Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with university

Your fraternity has a chef? Are you kidding me?

Cool Papa Bell — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:31:17 -0800

Did your fraternity / sorority have a full-time chef? Is this as common as my wife thinks? Read on... http://fraternitykitchen.net/ is the blog of a University of Washington fraternity chef.

I was gobsmacked. The frat house employs a full-time chef? And while we're not talking about a cheap diploma mill, neither are we talking about the Ivy League.

Neither my wife, who attended a Big 10 school, nor myself, who attended a piss-ant California state college, were in the Greek system. But my wife was completely unsurprised when she learned this. Of course they would have one, she said. It makes a lot of sense. Would you want a bunch of 20-year-old guys in charge of your kitchen? Can you imagine what you would find growing in that fridge?

* Is this common?
* Do you have first-hand experience?
* Is this paid-for by ongoing fraternity/sorority dues? Or is this the kind of luxury that gets handled by donations from wealthy alumni?
* How in the hell would this kind of thing get started? I just can't imagine a bunch of average frat boys sitting around thinking, "We really need to focus on our studies, so we should take some of the beer money and get a chef, so we don't have to worry about this."

Should I disclose my depression on university application?

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:45:34 -0800

I was diagnosed with depression and was in therapy for about an year. Do I disclose this on my university application? I am applying to an undergrad program at University of Waterloo and as part of the application, I am required to submit an additional form( (pdf here)

Question 5 on that application asks for any medical, personal or financial circumstances that may have affected my marks.

I was diagnosed with depression in September 2008 and was put in therapy. The therapy ended in August 2009. This did have an impact on two of my courses, Math and Computer Science. My marks for those two courses were 77% and 76%, respectively. All my other marks in highschool have been in high 80s or low 90s.

If it matters, I am in my final year of highschool right now and my mid-term average was 91%.

So my question boils down to this: Should I link those two marks with my depression or should I just let it all slide? Why or why not? Would disclosing my medical condition put me at any disadvantage when being considered for admission?

Recomendations for class podcasts

loryjade — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:48:42 -0800

Looking for recommendations of learning podcasts similar to "Physics for future presidents" I just finished listening to the podcasts of the class "Physics for Future Presidents" taught by Richard Muller at UC Berkley and it left me thirsty for more knowledge. For those not familiar with it, the class explains many physics concepts in a way that non-physics students can understand, including many of their day to day applications. I graduated with a biology degree more than 10 years ago and would like to broaden my knowledge of various fields for personal enrichment. The podcast format works great for me because I can listen to them while at work in the lab. Does anyone know of any other podcasts that would give you an overview/refresher of a field like chemistry, psychology, ecology, etc? I would like to be able to have intelligent conversations about other things besides genetics and photography.

Screw Ivy League. What should i do?

freddymetz — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:42:27 -0800

Screw Ivy League. What should i do? Im currently spending a year doing social work in a developing country and the time has come to start applying to universities.

Ive been working on my ivy applications ever since i finished high school (in germany) half a year ago, but somehow I lost sight of my old goals and do not wish to study in these institutions anymore.

Ive also come to doubt the effectiveness of studying there whilst spending approximately 30000 dollars per year.

I also believe that i dont need to study at university to create and build up businesses, but i have enough common sense to at least have a plan B if it all goes wrong.

So where should i study?

Im looking for types of institution or names of instutions (country doesnt matter, it can be in mexico, usa or japan) i should be looking at if princeton, duke and co dont work out.
They shouldnt be too expensive either.

If anyone has been in a similar situation and has relevant advice to give, im all ears for that too!

thank you.

What should I do this summer?

Paulefinch — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:31:16 -0800

What are some life-changing things I, as an art student, can spend my summer doing? Here's a little background before I get to my real question.

I'm a 19 year old, gay male student double majoring in Art Education and Studio Art at the University of Central Florida. I'm finishing my sophomore year this semester. After growing increasingly frustrated with the college grind, I want to make some changes! I don't like the fact that I have to have a degree to do what I want to do. What do I want to do? I want to design avant-garde clothing and performances. (e.g. Lady Gaga, Of Montreal, and the Cremaster Cycle by Matthew Barney) Instead of dropping out of school, which I know isn't a very good idea, I just want to develop the parts of my life not directly related to school. I'm considering dropping the Art Education major, because while I want love to teach, I don't think my school's College of Education is right for me. Next semester I'm taking a minimum number of classes (12 credit hours) instead of my typical 15-17, so I'll have more time to create work that my current schedule doesn't allow.

What should I do this summer? I really want to do something that will provide me with amazing experience. I would love to live abroad, study abroad (I have languages bases in French and German.), get an internship, visit museums, or get an apprenticeship. Basically I want to do something with my summer that will change the direction of my life for the better.

Is there something I haven't even thought of? I'm supremely interested in everything related to design, art, and culture, so I'm open to almost anything!

Back to School Alphabet Soup: BA vs BSc vs HonBA vs HonBSc

256 — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:53:48 -0800

So, I'm at a transition point in my life. A bunch of things are ending and a bunch of things are beginning. Seems like a good time to finally get around to finishing that degree. Only question is, which degree? (Apologies in advance for how long this is.)

Let's take a trip down memory lane:

The year is 2003 and our hero is three years into a four year Honours Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Toronto. Unfortunately, our hero is also in pretty dire financial straits. Because of decent marks, he has gotten managed to get an indefinite extension from the financial aid department on paying his tuition for the current year, but he'll have to settle up eventually. And paying rent is proving hard enough. So when the tech NGO he works for part-time as a code monkey offers him a salaried position, he jumps at it and never looks back.

In the intervening six years I've worked various coding jobs, published a novella, written a novel, lived in four countries and grown tired of referring to myself in the third person.

I'm thirty years old and considering what my next career move is. I know I don't have the temperament for a career in computer programming. Sad as it is to let those skills go to waste, I've burned out on it. Writing is my primary passion and I am in the process of cleaning up the manuscript for my novel and seeking an agent. I'm sure I'll write another regardless of whether or not i manage to sell this one. I also intend to continue doing freelance work for magazines. That said, it's not a revenue stream that's going to support me and my family.

I think I'm a pretty clever guy, I'm creative and I've got a rather extensive and esoteric skillset. I've got exceptional communication skills and I know I interview well. My real goal is to break into either the publishing (literary press or magazines) or gaming (video or tabletop) industry. Eventually I would love to be in a creative director type position. I'm more than willing to pay my dues and put in my time, but I also don't want to start in the mailroom.

I've also considered the possibility of a career in Public Service Canada.

So, it has occurred to me that before beginning the job hunt in earnest, it might benefit me to have an undergraduate degree on my resume in addition to all my work experience.

Now, the question only remains of how exactly to do that. I'm only two half-credits shy of completing a three year Bachelor of Arts degree. The University of Toronto no longer offers the three year degree but, because they did when I was originally a student, I'm grandfathered in and still have the option of completing it. The trick with getting the three year B. A. is that, should I ever opt to complete the fourth year and upgrade it to an Honours degree, I could only upgrade it to an Hon. B. A., not an Hon. B. Sc..

So, if I want to keep my options open regarding eventually completing my original course of study, I would need to complete seven courses instead of two. This would involve going back to school full time for half a year but, when I was done, I would have a three year Bachelor of Science degree.

The thing is that, since I'm not intending to seek work in a field related to my degree regardless, it's not clear to me what the relative merits are of having a B. Sc. versus a B. A. (or an Hon. B. Sc. versus an Hon. B. A.). Would the fact that I have an irrelevant science degree be more impressive to someone hiring for, say, a publishing company, than an irrelevant arts degree?

The other question is: How much, if at all, are people going to care that I have a three year degree rather than a four year degree? I definitely don't have the money or inclination to complete the rest of my four year degree right now, but I may want to upgrade in the future. I'm not planning to ever go to grad school, but my wife is a German citizen and we may well find ourselves living in Europe (again) at some point. Will my three year degree be looked down upon outside of Canada? Or will anyone even know the difference?

The reason this is important now is because, if I do ever decide to go back and complete a fourth year, I would very much prefer to complete the Hon. B. Sc. in Artificial Intelligence rather than an Hon. B. A. in Cognitive Science. The difference in cool factor should be obvious.

So, yeah... I guess this is a pretty open-ended question with two major parts:

1. Is a B. Sc. (compsci/psychology) significantly sexier than a B. A. (cognitive science/linguistics) to the people that would be hiring in the publishing or game design industries?

2. How likely am I to feel a need to upgrade my three year degree to a four year degree later in life?

---

Below are the actual details about what would be involved for me to finish my degree, for anyone who cares(To even walk back onto campus at U of T, I'll need to pay off the ~$3500 in back tuition that I owe the school.):

1. The fastest way to get out of the school with a degree would involve taking one half-credit psychology course and one half-credit linguistics courses. I would then qualify for a three year Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Cognitive Science. (2 courses. $1100 addtl. fees: $4600 total.)

1a. Identical to (1.) except that by adding a second linguistics half-credit, I could complement the Cog. Sci. major with a minor in Linguistics. (3 courses. $1650 addtl. fees: $5150 total.)

2. If I complete four computer science half-credits and three half-credits in psychology, then I can earn a three year Bachelor of Science with no major, but a double minor in Computer Science and Psychology. (7 courses. $3850 addtl. fees: $7350 total.)

2a. Strangely enough, I took several theoretical physics courses as electives and it turns our that I'm just as close to completing a physics minor as a compsci minor. Three year B. Sc. with double minor in Physics and Psychology. (7 courses. $3850 addtl. fees: $7350 total.)

3. To complete the original four year degree I was working towards: Six computer science half-credits, four linguistics half-credits and two philosophy half-credits would net me a four year Honours Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence. (12 courses. $6600 addtl. fees: $10100 total.)

3a. Six linguistics half-credits, four psychology half-credits and two philosophy half-credits would net me a four year Honours Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Cognitive Science and Linguistics. (12 courses. $6600 addtl. fees: $10100 total.)

Why won't the lineman move?

RajahKing — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:58:42 -0800

Can anyone explain why the linesman in this video clip of the Florida/FSU football game last Saturday did not move as the play unfolded? I am no football expert, but I do waste a lot of time watching it. But in the video, you will see a lineman on the right side (tackle? guard? I don't know) not even leave his stance as the play unfolds - every other player on the field is engaged in the play, while this guy sits there frozen. The quarterback even runs right past him.

I can think of no strategic reason for this to happen - has anyone out there heard a full explanation?

MA in Politcal Science v. M Public Policy

brakiwi — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:29:26 -0800

¿Master in Political Science or Master in Public Policy? I'm an Spaniard that wants to study a Master in the US next year. After a lot of research my final list of universities I'm applying, is this one:
1.Georgetown
2. U. of Chicago
3. Columbia
4. NYU
5. GWU
6. Northeastern
7. American University
8. Loyola University of Chicago

My question is: ¿Master in Political Science or Master in Public Policy?

Most of this universities has both Masters programs and mainly I know the differences between them, but maybe you can give me more information so i can make my decision with more criterion.
In thinking in applying one program or the other, depending in which university.
Maybe you know someone who took some of this masters...
As you can see the cities and departaments I'm interested are Chicago, Washington DC, NYC and Boston. Do you think this are the most interesting universities in this cities to apply for? (for an MA because others have only PhD).

Thanks in advance,

I thought this was university, not highschool...

lizbunny — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:21:59 -0800

How far am I supposed to be willing to go to help my students with their term reports? This is my first term as a sessional lecturer for a 3rd year petrochemical engineering class. The course lecture material has been just peachy, they had 2 midterm exams and everyone did reasonably well. They only have one assignment this term, and it's a 20-30 page report all about a petrochemical of their choosing (like toluene, isopropanol, styrene...).

But, this being their first term of 3rd year, they haven't had to do much in the way of researching and doing formal university-quality papers yet. I had them write up memos on their petrochemical of choice, to give them a feel of the magnitude of the project and also provide some guidance on writing style and proper formatting. I've been providing feedback on how it should be written, trying to make sure they're understanding what information I'm looking for. And I've offered to do go over their reports before they hand them in officially (if they hand them in to me by this Wednesday), so I can help prevent the epic fails ahead of time.

A few of the students have been coming to me for help on where to find some of their information, and this is the point where I'm having some difficulty on how to handle this. There have already been some good references provided as a starting point. Of course it's not entirely easy to find info on proprietary processes and market data, but after having helped a few students who have come to me, I've figured out that some of them just suck at google-fu and library searches. Many of the other students have managed to track down the same resources without my help, I found out in class this morning. After today, I can't help but feel like there should be a definite limit to the amount of assistance I provide.

How far should I go to help my students out then?

Please give me some advice on how to start my post university life!

tumples — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:57:22 -0800

How do I figure out what I can and/or should do after my undergraduate degree? I am halfway through my last year of my undergraduate degree in History, at a UK university. As graduation draws ever closer I am getting more worried about what is going to happen after the university bubble pops. I am told in every form of media that the job market for graduates is appalling at the moment, and that doesn't even matter since I have no idea what I want to try and aim to do with this degree anyway. I feel like I have been slightly conned into this degree when I was younger and more naive, and I regret not getting a more technical and employable degree.

How do I know if I should pursue a Masters? I mainly want to do one for the interest of learning rather than for any career purpose, and to hopefully study abroad in the Netherlands or somewhere in mainland Europe. I realise that these aren't the best reasons to consider a post graduate program. Are there any ways I can get to live in europe while still supporting myself?

Basically, through all of this mess of unorganised thoughts, I would just appreciate any information, help, advice, anecdotes, anything that is related to this problem of facing the big wide world.

Housemate doesn't clean up after himself. Help.

dunkadunc — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:58:24 -0800

My housemate doesn't clean up, like ever. How can I do to make things work, or at least more bearable? I've been sharing an apartment since the beginning of September with an old acquaintance, and everything's been going well enough. EXCEPT:
My housemate doesn't help out with the cleaning. Every day I come home to even more mess, and it's starting to really bug me.

Some background here: My housemate and I are both 23, male, and college seniors. We went to high school together but lost touch after graduation. I was looking for a housemate for an apartment I found this August, and a mutual friend said Housemate (whose mom died last year) was looking for a place as well. We signed a lease, moved in and started school, so far so good.
The first hint I got that Housemate wasn't very good at cleaning was about a week in when he asked me what "rinsing" dishes meant. Since then, he's remained pleasant, but the amount of housework he's done has gone from little to almost none.

The main problems:
-His dishes stay dirty in the sink either until I wash them or there are no more clean ones, whereupon he washes a dirty one, uses it, and puts it back in the sink. The same thing goes for pots and pans. I can count the number of times he's washed all the dishes in the sink on one hand, and even then they've come out covered in brown curry grease and needed to be washed again.

-When asked to wash his dirty pots and pans that were filling up the sink, Housemate was surprised that I would want them to be cleaned even if I wasn't immediately going to use them. Housemate said that he would wash them before he needed them again "only as a favor". He cooks about four gallons of curry every two weeks.

-Although he was willing to split the cost of a $50 vacuum cleaner, the only time he's picked up a broom was when he broke a glass. He's been leaving brown greasy globs of curry on all the kitchen surfaces and covers the floor in oil when he cooks. All these problems with cleaning up have carried over to the bathroom as well.

Apart from all this, he's been a decent housemate, asking if I want to watch cartoons or split a pizza or whatnot, or coming out to parties with me.
I've talked to him about washing dishes and cleaning up around the apartment, and he's always said "sure"- the problem is it doesn't end up happening. He tends to drink beers and watch cartoons when he's done with schoolwork and doesn't have anything to do, so it seems like a combination of procrastination and just not knowing how to run a household: his mom used to do all the housekeeping.

What can I do to encourage him to do his share of housework, or failing that, what can I do to minimize the amount of mess I have to deal with? Ideally, we would clean up after ourselves, and if someone else missed something then the other would clean it, no problem.
I don't want to be that passive-aggressive guy, but something's got to change, since I'd like to be able to have guests over without feeling embarrassed. I'd be tempted to only clean up after myself, but I'm afraid the apartment would be taken over by maggots.

How can I prove to my parents that I'm "mature" enough?

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:29:32 -0800

I'm 16 years old. I have (though somewhat borderline) Asperger's and I'm highly intellectually (verbal, not quite visual-spatial) gifted. I don't do well in school, you could say I'm an "underachiever". I graduate high school this year. I will most likely not get into either of my top universities in the city (I'm Canadian, btw). I don't mind taking next year (from graduation until I'm 17.5) to "mature a bit" but eventually I want to go to school overseas. I need to prove to my parents I can live alone... without actually living alone. My parents both of the opinion that I lack the functional and social maturity needed to live alone. I don't disagree, necessarily. I have very few friends, though my ability to make new ones has improved drastically in recent months, and I lack basic time-management skills.

I've never had a job (my parents have told me to focus on school) and I do very little "independently", though just about what I see most people my age doing (my parents cook, clean, do my laundry). I get rides to and from school on my mom's way to and from work, though I often take public transport around the city (I live in a major Canadian city).

My parents recently met with my psychologist (without me) to discuss the issue. The psych suggested that I take the year to mature, but that's really all I was told. My parents added that they're mostly concerned with the facts that: I don't know how to manage money (these days whenever I get a little spending money aside from allowance (basically just for food a couple times a week, I use the spending money), and that I don't wake up for school on my own (I get woken up anyway, but lately I've been sleep deprived and have had trouble getting up). Also I should mention that I'm not a neat/organized person and that can only make things look even worse.

My mom also constantly mentions "getting around on my own", but I think it's something I'm rather good at. In past summers I've gone day upon day just taking public transport around and exploring big cities (NYC, for example) on my own. I'm actually not quite sure my mom even realizes it. Just last week she didn't want me taking the bus at night (around 9ish) to go meet with a friend. I'm not quite sure what she was thinking, and I felt rather insulted. My dad grew up here (my mom didn't, she grew up in NYC in the 80s) and he saw no problem with it whatsoever. It's like she refuses to acknowledge I'm not 10 anymore.

Another area which my mom has expressed concern regarding has been the use of alcohol and drugs on university campuses. I should mention that I attend high school parties regularly and I know how to handle it.

In any case, I suppose I'm primarily asking what my best approach would be. If you were my mom or dad, how would you prefer I approach "maturing"? How can I better understand my parents' point of view?

(I'm asking this anonymously because my personal account can be found fairly easily by pretty much anyone who knows me. I like to keep these things private.)

Thanks in advance.

Development, to enjoy or not to enjoy?

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:35:13 -0800

Do you work in Development for a university? If so, I want to know more! If you perform research for a university development office, can you tell me what your job is like? Do you like it? What do you not like? Tell me everything! I recently applied for a research analyst position with a university development office. After doing a telephone interview last week, I received a phone call asking me if I would like to do a day long on-campus interview with multiple interviews and a few tests.

As of now, I am a state government employee, but my division recently underwent a massive budget withholding and my already meager salary has been slashed twenty percent to the point I am barely above the poverty line. My experience with development research is limited. My division did have a development officer who I assisted as needed, but the development program itself was barely one year old before his job was eliminated last month. We did not have access to a prospect management system, nor did we have access to fee based vendor programs. Before he left, our development officer encouraged me to apply for this position because of my research skills, advanced degree, and previous experience.

There are a ton of other factors to consider, i.e. my fiancé is graduating from law school next year and we don't know where he will end up getting a job; we are getting married in the fall of 2010 and I wouldn't have enough leave time to get married and have a honeymoon if I start the new job; I would have to pay a lot of money to break my current lease, etc. so I'm hoping someone out there can help me understand what development work is like in a university setting. Thanks!

Was I ripped off by the graduate school admissions committee at a top 10 university?

Anonymous — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:25:51 -0800

Was I ripped off by the graduate school admissions committee at a top 10 university? I applied to a CS master's program at a top 10 US university a few months ago. I had still not received any sort of answer from the school (mail, email, or otherwise) the weekend before the term (I had applied for) began. I called the program that Friday, but nobody answered. I emailed three different addresses; only one person answered, the director of the program. He emailed me on Sunday morning, the day before the term started. His email said that my application was rejected because I haven't had any math since high school, and because the admissions committee could not determine my mathematics background. In reality, I have taken five math courses in college, including an entire Calculus sequence, and I got A's in all of these.

These math courses were on my undergraduate transcripts; the university's "application status" website indicated that these transcripts had been received, so the program should've been aware that I had taken these courses. I emailed the director back, but he dodged my questions and became argumentative. He's now ignoring my email messages to him.

I feel that my application wasn't taken seriously, that the admissions committee made mistakes in evaluating my application (and is refusing to admit that they did), and that it was wrong of the school to inform me of my admission status the day before the term I applied for was to begin (if I wouldn't have emailed them, I probably would've have never known if I had been admitted or rejected--they have never sent me an official rejection letter). In short, I feel ripped off.

I paid nearly $100 to apply to this program, and I am far from rich. Am I entitled to refund? What would you do if you were me? I emailed the president of the university, explaining my situation, but my emails have been ignored.

PhD Ethics?

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:17:34 -0800

What are some ethics considerations around a PhD dissertation? And should I do anything about a former colleague who I think violated them? A guy I used to work with was recently awarded a PhD in a social science from a one of the universities in a big east coast state's public university system.

I admit I never liked the guy - sketchy around young women and not very good at his job - and I was happy when he was not exactly fired but it was suggested that he find another place to work. And he landed a good job in the private sector.

I have two problems with his PhD. First, that at least two of the three people on his committee, including his advisor, were people to whom he has for years been directing pretty lucrative US government consulting contracts. Isn't there some kind of conflict of interest clause in PhD committees? Like you can't be the direct financial beneficiary of someone whose work you're supposed to be evaluating?

Second, that I think a lot of what he presented as his own work was actually done by other people at the place where we both worked. Not so much me, but other people. And not just data entry or mechanical work, but some of the basic ideas that he presents were first suggested and worked out by people other than him. I don't know if he gives credit for this in the dissertation, but I doubt it.

So the questions are:

- Are these legitimate concerns?

- If they are, is it worth it for me to raise them? I wouldn't benefit directly, since I don't work with him anymore, but its been bugging me for the last year or so.

- If I do decide to do something about it, who do I complain to? Do schools like this (for example, SUNY Albany) have an ethics panel? An academic integrity review committee?

How to find a small company, in another country, for a 1-year work term?

james.nvc — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:42:05 -0800

I'm currently a third-year Engineering Science student at the University of Toronto, majoring in computer engineering. As part of my program, I'm supposed to do a 12-16 month work term. While there are a variety of large tech companies that recruit directly from this program, I'm interested in working at a smaller, preferably U.S.-based technology firm. How should I go about finding a suitable place? For more background, I'm interested in a wide variety of programming languages, such as Lisp, Scheme, Haskell, OCaml, Python, Ruby, etc. I'm proficient in C and C++, but I prefer to avoid them when I can. I'm hoping to find some sort of web- or software-development firm, still in at a more startup-y phase, that would be interested in hiring a student for a year. Do I have any hope in this endeavor?

Is a BS a BS? Or just BS?

ctmf — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:20:03 -0800

Is a BS degree a BS degree, or are there "lesser" degrees - I don't even know how to ask this. I'll try, though. I've finally decided to stop giving in to the reasons to put it off. I'm going to pursue a degree for myself. It turns out that, between my military experience and a handful of community college courses I took, I'm only 30-odd credits from a BSAST from Thomas Edison State College. A few CLEPs and a few courses, and I should be there. Plus, the GI bill should pay for it. So I'm fairly excited about that.

Here's my reservation about it, tell me if I'm being paranoid:
I have this pamphlet about degree programs from the Navy College office where I got most of my info. In one section it explains that there are "academic" degrees, and "professional/technical" degrees, and then lists some typical course requirements. The BSAST degree is a "technical" degree, is the impression I get. Am I getting myself into what amounts to a fancy-sounding cert program like CCNA or MCSE?

My other option is trying to take night classes from UW after doing everything I can at a community college. Financially, that would not be an issue, but the thought of years and years of night school is not appealing.

I eventually want to apply to OSU's Master of Health Physics degree. The requirements say "4 year baccalaureate degree" which it sounds like I would have. I'm just afraid when I put my degree on my resume for jobs, or for the OSU application I'm going to hear, "no, we meant a REAL degree."

Maybe it's just because this sounds too good to be true and I'm suspicious. Can anyone (especially someone with HR or college admissions experience) comment on that?

Applying to Law School - timeline?

hepta — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:15:17 -0800

What can I do now to help prepare myself for writing the LSATs and applying to law school in 1-2 years? I am planning on taking the LSATs in the somewhat-near future and I was looking for things that I can do NOW to help give me my best shot at the test, and then at getting into law school itself.

I am in my third year of a four year degree at a small Canadian university. I will potentially take an extra year to take some more interesting courses, or I might get a one-year Masters degree immediately after I graduate. Either way, I will graduate with a Joint Honours degree in Canadian Studies and Politics. I am strongly considering applying to law school, and thus will need to write the LSATs. My plan is to write the test the summer after I finish with school (at this point that is looking like 2012), apply that fall, and attend school starting fall 2013. This gives me a while to prepare for the LSAT and the law school admissions process.

Here are some more potentially relevant facts:

I want to attend a Canadian law school (UVic, UofT, Dalhousie, Osgoode Hall, Queen's, etc)
I have maintained an 80+ average throughout school thus far and foresee that continuing into the future.
I play a varsity sport, volunteer a bit in my school community, have had the same full-time summer job for the past three years.
I am interested in pursuing public interest law. Working for a legal aid clinic or public interest advocacy group interests me a lot.

At this point I am less concerned about preparing *specifically* for the LSAT so much as developing the skills that will serve me well on the test in general: logic, reading comprehension, etc. What activities can I do that will help me do better at logic puzzles (never really been my strong suit)? What resources are available for Canadian students considering the LSAT/law school? What can I do while still in my undergrad to make myself the most attractive law school candidate I can be? Extracurriculars? What kind? Thanks, and let me know if you need any more details.

PS - I have checked the archives but nothing seems to be looking at this particular timeframe. Please tell me if I missed something relevant. It's my first question, I'm nervous!

Student representative needs to change a policy this year!

Khazk — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:07:34 -0800

Change the University program's final project limitations! Help! Video production course info and TL;DR details inside. (Note: the TL;DR question is in bold at the bottom of this post. Thank you!)

Our class of 11 people have elected me to a Student Advisory Committee that meets with the University program chairpeople if issues arise. Specifically, our Video Production course took a drastic turn this year involving the final year Senior Independent Project (SIP).

The SIP for the previous 4-5 years was a free-for-all project—the class members could follow through with any video-related piece they desired. A few dramas were attempted, along with more serious pieces, but different circumstances among the students led to poor quality or incomplete finals. (For instance, actors dropping out, directors/writers/actors taking on too much and burning out, lack of funding to pay for professionals, or lack of motivation or initial concept.)

Our class, now in our final year, is subject to new limitations on our final project. Namely, we are now forced to do a "documentary". In this case, we cannot produce an "information" piece (i.e. think corporate video, "behind-the-scenes", "making of", etc.) We are being told to produce a character-driven, story oriented, emotional, TV-broadcast-quality final. ("Intervention", "Jon and Kate +8", other A&E/TLC drivel).

But they didn't tell us. At least, that's how we feel.

On our first class of the new year, we were basically given the news that we were "going to do a documentary as our final project", instead of the "free final" we had been expecting from the beginning of the 3-year program. (Personally, I was blindsided by this bait-and-switch, having specifically entered the Video major with the idea that a final project was under complete creative control of the student.) Our instructor made it clear that the SIP could only be a documentary of the talking-head, interview-style, other-attributes-mentioned-above kind. However, she also suggested that if we wanted to, we could have full control over a separate, personal project without limitation. Only the documentary would be considered a final project. Of course, this leaves us with no option but to create two pieces, in addition to our option course work and normal full-time course load projects.

The class was nonplussed. Now we are 3 months into the program, and I have been approached that the class shares this concern and they would like me to address the chairs of the program this week. Out of the 11 in class, 3 people are indifferent or unaffected by the change. The other 8 feel that they would like creative over the final project and to have the documentary-only idea waived, as the change was implemented in the middle of our program without any input on our part.

Upon questioning, a few have very specific ideas as to where a personal project would go (some had worked on a plan over the summer, and have cited concerns that they only joined the program for the final project opportunity.) Two classmates have cited extreme debt and choosing this U over other PSI's due only to the final project's freedom, and now feel completely ripped off in both areas. One classmate has committed to the documentary idea only because of the limitation, and would have changed her plan (but is obviously stuck, now). A few do not have solid ideas either way. As well, a few are concerned about their own direction or story ideas and would be content to assist on projects under a classmate's direction.

On a personal and professional level, I feel that the change violates our rights as students. I have been sunk creatively and am struggling with the decision to continue on in this program. Therefore I am taking the challenge of trying to change the University program's requirements for this year's class.

My question to MeFites: How would you recommend approaching a meeting with up to 2 chairpeople, solo, to effectively change their minds to suit the needs of my classmates? What strategies should I utilize to sway them? How can I avoid coming across too passionately about this issue and perhaps ruining my classmate's chances?

Thank you for your patience, everyone who's made it this far. :)

Can I omit educational experience from my resume?

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:17:40 -0800

Can I leave out some educational background from my resume? I went to a university, then transferred and got a degree from another university. Will it harm me if I only list the university I got a degree from? I went to an Ivy League university for three years, felt burned out, and left. I didn't fail out, nor was I academically disciplined. In the end, a year later I transferred to another university and eventually graduated from there. I don't really wish to explain to employers why I left, nor are any of the jobs I'm applying for really relevant to the exact content of my education. Will it hurt for employment purposes if I omit that I went to the other school from my resume? If I am hired and they find out later, could there be potentially negative consequences?

Group assignment advice

mattoxic — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:58:17 -0800

I've to hand in a group assignment tomorrow and the input from one of the members is crap- terrible writing, no references, no clue, nice guy. I want to remain friends but want to dramatically edit his work. How can I break it to him that his work needed treatment? I'm terrible at this sort of thing. btw, this thread doesn't really answer my question as we're handing in tomorrow. Also- he's old buddies with the other group member who I don't know very well.

Academic careers in the humanities.

ms.codex — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:26:23 -0800

Tell me why you decided NOT to pursue a PhD. My partner, an academic, thinks that the humanities departments in the US are suffering a major brain drain-- that smart students these days are drawn to law, consulting, science, investment banking, etc., and NOT to graduate study in the humanities. I'm inclined to disagree but of course I have no evidence for either view. I'm curious to hear the experiences of people who considered pursuing a PhD and an academic career (especially in the humanities, but all fields welcome) but ultimately decided not to. It seems to be common knowledge that it's a very tough job market out there for recent PhDs, and I'm wondering if that grim reputation has actually deterred people who are making decisions about graduate study and career paths. I'm also curious to know how prospective or current grad students weigh the pros and cons of a potential academic career-- the specific intellectual satisfactions versus any frustrations you think are specific to academia.

"student often made rude and inappropriate requests"

hector horace — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:46:35 -0800

A question about university reference letter etiquette. I'm about to ask a few of my former university professors for references letters. Is it customary for professors to provide a copy of the reference letter to the requesting student before they submit them to the relevant party, (i.e. the school that the student is applying to)? If not would it be bad form to request to see the letters before they are forwarded?

I'm not worried that the letters will be negative but I'd rather have a look at what is said before it becomes part of my application. I'm sure I'm just being paranoid but I hate the idea of not having control over such an important part of my application.

thanks

For those of us who didn't go to Harvard. . .

Ndwright — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:26:53 -0800

Are there any sites or blogs dedicated to pointing out great courses and lectures not to be missed on iTunes U? The Mefi post with this question's origin.

What's a good university town for a non-traditional student?

patheral — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:50:26 -0800

Looking to go to grad school for Linguistics or TESOL, but I'm a non-traditional student. I have a few schools picked out but don't want to end up in another tiny "college town." Help? Here's the long and short of it. I'm 43 years old and finishing up my BA in English in a small town down here in the South (exact location withheld for personal reasons). In this tiny town, I stick out like a sore thumb amongst these 18-23 year-old kids, not to mention that there is *nothing* for people my age to do around here - especially a non-drinker like me.

I want to go to grad school and get my MA in either TESOL or Linguistics (the degree changes depending on the school I'm looking at). However, I don't want to end up in a tiny college town again. I don't really trust city websites because they're made to look the town look good, as are the college websites.

So here are four of the colleges I'm looking at:
Kent State University in Kent, OH
Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ
University of Colorado at Boulder in Boulder, CO
and
Oakland University in Rochester, MI

I'm also considering Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA... but I already know about Norfolk because I've lived there before.

Any information anyone can give me about these cities or even the universities would be great.