• Question: Did your teachers believe that you would be good at science?

    Asked by anon-196308 to Sebastian, Paddy, Lee, Jennifer, Fiona, Eleanor on 11 Mar 2019.
    • Photo: Sebastian Cosgrove

      Sebastian Cosgrove answered on 11 Mar 2019:

      One of my teachers told me that I would never be able to succeed in chemistry (Ha!). He was only one, and the rest were more than happy to talk to me about their experience of science and encourage me to think about it as a career!

    • Photo: Fiona Scott

      Fiona Scott answered on 12 Mar 2019:

      Yes, my science teachers were very supportive however I have quite a funny story about some of my head teachers who didn’t! I decided to have a go at applying to Oxford University which involves quite a rigorous interview process. My head teacher offered to give me a practice interview and the day before notified it would be me, him, my year head and the head of the music department. I asked why the head of the music department would be there and they assumed because I did a lot of the music clubs at lunch time that that was what I wanted to study at university! Thankfully the head of chemistry was free to come along but it made them look bad for not looking at my application!

    • Photo: Jennifer Harris

      Jennifer Harris answered on 14 Mar 2019:

      My biology teacher did, my chemistry teacher not so much. I also think it’s difficult to assess how good someone will be at any particular scientific job as you really develop when you’re in a particular workplace. I never thought at the age of 14 yrs old that I would be in science policy, or good at it, and my teachers wouldn’t have known that or told me that either.

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