Why study science? Parties, prospects and weird facts to unnerve your mates

The hours are long, the lab coats are hideous. But the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages, says a BSc student"Stem" subjects are on the rise – which means a whole lot more science, technology, engineering and maths students at UK universities. Latest figures show that in 2011-12, the numbers of students opting to start Stem degrees was up 5.7% compared with 2009-10 (based on table 3).But what exactly is the appeal of doing a course that entails long hours, unflattering lab coats and learning everything there is to know about the life cycle of yeast?A common complaint of Stem students is that, with lectures from 9 to 5 plus weekly lab or practical sessions, the workload is heavy.Hayley Williams, a second-year biology student, says: "You can find your timetable fuller than your fellow students – although the positive of this is that it can make you become more focused and productive."Plus, constantly being in lectures, practicals or tutorials means it is a lot easier to meet and bond with your coursemates.You may spend lonely nights writing up lab reports and learning how to classify a sea slug taxonomically, while your BA-studying housemates are pre-lashing to the dulcet tones of One Direction. But you can rest assured that when the work is in and exams are over (often, unfortunately, a lot later than the rest of your year), Stem students are among the most social on campus.Laura Depner, vice-pres of Leeds University's FoBSoc (faculty of biological sciences society) s...
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