Hello, Bronx Science!
The Copy Chiefs, Managing Editors, and Editors-in-Chief of The Science Survey, are excited to present the January 2024 Advice Column, which answers your questions about growing up, the college application process (for underclassmen who will be applying in the years to come), and on student life. We hope our insights help you find clarity and possibly a new way forward.
Sincerely,
Kate Hankin ’24, Liza Greenberg ’25, Oliver Whelan ’24, Sophia Markens ’24, Aaqib Gondal ’24, Griffin Weiss ’24, Katherine Han ’24, Jacey Mok ’24, Nicholas Anderson ’25, and Lara Adamjee ’25
Griffin Weiss ’24: Should I get my drivers license when I turn 18?
I’ve only driven a car once and I almost crashed. It was in rural Vermont, an environment much easier to control than a New York City street, and I still almost drove into a tree. If that sounds like you, I would passionately urge you to never get a license.
Besides the constant promise of danger when in a car, there are cheaper, more sustainable, and generally more enjoyable ways to get around New York City. I’m a big advocate for biking, and an even bigger one for Citi Biking. Whether you want to pay per minute or for a yearly membership, Citi Biking will always come out to be cheaper than a car and its respective weekly gap appointments. Citi Biking is getting safer by the day as more neighborhoods expand their bike routes, eating away at cars’ space and dominance. Most importantly though, citibiking is easy. Just find one of the endless docks around the city and scan the individual QR code on each bike to take it out. There’s no parking, storage, or upkeep on a citibike, putting it miles above cars in my mind. Even better, biking is fun, sustainable, and a great exercise. Citi Biking is awesome.
If your neighborhood hasn’t felt the warm glow of a Citi Bike port expansion yet or biking just isn’t your thing, you can always use public transportation. The city’s known for the service for a reason. It’s far reaching, usually pretty efficient, and relatively clean. We often don’t realize how good we have it when it comes to our public transportation. New York City is consistently ranked number 1 in public transportation offerings, way above its barely functional competitors like Boston and Chicago. Despite the fare hikes this past summer, taking the train or bus will always be cheaper than gas. Buses are another great way to get around. Through the hotter months, buses are air conditioned, clean, and fast. Make use of your home state advantage and don’t neglect the city’s public transportation options.
Aaqib Gondal ’24: What are the best places in New York City to buy food for $5 or less?
When it comes to inexpensive food in New York City, the dollar pizza slice is a staple in practically all five boroughs. It’s cheap, reliable, and never too far away. If you’re in midtown or really any other densely populated area of our city, it isn’t a stretch to say that you can find a dollar slice on any corner. Of course, not all slices are made the same. Some restaurants, like “Joe’s Pizza” or “Famous Ray’s” are iconic landmarks of New York culture, made famous by their rich history and humble presentation. Many New Yorkers, myself included, have a particular restaurant that they believe secretly holds the one true “best slice” of our sprawling city. My “best slice” can be found at Bleecker Street Pizza. Of course, if you’re buying a single slice, you’re probably not tucking a napkin down your shirt and expecting ambient indoor seating, so don’t let that deter you from their perfectly crunchy $2.50 slice.
While a cheap New York slice is undoubtedly iconic, it’s far from being the only reliable and inexpensive food option offered in our city. On Roosevelt Avenue sits Birria-Landia, a food truck made famous in the last few years by its tacos, tostadas, and consommé, all of which are less than five dollars. These rich mixes of beef birria, onions, cilantro, and the perfect amount of spice make its fast rise to fame across the city unsurprising. If you’re a little lenient about budgeting, I highly recommend ordering a few tacos with a cup full of consommé, and mixing flavors to your heart’s desire. Live in peace knowing that you can fill yourself up with such a savory selection of well-prepared menu items for less than twenty dollars, in a city made famous by its unreasonable price points.
Really, there’s cheap food everywhere in New York City. Some of the places serving it up are more obscure than others, but that’s what makes the exploration element of New York life so important. Have an idea of what you’re looking for, whether it’s a spice-filled fusion of cultural cuisine or a simple ready-to-go pizza slice, find out what’s the closest and most affordable for you, and enjoy the journey as you collect a list of your favorite spots.
Liza Greenberg ’25: How do I find something that I’m genuinely passionate about and pursue that passion without burning out?
Most importantly, don’t restrict yourself. Students feel immense pressure to specialize, finding one specific niche and sticking to it. Whether that is one career path, a subject in school, or an extracurricular activity, the desire for “perfecting” our résumés and college applications narrows our interests and overly restricts our exploration. The truth is, in high school, most people have no idea what they want to be. And that is for the best. There are endless subjects and areas of interests out there, and to arbitrarily pick one without exploring what else is out there is a mistake. High school is a time for exploration of everything that intrigues you. You have plenty of time to find your niche whether that’s neuroscience, business, or law, in college and beyond.
Take this time to try things out. If you’re interested in the baking club, join, even if your best subject in school is history. Everyone has hobbies that don’t exactly align with a specific career or college major. Luckily, Bronx Science has clubs, teams, and sports that offer hundreds of different options. If you even wonder if an activity might be fun or a good time, why not check it out? You might find a genuine passion out of something you never expected to morph into a genuine passion. For me, although I am interested in journalism, I am also interested in medicine and biology, and in college I want to study philosophy and language. There’s no reason I need to narrow it down at this moment.
In terms of not burning out, when you find activities that you are genuinely interested in and enjoy, it doesn’t feel like as much of a struggle. You are much more likely to feel tired or burdened by an activity if you are only doing it for your college applications. It is also possible to stop doing things that you lose passion for. There is nothing wrong with switching clubs or teams, even if you have devoted time or energy to one or the other. Just because you stop doing something, does not mean it was a waste of time, especially if it helps lead you to something else you are genuinely interested in. I recently left the debate team at Bronx Science, even though I was a member for two years. Now, on the days I used to go to debate, I volunteer at Montefiore Hospital. It was something new I had never thought to explore before I had the extra time. The general rule of thumb should be: If it’s truly not for you, and you have given it a shot, don’t feel guilty about trying something else. It is part of exploring interests and finding what makes you passionate, fulfilled, and happy.
Katherine Han ’24: What steps should juniors be taking now in order to prepare for a less stressful senior year in terms of college apps?
Junior year is notoriously a stressful time in your high school career. The level of rigor in your classes will leave you tired, and may even occasionally keep you up late doing homework or studying for exams. Extracurriculars may demand more from you than they did in your ninth grade and sophomore years. With these commitments, it is important to keep track of your schedule and stay on top of work both inside and outside of the classroom.
That is why my first suggestion to prepare for a less stressful college app season is to stay organized. Making a daily to-do list or even planning out your entire week in Google Calendar is an incredibly helpful way to visualize your tasks and help you actually remember and feel motivated to do them. Homework can become a lot less stressful when you can picture the different assignments to do. Colleges look at junior year transcripts to see that you are academically challenging yourself and persisting through these obstacles, so it is important to maintain your grades. Having a handle on your schoolwork will also allow you to focus on preparing other parts of your college app — like your extracurricular activities.
Try to take this time to focus on the extracurriculars that you want to “climb the ranks” in, keeping in mind what you want to study in college (if you know) or just seeing what you gravitate towards. If you are participating in a club or team, it would be helpful to show your dedication to it and go above and beyond with any tasks you have during the first semester. That way, once elections come around, which is usually at the end of the year, you can make a convincing argument for a leadership position. This will give you more to write about in your college applications and won’t leave you scrambling to join more activities during senior year.
If you want to be really prepared for senior year, start to research colleges and your intended major. This will save you time during the summer before and the beginning of senior year, as you will have a general idea of the schools you want to apply to. Also, take a look at the prompts for the Common Application Personal Statement (the essay that gets sent to all the schools you apply to through the Common App). There may be a little variation in the questions between years, but the topics remain the same overall. If you’re having trouble putting words on the page, try journaling: go through each day with an observational eye. Sometimes, the subject of the essay is less important than the way you write it.
Oliver Whelan ’24: What is your favorite thing to do outside of school to relieve stress from school?
School is stressful – and, especially coming from a work-intensive school like Bronx Science, it might seem like there’s no end to the workload, list of deadlines, and upcoming tests. Frequently, students believe that the only way to succeed academically is by pushing themselves to the limit: taking the most AP courses, adding extra credit assignments to their workload, or joining and starting academic clubs. While it is important to strive to be the best student you can be, in this instance, the hardest way might not be the best way. Studies show that work-related stress can actually inhibit a person’s ability to produce good work and retain information. For a student, prioritizing a stress-free environment could improve academic success more than cramming dozens of courses and extracurriculars into their already busy schedule.
Even during this college season, where I find myself juggling college essays, work, and studying for tests, I make sure to find time to play soccer, even if it’s just for an hour or two on the weekends. I’ve played this sport ever since I can remember, and it never fails to help me clear my head during stressful moments. For the few moments I actually get to play, I forget everything outside of the game. When I get home, I find it’s easier to do my work and finish what I need to get done. An assignment or an essay that would have taken hours to complete with a cluttered head could be finished in half an hour.
This is my fourth year at Bronx Science, and I know how heavy the workload can get. With college deadlines, SAT’s and ACT’s, and midyear exams on the horizon, it’s easy to feel a sense of panic. Just know that there’s always time to do the things you love and it’s never a waste of time to step back for a few moments and think things through. Afterwards, you’ll be able to apply yourself more and produce even better work. So, whether it’s soccer, watching a movie, or reading a book, try to find time to take your head off things and you’ll feel a considerable difference.
Sophia Markens ’24: What are some fun free things to do in New York City with friends?
In the city that never sleeps, there’s never a shortage of things to do. The problem is that almost everything comes with a hefty price tag. Living in New York City isn’t cheap, and it is often hard to balance affording an exciting lifestyle on top of the general living costs. Here are a few free and fun things you can do in the city with your friends.
Try visiting a New York City public park! There are over 2,000 public parks across the city, making up around 14% of New York City ’s land. From bringing your siblings to playgrounds, to having picnics in gardens, there are so many ways to enjoy a park. One of my favorite parks in the city is in the Highline. Just under 2 miles long, the Highline is an elevated park created on what used to be the New York Central Railroad. Spanning across the Lower West Side, the Highline offers beautiful views of the Hudson River and the city. Farther north, Central Park has everything, from huge lawns, botanical gardens, and even a castle to visit. During the summer you can also see free productions at the Delacorte Theater, thanks to Shakespeare in the Park. Although getting tickets isn’t always an easy task, it is free of charge. Another of my favorite spots to visit is Strawberry Fields by West 72nd Street, where you are basically guaranteed a performance of a Beatles song. Parks are great public spaces to meet up with people and experience nature while still in the city.
Another great way to spend a day in the city is to go to a museum. There are dozens of museums across New York City that are free, or pay what you wish, for New York residents. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, home of the Met Gala, and the Natural History Museum are pay what you wish at all times. Other museums will have free admission only at certain hours or days of the week. Click this link to New York City Arts to find out what museums are free and when. Museums are a great way to learn about art, history and more.
Kate Hankin ’24: What to do if you can’t decide on a career path to commit to for the rest of your life?
There are so many important things to know about yourself at this age, but your future career path isn’t one of them. The idea that there is a single career path that you commit to forever is fundamentally flawed. The average person has about thirteen jobs and explores multiple careers in their lifetime, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Moreover, without a time machine it is almost impossible to know where your life will take you. Controlling the factors that decide your eventual career path like the situation of the world around you, your health, socioeconomic background, education, and other elements is essentially impossible. My advice is to do everything you can, put your best foot forward, and let go of the rest.
When you let life happen to you and trust the outcome of your hard work, it’s much easier to see the beauty in where you end up. Focusing on who you are more than what you do will likely make you happier in your chosen career. Considering your values, priorities, and how you want to spend your time outside of the workplace will help you find a balanced life. Right now, it’s a good idea to explore your current interests and ideas you’ve never been exposed to. Looking for new fascinations and having an open mind will help you learn more in college and become a more well rounded person. Over the next few years, I suggest learning as much as you can and trying out a diverse set of jobs and internships before committing to a career.
Jacey Mok ’24: How can I prepare to ask a teacher for a letter of recommendation?
At Bronx Science, students are required to ask at least two teachers for letters of recommendation (LOR) in the Spring semester of their junior year. Make sure to choose teachers who you have talked to and worked closely with, whether that includes going to their SGI frequently, asking questions, starting a conversation about the lesson after class, or participating regularly.
My best piece of advice is to have your parent or guardian attend Parent Teacher Conferences (PTC). You should sit-in on the meeting or ask your parent/guardian about what your teacher said. Most times, teachers’ praise during PTC is reflective of what they would write on a recommendation letter. This could help to narrow down which teachers to ask.
Prior to asking for an LOR, reflect on your core academic accomplishments and values that characterize your application and ask teachers who can vouch for you in those areas.
For example, let’s say you are applying as a Biology major and have themes of community service and leadership in your extracurriculars/life experiences. You could ask an AP Biology teacher who can vouch for your excellence and curiosity in your intended major. For the second teacher, ask someone who can vouch for your academic abilities and character/extracurriculars – the advisor for a club you lead or a teacher you frequently talk to about your community service projects. Most of all, you want to ask teachers who are genuinely enthusiastic to write about you and your accomplishments, who know you well.
Most teachers will ask you to fill out a ‘brag sheet’ or questionnaire asking for your intended major, anecdotes about your performance in the classroom, extracurriculars that you wish for them to mention, etc. Take time to think about what extra information you want their recommendation letters to include – avoid rehashing redundant info from your personal statement, Activities list, etc.
Once you’ve decided which teachers to ask, go to their SGI in-person or ask them after class. Remember that teachers are not paid extra to write LORs over the summer, so be cordial, respectful, and understanding even if they say they cannot write it.
Teachers are very understanding, and they want to support you. You’ve got this!
Nicholas Anderson ’25: How can I balance my time as a student-athlete in order to be successful on difficult tests and still maintain success athletically?
Balancing the demands of being a student-athlete to excel both academically and athletically can be exceedingly difficult, especially given the academic rigor at Bronx Science. Despite the challenge and how overwhelming it may seem, success in both areas is achievable. Here are some recommendations that should help in maintaining this delicate balance.
Sleep. Regardless of the normalization of sleep deprivation in high school, maintaining some semblance of a healthy sleep schedule during the school year makes everything easier. I’m sure you are all aware of the science regarding the necessity of sleep and while we might loathe it, it is true nonetheless. Sleep is not only essential to athletic performance, but it is equally important for cognitive functioning. Part of preparing for any important sports event is sleep and it is the same for test taking, especially difficult tests that require you to think on your feet. Staying up and cramming for exams does not work in the long run! The habit of cramming, and in doing so, depriving yourself of sleep will in most cases, lead to burnout and more unnecessary stress.
The only way to prevent cramming is to be proactive while studying. Being proactive in school with the workload at Bronx Science requires careful planning. My first point of advice would be to write all of your assignments down. You can use a planner, a notebook, a calendar, or even the notes app on your phone, whatever works for you. Making a good “to-do” list forces you to be on top of your work and, in my experience, is much less stressful than constantly attempting to recall your ever-changing list of assignments. At the start of each week, I would recommend taking note of your most difficult assignments/tests and prioritizing them. Then, do your best to carve out significant blocks of time to work at them, accounting for games and practices. In the smaller bits of free time you get each day while commuting, do your best to knock out smaller assignments like daily homework. Doing this will allow you to build in more time for sleep and be more prepared for your exams.
Speaking of preparing for exams, perhaps the best and most accessible resource offered to Bronx Science students is SGI. Please take advantage of this! Sports seldom start before SGI with the exception being the rare weekday game. Aside from that, you can always go to SGI. Teachers are here to help you, and asking your teacher to explain a difficult concept or problem to you often takes significantly less time than trying to learn it yourself, allowing you to be more efficient when studying. For student-athletes, using time efficiently is one of the most important skills to develop and regularly attending SGI is a good place to start.
Finally, be kind to yourself. In this context, that statement means two things. First off, take all of your extracurriculars, including sports, into account when choosing your classes. Good studying habits and proactive planning can only help you succeed academically to a certain degree. If you don’t put yourself in a position to succeed academically, there is no amount of advice that can guarantee success, especially given the additional time athletics requires. That is not to say that you shouldn’t work extremely hard, but be pragmatic, keeping in mind that a “manageable course load” looks different for everyone. You should strive to put yourself in positions to succeed. Secondly, and most importantly, remember that no one is infallible. You are bound to have academic “off-days” the same way you would in sports. When the work gets overwhelming, put things into perspective. The four years we spend at Bronx Science, to use a sports metaphor, is a marathon, not a sprint.
Lara Adamjee ’25: I tend to find myself spending hours studying for my classes, specifically science courses. Even with the endless hours of studying, the results I get back on my tests do not reach my satisfaction. What are some better ways to study for science courses other than reading over notes?
Science is the most variable subject when it comes to difficulty. This variation can be attributed to biology, chemistry, and physics covering distinct topics. Consequently, you have to discover and develop different study habits each year, which can be time consuming.
Throughout my entire high school career, however, I have found Quizlet to be invaluable. Specifically, the learn and test sections. Just reading or re-writing facts is ineffective because you are giving information you already know and information that you have not yet grasped. Since Quizlet prioritizes what information you do not know, it makes studying a lot quicker. But, Quizlet’s new pay-to-play has caused me to switch to Omnisets and StudyKit, both of which are equal or even superior to Quizlet.
I would still recommend one key study strategy for each subject. For biology, draw everything out. Most of biology is learning about different systems, organs, and organelles; by creating an illustration it is easier to understand how all the tiny parts work together. For chemistry, talk it out. Explain complicated concepts with your friend the night before a test, using each other’s knowledge to more completely grasp the information. For physics, practice daily. Treat it like math – each day, work through a couple problems related to what you learned that day. Remember that each of these strategies can be applied to all three forms of science and that everyone’s version of studying is different.