I find myself regretting taking sciences very often (regret intensifies during exam season), but I do agree that science is a very intriguing subject as it helps you to dive deeper into the complexities of the universe and understand them better. As a science student myself, I have come across several diverse science students but in this article, I have divided them into five groups. 

PSA: This article may contain some generalizations, but they are only based on my personal interactions.

1. It is their parents’ world and they’re just living in it, quite literally:

The only reason you will find them in science classes is because of their fear of getting disowned by their parents. On every desi parent’s list of the qualities of a perfect child, studying sciences tops the list. Their tyranny and unmatched fondness for this subject will only lead to a generation with a therapy bill bigger than their salary. It gets worse when that perfect cousin of yours that your mom won’t stop comparing you to decides to pursue a career in medicine. It is no surprise that these people are secretly envious of all humanities students and after every test, you will find them ranting endlessly near the stage or crying silently at the misery of their lives in the 2nd floor bathroom. During science practicals, you can easily pick them apart from the rest by virtue of the look of sheer terror on their faces (really explains some of the recent *coughs* incidents in the lab).

When will our people understand that studying sciences is not equal to being smart?

 2. Big Brain:

From passionately geeking about the latest discoveries to knowing random science facts, they’ve done it all! I am very concerned for them for willingly choosing to suffer, but I assure you that they are probably the smartest people you will ever meet. When everyone in the class has baffled looks on their faces while studying something as hard as hybridization, you will only see sheer fascination reflecting off this group’s faces. It is also very wholesome to see them passionately talk about topics they are genuinely interested in, although conversations with them may end with you feeling stupider than ever. Our sources have also told us that their phones are mostly filled with an astonishing number of science memes, though science and funny in the same sentence feels almost wrong to me. 

3. To choose or not to choose:

The easiest way to spot this breed of science students: ask them what they want to do with their lives, and they’ll end up having an existential crisis followed by a mental breakdown. They are victims of the guidance counselor’s secret propaganda to lure students into taking sciences if they are unsure about their future. Every day they find themselves switching between the sheer regret of taking sciences and ultimately, the feeling of enjoying them—they’re trapped in a labyrinth of indecisiveness and I  dearly sympathize with them. If you are one of these people, don’t worry at all. No one really knows what they are doing with their lives and you will figure it out sooner or later.

4. Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Math, the four Horsemen of pain:

In A-Level, you’ll meet many people who hate themselves mainly because of the wise decision of taking math along with pure sciences. Every minute of doing Math gives me nothing but plain agony and why anyone would willingly do that to themselves is beyond my understanding. However, unlike myself, math was not the cause of some of their darkest memories and that’s probably because they are some of the smartest people around.

And as for those that take Further Math…I have no words left for them.

5. Watching a movie or getting career counseling? 

You know how when you’re deciding on what career path you might want to pursue and you look at your interests, you talk to a counselor, you take advice from older siblings and seniors? Yeah, no. These science geeks watched a movie and got obsessed with a character’s job to the extent that they based the biggest decision of their lives on that movie. If you ever meet someone who wants to become an Aeronautical Engineer, it’s probably because they’ve just watched ‘The Wind Rises’. 

Can’t really say I blame them, though. Adult-ing (not like that) is hard and we’re all just trying to romanticize our painful decisions as much as we can. Trust me, it’s totally sane to watch ‘Doctor Who’ and dream of defying the laws of physics (or whatever he does in that show, I haven’t seen it.)

Whatever your reason for choosing sciences though, begs the question of whether you are okay. Okay, no, seriously, whatever the reason for choosing sciences may be, I hope you’re doing great in A-Level and do even better in the future. 

Good luck, fellow victims of science. May your salary cover the therapy bills.

Ansa Mubashir

TLC Writer