There is a notable decline in university students choosing science subjects currently. There could be many reasons as to why less people choose science as part of their higher education. But this in turn could have an impact on society at large. This essay aims to examine the possible reasons and how it could affect the general public.
Firstly, a lack of science enrollments could be down to these subjects’ difficulty. Fields such as physics, biology, medicine and chemistry are notable for their heavy workloads, mainly with theoretical knowledge. As such, this can be highly unappealing for first-year university students, who may feel jaded from a difficult examination period in grade 12 prior. Additionally, higher education courses such as biomedicine are usually particularly lengthy, which further disincentivizes first-years from enrolling in these disciplines. Furthermore, different universities also have varying entry requirements. This subsequently causes further complications regarding various pre-requisites in an already highly competitive field, further discouraging undergraduates from applying for these courses. This issue is exacerbated by the growing popularity of other disciplines such as marketing or business, where they take much less time to obtain a degree and enter the job market.
There are a few effects that this problem could inflict on society. Less undergraduates enrolled in science subjects lead to less graduates, and in turn fewer new doctors, nurses and scientists. This then worsens already ongoing shortages in scientific fields, in turn overworking scientific practicioners in order to compensate. Therefore, this can cause a general decrease in qualified doctors, scientists and nurses in the workforce. Subsequently, quality of scientific growth will decline, stalling medicinal developments that could be pivotal in handling many serious illnesses that continue to affect millions around the globe
In conclusion, there are many reasons as to why less students are choosing science subjects in univeristy. These mainly pertain to the heavy workloads and a considerable course length, which can appear particularly unappealing against other popular courses. This in turn could cause a decline in the quality of scientific and medicinal development due to a shortage of highly qualified practicioners.