Fascinating question as what advice I would give my high school self if I could. “Dont be such a prat” would be good start. Listen much more than talk, figure out how people work without trying to change them. Try lots of things (safely) and have fun. Be an agent for good things. Read everything (not advice I needed). Dont wait till uni before trying to change the world. Dont be afraid to fail, just learn from it. Master calculus as fast as you can and then learn the science properly instead of way curriculum prescribes. Master some form of coding. Find some physical activity that you really like (with the old dictum of “if you cant do it well, learn to enjoy doing it badly”).
I should add that my high school self failed badly at the “listen”, “figure out how people work” and especially “dont be a prat”. Didn’t lose fear of failing till University.
C.S. Lewis said ““I could never have gone far in any science because on the path of every science the lion Mathematics lies in wait for you.” I would say the lion was mostly calculus (though algebra skills are more or less assumed by calculus. At my high school and my son’s high school, algebra and calculus were taught in same course). Even in stats, you can’t move into the proofs for many theorems without calculus and I strongly recommend study of proofs so you know the real background to any theorem you might be applying (this is university level for most part).
I work in earth science and too many of my colleagues take fright at sight of an integral or partial derivative sign in a paper. Lack of calculus becomes a limiting factor so master it if you can. If you can’t, make good friends with colleagues who can.
Fascinating question as what advice I would give my high school self if I could. “Dont be such a prat” would be good start. Listen much more than talk, figure out how people work without trying to change them. Try lots of things (safely) and have fun. Be an agent for good things. Read everything (not advice I needed). Dont wait till uni before trying to change the world. Dont be afraid to fail, just learn from it. Master calculus as fast as you can and then learn the science properly instead of way curriculum prescribes. Master some form of coding. Find some physical activity that you really like (with the old dictum of “if you cant do it well, learn to enjoy doing it badly”).
I should add that my high school self failed badly at the “listen”, “figure out how people work” and especially “dont be a prat”. Didn’t lose fear of failing till University.
Why do you suggest Calculus?
C.S. Lewis said ““I could never have gone far in any science because on the path of every science the lion Mathematics lies in wait for you.” I would say the lion was mostly calculus (though algebra skills are more or less assumed by calculus. At my high school and my son’s high school, algebra and calculus were taught in same course). Even in stats, you can’t move into the proofs for many theorems without calculus and I strongly recommend study of proofs so you know the real background to any theorem you might be applying (this is university level for most part).
I work in earth science and too many of my colleagues take fright at sight of an integral or partial derivative sign in a paper. Lack of calculus becomes a limiting factor so master it if you can. If you can’t, make good friends with colleagues who can.