Science Olympiad is a national organization that hopes to guide more students towards STEM careers. By exposing participants to specific challenges and allowing them to explore various fields of science, the organization strives to spark interest and a love for science in young minds. The competitions are truly an incredible experience, and this is why you should join.

1. You can explore fields of science you didn’t even know existed

In school, you learn the basics: chemistry, physics, biology and Earth science. Science Olympiad, however, allows you to study specific subjects such as meteorology, forensics, diseases and so much more! This could potentially allow for a more focused career path, as well as incredible insight on the critical role that science plays in our everyday lives.

2. You develop incredible study habits

The vast amount of content you should know for the competitions makes school seem like a breeze. Ideally, studying for Science Olympiad tournaments months in advance and teaching yourself and exploring an entire subject area prevents you from cramming those two small history chapters in the night before your test. The habits you develop from Science Olympiad should carry over to help you avoid procrastination and succeed!

3. You learn cool, random facts

As you stroll along on a perfectly normal day, you may find yourself in a situation where you recognize a fact or piece of information that you learned while studying for Science Olympiad, and that’s always a good feeling. Especially if this moment occurs during a science class because you feel confident and ahead of the rest of your peers.

4. You learn how to successfully finesse your way through tests

Due to the endless content that you can be tested on in Science Olympiad, it allows you to develop superior guessing skills, if anything. It is nearly impossible to know all the information during a competition, and you definitely master the whole “educated guess” process.

5. You get to build really neat contraptions

Assembling robots, towers and hovercrafts are so much more fun when they are not for a physics class grade. It is definitely an accomplished feeling when you can get that thing you built from scratch to finally move or complete a given task.

6. You make close friends

As with any extracurricular, you develop a special bond with the team you work with. Science Olympiad, however, allows you to develop a special type of relationship with your partners and teammates because of the hours you spend building and reviewing material together (but you get even closer during the hours you spend off-task). There's also no friendship like one where you completely bomb the world's hardest test together!

7. You rediscover your love for learning

As a younger student, classes seemed much more enjoyable compared to the present. With seemingly less pressure and more interactive lessons and projects, school used to be something that many kids looked forward to. Students would be inspired by the videos teachers showed, and they would go home wanting to know more. Unfortunately, as kids get older, it only matters what is on paper; cheating, memorizing and cramming become prevalent challenges. Science Olympiad reminds us that without the grade, we are here because we love to learn. There is no obligation to partake in such an organization, but we realize that we aspire to explore unique subjects, aside from the common core.