Is Science Olympiad worth it?

[Unome]

I understand your frustration. My Science Olympiad team missed nationals by 6 points just because we did horribly in one event.

Competition days are so frustrating and unpredictable sometimes, but they are honestly the best days of my life. I forgot where I saw this quote, but it summed everything up completely.

"Never let the pursuit of winning ruin the joy of competiting."

I believe in 2012 in PA, Penncrest missed nationals by 2 points to Bayard Rustin and TJ missed nationals by 2 points to Langley in 2015 I think.

In 2010 (or maybe 2011) Menomonie missed 1st place and Nationals on a tiebreaker.

[Entomology]

All these depressing stories aren't really doing anyone any good...
that being said, good luck to everyone competing on Saturday!!!

[DankMcIntosh]

Lol the best part of SO, at least for me, is the competition. Partners may suck, and you may study wrong, but all in all, I really like going to the competitions.

[Entomology]

Lol the best part of SO, at least for me, is the competition. Partners may suck, and you may study wrong, but all in all, I really like going to the competitions.

I agree. The problem for many, however, is that if you don't study right and do well, you don't get to move onto the next tier of competition, and therefore have a minimal amount of competitions=less fun.

[Kristina]

Ok... to be honest I was asked to be in science olympiad by a friend and being a good friend I agreed. It is rewarding however I really don't know when I'm going to need what I learned in rocks and minerals in real life. Now I can identify agate/onyx for the rest of my life.

[antoine_ego]

Absolutely worth it. I have spent truly ridiculous amounts of time and effort on SciOly and never regretted it at all. I started in 9th grade, because we don't have a Div B team. I decided to do Astronomy because I knew I liked space, and Air Trajectory because it seemed feasible and kinda cool. Plus, I was partnered with my best friend. After I started building, I was hooked. After looking at some past Astro tests, I was hooked even more.

During tryouts, we got dead last in Air Trajectory, which was rather disappointing to say the least, but got 2nd in Astronomy. However, even this tiny little shred of success gave me the boost I needed to continue working. I got put onto the invitational teams. I thought about how my partners and my teammates were relying upon me to do my absolute best. I thought about the competition and how badly I wanted to beat them (I'm a very competitive person). Then, my priorities began to shape out. Would I rather, no, enjoy preparing my Astronomy binder and building yet another Air Trajectory, or study for a history test. I found quickly that, the first two were much more fun.

Then came the invitationals. I came into MIT underestimating the sheer level of the other teams. I didn't place at all, but the consolation being that I managed to either do better or tie the opposing team (we send two). MIT was directly after our midyear week, and I remember rather than studying for those exams, I was trying to improve consistency in Air, or practicing WIDI with my partner, or reading about stellar evolution. I have no regrets about that time I spent. At Yale, I finally started to a taste of real success and I liked it. I medaled twice in Astronomy and Air Trajectory, which was one of the most fun tournaments I've ever been to.

I managed to get onto our State team, which was a shocker, since I truthfully never expected to. Now, I was in a position where I was a young upstart who happened to have a talent for Astronomy and building, and eyes were upon me. I knew that I couldn't fail, lest their eyes look down in disappointment. I stayed after school 3 days a week, testing Air Trajectory, and even came during vacations to take advantage of their high ceilings. Our state tournament was a bit disappointing, considering I got 3rd in Air Trajectory because the sun was shining upon our rig which kinda messed stuff up. Regardless, we advanced to the National tournament where things got interesting.

The 2016 National tournament was where I really became friends and experienced the camaraderie of our team. I was within a group in which every single person had earned my respect for their skill, hard work, and kindness. I won't go into the details, but the memories I have of plane rides, airport waits, and late night cram sessions in my dorm room are memories I will remember forever. The cherry on top though, was when I managed to medal in Air Trajectory. Air Trajectory, an event I chose on a whim at the beginning of the year, turned into one of the top designs in the nation. I didn't do it all alone, and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my partner who managed to help me improve the design once I built it.

In short, SciOly is absolutely worth it. The memories and medals I've formed and earned are things that I will most certainly treasure.

[Sasstiel]

SO is absolutely worth it. There is nothing compared to winning a surprise first place (my first invitational, sooo surprised!). Also, studying and prepping for an event teaches skills that you'd need for high school/college. I didn't get Crime Busters, which was disappointing, but I got Food Science, which is similar and sooo worth it.

[CVMSAvalacheStudent]

Of course is. Even if you don't win a medal, at least you learned something new.

[why...]

I do not think that science Olympiad is worth it because it takes up WAY too much time , money , and effort for junk that you wont need later in life (unless you are into cars and electronics) only battery buggy and hovercraft will be useful) and kits and parts are either hard to find or just plain expensive like the battery buggy kit is mostly just a bunch of plastic and isn't worth it. Just like science Olympiad.

[Name]

I do not think that science Olympiad is worth it because it takes up WAY too much time , money , and effort for junk that you wont need later in life (unless you are into cars and electronics) only battery buggy and hovercraft will be useful) and kits and parts are either hard to find or just plain expensive like the battery buggy kit is mostly just a bunch of plastic and isn't worth it. Just like science Olympiad.

Maybe you should consider some study events. While they still take up time, the reward of doing well in something you do well in is definitely worth it