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Hello everyone!
I'm a sophomore high schooler (whose dream school is MIT!!) and just have several college-/school-related questions, if you don't mind answering them. I've been considering making a blog to appeal for your help...and have finally decided to pull the trigger after wondering about this for a while.
+ Show Spoiler +After applying to UCD's Young Scholars Program, I was unfortunately informed that I am being considered merely as an alternate..... :'( It was the only program worth its salt that I applied to, and I really wanted to attend it, but evidently I wasn't competitive enough. Thus, my first question is: what are the chances that an alternate is allowed into the program? There are forty participants total, and I'm extremely doubtful of my chances, but I would just like to know. If you guys don't know the specifics about the program, Second, how prestigious exactly is the program? (or how prestigious does it seem to be) Anyone have an idea as to how many applicants there are? I was just sort of wondering how exactly "good" it appears on a résumé/application, etc.Finally, I want to major in EE, electrical engineering, so how useful/practical is YSP? It is a prestigious program and attending it would be very engaging and interesting without a doubt, but should the fact that it's bio-oriented dissuade me from it? Cute kitten to break up the sections
I'm taking AP French and AP European History right now, and would like to get your guys' opinion on the AP tests (i.e. how to study, subject matter, etc.?). I've already asked around at my school, but feel that there would much to gain from having a bigger pool of advice/perspectives. Also, can I take SAT II Physics with only the experience from an honors physics class?
I will take:
May--AP Euro, AP French, SAT II French
June--SAT II Math, SAT II Physics
Any and all advice would be appreciated infinitely >\\\< I'm really anxious about them and absolutely want those 5s and 800s.
Last question: I've heard that it's somewhat difficult demonstrate a passion for electrical engineering in high school (comp sci you can do project, get an internship, work for a company; bio stuff you can make projects and research/write papers, etc.), so one shows aptitude for EE by having really good academics (though extracurriculars are still important)...is this true?
This is also why I want 5s and 800s across the board, etc. Math competitions are also a must (amc/aime/usamo level), I know that much.
Thanks everyone! :D
If you want to ask any questions and/or want me to elaborate, please don't hesitate to do so! >\\\<
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I was a 3.85-3.9 college student (computer engineering). My biggest regret was focusing too much on academics and less on having fun in college. And I don't feel my grades have helped me with my career very much. While doing well in school is a good thing, I would say definitely take the time to meet new people and have fun. How you communicate in groups and with others will go a long way. Good luck!
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Hey, I'm a junior and right now I'm taking French 4 and Spanish 4 (level 5 at my school is AP). Due to a schedule conflict with my Spanish class, my French class ended up being just me, and so my teacher and I finish "classwork" early and get time to chat. This morning, she was telling me about the AP exam. You're going to have an essay on a broad topic (eg "Define a "hero" and what it means to you," they grade you mostly on how effectively you write), plenty of grammar (lui, le, leur, ce qui, ce que, various tenses, etc), and reading comprehension. They are making changes for the exam for next year, but that's for me to worry about >_>
Oh, and hey, I'm taking SAT II French in May as well ^^
Now, I don't know anything about YSP, but this summer I'm doing a program at Harvard for high school students to live there and take classes, earning credit that goes on our college transcripts. I went ahead and searched for engineering classes under the courses, but sadly none are available for high schoolers. >.<;;
It's a good program for me because I want to be a music major at a liberal arts school, but it does cost lots and lots of money. Thankfully, I have a job to strap down some costs, but still >.<
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On April 12 2011 11:17 Mabilis wrote:
I was a 3.85-3.9 college student (computer engineering). My biggest regret was focusing too much on academics and less on having fun in college. And I don't feel my grades have helped me with my career very much. While doing well in school is a good thing, I would say definitely take the time to meet new people and have fun. How you communicate in groups and with others will go a long way. Good luck!
Right, of course haha >.< Work hard, play hard.
One of the reasons I want to attend YSP is that it's a community of similarly-minded people (on paper at least), and a lot of the program is just random funsies--it's residential, so a lot of the time is spent bonding with the other participants of the program and actually making connections, that kind of thing. ^^ Thanks though!
On April 12 2011 11:19 Banteng wrote:Hey, I'm a junior and right now I'm taking French 4 and Spanish 4 (level 5 at my school is AP). Due to a schedule conflict with my Spanish class, my French class ended up being just me, and so my teacher and I finish "classwork" early and get time to chat. This morning, she was telling me about the AP exam. You're going to have an essay on a broad topic (eg "Define a "hero" and what it means to you," they grade you mostly on how effectively you write), plenty of grammar (lui, le, leur, ce qui, ce que, various tenses, etc), and reading comprehension. They are making changes for the exam for next year, but that's for me to worry about >_> Oh, and hey, I'm taking SAT II French in May as well ^^ Now, I don't know anything about YSP, but this summer I'm doing a program at Harvard for high school students to live there and take classes, earning credit that goes on our college transcripts. I went ahead and searched for engineering classes under the courses, but sadly none are available for high schoolers. >.<;; It's a good program for me because I want to be a music major at a liberal arts school, but it does cost lots and lots of money. Thankfully, I have a job to strap down some costs, but still >.<
Oh, good luck with the SAT II :D Are you trilingual then, or might you know even more?  There's someone in my class for whom Spanish was her second language, so she got a 5 on the AP Spanish exam and is going to take the AP French test too :|
I do know that the test is 1/4 speaking, 1/4 writing, 1/4 reading, and 1/4 listening  We have written many essays, but all the same I'm very scared ._.
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Haha, I'm just trilingual, but at some point I do want to learn Arabic just for the hell of it. Honestly, even though I've been taking Spanish for five years and French for only three (I skipped a level two summers ago), speaking French is a whole lot easier than speaking Spanish because there aren't as many verb endings to keep track of >_>
Anyway, best of luck with all your exams! And if you ever decide to take APUSH in the future, they're also changing that AP test to be somewhat less memorization-intensive (unfortunate for me, because I'm taking it now D: )
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:O Is that by next year?
I've heard that the difference between apush and euro is the specificity of apush (versus knowing many many large concepts since european history spans so many centuries), so that could be nice.
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Don't worry about the summer program.
(THe admissions officer at USC said that those types of programs are largely ignored. THey just want you either doing something you are interested in, or doing research)
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Oh I see, but it's very difficult (insofar as I know) to stand out in electrical engineering in terms of individual work and the like--i.e. comp sci you can learn languages very quickly and start your own projects, get an internship and then paid position quite easily/bio or med you can do research and write papers/etc., so one way is to just get monstrous academics, but I don't really have that right now since I didn't make AIME...
So I want to attend a good summer program, make friends, learn from them, grow as an individual and show my interest that way, so YSP was a pretty big failing on my part yet again. The other program to which I applied is much more low-leveled (SAMS at CMU), and seems to teach very simplistic and/or basic concepts as part of the program (i.e. physics/SAT prep -_- . I can tell that SAMS is still very engaging and is interested in the betterment of its attendees, but it's clearly not that high caliber...while it isn't one of those programs you take merely for credits (i.e. EPGY, CTY, etc.), it's still not very good...
I need to do something amazing with my summer ;__;
And I WANT to, of course >w< just something to stand out and make friends, networks, learn, etc.
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Meh. I'm lazy with compsci >.>
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I know nothing of UC Davis or YSP, but I did graduate with a Bachelor's of Science in Electrical Engineering about a year and a half ago. I was finally able to land an engineering job not too long ago as well.
You mention that the YSP is fairly bio-oriented and that you're looking towards Electrical Engineering. Judging from a purely logical standpoint, I would say that you would be fine with not taking part. Sure, it would be great on your resume, but unless you're considering something like biomedical engineering or something of the sort, it wouldn't provide much practical use. Again, that was my logical viewpoint. Personally, having gone through a change in major half way through my college career, I would say to keep your options open. You say you want to major in EE, but honestly, you can't really get a good gauge on if that's what you want to do until you actually experience it. It might turn out that you actually hate EE. You never really know.
Your question about how to show a real passion and aptitude for EE. Academics will play a big role (the course work is by no means easy), but you should really love what you do. Make circuits and electronics your hobby. Find something in life that you could potentially make easier/cooler with a small electronics project (e.g. - a (fairly) simple camera and display system that will activate when the doorbell rings so you can see who is there). That's what a big part of engineering is, finding solutions/aides to automate some task, to create a simpler/easier/faster way to do something. You'll need the knowledge gained through academics, but you also need to be able to apply them in a practical manner.
In my personal experience, I started in Computer Engineering and switched to EE (not too far of a jump). I did tend to focus a lot on studying, and I was no star pupil (finished with a 3.2), but I seemed to be able to be able to come up with the more simple solution to a problem compared to the Rube Goldberg-esque solutions devised by some of the 4.0 geniuses. So, once/if you get a job as an engineer, know that it's usually more important to be able to apply knowledge and have good problem solving skills rather than to be super book-smart.
All of that aside, though. Your time in college is the best time to try to find what your true passion in life is. Yes, do well in your classes, and don't slack off (too much). At the same time though, if you find yourself not being able to enjoy the major you went into, don't be afraid to explore other options. Enjoy the experience and the period of your life that you spend in college.
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Learn java and join the aosp/android (name pending) club next year! ;P
Seriously, cs is actually quite easy to pick up, and you can quickly decide whether you're interested in it versus econ...! Obviously there's a divide between good and sucky software engineers, but anyone can pick it up extremely quickly provided his/her relevant skills are sufficient (e.g. logic)! Just a thought.
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On April 12 2011 13:03 Z3kk wrote:
:O Is that by next year?
I've heard that the difference between apush and euro is the specificity of apush (versus knowing many many large concepts since european history spans so many centuries), so that could be nice.
iirc they're changing it when you'll be a senior to subtly emphasize early and recent US history rather than everything equally.
And yes, summer programs are invaluable to growing as a person- the people I met through the Duke TIP program are some of the finest people I have met thus far. And the classes I took pertained to my interests, of course ^^
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On April 12 2011 14:05 WooChop wrote:
I know nothing of UC Davis or YSP, but I did graduate with a Bachelor's of Science in Electrical Engineering about a year and a half ago. I was finally able to land an engineering job not too long ago as well.
You mention that the YSP is fairly bio-oriented and that you're looking towards Electrical Engineering. Judging from a purely logical standpoint, I would say that you would be fine with not taking part. Sure, it would be great on your resume, but unless you're considering something like biomedical engineering or something of the sort, it wouldn't provide much practical use. Again, that was my logical viewpoint. Personally, having gone through a change in major half way through my college career, I would say to keep your options open. You say you want to major in EE, but honestly, you can't really get a good gauge on if that's what you want to do until you actually experience it. It might turn out that you actually hate EE. You never really know.
Your question about how to show a real passion and aptitude for EE. Academics will play a big role (the course work is by no means easy), but you should really love what you do. Make circuits and electronics your hobby. Find something in life that you could potentially make easier/cooler with a small electronics project (e.g. - a (fairly) simple camera and display system that will activate when the doorbell rings so you can see who is there). That's what a big part of engineering is, finding solutions/aides to automate some task, to create a simpler/easier/faster way to do something. You'll need the knowledge gained through academics, but you also need to be able to apply them in a practical manner.
In my personal experience, I started in Computer Engineering and switched to EE (not too far of a jump). I did tend to focus a lot on studying, and I was no star pupil (finished with a 3.2), but I seemed to be able to be able to come up with the more simple solution to a problem compared to the Rube Goldberg-esque solutions devised by some of the 4.0 geniuses. So, once/if you get a job as an engineer, know that it's usually more important to be able to apply knowledge and have good problem solving skills rather than to be super book-smart.
All of that aside, though. Your time in college is the best time to try to find what your true passion in life is. Yes, do well in your classes, and don't slack off (too much). At the same time though, if you find yourself not being able to enjoy the major you went into, don't be afraid to explore other options. Enjoy the experience and the period of your life that you spend in college.
Congratulations on your job! and advice definitely taken...thanks!!
Right I shouldn't get too far ahead of myself at this point. I only know for sure right now that I don't want to study the liberal arts at all, nor do I care for med.
I'm fascinated by how engineering takes concepts, established or still-unknown, and finds ways to implement machines, systems, projects, operations, etc. that directly improve our quality of life or otherwise alters it dramatically for the better. I happened upon electrical engineering since I'm very interested in the inner workings of electronics, as the simple flow of electricity can do so monumental tasks.
Some specific questions though: are internships generally impossible without an actual degree? I've heard that most companies have no need of mostly inexperienced electrical engineers, etc.
Also, is it true that low-power electronics are dying out? We've already gone so small yet powerful, and it seems that high-power is the future (e.g. electricity grids and the like? afaik) :/
Thanks!! ^^
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On April 12 2011 14:09 Banteng wrote:Show nested quote +On April 12 2011 13:03 Z3kk wrote:
:O Is that by next year?
I've heard that the difference between apush and euro is the specificity of apush (versus knowing many many large concepts since european history spans so many centuries), so that could be nice. iirc they're changing it when you'll be a senior to subtly emphasize early and recent US history rather than everything equally. And yes, summer programs are invaluable to growing as a person- the people I met through the Duke TIP program are some of the finest people I have met thus far. And the classes I took pertained to my interests, of course ^^
I will be taking it as a junior...d'awww...
I also considered going to Duke TIP but eventually decided not to :C haha...now I might be left with a program I'm overqualified for (not because of any perceived high-level academics in me but perhaps in the lack of said high level there)...
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Um, I updated the OP; the the UCD YSP program is just water under the bridge--it is what it is, I suppose.
And more advice about SAT II Physics/French/Math 2 or AP Euro/French would be highly appreciated...I'm very nervous about those, since I want to get get a full score on all of those. I'm prepared to study hardcore, but advice and information about them would be appreciated infinitely...
Thank you all so much!
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Getting an Electrical Engineering internship before you start college or even finish any significant course work is nearly impossible. Go ahead and put in your name with companies and get your name out there, but don't expect anything until after your sophomore year at the soonest. It's not impossible to get an internship while still taking classes, but the market will be pretty competitive. For something like this, you will need to show a lot of academic strength as well as take part in activities that will let you put some engineering knowledge to work. Granted, it's not necessary, but it sure helps.
Where did you hear that low power electronics are dying out? This is so far from the truth. Yes, we do have some amazing devices that are small yet powerful, but there is still a lot of work in this branch of EE. On a large scale, the world is looking towards alternative energy sources, and plenty of research and work is going on there. At the same time though, there is a lot of work going on to make IC design smaller and operate at lower voltages while maintaining functionality. MOSFETs may be getting close to as small as they can physically be, but other technologies are already devised to eventually replace the current.
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Oh right, I suspected that internships were impossible
I've just heard from my family, family friends, et al. that low-power electronics are becoming almost as good as they can possible be, what with increasingly powerful chipsets and the like. That's good to know, since I prefer low-power to high-power electronics from the little I already understand about EE.
Is there anything at all that I can do as a high school sophomore in order to prepare myself better for EE in college and "stand out from the rest"? I'm extremely zealous in these types of things, but just don't know where to begin, really...
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Well, CPU speed has, for the time being, hit a plateau. Pushing smaller transistors to switch faster will generate more heat, and (affordable) ways to dissipate this amount of heat can't keep up. So, as you can notice if you keep up with processor developments, it is currently moving more in the direction of making multi-core chips. It is not a direct clock speed increase, but the computing power with processes being divided amongst the cores is the way things are being sped up. I remember when hard drives and RAM each started reaching into the gigabyte sizes. I recall people saying that it was an unnecessary amount of storage or memory, and they'd never have a use for it. Now we have terabyte drives and RAM amounts greater than what we had on hard drives 15 years ago. If people gave up when others thought that things couldn't get any smaller/faster/better, we would still have room-sized computers.
There is definitely stuff you can do to get a foot up when you're in high school. Like I mentioned before, look into hobby electronics. One project (the first one that I ever did) was the CMoy pocket amplifier. It's a really simple circuit. You don't need to understand how it works, but it will give you a good hands-on experience. And after that (or before), you can read up on how the circuit functions. You can also do some research and see if any near-by universities have any programs that are geared towards high school students.
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Hmm...that's a really good point, haha. People say that software can't keep up with hardware (i.e. you don't need so much RAM/processing power unless you're running extremely intensive processes such as CAD software or exceedingly detailed video games), but I can see exactly what you mean. Constant evolution and improvements.
I'll try to join my school's robotics club and begin working on grasping the concepts of engineering; our robotics team isn't particularly adept, however I also want to try to create a club for our school to take the United States National Physics Olympiad, though that will be somewhat tough considering we don't even offer Physics C, but I really am interested in taking :D
Anyway, thanks so much for the information/advice ^^
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