Exploring College Options: Advice for a Senior Prepharmacy Student

[Kandycat]

I'm a senior in high school and I'm currently doing some research on colleges. I want to major in prepharmacy, but I have a fear that I might change it into engineering or art sometime later. I was thinking about applying to Rochester Institute of Technology but since I live in CA. I never been to New York and their website doesn't really give me a true feel to the school. Is there someone from NY can describe RIT to me?

Though I know there are still many good schools out there. I want to go to school in the east coast or west coast. Are there any suggestions on what school I should check out? I know about the UC schools, but I want to check out other schools.

If it helps, I'm about the top 10% in my class last year at least. Though I'm still think I'm sort of average since I'm not very talented in many things. I do x-country, art, and volunteer work.

 

[offtheleft]

ill be honest. i messed up in high school, took two years off now, I am in a community college fixing the mistakes i had made. I am majoring in math, i dropped physics for now. well see how i feel once i more forward, i may do a minor for fun. but right now, I am pretty much starting from ground zero. although, i didnt need to. i remembered most of the material from school, i started back where i did just to form a stronger foundation.

im curious as to; if i can transfer into a 4-year university from a county college, into a freshmen standing. i.e; being completely remediated, which will take the course of the year to get back into calculus 1 level in which i might actually be able to have taken by the spring semester. that can only help, i believe.

right now; I am in algebra 2 (again) surprising to me, a lot of the material is what i learned in pre-calculus in high school, savvy i think. philosophy which is a credited freshmen level course. freshmen seminar, which i can't stand for many reasons, ill spare everyone here. and basic chemistry. i had to drop my english course which, was a freshmen level course as well.

if they offer pre-calculus over winter break, ill be taking it. this way ill be in calculus 1 for spring. so my spring schedule will look like this:

pre-calculus/calculus 1
physics
Chemistry
Biology
and maybe English comp again.

with decent standing, (im aiming high!) would i be able to transfer to rutgers or a similar school into a freshmen level?

 

[MShady]

I have to complete a phone interview with an engineer in the automotive field for a Project Lead the Way class by Sept. 22 in order to write a paper and complete a PowerPoint and I wondered if an engineer would be willing to allow me to call and pose 10 questions to him/her.
My teacher stated that she would be calling the engineer to make sure we completed the interview by phone but I thought I would go ahead and post my questions here so someone would have time to look over them and that the phone call would not take as long. It would also be helpful to have the answers answered through the posting so if I needed to go back through the answers while writing my paper I would have them available.

Crossing my fingers that you will respond. If anyone is willing to help me, please post and let me know when the best time for contact is and how to best reach you by phone.

My questions are:
1. What is your exact job title?
2. What is your educational background?
3. What influenced your career choice?
4. What are your tasks and duties?
5. What is a typical day for you while on the job?
6. What is the typical salary range for someone in your career?
7. What type of advancement opportunities are available in your field?
8. What do you like best about your job?
9. What do you like least about your job?
10. What advice would you give to someone thinking about entering your career field?



Thank you,
Kensley

 

[Troponin]

I've never been a "society" kind of guy. I don't really know why, it's just that something about them just doesn't fit me.
However, I was invited to join my University's chapter of Phi Kappa Phi. I hadn't planned to join, but I decided to look at their website and it seemed like a decent society to join.

I have a degree in Kinesiology from 2001 and have decided to study mathematical physics. I'll be applying to grad schools in a year or so and am worried that I won't have enough time to get any undergraduate research. As a recent transfer (I took my first year at a University in the area my wife was finishing her Dental school), I'm worried I won't even have enough time to get to know any professors well enough to have them write a letter of recommendation...

Considering that, is it any benefit at all for your graduate school application to have "Phi Kappa Phi" on it? I suppose I should take anything I can considering my time constraints, but I just wanted to know what people think since I know a few people here have served on graduate admissions.

 

[JD88]

I am applying for a PhD in mechanical engineering I have a question regarding the importance between my research interests and my research experiences.

There is one university that has research that I find very interesting and exciting. I have read quite a bit about this field and have had an opportunity to tour a lab that, although not affiliated with the university, does research in this area. My problem is that this field of research is very different from any of my previous research experiences.

Does the fact that I have no research experience in this new area pretty much kill any chance I have of getting excepted to this university? I am not all that interested in the other research they are doing at this university that is related to my previous experiences.

Any advice?

Thanks!

 

[m.medhat]

Hi,
Today I want to ask you an important issue is the subject of the certificate, education, and a way to get this certificate.

We observe today a lot of talented people in various fields of knowledge in the world want to get the certificate, but they can not because of the conditions existing and required to obtain this certificate and these conditions are not much to do with or no effect or detrimental to the domain of science, who wants to respect which that person. For example, in physics, for me and where I live now in Baghdad, if go to any university in Baghdad now, they will want me the sixth secondary certificate first, and they want me to come to college every day in order to get a BSc's degree, but I can obtain this certificate the duration of estimated year or year and a half since I was 17 years old now and with that there are some articles in the physics I know has more information in the course material for undergraduate where I like physics and mathematics and very studying them throughout the day, and there are others like me and suffer the same problem and this problem also facing the elderly in my country can not advance to obtain a master's degree to get it if he was over 45 years knowing that he holds a bachelor's degree. And there are other people like me can succeed with distinction in exams of BSc and other certificates in the world and ready to study more and more if needed. I hope members and professionals to interact with this objective and we all stand to solve this problem in order to serve humanity. I ask who knows what supports this issue or know a University of deals this system to be asking that everyone benefits, because if we could not resolve this problem we will waste a lot of talent and experience and does not benefit from them.

 

[sesinka]

...I want to "slightly" change a field after finishing my two Masters...

Facts: I'm in last year of Master of Mathematical Modelling in Prague (Czech Republic), focused on fluid mechanics.
In the same time I'm in Paris at the university Paris Diderot finishing second year master "Mathematiques fondamentales" - pure math, but I specialize to PDEs. My supervisor in Prague is also mathematician who gave me more-less theoretical topic for my Diploma thesis.

My intentions: I'm not so keen for pure stuff as my supervisors are (there is another one in Paris) and I would like to turn to more applied science. And I have strong desire to do something related to renewable energy sources. So If I consider my specialization so far, what come in my mind is some kind of water-renewables, like tidal or marine energy. I would like to stay in France for PhD or in UK.

The problem: My supervisor expects me to come back to Czech Republic after this year and to continue pure stuff PhD there. How I should proceed ? I have a fear that if I'll tell him too early he will stop caring about my progress, which is important for me to have good looking CV, however in the same time I should be contacting scientists in new field ASAP for getting better chances to be accepted and for this I need good reference from my sup. I guess. (What would happen if I contact somebody and than he will write mail my sup. asking about me, while my sup. has no glue about my intentions...)

I need advices... Please...
Thanks.

 

[lubuntu]

I'm thinking of dropping my Linear Algebra class that is taught really poorly and which I haven't really been keeping up with. It is required for my major but I am transferring to a new school next semester and would rather just relearn the material properly then try to cram, not really understand the material and come away with a C or something(drop deadline is tonight and I have a huge cumulative midterm next Monday for Linear Algebra), so I have between now and then to essentially learn the material we've covered since teh beginning of October.

Thing with the class is that the professor is old and nearly senile, constantly making mistakes with a ridiculously harsh grading scheme, any mistake essentially yields half credit for that problem. Furthermore, he assigns two difficult problem sets a week and often we only have a day between a lecture on the material and the set being due. Couple this with a book that is so bad that I have had to purchase two others to even try to zero in on the concepts presented in the class and you can begin to see how toling this class is on me.

I'm worried this will look kind of bad considering I've already dropped an English class I was taking, turns out it isn't going to fullfil any requirments. So I will only be taking two courses for the rest of the semester, Multivar/Vector Calc and Intro E&M. I think I have a pretty good handle of the stuff in these classes. However, this semester has me very worried about my future because I just feel so overwhelmed and that I really have very little time to do anything besides problems or readings, even with a relatively lite schedule.

When I was taking CompSci as a major I never had this problem, there were projects and tests but most of the time all you had to do to get by was keep up with the reading. In math and science courses the workload seems to be rather constant throughout the semester. How do people manage this? I feel as though I could easily take 2-3 classes a semester finishing my degree (err, four more years or so) and get all A's but how do I convert into the sort of person who can take a heavy load of 5 technical classes and ace all of them. As I've right now I just don't "get it."

If anyone read this and actually fields like responding I'd be interested in people opinions on these questions:

1. Should I just dump the LinAlg course and retake it in a few semesters in a better setting instead of forcing it now?
2. Am I somehow studying grossly inefficiently or am I just not that smart?
3. I have some inkling this "drowning" will get better in more advanced classes since topics are more focused and less scatter shot, so you really have more time to develop ideas, compared to say intro E&M where the ideas are brand new every class, is this correct or am I placing hope in a false hypothesis?

 

[blerg]

Here is my situation: I am a junior math major at a well-respected (top 25) math university. This semester I'm taking two graduate level courses: topology I and real analysis I. I'm doing well in topology, but I'm struggling a but in analysis. I'm probably in the B+ range right now (perhaps worse) and I can't see myself pulling an A in this class.

My question is two-fold:

First, I feel like a subpar grade in a graduate class will severely hurt my changes of getting into a top 10 grad school. Other than this class I think my application is very strong (I won't go into now). I am correct in thinking that doing poor in a graduate class is possibly worse than doing so in an undergraduate class? Or I am just overreacting to what will likely be my first non-A in a math course.

Secondly, I would like to ask how this should affect my schedule next semester. I'm definitely taking graduate topology II and graduate complex analysis I, but I am seriously considering not taking real analysis II. Would doing this make we look like a quitter and just make the situation worse? Not only am I not doing great in real analysis I, but I don't enjoy it and I don't think it it's adequately preparing me for next semester.
In addition to topology II and complex I, I would like to start on my senior project. Instead of taking real analysis II, my other options are taking a graph theory class (will be fun, easy class) or taking a university requires class (not fun, but I have two of these left to take).

Thanks for reading my ramblings.

 

[Hopefull]

Hello all,

This is my first time posting and I wasn't exactly sure where to post a question such as mine so I apologize in advance if I've posted in the wrong place.

For those of you who wish to give me advice it is necessary for me to give you some background on myself. I am 24 years old and I have just recently gone back to school to graduate. Awhile ago I realized that there is nothing I want to do more than study physics. I must say that I feel I am a smart person eventhough I haven't graduated and never really paid attention during class due to laziness. But when I did pay attention math and science were my strongest subjects. So needless to say I got by in math by memorizing the formulas. But now I want a deeper understanding of math. So I've gone back to school(distance ed) and I'm starting from the beginning with math(8) and science(8). I've gone through my math book and basically it's just a review of math 7, which was so long ago I don't remember. The lesson on a particular subject will just give you a very brief explanation of how to do it, then drill it into you by answering questions. And after each lesson I'm left wondering why. Why do you do it this way? Why does this work? For instance, in the geometry section, it teaches you how to calculate the area of a circle by (A=pi r^2) and that's all it tells me, it does not go into the explanations of why.

I have skipped ahead in my science text and looked through the chapters on physics and I can easily grasp the elementary concepts and the math, such as d=m/v, which is easy I know. But what I'm most concerned with is when the problems in physics start becoming more complex and my understanding of math isn't as deep as I would like it to be. I don't just want to have a deeper understanding of math because it's necessary for physics but because I truly love math.

Another thing about myself is that although I don't know if this constitutes a mathematical mind but I do think in a very logical and rational way but I also have a very strong imagination, and mental math has always been easy for me. I'm also a very curious person about everything which I know is a good trait to have when involved in the sciences.

So my question is this, how can I achieve a deeper understanding of math? I'm very worried that I may have missed the boat and now it's just too late to study physics at the university level and receive a phd. I know this goal is quite ambitious but this is what I want. I don't care how long it takes me to get to university, I don't care how much I would have to sacrifice my social life and I don't care about the money as long as I have a solid foundation.

I'm sorry for such a long winded post but I have no one else who can help me with this. So if someone out there can give me some advice based on the information I've told you? What your thoughts are on the chances of someone in my position achieving this goal? Recommend books or sites. It would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you.

 

[Monocles]

I am a junior physics undergrad and was offered an internship for this spring working on an experimental physics project in a field unrelated to what I want to go to grad school for (theoretical condensed matter or quantum computing/information). It would be full time but it sounds like I'll be spending most of my time building the experiment (and the construction of which isn't supposed to be done for a year). I have also been offered a position in a theoretical quantum computing group at my school starting in the spring, though it would be a 10 hours/week thing since I'd be taking classes as well. Presumably, if I did the full time gig this spring I'd still be able to join the quantum computing group when I returned. It will also probably take me another semester to graduate, but I don't see that as a bad thing necessarily (I really like being an undergrad).

I'd be taking the full time gig mostly to get away from school for a semester (I signed up for way too many classes this semester and am pretty burned out now) and to learn about an area of physics I know almost nothing about (since this is probably the area of physics I know the least about). I don't like the idea of my actions being dictated by what will look good on a grad school application but that does come into the equation, so I'm wondering if working in an unrelated field will be helpful in that area.

 

[Nick R]

Hey I'm applying to a bunch of schools right now and I've already submitted a few apps but here's the deal:

I have no idea what my subject test score is and I have not received the official GRE score report so I don't know what my analytical score is.

I have a pretty good idea of how I did - good enough to not get washed on the first pass due to terrible GRE scores - but I am having to submit these forms while leaving the score boxes blank.

None of the apps are clear on this - should I be submitting these with blank score boxes or will all my apps be considered "incomplete" and summarily thrown out, (even though the official reports will arrive in a couple weeks) putting me out like a thousand dollars on application fees/"trouble ETS to send my scores" fees?

 

[zpconn]

I'm a third semester math and computer science major. I'm at a decent public school (ranked around 100 in the country). I'm currently taking undergraduate courses in algebra, real analysis, and number theory. I'm doing really well and have essentially perfect grades in these classes (analysis is my worst of the three, and I'm 14 points above the A+ cutoff in that class right now).

A twist: I've just been admitted as a transfer student (for January 2010 entry) at Rice University, which is a more prestigious top 20 private college in Houston, Texas. I'm trying to decide to stay here or to go there.

My goal is (broadly speaking) to get into the best graduate school for mathematics that I can gain admission to. Of course, there are other factors to consider, but for the purposes of this thread this generic statement should suffice.

The following is a hypothetical plan which represents the very best I expect I could pull off at my current school. This plan represents a hypothetical ideal. That said, I do think it's within my grasp to accomplish, but as always if it hasn't happened yet, then it hasn't happened yet.

Based on my performance in my classes this semester, I think I could handle graduate level courses next semester. Looking at the graduate curriculum here in a lot of detail, I think I could accomplish the following graduate courses as an undergraduate (not in any particular order): algebra I and II, complex analysis, general topology, algebraic topology, real analysis/measure theory, differential geometry, and algebraic geometry. If I take two courses a semester, I could technically even do more than this, but I'm going to keep the list at this to account for potential scheduling conflicts.

Now I also want to go to two REUs (one in each of the next two summers). It's possible that I won't get accepted into an REU for one (or both) of these summers, but let's assume (for the purposes of this thread) that I will get accepted. Say that one publication results from these while I'm an undergraduate.

Another possibility is that one semester I will study abroad in Moscow or Budapest. Let's suppose I spend a semester in Moscow at some point.

And let's assume (this is a big assumption) that I make As in all these math courses.

If I were to carry out this plan successfully, what would my chances be at the very top graduate schools in the country (Princeton, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, etc.) for mathematics and for Part III at Cambridge?

Finally, what sort of performance in a competition such as the Putnam would provide a significant (i.e., noteworthy) boost to my chances at the aforementioned schools? What's the worst I could do on the Putnam (say, top 10, top 50, top 100, top 500, etc.) and still get a noteworthy boost out of it?

I want to emphasize that I'm just using these schools as a benchmark. I would be okay going somewhere else; I just want to get a feel for very best I could hope for if I achieve the above plan. This will help me in my decision to stay here or transfer.

Thanks to anyone who responds! This is a tough decision for me, and I'm trying to weigh my options as thoroughly as possible. The thing is that Rice is going to be a LOT more expensive than my current school, and because I've done so well so far at my current school I think I stand out pretty well here. It's hard to give up acceptance to a great school like Rice, but it's also hard to give up what I have here and the possibilities above that I could realize here.

 

[jinksys]

Throughout community college I got good grades in my math and sciences classes. When it came time to take Physics 1 and 2 (Classical Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism respectively) my job had me working insane amounts of overtime and I was only able to squeeze out Cs in both classes. Due to this I was unable to transfer to the 4yr college (Washington University in St Louis) that I wanted and instead transferred to University of Missouri - St Louis. I have one semester under my belt at UMSL, however I am unimpressed with the school. I am in a position where I don't have to work and devote my full attention to coursework and know I could land As in both Phy1 and 2 if I retook them at the community college. However, WASHU wants you to turn in your admission's app by April 15th (give or take a few days), but my semester doesn't end until May. Is it pointless to retake the classes since the transcript washu will receive won't have the new grades?

 

[ntuwannabe]

Need Your Help.. :(

Hello everyone !
I am new in this forum.
I'm undergraduate in physics majors. Now I'm on vacation for semester 1.
Soon I will start my 2nd semester.
And I will get the electronics courses, heat physics and optical physics.
I want to to have a better score in this semester.
I want to have a scholarship.
Are there any tips so I can learn this course with ease?
because according to my senior, electronics courses is a difficult subject.
Are there any books that you recommend to learn this material?
thank you before.
Have a nice day !

 

[Atabekyan]

I posted this early in Career Guidance section, but haven't received any replies, so I'll try again here.

Here's the situation:
I'm currently on my 2nd year at Physics BSc (Europe: 3 years to get the BSc, then another 2 for Master's and 4 till PhD), preparing for winter exams (Electricity+Magnetism, Analytical Mechanics, Partial dif. equations). The problem is, I don't seem to like all that stuff much enough, to learn all this perfectly. I mean, I will, most definitely, get at least B (C -worst way), but I don't feel the passion to learn, which I think is necessary to become successful. I guess it's because of the lack of interest. During high school, I participated in physics and math contests, even got some prizes on national level (never made it to international though). Also in school there were all A's (w/o studying too hard, maybe that's why I'm just not able to study something zealously), so it was possible to get to any programme (at least at my local university), but such wide choice only made it harder to decide. I thought about economics, then medicine, IT, math, but finally went into physics. I guess that wasn't the best option.

Right now it's too late to change the programme to something completely new, and I don't think it's necessary, half of journey to first degree is almost done. Also, physics education forms solid base for almost any speciality, so it won't be a waste of time. However, I could use your advices to determine, what to do next. My current "plan" is to take minor in Computer Engineering, so it would be possible to take CE as a MSc programme. Another way is to enroll in Medical Physics Master programme which looks like an interesting mix of technology and medicine. I know, it's hard to recommend something without knowing someone personally, but if You had some similar situations, please, share your thoughts. Thank you.

 

[paradoxic]

Hi all,
I am from India. I've done my B.Tech from Electronics & communication engineering.I want to become a lecturer in physics and continue research in it.I intend to study a post graduate course in physics.I don't want to go for Mtech in physics,because the course is more of industrial n commercial purposes.Msc physics in the IIT's seems to be a good choice for me.Are there any other better options for me? I have no plans of studying in US or in Europe coz it would cost me more or i wouldn't a funding with my different discpline in ungergraduation.

 

[shifty101uk]

Hi there, I am an E&EE undergrad in my final year. However I need some advice regarding my final 2 classes. In the last semester I took Acoustics & Audio Technology and Control, which I both really enjoyed and the exams went really well.

Now I am not sure what to take for my final option. I already have a compulsory module called Computer Architecture because I am specialising in Audio and Video Engineering. I now have a choice between Bioelectronics , Microwaves & Optical Transmission Systems or Digital Communications.

Im currently enrolled for Bioelectronics but here's my question. Should I take a course that interests me more or one that has more in common with my degree? Will this be looked upon in a bad light by potential employers if one course may be seen as a cop out? Any advice is welcome. Thanks

 

[yik-boh]

Which of the two courses have better Math Subjects? :)

By the way, I'm talking about Ateneo De Manila University. (Philippines)

BS Math or BS Applied Math major in Mathematical Finance?

Description of the two courses by the University: http://sose.ateneo.edu/system.php?LS=staticpages&id=1205286444949

Link to BS Applied Math Curriculum: http://math.admu.edu.ph/math_website/BS M AMF.pdf

Link to BS Math Curriculum: http://math.admu.edu.ph/math_website/BS MATH.pdf

 

[blind_synergy]

Right now, I'm in my second term at the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

I don't like my program (CS with the bioinformatics option). I'm doing pretty good, though (3.9 GPA). I really enjoy all my science based classes (chem, bio, etc...). I enjoy my math classes (mostly, I really like calculus and linear algebra is a breeze, but me and my intro to algebra course did not get along at all; it was my lowest mark). I did not enjoy my chem lab; boring and repeatative with such huge margins of error that in all you could say in the lab reports was that the results were inconclusive at best (in a copper synthesis lab, my partner and I "recovered" 200% more copper than we physically should have). I just hope this is because it was a first year lab with crappy equipment and simple experiments. I'm hating CS (yet I'm somehow rocking a 95 in it); it wasn't what I imagined at all. Everything we're doing is very low-level, abstract, and frustrating (ugghh, an error that I could pin down in a second in Python takes me two hours to pin down in C). Moreover, I realized I don't have any personal interest in the material (while other students here seem to really, really love it).

My ultimate goal is med school. This is something I've strongly considered, looked into, and researched. I do not need to be told that it is a tough path in which I'll need to maintain my grades (along with a good MCAT score) and really beef up my ECs.

However, I have academic interests that lie outside the realm of medicine. For my undergrad, I'd like to focus on these interests. Since I was child, I've very much liked astrophysics and quantum mechanics. Now, as a child I barely understood a lot of what I read and watched, so most of what I took away were metaphors, analogies, and visualitions. I also like technology, and building and tinkering with things. I also like writing (fiction), filming and editing movies, and designing things.

These are the other majors I've considered: a physics degree with astrophysics specialty, an applied math degree with an physics specialty, a nanotech engineering degree (I think this would be great to couple with an MD, what with nanomedicine being such a new and uncharted field), and a biomed degree with a biotech specialty.

These are my strengths:

1) Creativity. I've always felt that I'm very good at designing things, writing stories, and jumping to accurate conclusions in class before the teacher breaches the next topic.
2) Visualization. I can picture concepts and objects accurately in my head. I can envision 3D objects, rotate them, manipulate them, etc...
3) I can eventually solve any problem thrown my way.
4) Memory. Although I don't have an eidetic memory, I can usually retain about 90% of what I've read (only once, though I read slowly and refresh concepts constantly) for a few weeks.

These are my weaknesses:

1) Computation. I'm very slow and inaccurate, despite desperate attempts to improve (i.e. practice, reading help books, etc...). If I ever row-reduce a matrix properly on my first or second try, it'll be time to pop open the champagne.

2) It takes me a while to set up a solution to a calculation problem. I don't feel confident in starting a solution unless I've carefully considered the concepts involved, refreshed my memory as to why certain things are true, worked out my own proof as to why some property I memorized is true, etc... Even if I memorize the exact question, I don't feel right answering it unless I know exactly why my solution is right. However, I'm rarely if ever wrong once I do get it set-up.

3) Word-based proofs. 'Nuff said.

Now, my weaknesses usually lead to problems on primarily calculation based tests. I always finish, but just barely. There are lots of simple arithmetic errors that I miss because I don't have time to re-read my paper. I was reamed for these in high school, but university markers seem to be a little more forgiving as long as I've set the solution up properly. My math marks have actually improved since high school.

On the other hand, I can absolutely slaughter tests asking me to explain science concepts or spit back information. As you can probably tell, I'm not interested in the math and numbers itself; I'm interested in the implications.

Some things to consider:

1) I'd like to keep my GPA up for med school, so I'm leaning away from the engineering courses (sheer courseload would cut into my ECs and probably damage my grades; I also couldn't take my bio courses as electives).

2) I'd very much like to study something like astrophysics or quantum mechanics; however, I'm wary that the math will get more abstract and difficult for me to comprehend. Right, now it's moving at a fast pace but is fairly easy to understand (only first year). Should I expect my grades to drop in the quantum mechanics and relativity (a great interest of mine) courses? Or are the class averages comparable to the other science courses?

3) The one math course I hated was intro to algebra. A lot of algorithms, awkward and unintuitive proofs, and the profs seemed to really enjoy making ten hour weekly assignments (no kidding, every problem was unlike anything we'd seen before).

Any advice would be welcome. I've talked to many profs and counsellors, and I'm still lost.

EDIT: I've been reading and watching a lot of Carl Sagan lately; I feel super inspired to basically learn any science that I can (especially astronomy).

 

[DV10]

Where do I start?!

Hi!
I'm a freshman at IIT(Indian Institute of Technology,Delhi)with a mechanical engineering major.Apart from my love for mechanical engineering,I'm also pretty inquistive about Quantum physics,Cosmology n stuff...The problem is that my college does not allow for a minor outside my department.Yet I want to pursue my interest in cosmology n astronomy.
So I want to know where to start...the only pre-requisite i have is curiosity,although the math curriculum here includes vector calculus,liear algebra,multivariable differential calculus complex number calculus,and some more(in the remaining part of the semester)...
I'm also interested in topology n non euclidean geometry...Considering all these are not going to be a part of my formal curriculum and the fact that I'm willing to put in extra efforts into all this,how should i start,I mean,what topics should i go about first(n what all exactly do i need to study to understand astronomy-from the viewpoint of G Relativity,strings,quantum loop gravity,EAG)...And I'm planning to learn all this through lecture videos n books(ie mostly by myself)..so any suggestions on that?

 

[TRSCC]

Hey guys i am new here but hope to be a long time member and help whoever i can in the future. Anyway, I am just finishing up my first year of my Aerospace engineering program at UCF in Orlando and had some questions for some of you who are already in the field. What i was thinking is doing a double major in Mechanical and Aerospace since the classes you need are identical except for around 10, which will probably take me another year or so to graduate but i don't really care about time as long as i do what i love and get things done. My question is, would doing a double major be a good idea?? If so, why? and if there's something else instead of a double major that you think can help me please tell me because now is crunch time for me and i would hate to make the wrong choice. Something else...the reason i got into Aerospace engineering program is because i have always loved space, rockets, ships and going to other worlds etc. So please keep in mind that my dream job would have to be something related to space.

Thank you so much for your time! It's immensely appreciated!

 

[elle123]

I was wondering if it was worth it to transfer to a university for undergraduate physics. I am looking to study thermodynamics, electrodynamics, and nuclear physics. Highschool for me wasn't to spectacular, but at my college I have a 4.00 GPA, and I will meet the requirements to transfer to any physics program after another semester. I was just wondering if undergraduate physics is any different at other colleges, and if I should just wait to transfer for graduate school. I was also wondering if university's care much if you retake ACT test during college? I never took the ACT+ writing so I will have to retake that. I was also wondering what schools are recommended for the fields of physics that I mentioned earlier?

 

[Jammin_James]

So I picked up Mathematical Methods by Riley, Hobson and Bence.

I'm planning on taking the following classes:

-Signals and Systems
-Electronics
-EMag
-Communications

I bought Shaum's books as well, to get my feet wet so I'm not completely blind-sided by the material.

Before those get here in the mail, and for the course of the summer, what specific mathematic subjects should I look over?

Also: Are there any cheap ways to work with microcontrollers? Any resources I could start looking into, beginner guides. Hopefully I'll get a project started soon as well.

 

[mknabster]

Hey all, I know there is a "should I be an engineer" sticky, but I wanted to start a thread to explain my situation, and see what you guys think would be in my best interest to do. I was originally a mechanical engineering major at PSU, but my GPA unfortunately didn't cut it since I transferred into the university from another and my GPA didn't carry over. So I switched to computer engineering this past semester and was admitted into the program. I was not able to take any of the Compen courses however, since I made my decision at the last minute. So I'm at the point in time now where I haven't passed Calculus 2 yet, and I need to submit a entrance to major extension.

Now here's the fork in the road I'm facing. the College of Engineering at Penn State requires that a C or better is needed in Calc 2 to be in the program; but my adviser said that I should look into the College of Earth Sciences which engineering majors only require a passing grade of a D or better, which I have been able to do. He also said I should look into Industrial Engineering instead of Computer since it is not as intensive with its Math use.

So this is my dilemma, go into Industrial or Computer Engr in the College of Engineering, or go into Energy or Environmental Systems Engr in the College of Earth Sciences. Now the courses I have taken thus far will be able to go toward all of them except for Computer, so that's one that I will be set behind more than I would the other 3. So thanks for reading all this, and what are your opinions?

 

[Namesake]

Hello fellow physicists,

I am in need of some advice. I have just recently begun the voyage of a PhD in theoretical physics - with emphasis on Stochastic processes. My undergraduate degree had a lot to do with theoretical physics, but my MSc focus mainly on a different field - Astronomy - and I did a lot of data processing with minimal analytical work.

Now I have entered my newly found PhD which is heavily based on courses I had done 2 years prior.

I feel extremely rusty and I am not sure how to make meaningful headway with my degree.

Any advice from those in a similar situation or been through the same thing?

 

[Lunat1c]

Hi,

I'm about to finish my freshman year in EE this semester and was doing some thinking about how I should spend my summer (apart from going out and all that stuff). I'm wondering whether it would be wise to start learning some programming language (such as VHDL) or some other material which I'll be covering in my 2nd year or simply cover some material just out of personal interest (e.g. Linear Algebra, which I might never really need during my degree).

What are your opinions about this? How do you plan to spend your summer?Lunat1c

 

[sarkamato]

I am a bioengineer major, and I was thinking is it worth it to major in Biomedical physics also. but what stopping me from declaring it as a second major is the question what is the difference between both of them?
both of them use math skills, physics, bio and chemistry to solve medical problem, right?

Keep in mind that I am applying to medical school too, after graduation.

* you can see that i am interested in Health things. so that why I am applying to medical school, if i didn't get in, bioengineer field is my back up, without sacrificing what I love doing.
solving heath related issues

 

[Physics 2010]

I've tried textbooks (worked with biology :) ), Websites etc. but I came to an understanding that I will need to be showed the examples in physics (year 11). I am now searching video streaming websites and don't know where to start to make it easier for myself? I used to not watch the videos cause I didn't like to listen to it + some other member in my house also hearing it. i don't know but I really dislike that so today I officially thought about using my headphones which is brilliant now!

Anyway besides that adventure, I am doing Nuclear Physics and radioactivity, Electricity and energy from the nucleus. I guess i should start with atoms, coulomb's law etc.? Does anyone also have any liked videos on the net so i can watch them. I like reading but seeing someone else talk at the same time is easier for me. Thank you! And stay positive... Thank you.

 

[andyroo]

So, I'm a mathematics major, and certainly plan to graduate with a mathematics degree. However, I'm also interested in quantum physics and relativity. I took a Foundations of Physics class (Newtonian mechanics) my freshman year and found that I didn't like it very much, and I think that's mainly because I loathed having to memorize equations for certain systems and I also never really understood the explanations as well as I would have liked. However, recently I've read a math based quantum mechanics book and enjoyed it very much (since I've finished single-variable calculus and some lin. algebra). I don't have any interest in majoring in physics, but a minor might be nice. I was wondering if I should try doing the foundations sequence again (I only did one term of it frosh year) considering that it might be worth my time and also because I'm more well versed in calculus now?

 

[Coriolis314]

I am starting college as a freshman this August. I have chosen to go to my Community College for financial and family reasons. I am going for my A.A. degree with the desire to transfer to the state university to major in mathematics. I have college credits, and am scheduled for Calc w/ anal. geom III and Diff Equations. My questions are:
1. Is going to a college with little to no prestige in the scientific community at this level going to hurt me?
2. I count 24 credit hours different between a BS in math and a BS in physics. After a BS in math, is it usualy ~year to BS in physics?

 

[Delong]

Hi I'm new to the forums. I've been reading a lot of the threads on this forum to help me decide what paths I should take and I've benefited enough to decide to join! Thanks everyone for your helpful advice. I've been battling which majors I should take for a long time, Very recently I switched back from a physics major to a biochemistry major. Even though I don't really like chemistry I really like biology but I also want to have a strong background in physics and math. So I felt like Biochemistry was the easiest way to combine all these interests (I'm planning in being a math minor too). I took a year of physics and although I didn't find the subject uninteresting I didn't find myself interested enough to major in it. Like I said I feel like I am interested in it only as background material. Nevetheless I would like to take quantum mechanics and physical chemistry as I find myself interested in these subjects. I also hope to take some ecology and evolution classes because I am interested in molecular evolution and finding and applying math to biology. I will probably have to stay another year at college to accommodate my switch but I ultimately decided it was worth it. Anyway I felt like telling everyone my plight. THanks again for your unknowing help

 

[Dina1372]

Hi,everyone.i finished my senior in high school,and i still can't decide on : should i go to physics or Aerospace ( or maybe Mechanical engineering).since i was a child i have always loved astronomy and wanted to make a super fast space vehicle that can reach to Mars or anywhere else much sooner and faster ,since i entered high school i love physics much much more than i did,but last year that i became more familiar with Aerospace engineering i found that maybe i can bring my dream into reality but i didn't find it as interesting and thrilling as physics ,however i have to confess that I'm much more talented in engineering than physics ,besides i love hands-on work, too.Now I'm so worried about feeling regret maybe in the future.

 

[Guthrie]

Hello all,

Firstly I am not sure that this is the most appropriate Forum in which to pose my question, but I have seen a multitude of great advice given over my browsing of this forum, and thought I would give it a shot.

Currently I am a Junior at Murray State University with a Major in Mathematics and Minor in Biology. I am on track to graduate in Dec 2011 and planning on continuing on to graduate school the following Fall. Hoping to get into a PhD program for Statistics and/or Biostatistics.

My question relates to that extra semester that I will have available to me.

The classes that I have taken and are currently taking include:
Calculus I,II, and III,
Matrix Theory and Linear Algebra (one class),
Mathematical Reasoning,
Mathematical Statistics I, and
Advanced Calculus I

I plan on taking:
Mathematical Statistics II,
Mathematical Modeling, and
Numerical Analysis.

This list was provided to me from my advisor that I trust, but I wanted further opinions of if this track would be sufficient to gain entrance into a prominent university's graduate school. I have had some other classmates mention that I should also take some of the following classes:
Advanced Calculus II,
Introduction to Topology, and
Abstract Algebra.

My question is: Should I take the extra classes in addition to the original plan? Or should I mix them, say take Adv Calc II as opposed to Modeling? Or use the Spring 2012 semester to take all of these? As a reminder this is for entrance into a Statistics Program, not a general Mathematics program.

As far as grades go I have a 4.0 major GPA with a 3.6 cumulative that should continue to increase. Also if I choose to stay the extra semester it will be at no cost to me as my scholarship money covers all of my costs. If I do decide to graduate I will be looking for internships or other research opportunities.

I thank you in advance for taking the time to read this as well any advice you have for me. I hope I have provided enough information to get a good assessment, but will be happy to give more information and explain myself further upon request.

Thank you!

Jared

 

[Orangina]

I'm in high school, I would like to be an Astrophysicist and I was researching online the average you need to get the BS, it said you need a 70% average for most programs. I honestly don't think i will finish with a 70% average seeing as I'm quite weak in Social and my options. My passions are math and physics and i always do well percentage wise in those classes (85-95%) i do quite well in chemistry but I'm not the best. Anyways I'm afraid i won't finish with a 70% average because of my options and social. If i were to not have the 70% but i had 90%+ in maths, physics and a average grade in chemistry would i be accepted because those are the marks that are important? Also are there a lot of people who are trying to be in this field?