On February 15, an article in the Orient titled, “Gender and women’s studies majors deserve your respect” really got me going. Not because I disagreed with the authors’ argument, but because the story’s “grabber” grabbed me hard and I just couldn’t shake it.
“When you tell your friends that you’re a neuroscience major, they respect you. Although they might not actually understand what you’re learning, they recognize its worth.”
I couldn’t decipher my indignation immediately (I’ll remind you here that I am a neuroscience major), but I felt some inexplicable injustice.
“How dare you respect me for being a neuro major!” I thought. “On what basis do I deserve ‘respect’ any more than other students here at this liberal arts institution where your major shouldn’t matter?”
And on the other hand, “Oh, but thank you for recognizing how hard I work; yes it’s a difficult but righteous path, the science road.” And then again, “But what do you mean you recognize its worth even without understanding any of it? Can you let me in on your secret? Do you have specifics in mind, or is this something meant to be left vague?”
I suddenly needed to know what it meant to be a science major at Bowdoin. Tired of picking my own brain on the matter (figuratively—I’m a neuro major, remember, so there might be ambiguity) I sought the minds of some of my peers.
No, this was not a carefully controlled study. Yes, I emailed science majors and pre-med hopefuls that I know personally (my results are not derived from a representative sample). I left my questions open and encouraged all to write down any thoughts they had on being a science major at Bowdoin. Many answers could be organized into just a few categories.
When asked why they chose a science major, all strove to express what it is about bare-bones science that really excites them.
Tucker Berk ’13 explained, “I chose to become a science major long ago when I read the ‘Magic School Bus’ series. Who wouldn’t want to learn about science when you could shrink to the size of an atom and explore the world of molecules!”
Daniel Dickstein ’13 recalled a particularly exciting moment in Chemistry 109 when he learned the molecular underpinnings behind ceviche (a dish of marinated, raw fish).
He wrote, “I actually never knew why using lime or lemon juice would literally cook fish…I learned the driving force behind this cooking technique. Isn’t that cool? I would say that in almost all of my science courses, I leave knowing about something else in the world and I actually just loved it. It is almost addicting.”
Isabel Low ’13 offered, “I love thinking about how we could determine the physical basis for all of the things I idly philosophize about, like morality, character, consciousness, etc. I think it’s awesome that everything that makes us human (and other animals the way they are) comes down to a few kinds of ions flowing one way or another.”
Yet the major offers many advantages beyond the bare bones subject matter. Some cited their desire to be doctors and the great preparation that Bowdoin science classes provide, the added “bonus” of decent job prospects as a post graduate, the “critical thinking skills” gained, and even the frustration of “uncertainty and ambiguity” found in humanities courses.
Basyl Stuyvesant ’13 wrote, “An added perk to being a science major is the community. I feel that science is a collaborative subject. It isn’t really an option to do a problem set by yourself for some classes. You need help and to help others. It makes me feel connected with my classmates more and as a result, it draws me into the subject.”
Nearly everyone brought up the issue of lab work.
Peyton Morss ’14 explained, “Sciences take a lot of time; many other schools give credits or half credits for lab courses. Bowdoin is unique in the absence of that credit. I’m not sure how I feel about this—technically I suppose I’m getting “more” because I’m able to take more courses, but it also feels as if we’re doing an unrecognized amount of work.”
In considering the misconceptions Bowdoin students hold about science majors, a few students challenged the notion that science majors are particularly smart or even hard working. Another cited herself as evidence that not all science majors want to either pursue a PhD or an MD, but may instead choose other career paths.
Dickstein wrote, “I remember freshman year, a few peers asked what I was interested in and I said mathematics and biochemistry and they were shocked. I asked why they were shocked and they responded something to the effect of ‘I assumed you would be majoring in something more artsy.’”
“I think that a lot of peers (humanities and science majors) assume that I would major in something more ‘artsy’ because I am loud and outgoing,” he added. “It actually really bothered and upset me. Nobody likes being judged or categorized.”
As emails flooded my mailbox, more than anything I found myself proud to be part of this community and honored to hear so many varied responses. I wondered how these answers might differ along departmental lines—how might a math major answer these questions? A government major? A gender and women’s studies major?