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Asked by edwardcullen to Cesar, Emily, Jamie, Kate, Philippa on 19 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by beckiee100, miamimi, happy.
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Kate Clancy answered on 14 Jun 2011:
It took me a while in college to decide I really wanted to be a scientist. I went to Harvard, where I was surrounded by brilliant students, many of whom had gone to highly ranked schools; I was just a public school kid with a less strong background. So at first, I didn’t know if I was smart enough, and I was afraid everyone around me was smarter than me.
Then, it was like a self-fulfilling prophecy: since I didn’t think I was all that smart, I figured there was no point to studying that hard or working to get good grades. So I didn’t. And I did ok, but not great. I soon discovered that if I really liked a class I would work hard for it, but otherwise I did other things in college, like play sports.
Then I started dating someone (this is the same someone I ended up marrying years later!) who worked really hard at all of his classes. He didn’t know if he was smart or not, he just knew he needed to work hard. And I realized that ability in science had everything to do with effort and motivation.
So, I gave it a try. I decided to write an Honors Thesis and really work hard at it. And it wasn’t the best thesis in the world, but it was a transformative experience for me. I mean, I wrote something almost a hundred pages long! And sometimes it even had a point! And I really had fun!
That’s what did it for me. I knew I wanted to keep thinking, keep discovering, keep pushing the boundaries of how we understand women’s reproductive health. So I went to grad school, and got my PhD, and eventually got the faculty job I have today. It had everything to do with hard work, internal motivation… and the social support of loved ones who believed I could do it.
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Jamie Gallagher answered on 14 Jun 2011:
I really don’t think I chose to be a scientist. I think I always was one. I liked to explore and know why things work- that is a scientist to me. To get to the position I am in I did physics chemistry and biology at school and then came to university and studied Chemical Physics.
Its been a very natural process -
Philippa Demonte answered on 18 Jun 2011:
@edwardcullen @beckiee100 @miamimi @happy I took a couple of science subjects at A’level, but then went and worked in the music business for several years. When that came to an end 4 years ago I was looking for a new challenge, so I took a general science course with Open University. At the same time, and I can’t explain why, but I decided to go see some volcanoes and ended up spending 3 months at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. That was it, I was hooked on science! I’ve just spent the past 3 years studying geophysics at university and now I’m at Montserrat Volcano Observatory for the next 2 months.
What helped me achieve my goals so far was/is motivation. It’s important to have a goal to aim for so that even when studying science seems really tough, you have a reason to persevere, and then eventually you’ll achieve everything, and more, than you originally aimed to. It also helps having good friends and supportive lectures/teachers.
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Cesar Lopez-Monsalvo answered on 18 Jun 2011:
I think I wanted to try something really different and at the last moment I decided I would. It was not easy to start. The mathematics I was learning were very different that those I did before. The people I met at the University helped me a lot getting to the end. Science is a lot of team work, and your friends and collaborators become a very important part in your success.
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Emily Robinson answered on 19 Jun 2011:
I suppose I didn’t decide I wanted to be a scientist… instead I chose what I wanted to study. I decided to study Neuroscience because I found this brilliant booklet in my careers library about neuroscience. http://www.bna.org.uk/static/docs/BNA_English.pdf
When I read it I was amazed by all the different areas in neuroscience that people studied and I thought they were all really interesting. So I decided that I wanted to study neuroscience at university (which was a big shock to my mum as she wasn’t convinced that it was a ‘real’ subject at first as she had never heard of it… but I won her around once I explained it all). I loved my degree and I put a lot of effort into getting good marks and I was allowed to do on an industrial placement in my third year to get some hands on experience. So after an interview I was given a job at a pharmaceutical company called Eli Lilly for a year. This was the first time I had ever done any animal research and I got some very valuable skills that it would have been hard to get while just studying. So in my final year at uni I was able to get a very good final year research project with my supervisor as I could use my animal research skills. He was very pleased with my work and when I was applying for PhDs he was happy for me to apply for a PhD with him. Luckily he thought I was the best person for the PhD and I have been working with him on this project ever since.So I think the important things that got me where I am now involved a lot of hard work in my degree, also jumping at the opportunity of getting some work experience (even if it was scary at the time) and then making sure you get to know the people involved in the type of science you want to be involved in!
A little tip that I have learnt since helping out with undergraduate teaching is that although you think as an undergraduate you are just a ‘face in the crowd’ and that no lecturer or professor would remember you… this is absolutely WRONG!!! Don’t ever make the mistake of being rude or difficult with someone who may be important to your career a few years down the line. Also in the opposite way if you are a good student you will be remembered and this will count in your favour. Unfortunately in all walks of life some times it is ‘not what you know but who you know’… for at least a percentage of things.
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