Unveiling the Greatest Love: How Students Connect with Their Chosen Subjects

Valentine’s Day is not just a day for celebrating romantic love but also a time to reflect on the passions that bring joy and fulfillment to our lives. For many students, that passion is their chosen field of study. Whether it’s the excitement of making a breakthrough discovery or the satisfaction of solving a complex problem, students often find themselves deeply in love with what they study.

The Spark: Discovering a Passion

Falling in love with a subject is often a gradual process, sometimes ignited by a single, transformative moment. For some, like Julius Semenya, it begins with an inspiring teacher who makes the subject engaging and captivating. Julius fell in love with chemistry when he had a new chemistry teacher in high school, whose teaching method was so engaging that he began to love the subject and became his favorite student. At that point, all he could think about was chemistry, and today, he is proud to be earning a Ph.D. in chemistry.

Laura Korobkova's fascination began in childhood with a picture of the human brain. At five years old, she saw a picture of the human brain for the first time, and she was both scared and fascinated by it. At that moment, she realized she wanted to learn everything about brain anatomy and how our brain controls every aspect of our being, from thinking to movement. Later, as a freshman in college, she also saw a video with a mouse wired to direct light stimulation, which controlled its behavior via optic fiber, which was implanted directly into the mouse’s brain.

Neshat Darvishi's path took a turn after encountering a colleague’s son on the autism spectrum. She studied English Language and Linguistics for her bachelor’s degree, but her interest shifted toward language development after encountering a colleague’s son on the autism spectrum.

Cynthia Siebrand unexpectedly found her calling at a professional conference. She did not expect to find her passion and career calling when she attended a professional conference. But to her surprise, one of the keynote speakers presented on a fascinating field she had never heard about - Aging. She was instantly captivated by how aging is a significant risk for diseases and how various molecular pathways affect the rate of aging. After finally collecting all the courage to walk up to the professor, they had a great discussion, and she ended up interning in his lab.

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Madhumanti Datta was captivated by the cognitive aspects of language after being introduced to linguistics. When she was 17 years old, her friend gave her an introduction to Linguistics textbook. She read about the concept of a phoneme - a perceptually distinct unit of sound in a language. It refers to the representation of speech sounds in the minds of speakers. She had never read about language from its cognitive aspect and that language can be studied in such a scientific and abstract way. She was amazed!

Yingyi Lin found a connection between her discipline and real-world events through survey research. A fundamental methodology guiding her research is survey research. Getting to know American politics and things like the presidential election offer a valuable window into how my discipline is applied in real-world settings.

Kamiar Asgari found inspiration in reinforcement learning algorithms. There is a notion in reinforcement learning called “Optimism in the Face of Uncertainty.” Algorithms designed based on this concept are typically used for decision-making problems. When he discovered how effective these algorithms are, he also decided to be optimistic about his own decisions!

Jorge Duarte's love for the music industry evolved after a lecture on technology, AI, and architecture. He fell in love with the music industry as a teenager, driving around with his friends after school and sharing electronic music. He attended a lecture about technology, AI, and architecture in 2016, and it changed him. The talk was eye-opening. When he left the auditorium, he was in tears knowing this was what he would be burning for, for the rest of his life. Seven years later, he is working on integrating advanced technology, complimenting and respecting vernacular architecture.

Javin Liu's passion for computer science was sparked by a television show, "Astro Boy," which explored the potential and ethical considerations of robots. My love for computer science did not start with a burning desire to change the world or help others. Instead, it began with a television show I had loved since I was a little boy called “Astro Boy.” In the show, a selfish mad scientist built a robot to try to replace his dead son. The robot could show emotion and reason and think like humans. However, the mad scientist realized the robot couldn’t replace his son. Astro Boy was limited by his robot body and could not grow like the scientist’s deceased child. Astro Boy’s existence reminded the scientist constantly that his son was gone, so he abandoned Astro Boy. Another scientist, Dr. Hiroshi, discovered Astro Boy and became a father figure to him. He took care of him and helped him discover his purpose in life. Astro Boy then began fighting crime and helping the world become a better place. Originating back to the 1950s, it is one of the first shows to depict robots in a good light… that’s why I love it. It also brings up many questions that researchers still discuss today. He thinks technology can be good, but we need to be extra careful to guide it toward a good path, just like Dr. Hiroshi did with Astro Boy.

Dario L.'s realization came after recognizing his persistent questioning and love for economics. There was no moment in which he fell in love with economics, but a moment in which he realized he was trying to avoid what he had loved for a long time. He was frustrated with his macroeconomics courses during his undergraduate degree, but he continued with the major. After his first graduate-level macroeconomics class, a fellow student was shocked by the number of questions he asked during a 90-minute lecture. He realized those questions came from his love for the subject, not his frustration. So, he realized he had to try harder and take a chance on the subject, and he is happy that he stuck with it because he is now earning a Ph.D. in economics.

The Importance of Intrinsic Motivation

The narratives above highlight the power of intrinsic motivation in academic pursuits. When students are genuinely interested in a subject, they are more likely to engage deeply with the material, persevere through challenges, and achieve a higher level of understanding. This intrinsic motivation stems from a fascination with the subject matter itself, rather than external factors such as grades or career prospects.

However, the academic journey isn't always smooth. Students often encounter courses they aren't intrinsically interested in, either because they are required for their degree programs or because they haven't yet discovered their true passions.

Navigating the Uninteresting: Strategies for Engagement

Faced with a subject that doesn't ignite their passion, students can employ several strategies to enhance engagement and motivation.

Unpacking the Course

The first step is to unpack the course and identify the skills it aims to develop. Does it push you to read, research, write, collaborate with others, and solve problems? Which of these skills are you likely to need in the workplace where you see yourself? By focusing on the transferable skills gained from the course, students can find a sense of purpose and relevance, even if the subject matter itself isn't inherently appealing.

Connecting to the Real World

Another approach is to explore how the subject relates to the real world and to your life. Does it help to know something about how the body fights disease when you have a sick grandmother? Does it help to know something about the political process when the outcome of an election can change your quality of life? How does this subject relate to your life? Some of what you learn just helps you be part of the conversation but those who are part of the conversation get ahead. Again it is tied to your dreams of success. By connecting the subject to personal experiences and broader societal issues, students can discover its relevance and value.

Engaging with the Professor

A magic way to become engaged and, maybe the most important, is to ask your professor what drew them to the subject in the first place. They have spent their lives deeply immersed in a field. They do it for the love of the subject. Getting to know your professors is always a smart strategy. And so getting them going on what they love will endear you and also maybe turn on the light bulb for you. Both outcomes are good for your grades. And a strong GPA is good for your goals. Similarly talk to upperclassmen who are doing this as a major. By understanding the professor's passion for the subject, students can gain a new perspective and potentially spark their own interest.

Effective Study Techniques

The struggle to get a subject can also be because you are not approaching the study effectively. Study groups can energize a subject because you have several minds and skill sets being brought to bear. Figure out how you learn best--if you are a visual learner then charts and pictures may help, for example. Learning social sciences is not the same as studying poetry or the memorization Bio requires. Use your school's tutoring centers to learn how to best approach each subject so you have a better chance of getting it.

The Pitfalls of Mismatched Passions

While pursuing one's passion is generally encouraged, it's also important to be realistic about one's abilities and potential for success. There are some circumstances, however, in which you should avoid a subject like the plague even if you adore it. When I was at school, I absolutely loved art. Each month, I spent most of my pocket money on glossy books full of artists’ paintings and pictures; I loved going to museums, and I was always having to hide pieces of furniture that had been destroyed by smears of oil paint or clay. I looked forward to art lessons every single week, and made my mum sign me up for a Saturday morning club where we made clay statues and batiks. The problem was, for all my enthusiasm, I was completely rubbish at it. The very worst in any and every class. My batiks, so carefully planned and waxed and dyed in stages, all came out as unpleasant brown smudges. I could not draw to save my life. The Frida Kahlo paintings I copied all ended up looking positively scary (and not in a good way). Every year, I would present my parents with a painting or drawing as a ‘beautiful and personal Christmas present’; every year my mum would hang it in the downstairs toilet. And when I announced to my teacher that I’d be taking art for GCSE, she looked startled, and mumbled something about the subject definitely not being one of my strengths. Ever the optimist, I persisted undeterred - and the subject ended up being my very hardest and most depressing GCSE. When it came to choosing IB subjects, I’d learned my lesson - pursuing something you’re totally hopeless at is a really painful process, and almost always ends in tears.

The Teacher's Passion: A Catalyst for Learning

The teacher-subject relation is perceived as essential for teaching and learning. Teachers’ emotions on the subject influence teachers’ attitudes towards the subject. Educational scholars have long claimed that love and/or passion is involved in teachers’ relation to the subject they teach. As Rowland testifies, a declaration familiar to most scholars, especially in the context of higher education, is: “when I recall the teachers that most influenced me, what I remember is their love of the subject, their desire to engage me in their enthusiasm and their sense of the excitement of discovery”. In a similar vein, Liston refers to Jane Tompkins in stating that “the teachers who loved their subjects and did not hide it; they were the ones that made the most difference”. In fact, Palmer and Vlieghe and Zamojski put love for the subject first, arguing that good teaching is neither teacher centred nor student centred but subject centred or, as Vlieghe and Zamojski see it, thing centred. In the same vein, Rowland suggests what he calls intellectual love as a “key component of the kind of enquiry that forms a basis for both teaching and research”, in turn motivated by love of the subject matter.

The teacher's passion for their subject is a powerful catalyst for student learning. When teachers genuinely love what they teach, their enthusiasm is contagious, inspiring students to engage with the material on a deeper level. This passion can manifest in various ways, such as a deep understanding of the subject matter, a commitment to sharing that knowledge with others, and a genuine excitement for the learning process.

Finding Fulfillment: Work, Life, and Passion

Ultimately, finding fulfillment in one's studies and career involves striking a balance between passion and practicality. It's important to pursue subjects that genuinely interest you, but also to consider the potential career paths and opportunities that those subjects may lead to.

Your work should be your second greatest love. Work/life balance is like a marriage. You’re home alone.

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