• Question: What advice would you give to young people who are unsure on what field of science they should go into?

    Asked by Sohaib42 to Jackie, Michele, Oliver, Vicky, Yelong on 13 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Jaclyn Bell

      Jaclyn Bell answered on 13 Mar 2015:

      I would say you should choose to continue studying at least one science at A-level and Maths is also REALLY useful in all of the sciences. I didn’t do my A-level in physics and I really regret that… but I was still able to make the switch after my degree and go into particle physics (with a lot of catching up to do! haha) I would also say try and go to some university open days and talk to students about what courses they are doing and what they like about them. Have a look round the departments and labs at the universities. If any of you want to come to Liverpool I would be happy to show you all round and introduce you to other students and researchers in other fields 😀 Maybe you could ask your school to host a careers day where they can invite STEM ambassadors along to talk to you all about the different paths in science you can take 🙂

    • Photo: Oliver Brown

      Oliver Brown answered on 13 Mar 2015:

      All good advice from Jackie!
      My advice would be to follow the topics that interest you, whether that’s developing new lasers, investigating new chemical compounds, or studying rare species of animal. Think about the questions you’d like to ask about the world 🙂 There will always be parts of school, or university, or your job that you don’t enjoy but if the end result is something that really excites you it will all be worth it. Also, as Jackie has proven, you shouldn’t be afraid to change your mind!

    • Photo: Michele Faucci Giannelli

      Michele Faucci Giannelli answered on 16 Mar 2015:

      I would focus on you and try to understand what excite you the most. Studying at University level can be very difficult and sometimes frustrating. Knowing that you are making sacrifices for a greater goal which interest you will be fundamental to get through hard times.
      In order to understand what make you excited I suggest reading about science in magazines. American Scientist for example covers a broad spectra of sciences. You will find yourself reading about something rather than something else. That is your clue on what field to aim to!
      Open days at University are also a good way of discovering about different fields.
      Finally do not forget to talk to your teacher and to any relatives that have a scientific background. They will be able to tell you a lot about their fields.

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