Is Science Olympiad worth it?

[lumosityfan]

I see many people have already given my viewpoint (which is awesome btw keep it up ) But I'd just like to note the fact that cramming everything into a notesheet does not guarantee success. Take Astro. You get TWO FREAKIN' LAPTOPS!!!!! And yet I've never gotten gold in any event (i wish...). It's because Science Olympiad takes more than just cramming notes into a binder and hoping you remember it. Those kinds of people don't really understand what Science Olympiad is about: the exploration of fields that you normally would never get the chance to discover otherwise. Science Olympiad opens your eyes to places that will eventually inspire you in college. I'll give myself as an example. Sure I was interested in astronomy way before Science Olympiad (thanks Space City ). But learning about Type Ia and II supernovae, galaxies, cosmology, and various distance relationships, not to mention the pretty pictures (seriously you should do astro just for that alone ) made me truly realize how great astronomy is and hey, now I study it in college! And as much as it's been exhausting (which it should be: if you aren't feeling exhausted after a competition, you haven't done as much as you could have done. trust me. It's the best and worst feeling in the world. Just don't kill yourself in the process obviously.) the journey has been worth it. I've met such amazing people and especially at Columbia I can't emphasize how awesome the astronomy department is (seriously I'm writing this post while waiting for our weekly pizza lunch lol (If that's the reason why you go to Columbia while you should do it for more reasons than that I don't blame you ) that it's made this journey so much worth it. I suggest you truly think about why you do Science Olympiad and why you decided to put no work in. Because if it's for college or for your own self-worth, shame on you. Shame on you for insulting everyone else here who truly realizes the potential of this competition. Shame on you for not caring and just taking the short way out. Because if you do, get out. now. Because the majority of us will humiliate you for that.

[EdwardMMNT]

I think for the people who view Science Olympiad solely as a tool for college admissions, they are free to think what they want to think; however, it is only their loss. No matter how many medals you win, the lessons you learn from Science Olympiad are numerous and invaluable.

In my experience at a competitive middle school, I learned what it meant to be a part of a team and the beauty that lay in cooperating to achieve one goal. Not only that, but I truly learned more about myself in the process: it didn't matter what specific category of science I was learning about, simply learning about the nature and dynamics of how the things around me functioned was in and of itself a blessing. As far as medals, I think this is open to diverse opinions. Personally, I have found value in medals but I have found even greater value in just competing on Saturdays and having the rush of adrenaline while I take a test with my partner, racing against the clock to share and express all the knowledge we know. I had never gotten first in Disease Detectives competition in any significant invitational mainly because of Daniel Wright, and now, Stevenson. I had slowly begun to tail off on the Disease studying to focus my efforts on other events, mainly because my partner and I could not seem to manage to be the "best" ever. But after I got 3rd at the Solon Invitational and 1st at the Penn Invitational (SOUP), it really gave a huge boost to my confidence and it really added on to the passion I already had. Medals invoke the competitive fire inside of us, and in times of low morale it can show you how much you truly love the event, rekindling the fire that slowly began to dim. When I got that first, I erupted with emotion. Part of it was due to shock, but seeing the results come through finally gave me that extra confidence boost.

But most of all, competition days are what I live for. The excitement, the energy, the atmosphere, the other teams' passion, the team comradery, this is what makes Science Olympiad so worth it. Teammates cheering for each other's success, caring about the team's success. It is truly beautiful.

[gneissisnice]

Wow, got a notification that I was mentioned in a comment and that was a blast from the past, I wonder why someone is digging up comments from 7 years ago. I was maybe a bit unnecessarily mean in that, funny to see things have changed in those years, haha. I've learned how to identify trolls better, for example.

All I'll say this time around is that now I have the perspective as both a competitor and a coach (currently an assistant coach), and I can still say that Science Olympiad is still one of the things I hold dear to me. I have years of great memories, both as a competitor and as an advisor, and I've cherished the friendships that I made along the way. I found passion in science topics that I might never even have looked into if I wasn't studying for those events. I learned about commitment and dedication, developed stronger study habits (which honestly, were nonexistent for regular classes, even throughout college) and became a better leader. And now I see students growing the same way. We might not even be a national ranked team, but seeing students spend their time practicing and learning means that they're going to go far in life no matter what they choose to do because it takes a great kind of person to throw themselves into learning like this.

So in my posts that were quoted from 7 years ago, I was angry that someone would talk like that about a club that helped shape me into who I am today. But now, I don't feel mad that someone's not into Science Olympiad. I feel sad that they can't find the joy in it that we do, and that they apparently need to feel better about themselves by putting others down. Every forum poster here knows that it's not a competition of "who can print out the best materials" (if it was, don't you think everyone would do well?), it takes a real passion to do well in any competitive state or region.

I love seeing the commitment that everyone here shows, and it says something about how great Science Olympiad is that I'm still checking the forums 9 years after I've graduated high school. So ignore the troll and be proud that you're part of something so wonderful =)

[nebulamew]

Yes. Remember, it isn’t all about winning. It is about having fun while learning. You make so many friends there, and well... It’s fun!

[Raleway]

I'll probably get some flak for this... eh
Science Olympiad, as many have said, is a team effort. You all win or you all lose. Sure, some of us love the grind, studying the most intricate organic structures for five hours a day to prepare for a competition. But that's exactly what Science Olympiad is. A competition. It sure sucks to lose by one point to go to nationals (Montgomery) or two points (Mason), or maybe even worse to be in a region where it is quite difficult (nearly impossible?) to break to nationals (SoCal). Of course, I am grateful to what Science Olympiad has contributed for me, which includes another group of friends that are amazing who I would not have found without Science Olympiad as well as the amazing people I meet at competitions. But Science Olympiad IS a huge investment both monetarily and time-wise. It is near impossible to be competitive at even the regional level without around five hundred dollars for the technology events. It's just how it is. But is it worth it? If you go to nationals yearly or make it quite often, have the funds, the passion and time, then yes. Definitely. Otherwise? That's up to you, but do remember as part of a team, you don't succeed based on your efforts. You succeed based on the efforts of everyone on that 15 person team. That means if you can't pull your weight, you let down the rest of your team. And that applies the other way around.

[WhatScience?]

I'll probably get some flak for this... eh
Science Olympiad, as many have said, is a team effort. You all win or you all lose. Sure, some of us love the grind, studying the most intricate organic structures for five hours a day to prepare for a competition. But that's exactly what Science Olympiad is. A competition. It sure sucks to lose by one point to go to nationals (Montgomery) or two points (Mason), or maybe even worse to be in a region where it is quite difficult (nearly impossible?) to break to nationals (SoCal). Of course, I am grateful to what Science Olympiad has contributed for me, which includes another group of friends that are amazing who I would not have found without Science Olympiad as well as the amazing people I meet at competitions. But Science Olympiad IS a huge investment both monetarily and time-wise. It is near impossible to be competitive at even the regional level without around five hundred dollars for the technology events. It's just how it is. But is it worth it? If you go to nationals yearly or make it quite often, have the funds, the passion and time, then yes. Definitely. Otherwise? That's up to you, but do remember as part of a team, you don't succeed based on your efforts. You succeed based on the efforts of everyone on that 15 person team. That means if you can't pull your weight, you let down the rest of your team. And that applies the other way around.

This being said, you can enjoy victory without your team. Being straight up honest, I know I will probably never go to nationals. That being said, you can still enjoy the victory. Work on your events, medal and it is one of the most rewarding experiences in the world.

To quote my coach when a new member spoke excitedly about nationals: "When we go to nationals, we will wave to the pig flying next to us."

I'm on a team that knows we will prob never go to nationals. Still, science olympiad is THE biggest part of my life. I love it a lot. Its not all about winning. But if that's what you care about, you can win individually too.

[Alex-RCHS]

It is near impossible to be competitive at even the regional level without around five hundred dollars for the technology events.

Per build event, or in total?

Because if you mean per build event... just, no.

[Unome]

It is near impossible to be competitive at even the regional level without around five hundred dollars for the technology events.

No way this is true. A regional-medaling Mission, even in the more competitive states, can be built off of perhaps $70 (probably less for a very skilled competitor). Helicopters would be hard to scratchbuild, but can definitely be done - even if using the kit, it's only perhaps $90 counting supplies. A decent (albeit inconsistent) tower could be built on $20 wood plus glue. Mousetrap and Hovercraft I'm less knowledgeable about, but I doubt it would reach $300 between the two to build decent devices.

[daydreamer0023]

It is near impossible to be competitive at even the regional level without around five hundred dollars for the technology events.

No way this is true. A regional-medaling Mission, even in the more competitive states, can be built off of perhaps $70 (probably less for a very skilled competitor). Helicopters would be hard to scratchbuild, but can definitely be done - even if using the kit, it's only perhaps $90 counting supplies. A decent (albeit inconsistent) tower could be built on $20 wood plus glue. Mousetrap and Hovercraft I'm less knowledgeable about, but I doubt it would reach $300 between the two to build decent devices.

Maybe its true in New Jersey or a more competitive state. In less competitive states...not so much.

[Tesel]

It is near impossible to be competitive at even the regional level without around five hundred dollars for the technology events.

No way this is true. A regional-medaling Mission, even in the more competitive states, can be built off of perhaps $70 (probably less for a very skilled competitor). Helicopters would be hard to scratchbuild, but can definitely be done - even if using the kit, it's only perhaps $90 counting supplies. A decent (albeit inconsistent) tower could be built on $20 wood plus glue. Mousetrap and Hovercraft I'm less knowledgeable about, but I doubt it would reach $300 between the two to build decent devices.

It depends on what you mean by competitive, to be perfectly honest. I compete in Region 12, which is one of the top regions in MI. My freshman year, I had no idea how to build a mission, and I still knew more about the event than the coaches. As a result of inexperience, we built it out of almost entirely spare parts, spending about $10 on the frame and $20 on a motor system to raise the golf balls. For $30, it placed fifth in the region... (and although I consider my build team fairly skilled now, we/I most certainly were not 3 years ago)

Agreed on helicopters and towers. Even using wood from specialized balsa and FFM kits, we didn't come near to $500 for both events combined.

Mousetrap may not be that expensive; electric vehicle, however, probably was.

Hovercraft is the only one where I'd somewhat disagree with you, but we were competitive at the state level and I'm not sure about the other regional medalists. We spent about $160 on batteries alone and $70 on fans, and that's just the components that we bring to competition. We also experimented with multiple other designs, and the costs of spare parts, hulls, and skirts add up. I guess the $300 would be reasonable if you built it flawlessly the first time, but if you had to test multiple designs, maybe not.