Students lose interest in science

[Birbal]

What I understand boys are also going to diploma courses which in 3 years will get you a technical education and in majority of heavy/construction industries they don't make a distinction b/n degree & diploma holders.

Anyways do you think its a good trend that boys are shying away from liberal arts.

I like taking liberal arts classes but I feel nothing can substitute for a solid science and math education. At least in America, quality engineers and scientists are very lacking and generally get imported.

---------- Post added at 03:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:05 AM ----------

Not necessarily true. In the west students who are aking science courses is falling sharply. In the grad engineering classes you will hardly see any canadian. These are usually filled with only students from 5 country china, india, bangladesh, pakistan and iran.

It's true. But these students also tend to be males.

---------- Post added at 03:07 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:06 AM ----------

I do not know about bangladesh,but here in India every tom,dick and harry wants to a engineer,thus quality of engineers is taking a sharp toll.

Here in America, almost no one wants to be an engineer, so they have to accept substandard students into the engineering programs, and the quality of engineers is taking a sharp toll.

 

[livingdead]

From what I know of the Indian curriculum, most of the emphasis is on problem solving, and practical skills are not emphasized. In China, in theoretical aspects, both concepts and problem solving is emphasized. There's always a question on the test like this: explain in words why _____ occurs. In terms of practical skills... I went into lab at 2 AM frequently, to give you some idea of what's required of us. We have to rotate using instruments and if you got assigned a 2 AM slot, you went at 2 AM.

You must realize that India right now is a big services country, but not a strong services country. India's service industry is highly dependent on the outsourcing market. That is because India's consumer services market is not, objectively speaking, at the level of sophistication that needs a large business bureaucrat class.

Take advertising for example. In China, there are thousands of advertising firms competing against each other in multimillion dollar contracts, because China's consumer market is at the stage where firms look for non-price differentiation of their products. That's to say, Chinese people don't just want things that are cheap and objectively good; they want things that make them FEEL GOOD.

China's service industry is mostly internal, and that means there's sustained demand for liberal arts majors who understand the culture of China and can do marketing, accounting and management in this specific culture.

A small correction : Indian advertising industry caters specifically to Indian taste and sensibilities. They are all made by Indians and for Indians.

 

[fallstuff]

Back in the days opportunities to go colleges and universities were very limited. I am talking about the 80s and the early 90's.

I wanted to study in BUET in the mid 80's, but apparently I was not bright enough. Any way I ended up going at IBA. Damn I wanted to be engineer so freaking bad ! . When I moved to US, I didn't want to study engineering because the university won't be able to accept all my credits.

I graduated in Information Systems with a minor in Marketing. However, my masters was pure science.

 

[samrat]

I like taking liberal arts classes but I feel nothing can substitute for a solid science and math education. At least in America, quality engineers and scientists are very lacking and generally get imported.

How so? Most of the politicians, either in US or India, are lawyers.

Here in America, almost no one wants to be an engineer, so they have to accept substandard students into the engineering programs, and the quality of engineers is taking a sharp toll.

Bcs almost everything in US is automated and mechanized. Even almost every US farmer knows how to operate heavy machinery, which is not so common in India. Also just bcs they don't want to become engineers doesn't mean that they are not scientifically inclined. Remember US still leads the world in innovation.

 

[Birbal]

How so? Most of the politicians, either in US or India, are lawyers.

Not sure about the Indian politicians, but a lot of the American politicians pass stupid laws related to technological things just because they are ignorant about science and math. They are sorely lacking in much needed scientific knowledge.

Bcs almost everything in US is automated and mechanized. Even almost every US farmer knows how to operate heavy machinery, which is not so common in India. Also just bcs they don't want to become engineers doesn't mean that they are not scientifically inclined. Remember US still leads the world in innovation.

All those innovators are immigrants, or at best children of immigrants (like me). Certainly, the graduate school programs here can get good students from abroad, but the undergraduate programs which have to rely mostly on local Americans just don't get enough quality students.

 

[FairAndUnbiased]

Not sure about the Indian politicians, but a lot of the American politicians pass stupid laws related to technological things just because they are ignorant about science and math. They are sorely lacking in much needed scientific knowledge.



All those innovators are immigrants, or at best children of immigrants (like me). Certainly, the graduate school programs here can get good students from abroad, but the undergraduate programs which have to rely mostly on local Americans just don't get enough quality students.

thats true, the undergrads here from China, Japan, South Korea, etc. are mostly in social sciences and business marketing, finance, economics, etc. and very few are in physical sciences or engineering.

the graduate students are split too.

i personally think the US is top notch for studies in social sciences/business.

 

[Shapur]

youngsters are getting lazier by the day and think singing rap songs and acting gansta will help them get what they want in life. They choose the easier path which is infact nothing but fantasy and these so called gangsta either struggle on the streets or get sent to jail to be raped by their inmates. This celebrity culture promotes nothing but false dreams and fake gangstas and pimps for boys and bimbos and barbies for girls.

 

[samrat]

youngsters are getting lazier by the day and think singing rap songs and acting gansta will help them get what they want in life. They choose the easier path which is infact nothing but fantasy and these so called gangsta either struggle on the streets or get sent to jail to be raped by their inmates. This celebrity culture promotes nothing but false dreams and fake gangstas and pimps for boys and bimbos and barbies for girls.

What does students reluctance to take science courses have to do with Gangsta?.They are only choosing what they think is good for them.

 

[samrat]

Not sure about the Indian politicians, but a lot of the American politicians pass stupid laws related to technological things just because they are ignorant about science and math. They are sorely lacking in much needed scientific knowledge.

Thats just a sweeping statement. Dr. Anbumoni Ramdoss, when he was MoHealth, banned smoking and drinking in films..how stupid is that?

All those innovators are immigrants, or at best children of immigrants (like me). Certainly, the graduate school programs here can get good students from abroad, but the undergraduate programs which have to rely mostly on local Americans just don't get enough quality students.

US is the land of immigrants.

 

[livingdead]

Thats just a sweeping statement. Dr. Anbumoni Ramdoss, when he was MoHealth, banned smoking and drinking in films..how stupid is that

He is talking about American politicians not Indian ones.
Politicians need some basic knowledge in science otherwise they will look like fool infront of their own people.

 

[samrat]

He is talking about American politicians not Indian ones.
Politicians need some basic knowledge in science otherwise they will look like fool infront of their own people.

For that we have to have to update the science subjects in school.

 

[Shapur]

What does students reluctance to take science courses have to do with Gangsta?.They are only choosing what they think is good for them.

Science, Maths, and similar subjects are associated with being a nerd and uncool in the west. One of the reasons for decline in choosing science related subjects exactly the image associated with being a science student. To most inner city students Science is not nearly cool enough and doesn't fit with their Gangsta pimp image they aspire to.

 

[Zabaniyah]

Don't underestimate nerds and geeks. People like Bill Gates and Chris Metzen partly rule the world!