Daniel Toker, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Berkeley tweeted to let his followers know they shouldn’t be downhearted if they don’t achieve the grades they hoped for.
Something I wish all undergrad STEM students knew: you can be a great scientist without being a stellar student. Science requires creativity and original thinking, and no midterm or final can ever test that.
— The Brain Scientist (@daniel_toker) April 27, 2018
What he wasn’t expecting was hundreds of scientists to back up his statement with their personal stories of failure and eventual success.
These will warm your heart.
I had a 1.3 GPA during sophomore year at Community College in all my science classes
…but now I'm a @UCLA PhD Candidate in Molecular Biology, @NSFGRFP fellow (*declined* the Ford fellowship), mad funded, founder of @wokeSTEM and poppin' 💁🏿♀️ https://t.co/BbBSO8KpGr
— S.Okonkwo (@sokonkwo_) April 28, 2018
I went to tutoring 3x a week for my entire undergrad genetics course and still got a D. Now I’m a bit of a geneticist. This 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 100%. https://t.co/7iKKEqvLfB
— Imogene Cancellare (@biologistimo) April 28, 2018
I lost my academic scholarship after 2 years in college. GPA dropped below 3.0. Had to drop classes I was failing multiple times.
I now build/test spacecraft for one of the world’s largerst commercial producers of satellites. https://t.co/fN1TLrltxP
— Steph Evz (@StephEvz43) April 29, 2018
Yes this! My grades as an ug were just ok. I got a C- in O-Chem & a C in biological oceanography. I'm now getting my PhD studying marine animals & ecosystems using biogeochemistry. https://t.co/1YJ72ej89V
— Katie Wedemeyer-Strombel (@krwedemeyer) April 28, 2018
My junior year of high school my pre-calculus teacher told me that my tests were "an abomination." I have a PhD now and am running a clinical trial. https://t.co/OMNx1mhGME
— L. Griffin PhD (@lngriffin25) April 29, 2018
Even those who studied subjects outside STEM shouldn’t feel disheartened about pursuing a career in science.
Also: have you taken a winding road to get to science? Did you start in Classics or Humanities or Engineering before switching over? If so, this wasn't time wasted. Rather, it was time well spent building a broader foundation. It will allow you view problems through a wider lens.
— Jeffrey Kavanaugh (@JLKavanaugh) April 28, 2018
Clearly the support worked, as a host of students began to reply thanking Daniel and the other scientists for sharing their stories.
I really needed this…I've been feeling a little down about my recent test scores (which I'm not a good test taker) but it's good to read this. It brightened my day ??
— Kristin L.S. (@CougarBioDruid) April 28, 2018
Current STEM undergrad here…you have no idea how much this helps me. My grades aren’t where they need to be, and I’m so hard on myself.
— Jasmine N. Culliver (@jasminenicolec9) April 29, 2018
Thank you, I needed to read that today. Exams start tomorrow 😬
— Hannah B (@HannahBeech81) April 29, 2018
