hard work or natural talents?

[AllSmiles66]

Just wondering...does science come naturally to all of you or is it really something you have to work hard at?

I didn't have the strongest science background in high school so perhaps that is why I'm struggling in undergrad...

also if one were to do a post-bacc, would it be more useful to do one in chemistry or biology?

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[nico05]

Just wondering...does science come naturally to all of you or is it really something you have to work hard at?

I didn't have the strongest science background in high school so perhaps that is why I'm struggling in undergrad...

also if one were to do a post-bacc, would it be more useful to do one in chemistry or biology?

I am a post-bacc; had no math in high school, dodged it in undergrad the first time around so for a few courses, it really is lots of hard work. Regarding your second question, go with the major that you feel you can be more successful in and come out with a solid GPA. For me it was Bio (I'm really not a fan of chem but, to each his own).

 

[Ross434]

From my experience, i think most premeds and med students go with hard work. While there are *some* really smart people there, i think most of them probably went to another field. Note: I'm getting out because I feel it's not challenging enough.

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

I would say, personally, its a combination of both. While there are indeed people who can study for 30 minutes, etc. and get As, I am not one of them. This year is one where I have definitely seen the effects of senioritis, as I have very little motivation to do work. But even with the little work i am putting in, I am doing well. What I have taken from this is that I can get Bs/A-s by just showing up and going through the motions. But to really excel (as I have done in previous semesters), there is definitely an element of hard work invovled.

Not to say you can't do very well if you don't seem to have the natural ability. I know plenty of people who do very well, but are studing 15 hours a week to do it because it doesn't come as easy to them. So I guess what I am saying is there are a lot of different situations for those in science, but i think its possible for most to do very well. You just need to figure out how much work will be involved, and then see if you are willing to put that time in.

 

[AStudent]

I'll go out on a limb here and (at the risk of sounding egotistical) say that science came naturally to me. Even from an early age I did well in science, because science is (at least at the basic level) very predictable: your reactions in organic are predictable, your buffer calculations in biochem are predictable, etc...

With my love of science I chose a program that really interested me in high school and in 24 days I'll have a chemistry degree from a well respected Big Ten school and a ticket to medical school this fall.

So I guess the short answer to your question would be "natural talent," which I wouldn't trade for anything in the world...because someone with "natural talent" can always "work hard" and triumph over the person who just "works hard."

 

[Thundrstorm]

For me, I have always loved science.... since I was a little kid, but it has also always been a challenge for me. That's part of why I like it. It doesn't come as naturally to me as English, for instance, but it interests me alot more, so I'm willing to put the extra effort in. Let's just put it this way: If I'd majored in a non-science subject, I would've had a much higher GPA, but I also would've been unhappy. I think you need to balance your interests and your natural abilities, but I wouldn't avoid science just because it's a struggle. As for the post-bacc question, I'd probably tear my hair out if I had to concentrate on chemistry that much, so I'd personally go for bio.

You really need to answer these questions for yourself, though, because everyone's different.

 

[45408]

To be completely honest, science comes pretty naturally to me. I still have to work hard to finish all the work and such.

 

[kdwuma]

Just wondering...does science come naturally to all of you or is it really something you have to work hard at?

I didn't have the strongest science background in high school so perhaps that is why I'm struggling in undergrad...

also if one were to do a post-bacc, would it be more useful to do one in chemistry or biology?

if you like something for the right reasons i can tell you for sure "HARD WORK ALWAYS BEATS TALENT" just look at professional sport "draftees". talent can take you but so far

 

[PineappleGirl]

I think I have a bit of natural talent when it comes to bio and chem. In bio, a lot of the stuff just seems to make sense to me; it's very logical.
Physics and math though, omg, no natural talent whatsoever. That is all about hard work and pain, so much pain, ugh, I do not like math. 🙁

On a sort of random aside, I've always liked the quote ""Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration".

 

[QofQuimica]

Just wondering...does science come naturally to all of you or is it really something you have to work hard at?

I would say both in my case. But if you have to choose between hard work versus talent, hard work wins. The world is full of lazy geniuses who basically drift aimlessly through life and don't accomplish much. Bright students who are absolutely unmotivated are the most frustrating ones to teach, also.

 

[gbiz]

Definately both. Id say most premeds are geeks to an extent, where they like science in ways others dont, but not to the extent of a PhD. Their liking of things draws them to it, and they work hard at it.

 

[japhy]

science has always made sense to me. this has certainly helped during undergrad and med school, but it has to be measured with a dose of hard work.

however, i have noticed that i don't find all the work in med school to be that bad because i enjoy the material and tend to learn it fairly quickly. not that i don't still have to pound it back in for step 1, but... 😉

 

[45408]

if you like something for the right reasons i can tell you for sure "HARD WORK ALWAYS BEATS TALENT" just look at professional sport "draftees". talent can take you but so far

Talent + hard work is better than just one or the other by itself though. If you're naturally good at something and still work at it, you're going to do better than someone who is struggling to get it.

Organic was an uphill climb for me. I only got an A- because I studied a LOT. Meanwhile, physics was pretty easy. I studied for 3-4 hours the night before an exam and scored A's. So, it's a mix. In all, I work really hard, and my grades show it.

 

[lorelei]

My general philosophy is I do what I need to do.

Sometimes that means working hard - it did in O Chem, and I devoted considerable time and effort to studying for the MCAT. I didn't slack off; I did what I needed to do to succeed.

However, I'll admit that I'm kind of lazy, and most science comes easy to me. So in physics, doing what I needed to do meant doing the problem sets during class, with occasional checks of the text when necessary (I didn't read it straight through) and that's it. I didn't need to do any more, so I didn't.

I call this being efficient - my mom calls it being lazy - I think we're both right.

I have no clue what sort of effort I'll need to put in during med school. In undergrad, science and engineering were easier for me; my German major actually brought down my GPA. But I haven't had to do much memorization, so I really have no idea what med school will be like. I suspect it will kick my butt, but I'm ready for it, and willing to do what it takes.

 

[Haybrant]

To be completely honest, science comes pretty naturally to me. I still have to work hard to finish all the work and such.

This really sums it up; there is very little talent involved in doing well in school. It requires a little motivation and alot of time in the library, whereas doing well in a job/work environment requires alot more motivation. This is assuming we are speaking about biosci majors. Engineering is a different story; essentially the more application required the harder the subject. (physics-->chem-->ochem--->bio).

The smartest people are those that know their limits and use that to their advantage. If you dont just happen to know something naturally dont try and pretend like you do just b.c others do. Study hard if that's what you need to do in order to suceed.

 

[clc8503]

Just wondering...does science come naturally to all of you or is it really something you have to work hard at?

I didn't have the strongest science background in high school so perhaps that is why I'm struggling in undergrad...

also if one were to do a post-bacc, would it be more useful to do one in chemistry or biology?

For the most part, I think General Chemistry and Biology are pretty much common sense. On the other hand, Organics and Physics can be pretty tricky. As a pre med, you should take advanced courses as well (Biochem, Genetics, Comparative A&P of Vertebrates etc) even though these courses are not necessarily required. I've heard, these classes can ease the pain of med school courses and improve your MCAT scores.

Regardless of what anyone says, I believe a student’s success in an undergrad course can have a lot to do with your instructor. Some are hard asses that just go over power point after power point and read straight from the book. They then give you a crazy ass test that is not laid out in the same format that the class is taught. These are the teachers you do not want! I mean, I could probably teach Astro. Physics by reading straight off of a power point. This happened to me in a Biology course. I did everything I could in that class and got a "C". I took it again under another instructor, the following semester, and got an "A". I have sense been successful in all my upper level Biology courses.

In order to prevent this from happening to you, I have enclosed this trusty website that has proven to be quite useful to me. It contains every school and professor in the nation. You just look up your school and professor on the site and you will see where other students have posted their thoughts as to how that particular professor teaches. Oh yeah, pre meds can major in anything as long as they take the required prerequisites for med school. Good Luck!

Enjoy the site

http://www.ratemyprofessor.com/index.jsp

 

[Shrami]

if you like something for the right reasons i can tell you for sure "HARD WORK ALWAYS BEATS TALENT" just look at professional sport "draftees". talent can take you but so far

I agree. I think hard work (ie. "having heart" and motivation for it) counts more in most cases.

 

[JPINFV]

Hard work....I'm a slow slow reader 🙁

 

[Medikit]

I think both. Not everyone can get into medicine but hard work goes a long long way.

 

[45408]

For the most part, I think General Chemistry and Biology are pretty much common sense. On the other hand, Organics and Physics can be pretty tricky....Physics by reading straight off of a power point.

Physics is by far the most straight-forward, logical science, IMO. Everything can be reasoned out. However, Powerpoint for physics? That professor should be shot. My prof was kick-ass. He used the chalkboard for every lecture, with all kinds of good drawings as he went along. He used good in-class demonstrations, and his explanations were crystal.

 

[medic170]

Some people have a real nack for the sciences, or a particular science. others, like me, have to work for it, but it is not terribly difficult to learn pre-med sciences. I almost flunked out of high school and was out of college for several years. i went back, studied hard (but never struggled) and got good ebough grades to get into med school. Don't get frustrated when you see it come easy for some people, different people have different talents.

 

[Sunflower189]

Honestly, if you see that something comes easy to a person, know that they've probably put in their dues someplace else.

For me, I've always been good at bio. As a freshman in EECS, I've been taking senior/grad bio classes and more than holding my own. The people in those classes with me think I have natural talent, which is true to a point - I've always been visual/intuitive, so I can deal with bio from first principles and memorize things very quickly. But what they don't see is how much work I put in in previous years, all the textbooks I went through, the problem sets I pushed around, etc. The fact that I can draw on this stash of random knowledge to figure new things out faster - that's not talent, that's experience.

I won't negate talent. I've seen people whose "dressed and barely conscious" effort beats my "half dead from overwork" effort any day of the week. And it's annoying, though I'm glad they exist. 😀 But even if you've got perfect pitch, the first time you pick up an instrument, you're going to play badly.

 

[Medikit]

Physics is by far the most straight-forward, logical science, IMO.

The talent with physics comes into the ability to break something down into its important components and then knowing which relationships to apply to find the answer you want.