Can We Guess What Type of Science You Majored In?

By: Zoe Samuel
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can We Guess What Type of Science You Majored In?
Image: Hinterhause Productions / DigitalVision / Getty Images

About This Quiz

STEM fields are all the rage these days. For the last 20 years, we have been fed story after story of young people who, having studied some area of science, went on to start the next great unicorn scientific business. Theranos aside, most of these stories are pretty inspirational, and the sort of thing that motivates young people to go into science.

In recent years, science has taken huge strides. Modern computer technology has meant that scientists can now calculate things that were considered unknowable or impossible only a decade ago. Soon, many scientists say, we will make discoveries about the inner workings of genes, physics and chemistry that we never thought we would see in our lifetimes. The effects of these discoveries have already begun to reverberate in our lives, as things we thought we would only see in science fiction happen every day, from cyber warfare to designer babies to images of black holes.

You studied science at university. In fact, you majored in an area of science, so you will understand us when we say we can do a regression analysis on some answers to simple questions, determining which area of science was your major. Take this quiz, and put our skills to the test!

Where did you like to study when you were a student?
The computer lab
The library
The quad
The student center

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Which of these majors did you consider, and then reject?
Cinema Studies
Music
Political Science
English

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Where is the major center for thought leadership in your field?
California
Germany
New England
The mid-Atlantic region

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How important is your field to public policy makers?
Lately? Very important.
Not important enough
Very important to some, totally unimportant to others
Ignored almost completely

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To which of these clubs did you belong at university?
The Sci-Fi Club
A religious organization
A volunteer organization
The student council

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Do you have a profession that actually uses your major?
Yes I do, but not as much as you'd think.
Yeah, but it's a small part of a much bigger picture.
No, sadly
Sort of

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Is there much money in the subject in which you majored?
There is if you play your cards right.
There's a comfortable living in it.
No one would go into it for that reason.
There can be, but oh, the loans ...

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If you could have minored in any subject in colllege, what would it have been?
Music
Statistics
Archaeology
Biochemistry

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Which of these practical DIY tasks suits your abilities?
Dusting out the inside of a laptop
Cleaning the bathroom
Installing roofing
Interior design

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What did you always need to have on hand when you were working?
Energy drinks, plural
Coffee
My lucky pen
Other people doing other things

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Which of these describes your current work environment?
An open plan office
A lab
I'm a road warrior.
A comforting-looking study

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Other than your work and or family, what is the biggest thing in your life?
Video games
A sport I follow
Keeping abreast of politics
My own health

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How do you take care of your health?
I'm on the latest diet, one that makes paleo look like a walk in the park, which is another diet I've done.
I limit my caloric intake and make sure to eats lots of fruit and veggies.
I just try not to eat too much crap.
I just try to get to the gym regularly.

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What were your college study buddies like?
I only had one. We were very similar.
Interesting to work with, but we didn't hang out.
The best friends I ever had
Very damaged people

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Which of these interpersonal skills is your strong suit?
Literal communication
Reading subtext
Arguing without being argumentative
Empathy

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Which of these occasions do you deem most worthy of celebration?
Finishing a project
Making a major breakthrough
Birthdays
Anniversaries

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Which do you think is more important, "pure" science or "applied" science?
Applied, obviously
I'm a bigger fan of pure science.
We need more applied science in most cases.
Both are of equal importance.

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With what class outside your major would you struggle?
Medieval Religious Thought
Art History
Physics for Poets
Introduction to Computer Programming

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What is the first step you take in dealing with mundane problems in life?
Find the solution
Probe for the cause
Try to see the big picture
Decide if it's worth fixing

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How do you like to take notes?
On my phone, with an app I speak into that translates it into text for me.
In my laptop
On a tablet
Shorthand, with pen and paper

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Did you have to go into grad school to pursue the career you wanted?
Absolutely not
Yes, absolutely
It wasn't necessary.
For the one I wanted, yes. For the careers many of my major wanted, no.

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What sort of reading stimulates you the most?
Airport novels, like The Da Vinci Code, etc.
Science fiction
Public policy books
Biographies

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Why did you go into your major?
I was already into it when I was in junior high school.
My parents pushed me to do it.
I have a genuine concern and passion for it.
It plays to my strengths, and I thought it might help with my weaknesses.

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How cool are people in your profession?
Some are very cool. Most are very uncool.
No one is very cool, but no one is totally uncool.
We're all very cool, in our own ways.
That's an interesting question. Why do you ask?

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What quality would have impressed the average professor whose classes you attended?
Quick decision making
Knowledge of the subject
Being a polymath
Having good intuition

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For what knowledge do friends turn to you?
Usually questions about their phones
Health-related stuff
Political policy debates
Self-knowledge

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Which of these universities would have been your dream school for your major, regardless of where you actually went to university?
Stanford
Harvard
Amherst
Berkeley

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What profession do you just not understand?
Dancers
TV writers
Oil exploration personnel
There really isn't one I don't understand.

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What advice would you give to someone following in your academic footsteps?
You don't need to go to a fancy college for the education, only the networking.
Plan for grad school now.
Your studies in the classroom are only the beginning. Get out there.
Do what you feel is best.

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What motivated you to pursue your studies?
I was always interested in the subject I studied.
I was convinced there was a safe career in it.
I felt a moral imperative.
It spoke to me on a level I can't quite articulate.

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You Got: