Thursday, February 07, 2008
The Mystery of Science
An interesting piece in the Crimson: undergrads are abandoning science, even, perhaps especially, those who say they are considering concentrating in the sciences.
As Harvard prepares to stake its future—and at least $1 billion of its funds—on the sciences, undergraduates are fleeing the discipline in large numbers, opting instead for concentrations in the social sciences and the humanities.
...Interviews with students who switched to the social sciences or humanities reveal that the disillusionment is driven by a number of problems in the University’s science curriculum—from large, impersonal introductory courses to the time-intensive nature of the disciplines and the highly competitive peers.
Does this really have much import for Allston? I doubt it. I've never gotten the sense that the intended science complex really has much to do with undergraduates, anyway....it's about big-bucks scientific research, not teaching undergraduates. ¶ 6:09 AM
As Harvard prepares to stake its future—and at least $1 billion of its funds—on the sciences, undergraduates are fleeing the discipline in large numbers, opting instead for concentrations in the social sciences and the humanities.
...Interviews with students who switched to the social sciences or humanities reveal that the disillusionment is driven by a number of problems in the University’s science curriculum—from large, impersonal introductory courses to the time-intensive nature of the disciplines and the highly competitive peers.
Does this really have much import for Allston? I doubt it. I've never gotten the sense that the intended science complex really has much to do with undergraduates, anyway....it's about big-bucks scientific research, not teaching undergraduates. ¶ 6:09 AM
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A question that the Crimson does not address: is this new? Does a larger percentage of initially science-interested students concentrate elsewhere now than, say, ten years ago? For all we know, the attrition rate for prospective science concentrators used to be higher. Without historical context for these numbers, it's impossible to judge whether this is important.
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# posted by 
: February 7, 2008 9:00 AM
: February 7, 2008 9:00 AM
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