher will curve it. You figure if the teacher curves it, you may as well contribute to the cause. Right?
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However, when you do actually do well, it’s like Christmas Day. There's not many things greater than doing well on a test that you thought you failed.
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Break out the closed-toed shoes, pants and goggles because it’s lab day. Normal classes are only 50 to 75 minutes long, but these suckers can last up to three hours. If the lab makes sense, it’ll be a breeze. If it doesn’t, you’re stuck flipping through the lab notebook convinced the Willy Wonka ticket of lab clues is in there somewhere. When you finally finish lab and get back to your dorm, all you want to do is sleep. You don’t want to be bothered by anyone or anything. Naps are your middle name.
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As much as we complain about our core classes, we would much rather be in them then fulfilling the liberal learning requirements. We miss the interactive feel that science classes bring us, versus a history class with endless dates and information.
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But remember: everyone in your major is just as stressed and tired as you are. They have tests, literature reviews and lab reports coming out of their ears. We are in this together and we’ve got each other’s backs.
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In the end, there’s no other major we would want. We love the challenge that being a science major brings and find it exciting to learn (minus all the stress). When we learn a new fact, all we want to do is go tell our non-science friends. For example, did you know that the enantiomer of meth, "Breaking Bad" meth, is used in Vick's nasal sprays? I guess science isn’t so bad.
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