I was discussing this very thing with some other science teachers last week. One of my happiest moments was when one of my former students--now agonist ready to graduate with a degree in chemistry--told me, "Before I took your class, I was going to be an English major."
(Not that there's anything wrong with being an English major, of course. But to get a young woman of her talent and intellect into the Sciences is something I consider a great personal victory.)