My STEM Perspective ~ Chris Byrnes

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So, I'm sure some of you have read Jake's STEM blog post for this month and how the Biomed field doesn't count as 21st-century learning skills. Now, I'm not writing this to challenge Jake's view of making Biomed a 21-century-learning skill. In fact, I support his view on it. However, I'm here to offer my view on STEM as a whole and my relationship to the STEM Academy.

I didn't get in. Yes, the STEM program, in essence, rejected me because I was 3 points short and 1 point short of an appeal process. I remember, back in 8th grade, receiving the STEM letter in the mail, opening it up with anxiety yet also hope. The second I saw that I didn't get in, I started to BOIL with anger. In fact, I threw the paper and kicked it. Childish on my part, yes indeed, but, at the time, I viewed STEM as the only route to success. As for Matt and Joe? They both got in. This made me even more furious. Time to cue all the bullying. To this day, I am still bashed by all of my brothers about STEM. 

So, I was put into Honors Environmental Science, which I wasn't exactly thrilled with. When freshman year came, I was jealous of all the STEM kids and all their STEM perks and opportunities. By the time freshman year was half-way done, my anger and jealousy rose. I realized the engineering direction was a complete and utter joke. It was an easy-GPA boost.  Even the other directions (Biomed, Computer Science) I heard weren't that hard. In terms of their actual science class, Honors Physics and Honors Chem smooshed into a half-year each wasn't all that bad. For Joe and Matt, things were a bit rough in the beginning, but then they got the hang of things. I was more angered at all of this, because a stupid number determined that I wouldn't be able to handle such. I'm just as bright as Joe and Matt and, if anything, smarter in certain academic areas.  In fact, I have a harder schedule than all of my brothers and tied for highest GPA in the family with Joe. To make matters worse, my younger brother Jon - an 8th grader at the time - got accepted into STEM. Jon would bully me all the time about STEM before he was even accepted (he still does).

In my family, my brothers and I are ALWAYS competing. Everything is a competition. Being the only Byrnes not in STEM gave the rest of my siblings the high ground. If I want to succeed, I would need to overcome them and take back the high ground. I chose challenging courses like AP Seminar to prove them wrong.

However, over the summer going into this year (sophomore year), I came to realize that this competition doesn't matter. It's time to shrug off my brother's comments about me not being in STEM. Maybe, it was supposed to happen like this. Maybe, this was a blessing in disguise. I now believe such is true.  Not being in STEM opens up more opportunities and perks than being in it. I can take more classes. It's allowed me to have room for AP Seminar - which I absolutely LOVE. I don't want to leave class. I'm also proud to have just finished an entire research project utilizing history alongside two wonderful people. In AP Research next year, I can a year-long project on WHATEVER I WANT -  while balancing it with Honors Philharmonic Orchestra, which is a free GPA boost. Taking AP Seminar is no longer about taking it for competition. I'm mean sure, I have less time on my hands due to AP Seminar than STEM kids that don't take it. But I'd rather take classes I want to take than be in a program that's a complete joke and pitches itself as something it's not. STEM shouldn't be so prestigious. It shouldn't be as glorified it is right now. Biomed kids are getting ripped off while also forcing kids to go down certain academic routes (AP only/highest class only).  STEM kids only get ONE elective. Just one. I will admit that yes STEM is changing. Now, you don't have to take the highest class available, but it took them an entire 4 years to realize such. Change takes time and we might even graduate before the next one comes around.


If you didn't make STEM, don't worry. It's not like your high school career is ruined. You can still pursue STEM-related classes without being in it. You can pursue whatever you want without restrictions. You don't need a STEM stamp on your transcript to be more successful or get into more colleges, or get a better job All you need is a stamp of your hard work, your growth, your own high-school schedule. You need a stamp of you.




(okay, sorry if it sounds like I'm ranting or if I do come across as still hurt from STEM. That's not the case, I'm just trying to drive a point home. Also, I have nothing against STEM kids. They're some of the best friends have and some of the nicest people I know and some of the best research partners in AP Seminar too, lol)


Image result for STEM

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Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 24, 2020 at 9:43 AM

    This is so true. STEM from what I have heard is a very rewarding program that I probably would have loved taking but its so specific of a decision to choose for a middle schooler when most of us don't even know who we are yet! My neighbor didn't get into STEM either but he is planning on becoming a programmer/engineer(I forgot which one he told me lol) and he got into West Point which is so hard to get into. So STEM is a great program but there are so many other rewarding classes and paths to success as well.

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  2. AnonymousFebruary 24, 2020 at 10:37 AM

    Yeah, this is true. For me, it wasn't that STEM was marketed differently. It was that it wasn't marketed at all. I just heard it was a thing academic kids did without knowing much else. Now that I'm in it, I don't get what the big hype is about. It's just a class, like any of the others we're taking. I don't really know why we need a test to get into the program. (Btw you're a great Seminar partner too!)

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  3. DanielleFebruary 26, 2020 at 5:36 AM

    "You need a stamp of you," such a fantastic point. It must be hard to feel, maybe, left out of something you know you could excel in, but I"m so glad that you are enjoying the classes you have chosen and that it seems to have worked out for the best. I also cracked up that you have a family GPA competition!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousFebruary 27, 2020 at 2:06 PM

    It's funny how you view STEM differently now in comparison to last year when you wrote a big long email trying to get in.

    ReplyDelete

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