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I'm going to university soon. I'm not exactly sure where I'm going yet, but the vast majority of schools that I applied to have all of the traditional majors and departments, with a few exceptions (Caltech and MIT have practically no humanities majors but some more specialized science disciplines). Thing is, I don't really know what I want to study. Yeah, I have about 1-2 years to figure it out, but in some cases I am entering uni with 1-2 years worth of credits (e.g. math, chemistry). I am in a position where if I do figure out what I want to study early, I could begin UG research early, take a ton of my major's classes, and just generally be farther ahead than most of my peers. I am entertaining the idea of getting a PhD (yeah, I know, I'm only 17, so I really know squat about this) so the earlier I hone in on a field, the better.
I am pretty sure that I am going to study something in the STEM area. However, my verbal skills have always been higher than any of my other skills, despite me being more interested in STEM and having many more awards in STEM.
Here are some fields that I am considering, ranked from (currently) most interesting to least interesting:
Most interested:
Computer Science/Engineering
Math
Chemistry
Physics and Astronomy
Pretty interested:
Biomedical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Medicine/Biology. I like research in this area so I might try to do an MSTP program, but they are super competitive. Honestly though I'd probably hate my life if I just became a private practice doctor in something like Internal Medicine because it seems just so boring.
Law (In the US this is a professional degree so I would have to study something else for UG)
Economics (I have not taken any economics classes yet so I want to at least try this. However, I've read that economics doesn't actually get academic until you take econometrics so I may audit that course or something).
As you can see, I have a lot of narrowing down to do. I am relatively accomplished in Chemistry and somewhat in Math, though I am also pretty good at physics. I am also very type-A and competitive, and I am willing to study things independently to get ahead. I'm going to come in with credit in math (2-5 semesters depending on if they let me test out of what I've studied ind.), chemistry (2-4 semesters depending on testing out policies) physics (2), CS (1-2), Biology (0-3), and many gen eds, so I have at least some experience in these disciplines already.
I really like math, but I'm not so sure about it. The thing about math is that most of the universities that I am considering will have people who are much better at math than me. I'm one of the/ the best at math in my age group (according to competitions) in my city of 700k, but my city is fucking retarded; there are going to be people studying math from Boston and SF that have been able to do Dual Enrollment at unis up to Real Analysis, and I am afraid they will run circles around me. While I do very well in my city I don't think I could ever even qualify for the USAMO unless I traveled back in time and made my parents first gen Chinese or Russian, because I've never been tutored or pushed beyond my grade level (only taking Calc BC as senior) / done actual hard contest math. I've gone to private schools all my life that, while good, don't overly accelerate kids, so I've had to study stuff on my own, and I don't really know how to write proofs very well. I'm also afraid that I am simply good at computation and not creative problem solving. If I had to pick any field to be an academic (professor) in, it would be math, since it seems like a pretty relaxed lifestyle, but I don't know if I can make it. I know there are a few mathematicians on TL that have done MOP and that study math: do you all know anybody who was never a contest math whiz who ended up being really good at math? Not the next Terrence Tao, but someone good enough to get into a renowned PhD program?
So yeah, that's it. I know there is a cohort of academics on TL that have studied many of these fields, and perhaps some researchers in these fields too. If you could recommend me a field and tell me what it's like at a high level, what's good and what's bad about it, I'd appreciate it. Career wise I'm not yet sure if I want to work in industry or academia (and I really only want to work in academia if I can become a professor), but most of these fields would allow me to some flexibility in this regard (except chemistry, but I'd study something else with it).
Sell me on something, please. Even if I didn't list your field, I'd like to hear some thoughts.
 
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Higher level math courses are a pain. Pure math gets so abstract after a certain point that you have to be a real genius to even attempt to understand it, let alone excel at it. You're better off doing something that involves application of mathematics and logic.
Computer science and engineering --- ideal and very high demand fields (lots of jobs, not enough qualified people to fill those jobs). If you enjoy math and logic you will like it very much.
Chemistry --- don't do it unless you're leaning towards medicine, pharmacy, or biochemistry (or biomedical engineering which you listed as a possibility). To be honest, any of these fields will require a chemistry background (maybe just a few classes) as a prerequisite. But don't go down the purely chemistry road.
Physics / astronomy --- again, this is almost entirely application of mathematics (at a higher level of course; lower level physics/astronomy courses will be largely descriptive and less analytical). Unless you want to become a physics teacher in high school, or eventually get a PhD in physics and teach in college, don't do physics. You're better off going into engineering which is where physics students usually end up if they aren't interested in the academic route. But if you are really passionate about physics and have a strong mathematics background I won't dissuade you from pursuing this option.
Law --- don't do it. You will be miserable for the rest of your life. The market is oversaturated with lawyers as it is.
Economics --- this is a "social science" which means that if you like science you will hate economics. I majored in economics, worst decision of my life. Most of the classes in the first 2 or 3 years you take can be learn from wikipedia. Higher level economics is basically simple calculus concepts. Econometrics is only one class, and that's more calculus and statistics than anything else. Again, it is very abstract at the higher level. But unlike engineering or physics, it's all a bunch of theory and concepts that have very few concrete applications apart from academia. Math is at the very least more interesting. And unless you're the chairman of the Federal Reserve you'd honestly be better off getting a degree in English.
You should probably choose between computer science and electrical / biomedical / biochemical engineering. Physics is an option if you're really passionate about it.
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I'm also afraid that I am simply good at computation and not creative problem solving
I view the fields you listed as Math and applied Math. The latter defnitly requires a more common skillset, but you will encounter creative problem solving aswell. As for you type-A personality and competitiveness, choose math if you decide that the only competition that matters is the competition against yourself. That it does not matter if someone is better than you in that field, as long as you are the best variation of yourself.
If you thrive on open competition, go for applied Math, and stay away from academia, it is, on the highest level, much more about cooperation than competition. While in the "industry" you can make much more money more easily, be competitiv and enjoy your type-A personality probably more. I would probably suggest either Law or Economics in that case. Your verbal skills will come in very handy going for law, you'd meet a lot of type-A personalities and live in a competitiv field. Economics are similar too law, you actually don't have to fear any creative problem solving and in the end it will come down to social engenieering more than anything else, making your achivements almost irrelevant (as for being the best while studying).
The reason why I always pick Math over any subject are actually the female students, nowhere else will you find more beautiful, innocent and weird girls.
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The reason why I always pick Math over any subject are actually the female students, nowhere else will you find more beautiful, innocent and weird girls.
ok i'm going to be blunt on this issue. it's true that there will be less females in these following areas: math, computer science, engineering, and physics. however, the girls who do study these subjects are more likely to be interesting and/or more likely to engage you in intellectual conversation. also, biology and chemistry seems to attract many smart beautiful ladies as well
you will have no problem getting girls in law, economics, or any other liberal arts focused field (communications, psychology, and gender studies). they will also be statistically more attractive compared to girls in the former group (which makes sense because they would statistically also be more likely to be preoccupied with appearance, and therefore superficiality). but ask yourself this: are any of the girls in this latter group really worth your time? at least girls in the former group will have more substance
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Picking a field of study because of women is the dumbest thing you could ever do. You only have one life; do what you love. If you don't wake up every day happy to go to work/learn, you're doing the wrong thing. Not everyone takes work seriously, but if you're seriously considering going to graduate school and investing that much into your education for that much of your life, do something you enjoy.
You may enjoy some kind of pharmaceutical, biomedical engineering, or even medical research related work. I know at Johns Hopkins they offer a minor in computer assisted surgery (which may be a nice balance b/t computer science and biology, assuming your school offers it). I have to agree that physics, chem, and math aren't particularly useful fields of study, but if you can find something that straddles the fields that you enjoy the most you'll get the most out of your education.
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On February 02 2014 07:17 MtlGuitarist97 wrote:
Picking a field of study because of women is the dumbest thing you could ever do. You only have one life; do what you love. If you don't wake up every day happy to go to work/learn, you're doing the wrong thing. Not everyone takes work seriously, but if you're seriously considering going to graduate school and investing that much into your education for that much of your life, do something you enjoy.
You may enjoy some kind of pharmaceutical, biomedical engineering, or even medical research related work. I know at Johns Hopkins they offer a minor in computer assisted surgery (which may be a nice balance b/t computer science and biology, assuming your school offers it). I have to agree that physics, chem, and math aren't particularly useful fields of study, but if you can find something that straddles the fields that you enjoy the most you'll get the most out of your education.
lol I agree. This may be shocking news, but you're actually allowed to date people who are not studying the same thing as you.
To the OP, maybe consider work/volunteer/travel. The more you know about yourself and the world, the better decisions you can make. Sometimes the most instructive things can be stuff you really hate... if you work a shitty job first, you will appreciate school a lot more.
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On February 02 2014 06:17 NeuroticPsychosis wrote:
Higher level math courses are a pain. Pure math gets so abstract after a certain point that you have to be a real genius to even attempt to understand it, let alone excel at it. You're better off doing something that involves application of mathematics and logic.
Computer science and engineering --- ideal and very high demand fields (lots of jobs, not enough qualified people to fill those jobs). If you enjoy math and logic you will like it very much.
Chemistry --- don't do it unless you're leaning towards medicine, pharmacy, or biochemistry (or biomedical engineering which you listed as a possibility). To be honest, any of these fields will require a chemistry background (maybe just a few classes) as a prerequisite. But don't go down the purely chemistry road.
Physics / astronomy --- again, this is almost entirely application of mathematics (at a higher level of course; lower level physics/astronomy courses will be largely descriptive and less analytical). Unless you want to become a physics teacher in high school, or eventually get a PhD in physics and teach in college, don't do physics. You're better off going into engineering which is where physics students usually end up if they aren't interested in the academic route. But if you are really passionate about physics and have a strong mathematics background I won't dissuade you from pursuing this option.
Law --- don't do it. You will be miserable for the rest of your life. The market is oversaturated with lawyers as it is.
Economics --- this is a "social science" which means that if you like science you will hate economics. I majored in economics, worst decision of my life. Most of the classes in the first 2 or 3 years you take can be learn from wikipedia. Higher level economics is basically simple calculus concepts. Econometrics is only one class, and that's more calculus and statistics than anything else. Again, it is very abstract at the higher level. But unlike engineering or physics, it's all a bunch of theory and concepts that have very few concrete applications apart from academia. Math is at the very least more interesting. And unless you're the chairman of the Federal Reserve you'd honestly be better off getting a degree in English.
You should probably choose between computer science and electrical / biomedical / biochemical engineering. Physics is an option if you're really passionate about it.
So you don't like economics, then. What if you went to a target school for banking recruitment, do you think it would be worthwhile then?
Also, I was under the impression that law was still lucrative if you went to a T7 or T14 school and did well there. Is that not the case anymore? The good thing about law admissions is that it seems pretty transparent in that they only care about GPA, LSAT, and demographics (afaik).
I don't want to pick anything just for the money (though money is good) because I think I could fall back on programming since I plan on studying CS in addition to something else. Though I do know that post Calc/LA classes are abstract and difficult I still want to give math a try, since I don't really know where I stand among math majors yet, only people from my city.
Thanks.
On February 02 2014 06:32 HaRuHi wrote:Show nested quote +I'm also afraid that I am simply good at computation and not creative problem solving I view the fields you listed as Math and applied Math. The latter defnitly requires a more common skillset, but you will encounter creative problem solving aswell. As for you type-A personality and competitiveness, choose math if you decide that the only competition that matters is the competition against yourself. That it does not matter if someone is better than you in that field, as long as you are the best variation of yourself. If you thrive on open competition, go for applied Math, and stay away from academia, it is, on the highest level, much more about cooperation than competition. While in the "industry" you can make much more money more easily, be competitiv and enjoy your type-A personality probably more. I would probably suggest either Law or Economics in that case. Your verbal skills will come in very handy going for law, you'd meet a lot of type-A personalities and live in a competitiv field. Economics are similar too law, you actually don't have to fear any creative problem solving and in the end it will come down to social engenieering more than anything else, making your achivements almost irrelevant (as for being the best while studying). The reason why I always pick Math over any subject are actually the female students, nowhere else will you find more beautiful, innocent and weird girls.
The thing about me is that I just like to win. So I do think that I could channel my competitiveness into a drive to improve myself regardless of others' skills, but I do accept that I will never be considered the most brilliant mathematician of my time. However, doesn't it matter how you stand against others in some regards? Who can publish the most papers, solve the most discussed open problems? By the way, I don't think I am bad at creative problem solving, I just don't have enough experience with it to definitively say anything.
On February 02 2014 07:17 MtlGuitarist97 wrote:
Picking a field of study because of women is the dumbest thing you could ever do. You only have one life; do what you love. If you don't wake up every day happy to go to work/learn, you're doing the wrong thing. Not everyone takes work seriously, but if you're seriously considering going to graduate school and investing that much into your education for that much of your life, do something you enjoy.
You may enjoy some kind of pharmaceutical, biomedical engineering, or even medical research related work. I know at Johns Hopkins they offer a minor in computer assisted surgery (which may be a nice balance b/t computer science and biology, assuming your school offers it). I have to agree that physics, chem, and math aren't particularly useful fields of study, but if you can find something that straddles the fields that you enjoy the most you'll get the most out of your education.
Don't worry, I'm not picking based on girls. I would love to meet girls that are interested in the same things that I am, but at the same time if a girl is nice, smart, and attractive I wouldn't care if she studied veterinary science or pharmacy. Though to be honest when it comes to starting a family I would like to be with a girl with an earning potential on par with mine. Still, girls in a major are just coincidental perks.
On February 02 2014 08:08 Mothra wrote:Show nested quote +On February 02 2014 07:17 MtlGuitarist97 wrote:
Picking a field of study because of women is the dumbest thing you could ever do. You only have one life; do what you love. If you don't wake up every day happy to go to work/learn, you're doing the wrong thing. Not everyone takes work seriously, but if you're seriously considering going to graduate school and investing that much into your education for that much of your life, do something you enjoy.
You may enjoy some kind of pharmaceutical, biomedical engineering, or even medical research related work. I know at Johns Hopkins they offer a minor in computer assisted surgery (which may be a nice balance b/t computer science and biology, assuming your school offers it). I have to agree that physics, chem, and math aren't particularly useful fields of study, but if you can find something that straddles the fields that you enjoy the most you'll get the most out of your education. lol I agree. This may be shocking news, but you're actually allowed to date people who are not studying the same thing as you. To the OP, maybe consider work/volunteer/travel. The more you know about yourself and the world, the better decisions you can make. Sometimes the most instructive things can be stuff you really hate... if you work a shitty job first, you will appreciate school a lot more.
I was thinking about tutoring during UG (though for $, I don't like volunteer tutoring because the students are uninterested and I hate it) and maybe studying at a European university for a bit. Is there anything in addition that you would recommend?
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Picking a field of study because of women is the dumbest thing you could ever do. You only have one life; do what you love.
I love doing women, math aint bad either  .
The thing about me is that I just like to win. So I do think that I could channel my competitiveness into a drive to improve myself regardless of others' skills, but I do accept that I will never be considered the most brilliant mathematician of my time. However, doesn't it matter how you stand against others in some regards? Who can publish the most papers, solve the most discussed open problems?
It always matters how you stand against others in some regards, it just is not the focus in academia and if you are not the most brilliant mathematician of your time, you not gonna solve the most discussed open problems, merely discuss them. However, it is defnitly a field in which success is measuarable, or more real, because it is more abstract. Law and economics are mushy in that regard at best, it is all about social skills, if you define success in money, stay away from academia^^.
I think you can excell and find happiness in any field. Sorry that does not help, thats why you should go by the women^^.
edit: One thing that might be helpful, I started out studying CS, but was really dissapointed by it (except for the theory). I found that it is easy to teach oneself the nessecary skills if you have a strong mathematical background and am able to do some work in that field now if I have to, but it is rather tedious, yet well paid, work.
edit 2: Oh yeah, you can find a lot of MIT and Stanford courses on youtube, to see how some of your courses could be, though robert sapolsky can probably make any field seem like the most interresting thing in the world^^.
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If you're serious about getting a PhD, don't go the STEM route. Though things may change in the 8-12 years it'd take for you to do it if you went straight BS > MS > PhD but as it stands now the job field is over-saturated and funding has declined lately. I'd recommend checking out biostatistics which gives you the opportunity to combine math and programming (ie., statistical software development via Julia, R, or Python) with still a 'harder' science than say psych, criminology, or sociology.
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On February 02 2014 11:25 Dknight wrote:
If you're serious about getting a PhD, don't go the STEM route. Though things may change in the 8-12 years it'd take for you to do it if you went straight BS > MS > PhD but as it stands now the job field is over-saturated and funding has declined lately. I'd recommend checking out biostatistics which gives you the opportunity to combine math and programming (ie., statistical software development via Julia, R, or Python) with still a 'harder' science than say psych, criminology, or sociology.
Are you saying not to get a PhD at all, or to get a PhD in the social sciences or humanities?
I don't want to just have a PhD so that I can call myself a doctor, I would like a PhD so that I could become really good at something that interests me.
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Do you have any big dream for what you want to do with your life? One of mine is to influence the progress of renewable energy. For that, Mechanical and Electrical engineering, Chemistry, and perhaps some Math would be good.
Other than that, no advice to give, except that if you want to be a DJ, don't drop out of school so you can have more time. You probably will have to spend the same 40 hour weeks as everyone else, while trying to be a DJ, and you'll be paid a lot less.
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If you have access to advising, perhaps instead of focusing on a field of STUDY and asking the question, "what degree shoud I get?" you could tell them what fields of WORK you're interested in, and they could tell you the related degree programs which allow you to position yourself with that type of work.
It just seems more logical to think this way coming from my experience of going to school "just because," dropping out to make music, realizing I still need money, and now considering what degree to undertake on my return from this perspective. Fortunately for me, if I were to go back to school, I chose the Mech.E. route the first time 'round, making my return thrust shorter than the average "hey I figured it out!" guy.
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On February 02 2014 11:25 Dknight wrote:
If you're serious about getting a PhD, don't go the STEM route. Though things may change in the 8-12 years it'd take for you to do it if you went straight BS > MS > PhD but as it stands now the job field is over-saturated and funding has declined lately. I'd recommend checking out biostatistics which gives you the opportunity to combine math and programming (ie., statistical software development via Julia, R, or Python) with still a 'harder' science than say psych, criminology, or sociology.
But this is true of most if not every field atm. From a purely practical POV, a PhD really isn't worth the effort you put into it (saying this as someone in a PhD program right now). On the other hand, if you like what you do ...
OP, I'd suggest just exploring ... it's good and all to have people tell you that you should do X or you should do Y and "I hate X because Z and you will too!" but in the end it's such an individual choice. Plus, you're going to hate at least one thing about whatever you end up doing, just depends on how much you weigh that hatred, so to speak.
Also when you're 17, you're basically trapped in a bubble where you don't consider less traditional paths, so it's hard to have much perspective unless you do a lot of exploring on your own (or talk to nontraditional peeps).
If you want my personal rec though, I'd totally say go for bio and become a field biologist (maybe an ornithologist).  Yeah, not useful at all, which just goes to show ... individual choice.
EDIT: And lol @ the guy who said that econ/law/lib arts attracts superficial people.
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Computer Science - if you are even half decent at this or enjoy it to some degree, you will very likely get a job. everyone wants cs majors, even companies that aren't cs focused. Even if you choose not to do cs, I highly recommend taking a few basic classes. It's a very sought after and needed skill. This is just an anecdote but my friend majored in poli sci, only took a few cs classes, yet is now working a cs related job. So technically his major did nothing but those few classes landed him the job.
Physics - liking physics a lot would be one thing. just being good at physics, however, is more indicative that you'd excel at (and enjoy) some kind of engineering than pure physics itself.
Biomedical engineering - okay, if my experience as a bioengineering student has taught me one thing, it's that this field is waaaay too diverse. You can take any other science, and apply it to medicine and engineering and you have a much more specific field. For example, I eventually found out I prefer biochemical engineering while I hate mechanobioengineering. Personally, I think bioengineering programs need some work to better prep students but it also depends if you know what you want to specialize in or not (you clearly don't atm). That said, technology continues to move toward incorporating all other sciences toward biomedical uses. It's a very promising and growing field, especially by the time you finish your degree(s). Particularly because it incorporates so many sciences together, it's really interesting for people who can't choose between engineering/biology/chem/etc. because you get to learn about basically all of it (which is also a problem because of the need to teach so much compared to other fields).
Medicine/Biology - don't do this. The majority of people going into this don't know what they're getting into and end up hating it or dropping out. The ones who stay really love this field or at least are willing to work hard enough to be a doctor. People like you who are thinking of several different options aside from biology/medicine are going to like something else far more than bio.
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There are intelligent people working on interesting puzzles in all of the fields you mentioned. But, your experience will likely be colored by your institution. Find a department with faculty and students whom you enjoy working with, and who support you. From what you've described about your background, you have that luxury.
Don't worry too much about getting ahead of your peers. Whatever advantages you gain in the short term will be immaterial over the time frame you're concerned with.
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Don't listen to people who say "don't do this."
You sound like a curious person… follow your interests, not the trends or the money.
I'm a biology PhD student, over saturated, bad job market, low pay, whatever… I love my work!
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On February 02 2014 12:31 hp.Shell wrote:
If you have access to advising, perhaps instead of focusing on a field of STUDY and asking the question, "what degree shoud I get?" you could tell them what fields of WORK you're interested in, and they could tell you the related degree programs which allow you to position yourself with that type of work.
It just seems more logical to think this way coming from my experience of going to school "just because," dropping out to make music, realizing I still need money, and now considering what degree to undertake on my return from this perspective. Fortunately for me, if I were to go back to school, I chose the Mech.E. route the first time 'round, making my return thrust shorter than the average "hey I figured it out!" guy.
The problem is that I don't want to go to college "just because" but that I am interested in so many things that it is hard for me to make a decision one way or another. Since I am not very artistic, nor blue-collared, I think I will get a college degree. Most things I'm interested in pay relatively well anyway, and like I posted previously, I am going to take a few CS classes at least, because I already know that I have potential with programming and software is a good fallback. Also, like I said, I may be interested in a PhD, so it may not be a great idea to focus on jobs over subject material.
On February 02 2014 13:05 babylon wrote:Show nested quote +On February 02 2014 11:25 Dknight wrote:
If you're serious about getting a PhD, don't go the STEM route. Though things may change in the 8-12 years it'd take for you to do it if you went straight BS > MS > PhD but as it stands now the job field is over-saturated and funding has declined lately. I'd recommend checking out biostatistics which gives you the opportunity to combine math and programming (ie., statistical software development via Julia, R, or Python) with still a 'harder' science than say psych, criminology, or sociology. But this is true of most if not every field atm. From a purely practical POV, a PhD really isn't worth the effort you put into it (saying this as someone in a PhD program right now). On the other hand, if you like what you do ... OP, I'd suggest just exploring ... it's good and all to have people tell you that you should do X or you should do Y and "I hate X because Z and you will too!" but in the end it's such an individual choice. Plus, you're going to hate at least one thing about whatever you end up doing, just depends on how much you weigh that hatred, so to speak. Also when you're 17, you're basically trapped in a bubble where you don't consider less traditional paths, so it's hard to have much perspective unless you do a lot of exploring on your own (or talk to nontraditional peeps). If you want my personal rec though, I'd totally say go for bio and become a field biologist (maybe an ornithologist). Yeah, not useful at all, which just goes to show ... individual choice. EDIT: And lol @ the guy who said that econ/law/lib arts attracts superficial people.
One of the reasons I opened this blog is just to hear what people like and dislike. Obviously I am going to be making MY choice for MYself, but I want to simultaneously hear about things that I don't know much about (such as BioE) and any potential negatives to things I am familiar with (medicine). I do hope to do exploring but currently with my living situation I really can't.
On February 02 2014 13:06 KazeHydra wrote:
Computer Science - if you are even half decent at this or enjoy it to some degree, you will very likely get a job. everyone wants cs majors, even companies that aren't cs focused. Even if you choose not to do cs, I highly recommend taking a few basic classes. It's a very sought after and needed skill. This is just an anecdote but my friend majored in poli sci, only took a few cs classes, yet is now working a cs related job. So technically his major did nothing but those few classes landed him the job.
Physics - liking physics a lot would be one thing. just being good at physics, however, is more indicative that you'd excel at (and enjoy) some kind of engineering than pure physics itself.
Biomedical engineering - okay, if my experience as a bioengineering student has taught me one thing, it's that this field is waaaay too diverse. You can take any other science, and apply it to medicine and engineering and you have a much more specific field. For example, I eventually found out I prefer biochemical engineering while I hate mechanobioengineering. Personally, I think bioengineering programs need some work to better prep students but it also depends if you know what you want to specialize in or not (you clearly don't atm). That said, technology continues to move toward incorporating all other sciences toward biomedical uses. It's a very promising and growing field, especially by the time you finish your degree(s). Particularly because it incorporates so many sciences together, it's really interesting for people who can't choose between engineering/biology/chem/etc. because you get to learn about basically all of it (which is also a problem because of the need to teach so much compared to other fields).
Medicine/Biology - don't do this. The majority of people going into this don't know what they're getting into and end up hating it or dropping out. The ones who stay really love this field or at least are willing to work hard enough to be a doctor. People like you who are thinking of several different options aside from biology/medicine are going to like something else far more than bio.
Good to hear about CS. Regarding physics, I do like it, though in a field that is probably one of the most interesting and thus probably one of the most competitive (space exploration and stuff). I REALLY hope that I end up going to Caltech since they have a ton of physics professors doing work with NASA. It would be an amazing opportunity to be able to work with some of them.
I think that I would like biochemical engineering too! My parents are pharmacists so I've been around drug discussions and pharmaceutical info and doctors all my life. Because of the way drug patents work, it seems very lucrative to get into something like drug design, protein synthesis, delivery mechanisms, etc. One thing I have heard, however, is that a lot of bioE students are also premed and that premeds are not typically the most academically curious students and are often competitive in a bad way (not helping, even sabotaging). Are these kinds of people prevalent in your experience? Also, what are job prospects like for BioE majors with only a BSE?
On February 02 2014 13:37 SlayerS_BoxxY wrote:
Don't listen to people who say "don't do this."
You sound like a curious person… follow your interests, not the trends or the money.
I'm a biology PhD student, over saturated, bad job market, low pay, whatever… I love my work!
Hehe one of my interests is also money, though I'm not a material person so I don't need a ton per se. I've come into contact with biology postdocs and they seem simultaneously chill and stressed, if that makes sense. One of the problems about being curious, though, is that I can't study everything. I laid out a theoretical first semester college schedule for all the classes I wanted/had to take at a random uni and it totaled up to 22 hours with 3 hours of lab, which people... don't recommend for freshmen (though my dad something close to this and was fine). It's just so hard to eliminate choices.
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On February 02 2014 06:32 HaRuHi wrote:Show nested quote +I'm also afraid that I am simply good at computation and not creative problem solving I view the fields you listed as Math and applied Math. The latter defnitly requires a more common skillset, but you will encounter creative problem solving aswell. As for you type-A personality and competitiveness, choose math if you decide that the only competition that matters is the competition against yourself. That it does not matter if someone is better than you in that field, as long as you are the best variation of yourself. If you thrive on open competition, go for applied Math, and stay away from academia, it is, on the highest level, much more about cooperation than competition. While in the "industry" you can make much more money more easily, be competitiv and enjoy your type-A personality probably more. I would probably suggest either Law or Economics in that case. Your verbal skills will come in very handy going for law, you'd meet a lot of type-A personalities and live in a competitiv field. Economics are similar too law, you actually don't have to fear any creative problem solving and in the end it will come down to social engenieering more than anything else, making your achivements almost irrelevant (as for being the best while studying). The reason why I always pick Math over any subject are actually the female students, nowhere else will you find more beautiful, innocent and weird girls.
Finding girls in math classes LAMO
At which uni do u go to everyones knows all the chicks are in psychology and in poli science
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On February 02 2014 14:09 Darkren wrote:Show nested quote +On February 02 2014 06:32 HaRuHi wrote:I'm also afraid that I am simply good at computation and not creative problem solving I view the fields you listed as Math and applied Math. The latter defnitly requires a more common skillset, but you will encounter creative problem solving aswell. As for you type-A personality and competitiveness, choose math if you decide that the only competition that matters is the competition against yourself. That it does not matter if someone is better than you in that field, as long as you are the best variation of yourself. If you thrive on open competition, go for applied Math, and stay away from academia, it is, on the highest level, much more about cooperation than competition. While in the "industry" you can make much more money more easily, be competitiv and enjoy your type-A personality probably more. I would probably suggest either Law or Economics in that case. Your verbal skills will come in very handy going for law, you'd meet a lot of type-A personalities and live in a competitiv field. Economics are similar too law, you actually don't have to fear any creative problem solving and in the end it will come down to social engenieering more than anything else, making your achivements almost irrelevant (as for being the best while studying). The reason why I always pick Math over any subject are actually the female students, nowhere else will you find more beautiful, innocent and weird girls. Finding girls in math classes LAMO At which uni do u go to everyones knows all the chicks are in psychology and in poli science
I know...it's so true. I'm in fourth year and there may be 1-3 males in the class with 20 females, even in neurobiology and neuroscience. Lots of people in my psych classes say they're going into education.
I've been taking several comp sci courses over the degree along with my own projects on the side. Anyone know of any cross over between Psych, Comp Sci, and Philosophy?
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Psych is definitely the place to go for the girls. There was a ratio of like 8:1 at my old uni.
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EPT
