Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with university and science

Could/should I switch from graphic design to science?

Andy Harwood — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:59:49 -0800

I suffered from depression and social anxiety throughout my mid to late teens so I did poorly in my A-levels which I picked based more on how easy I thought they'd be than how much they interested me. I managed to get into a decent Art School thanks to my graphics portfolio but I was miserable there. I transferred to a different school and got treatment for depression and was much happier. I just got my results for the first year though and they were terrible - I just barely passed. I'm starting to think I'm not suited to art school. I feel like I missed my chance to find a subject that really interests me and now I'm stuck on a career path which I'm not suited for. I keep fantasizing about going into science - I've always been interested in it and both of my brothers have science degrees - but I'd have to start from scratch and I have no idea if I'd be any good at it. Is this just a dumb pipe dream or is it something I should look into?

Who studies the university?

Dr. Send — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:18:36 -0800

Are there any academics who specialize in criticizing/studying academia? What are their names? I'm not necessarily looking for left- or right-wing crackpots who have a beef, or academics who vent about academic issues on the side, but rather social scientists who focus on academic issues like affirmative action, job markets, academic freedom, publishing practices, theory/practice, academic politics and so on in their research. In other words, social scientists who do research about academia. Thanks.

Questions about Grad App Questions

davidstandaford — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:32:38 -0800

A few questions that I'm running into while submitting my graduate school applications about fellowships, diversity statements, other schools I am applying to, and accepting admission without funding. I'm applying for PhD programs in Political Science, and have about 7 programs left, and I've run into the same thing on a number of applications and I'm not sure how to handle it.

1) Most applications have a place where I can note any fellowships that I have applied for. I hadn't identified any to apply to (although I haven't looked very hard) and I'm wondering if it hurts me that I'm not applying for any outside sources of funding? Will it help my chances at the remaining schools if I apply to some fellowships?

2) Some schools allow for an optional diversity statement. As a generic white/upper middle class student of two people with post-bachelor degrees, I don't have a very compelling diversity/adversity statement. Although I'm a good writer and could probably craft something good, it doesn't feel to me like I have exactly what they want and my statement might not compare well to others, so I'm wondering about whether I would be better off writing the best one I can or not submitting one at all.

3) Most programs ask me about which other schools I am applying to. Does anyone know what they use this for and how it might hurt or help my chances at any one individual school?

4) Finally, for programs that don't fully fund all students, some ask me whether I would accept admission with partial or no funding. Ideally, I would want full funding, but to be accepted anyway even if they couldn't offer financial support, but I don't want to mark yes that I would accept admission without funding because then it would allow them to admit me without funding, even if they were willing to admit me with funding. Any idea on how best to deal with this?

Questions for Grad Programs I'm Interested In

davidstandaford — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 19:21:57 -0800

I will be applying to graduate school soon and I cannot visit all of the campuses that I am applying to. I have been contacting these schools so that they can put me in touch with current graduate students who I can ask about their campuses, and I wanted to make sure I'm not missing anything important in my list of questions below. [For what it's worth, I'm applying to political science phd programs, but I'm assuming generic concerns applicable to humanities in general would be helpful for me.]

What is the relationship between graduate students and the faculty? Are grad students treated as colleagues and respected or are they a source of labor and looked down upon?

Does the department provide adequate funding or do students have to seek outside grants and scholarships?

What sort of research and teaching positions are required for funding? Does this interfere with a student's own research priorities?

Does the department attempt to rush students out as quickly as possible? Or are students delayed from finishing in a reasonable amount of time because of other responsibilities that they have?

Is it a large program in size or character where many other students and professors are distant acquaintances, or does everyone get to know each other well.

What is the best part about the program? What would you like to see improved?

If there is anything missing from this list that I should be sure to ask, please let me know.

How to Improve My Grad School Chances

davidstandaford — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:35:35 -0800

Is there anything I can do to help myself get into grad school (PhD, political science/international relate) between now and January? I'm working on my grad school applications and I'm wondering if there is anything I can be doing over the next six months that might help me get into a good program.

I graduated from college three years ago and spent the last two years working on a college campus and this year I'm in a foreign country doing a one year study program (both unrelated to what I would be doing in grad school).

One of my thoughts was to start a blog about something I'm interested in concentrating on in a grad program (Sierra Leone) and writing about it for the next six months. Would grad school admissions committees consider something like that a plus?

Is there anything else I can be doing that would make me seem like a stronger candidate? Any info or advice would be a big help. Thanks!

Should I try to transfer to another university?

Perpetual Seeker — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:24:10 -0800

Should I try to transfer to another university? I'm currently attending Duquesne University for physics and math. I'm going into my sophomore year.

I'm really worried though about the lack of resources at this university, and also the fact that physics isn't really one of its primary majors, nor something it is known for. I want to go to grad school after I graduate, because i'd really like to get into research. For that reason, I am also looking into getting very involved in research as an undergrad. Duquesne doesn't have many resources when it comes to research. I think it might have 2 credits for research in one's senior year, but that's about it.

I'm also a little worried that when I try to go to grad school, they will judge me based partly on the undergrad university I went to, even if I do very well. I really think I have the potential to get into a very good university.

For those reasons, I am heavily considering transferring to another university. I'm not sure which yet, though am considering Carnegie Mellon, since it is so close and is a very good school.

Here are some of my stats:

In high school, I graduated with around a 3.75 GPA

I got 1970 on the new SAT's (1290 on the old). I think it was something like, 640 for verbal, 650 for math, 680 for written

I got 670 on the math subject SAT's

I have a 4.0 GPA at Duquesne

I am in the honors college at Duquesne

The only thing I'm worried about is, I also took the Chemistry subject test in high school, and did horribly on it (400). I had absolutely no interest in Chemistry, and hadn't taken it for two years, but my physics class was a joke (horrible teacher) so I didn't think I could do very well on that. I don't know if CMU looks at this.

So the questions are:

Should I attempt to transfer to another university?
Would Carnegie Mellon be a good choice? If not, what would you recommend?

If it looks and quacks like a CS Degree, then is it a genuine enough CS Degree???

JoeXIII007 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:15:25 -0800

Does it really matter where you get the Computer Science degree from? I am currently going to Washtenaw Community College to (of course) save money while getting the all important education. Currently majoring in Math and Science with a concentration in Computer Science.

At the moment I have pretty much put my future plans on going to the University of Michigan just a little further westward (which, if you have not heard, is a pretty reputable University other than being part of the Big Ten, as far as I have known).

MUCH closer (I live just barely east of downtown Ypsilanti, MI) to home is Eastern Michigan University. Going there would undeniably save money on not only tuition and supplies but also gas using the car. For either university, I would be commuting to them.

Now I make the following realizations no matter what the decision:
- The CS biz changes practically daily, so I know I will have to constantly learn new stuff.
- As far as I know, computer scientists are in high demand (at least according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- The education I get at college lays a foundation more than anything (doing a pretty deep google search confirmed this) and anything in industry will have to be picked up along the way.
- Having noted that, I already know people without CS degrees already in the industry (particularly with .NET).

Therefore, it really comes down to the money, quality of college education and risk with sacrificing either, and thus why I ask MeFi: does it really matter where I get the CS degree from??? I have done a lot of research into this decision and I am more than anything looking for the final factor (which I cannot seem to grasp) that will set the decision in stone.

Trivia: Currently 19 years old, holding a 3.97 GPA (only shy of a 4 thanks to an A- for some reason), and have put myself through two semesters (Fall 07/Winter 08) of 18 credit hour loads (for a total of 36 in the college career).

Advice about applying to graduate school while abroad

andoatnp — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:07:22 -0800

I'm looking for information for applying to grad school while abroad. (PhD programs in Political Science/International Relations). I graduated from college in spring 2006, and I'm planning on applying next year (Fall '09) to start in Fall 2010. I'm also considering going to Israel in July and staying for about 10 months, and I want to make sure this won't impact my grad school plans in any way. All I've really done so far is had 3 professors write letters of recommendations that are on file at my undergrad school. In Israel, I would have to take the GRE (which is offered regularly) and do my personal statement and applications for the schools I'm applying to.

Is there anything else about the process that I'm not realizing that would make doing an application while in a foreign country particularly difficult? I tried googling, but all the results I got were about going abroad as an undergrad to prepare for grad school or grad schools that feature an abroad component.

I would almost certainly not be able to visit any of the schools I'm applying to, which I'm ok with in terms of picking a school because getting a real physical feel of the campus isn't important to me, but is that an expected part of the process, and would it weaken my chances if I can't visit anywhere I'm applying to?

Does anyone have any experience applying to a PhD program while abroad, or receiving applications to a program from someone that was abroad? Anything that I should do in advance to make things easier for me when I'm abroad? Thanks!

Academic rehab

pcameron — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 10:23:27 -0800

I badly bungled my Political Science undergrad program, graduating with a GPA in the low 3's and a non-honours degree. I want to go to grad school in the same field. What are my options? (I'm in Canada). I've always been passionate about politics and world issues. However I spent my first years at university with severe depression, and being in a mental hell and not wanting to live tends to make it hard to get to class or focus on readings. In my final year I had gotten help and was getting A's, but it was too late to save my GPA.

I graduated from Concordia, and I've been told it is impossible to go back and "upgrade" my degree to an honours. What should I do? Will I have to repeat an undergraduate degree? Study abroad? Is there any way to be accepted into a graduate program by displaying competence in the field?

I'd like to stress that I'm not looking for an easy shortcut. I'm willing to put a great deal of work into this. I've always been very passionate about politics, but I've never lived up to my academic potential and I'd like to have a second chance to prove to myself that I can excel.

Oh the places I might go

tmcw — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:54:01 -0800

Looking for serious, modern, and fun art schools in Europe, or possibly the US. I'm a CS major (Rel minor), and I want to rejuvenate my art & design experience with a semester (summer semester, most likely, possibly something else) abroad, at a school that has a good art/design program. So, serious classes (not 'fun abroad bullshit'), something of a cool scene (not raving, but music, technology, cities, etc), and, a bonus would be if it offered a CS course or two, or if I could take one at a local U. Tuition is not a huge problem here. Languages - basically just english. I understand maybe 20% of Spanish.

Thanks for any guidance.

Advice for starting a tenure track science job.

lalochezia — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 08:02:13 -0800

NewAcademicJobFilter: What did/should you do, to start off a new academic job at a new institution and do it right? Lab? Colleagues? Students? People to know? Actions to take? How did you leave your own institution? If you know of any links that address this issue, particularly for scientists, let me know. Also: please fwd this to science profs. that you know!

Advice wanted: I'm starting at a masters comprehensive uni as a tenure-track chemistry professor. I've started pre-ordering my lab equipment, planning my first experiments and reading the university handbook. I've got a place to live, and have essentially written 80% of my first semesters lectures and most of my first grant. I move there in 3 weeks and formally start in 10 weeks.

What did you do, or wish you did, when starting a new job as far as planning, organising, meeting people, setting up rules, finding out about the unwritten rules, the whole echt I'm-making-my-career-the-way-I want it-to-be-and-starting-it-off-right.

Also, what actions did you take or wished you took when leaving your postdoctoral/previous institution? Questions you'd asked? Alliances you'd kept? Philosophies taken or discarded?

I'm asking for advice that can range from the philosophical to the "don't forget your lab keys" . Any and all advice gratefully received.