112 SCIENTIST 



one reads about science or talks with people who are en- 

 gaged in scientific work, one really cannot imagine how 

 it feels to be a scientist until one experiences it for oneself. 

 It is therefore important to preserve as long as possible 

 the opportunity to try oneself out in a variety of scientific 

 experiences before making a final choice. The basic sci- 

 ences are the most general in outlook and provide the 

 widest sort of experience in themselves. Furthermore, a 

 knowledge of physics, chemistry, and biology opens the 

 doors to experience in the more specialized subjects. For 

 example, a college student with such knowledge stands a 

 much better chance of a summer job on an oceanographic 

 ship or in many psychology labs than one without such 

 knowledge. 



In this connection it may be well to warn the student 

 against some of the trivial temptations that still exist in 

 college curricula as remnants of the free elective system. 

 During most of this century it has been customary for the 

 colleges in this country to require their students to take 

 a certain number of courses in a major field of concen- 

 tration. In the hope of ensuring breadth of experience, the 

 student is also required to distribute his interests among 

 certain other fields of knowledge. Thus, those who con- 

 centrate or major in the sciences must take one course 

 in history, one in Hterature, and perhaps one in the fine 

 arts. Conversely, majors in the humanities are required 

 to have one course in science. Noble in motive though this 

 requirement may be, the practical results have been gen- 

 erally unsatisfactory. It is no secret that most of the in- 

 troductory courses in the classical subjects of physics, 

 chemistry, and biology are regarded my most students as 

 both hard and dry. Not unnaturally they look around for 

 something to fulfill their "science requirement," which will 

 be easy or amusing, or if possible — both easy and amusing. 



