Who is the smartest of them all?

Thinking about H G Wells when reading The Amulet reminded me that when I was in my third year of Chemistry I took a subsidiary module in the history of science, and one of the essays I wrote was on the science fiction of H G Wells. I remember how excited I was to be given some "work" that involved reading novels!

I spent many happy hours up in the English section of the University library - it seemed like a different world to the basement area where the scientists and engineers were crammed in. Quite often you couldn't get a seat down there. Upstairs I had a favourite desk beside a huge window and a view over the campus. I remember a golden quality of light and a much quieter, studious air. I liked it so much I carried on working there after I finished the essay, lugging my chemistry books up from the basement.

It has to be said that the atmosphere was greatly helped by there being a lot less students in the arts sections: they were all in the bar complaining about how they had been given an increase to five taught hours this term, and wondering where to go skiing during reading week this year. Reading week! I should have known as soon as I found out about that little perk that I'd picked the wrong course.

I'm sure many will not agree with my perception of arts as somehow the soft option. But some new research got lot of coverage this week, purporting to show that candidates of similar ability got higher grades on arts subjects than sciences at A level. As someone who could have gone either way in my choice of studies I do feel that I would have found the arts easier going. But that probably says more about my natural inclinations - work does not seem like work if it is doing something you love, and although at times I found some areas of Chemistry interesting, I could never have said I loved it.