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/sci/ - Science & Math

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5398438 No.5398438 [Reply] [Original]

>Dream of becoming a Biochemist or Neurologist.
>Know full well that I'm not intelligent enough for either pursuit.

Can people overcome their limitations? Can anyone earn a PhD in a hard science if they just work their ass off?

>> No.5398442

>>5398438

why not?

>> No.5398444

>>5398438
Do you really think all smart people are lazy?

>> No.5398447

I dream of being and engineer.

I have a weak math back ground right now so I have to go through remedial math courses at my cc. I've never taken physics or a chemistry class while in HS. I'm going to atleast try.

>> No.5398448

>>5398438
Intelligence is not fixed, and believing it is will prevent you from achieving your goals.

Free your mind, man.

>> No.5398450

>>5398438
You just have to work really hard.

Oh, and be lucky.
I've always considered E.O. Wilson to be one of those types of scientists. After all, he had to take a course on calculus in his 30s.

>> No.5398451

Hard work and motivation will succeed where talent fails.

>> No.5398455
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5398455

>>5398438
you're talking to someone who is getting their BA in physics from one of the best UC's in the spring. in high school I got Fs, Ds and Cs, felt like the biggest underachiver cuz i knew i could do it i was just SO fuckin lazy and played video games instead. i realized fuck it, im going to major in physics i dont even give a fuck what people say.

I was so determined to prove myself and my family that I could actually do it that i changed, and it was amazing..i always felt like I was the people who couldn't do it and hear people say "if i could do it you can" and be like no dude, i cant do it i just cant. you can do anything you want man, if you have the internet then you have unlimited knowledge to anything.

It is not enough to have the time, but to MAKE the time. Remember that.

>>5398450
>>5398451
>>5398448
All this, find your thing and be determined. suffer discipline or suffer regret

>> No.5398461

>>5398438
You have to try. No matter what you must give it a shot. I know 4chan generally hates reddit but some guy did an AMA where he went from Community college to being a fucking PHD candidate.

>> No.5398466

If you really love the field, you'll put the work in no matter how dumb you may be. If you're going to be a lazy fuck then you're going to fail at everything else too.

>> No.5398471

My intelligence is equivalent to a piece of shit compared to many of my STEM classmates, but I'm still doing fucking awesome.

hard work + determination >= predisposed 'talent'

>> No.5398477

Motivation > intelligence, every time

>> No.5398480

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tniw4ysgctc

May not be the same subject, but still the same idea.

Hard Work/motivation> Talent/intelligence

>> No.5398508

>>5398461
community college to PhD candidate isn't that far of a stretch...at all

>> No.5398506

>>5398477
To a certain point, yes.

>> No.5398525

>>5398438
I almost didn't graduate high school on time, got mostly D's and C's, with some B's thrown in. I was always intelligent, but I always doubted myself, and and as a kid/adolescent I never had much motivation or worked very hard.

When I got to college everything changed, I worked my ass off, and got pretty much straight A's. I am applying to neuroscience PhD programs now, and hopefully I will get in. Needless to say, at this point I have already come very far and accomplished a lot.

Some people bloom later than others, and I have no idea what your circumstance is actually like. Succeeding in science takes many traits, and some luck, but most important is definitely hard work. Things come easier to some than others, but often that can be made up by working extra hard. At a certain point it probably becomes too absurd to compensate for lack of intelligence, an extreme example is if you were to try to train a dog to be a mathematician. Regardless of that fact, you are probably depressed, and undervaluing your own intelligence.

If you get experience working in labs, you will see how science actually is. As long as you have half a brain about you, and you work your ass off, you can definitely make it.

>> No.5398531

If your doubting yourself over something it usually means you have it, It's your subconscious way of compensating for the fact that you might be scared of being good enough for it. Always follow your dreams dude, Never let anyone have you think your not good enough and If your intuition is trying to tell you something, FOLLOW IT, there's a reason behind it and If it's strong enough to be bothering you on your mind then by all means go after it.

>> No.5398599

Who knows?

Why don't you work as hard as you can and find out?

If you do anything but that, you're going to spend the rest of your life wondering what might have been.

>> No.5398617

>>5398599
This.

Also biochemist and neurologist are two very different professions, as in one requires a medical degree. Did you mean neuroscientist?

>> No.5398632

>>5398617

Both research and medicine appeal to me.

>> No.5398926

Also, thanks for the encouragement guys.

>> No.5398931

I want to try and get a PhD in math, but I do not suspect I have the intellect necessary.

I've done markedly well in my undergraduate courses, and will continue to take courses until I begin to encounter material beyond my ability to understand or until some institutional force prevents me from attempting them (for example, not getting into grad school).

I would think any other rational individual with a high-marked goal would go about it in the same way-- weather it's making it big in the music industry, becoming a pro sports player or holding a high position in a corporation.

One cannot know their capabilities without testing them thoroughly.

>> No.5398932

oh please.

if you're genuinely not intelligent enough to succeed in biology no matter how hard you try then you really are not very intelligent at all.

It's not like biology is a subject that has a real barrier in terms of talent like mathematics or to a lesser degree physics.

>> No.5398942
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5398942

>>5398932

>> No.5398952

>>5398932
>>5398931
>>5398599
>>5398525
>>5398508
>>5398477
>>5398471
>>5398455
>>5398450

damn sci, you've truly inspired me (not op). i'm currently pursuing an AS in biomedical engineering, and i love all the physics involved in it, now i'm strongly considering a BA in Electrical Engineering, i just have a shitty mathematics foundation so the required calc 1-3 and differential equations scares the shit out of me, but reading these experiences has convinced met to use all tutoring within my grasp to completely rebuild my foundation, and give my all to get this degree

>> No.5398955

>>5398932
I am sure your post was not ment to subtly insult physics position relative to mathematics.

>> No.5398980

I've always fucking sucked at math and consequently became a graphic designer.

Of which I'm still unemployed. Hope you're good at math, kiddos, although design work is very rewarding. Kentucky doesn't have a good scene on it though.

>> No.5399040

>>5398438
http://scienceblog.com/58644/motivation-study-habits-not-iq-determine-growth-in-math-achievement/

>> No.5399050
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5399050

>tfw smart enough but too nihilist/misanthropist to give a fuck

>> No.5399054

How's that rule of thumb now again? 20% talent, 80% work?

>> No.5399065

The real key to succeeding in Grad school is to be good at academic politics.

Do not go into it that you will be able to just work hard and study what you love.

>> No.5399090

>>5399050
this

>> No.5399091

>>5399050
enjoy serving drinks or flipping patties faggot.

>> No.5399094

>>5398438
>Can anyone earn a PhD in a hard science if they just work their ass off?

No. Be realistic and don't waste your time with dreams you cannot reach.

>> No.5399104

>>5399094
What's the point of living if you don't strive to attain things which are out of your reach?
Isn't that what a a dream is? To do something that requires effort?

What you said assumes that people can never improve in any way, likewise OP's post assumes that he is at his peak mental capacity already and is an obvious copout.
Stop making excuses OP and fucking try. What else do you have?

>> No.5399117

>>5398438
Get off your ass and do it, pussy.

>> No.5399121

>>5399104
the point of living is to define your own existence, not chase after things you can't reach.

of course if your name is Sisyphus then you wouldn't understand.

>> No.5399124

>>5398438
>Can anyone earn a PhD in a hard science if they just work their ass off?
That's how it works. Contrary to popular belief, I'm assuming that a whopping ~95% of all scientists (post PhD) aren't geniuses nor are they specifically talented to do science. They simply chose this career path and then put a rather large amount of dedication into it.

In my opinion (I'm about 2.5 years away from my physics PhD), what you most need in this field is:
a) dedication - getting your degree and working towards it should be rather high on your priority list in life
b) good advice - find people who are farther ahead than you and hear out what they say about your career choice, about certain topics, about basically everything

Good luck, OP.

>> No.5399145

>>5398942
This guys being edgy? Wtf? He's speaking the truth, bio is cake compared to mathematics in terms of 'natural talent' or 'intelligence'. If OP wants to go into bio, he can probably do it with enough effort; however, (mathematical) physics and mathematics are another story.

>> No.5399157
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5399157

>>5399124
> I'm assuming that a whopping ~95% of all scientists (post PhD) aren't geniuses
But the average female college professor has 120 IQ according to this 1992 study
http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cde/cdewp/98-07.pdf
There isn't even any with 100 IQ in the graph.

And can't find the source but according to this New York Times article the average PhD has 132 IQ, 143 for Physics
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/magazine/can-you-make-yourself-smarter.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

>> No.5399162

>>5399157
But are these people predisposed to have that IQ post education? What were their IQs before studying physics?

Sure, it's usually "smarter" kids that start studying e.g. physics, but simply because it's somewhat socially established that you need brains to do this.

Besides, if you spend a good 10 years of your life studying physics, of course you will pass an IQ test better than some John Doe who works the cash register.

Especially in physics you learn to harness abstract concepts of symmetry etc., which is a popular theme in IQ tests, which I despise in general as a measure of potential or intelligence..

>> No.5399166

>>5399121
And how will you define yourself without ever making an effort to become something you weren't before?
If you don't reach for new heights atleast once then you're just defined by the outside. You don't actually do anything to define yourself.

>> No.5399167

>>5399157
It's expected that science raises ones IQ.

>> No.5399169

>>5399162
Seems you may have a point
According to this norwegian paper, each year of schooling adds 3 IQ points or so
http://www.svt.ntnu.no/iso/torberg.falch/Articles/Article.pdf

>> No.5399173

>>5398438
There's nothing conceptually difficult about biochemistry. Unlike quantum physics, common sense and human intuition still apply at the level of proteins and tissues. Mathematically, you will probably not encounter anything beyond first year calculus and statistics. You have to be "detective smart" more than "nerd smart," if that makes sense.

>> No.5399198

>>5398455
The only thing you didn't bother learning was English.

>> No.5400484

Bump.

>> No.5400489

use amphetamines.
Your concentration levels will go through the roof.
You'll read something just once and remember it perfectly.