Academic endeavors

like a Boss

Well, I'm going to keep trying. (To keep this thread both on and off topic, it seems.)

Anyone else who's in higher education and want to share something about what they're up to?

Nope

( sorry, couldnt resist )

I am still learning how to make an omelette if that's any help?

I got a $1500 research grant when I was an undergraduate for a project that was basically my senior thesis (though a thesis wasn't required for my program).  Unfortunately my personal life basically dissolved in the middle of that period and even though they gave me another year to work on it the project never really came through as I had initially imagined it might.  But considering that I didn't want to do it in the first place and only applied for the money out of a misplaced sense of obligation I think it was okay.

I guess my point is that I hope your thesis experience goes better than my did!  The prospect of enduring such a project again is one of the factors that keeps me wary of graduate school, but I'd like to think that my experience was an atypical one, for everyone else's sake.

I think there is something very true about that. If you are seriously going to study something your heart has to be in it. Oh, you can scrape through fine with passing grades just for fun. There's nothing wrong with that, really. But if you are going to spend a substantial chunk of your life on something, it helps that your heart is in it.

I kind of went through that when I lived in Trondheim. I was studying and getting really good grades considering how little time and effort I spent on it, but I didn't really feel that this was what I was supposed to be doing, so I quit. It's odd to think about it now. My kinda sorta best friend when I lived there is writing her doctorate now. I do wonder if I would be doing that to if I had stuck with it and applied myself..

Ah.. the roads not taken..

I was so burned out on academics when I graduated, in part due to pressure to apply for prestigious graduate scholarships from both my mom and professors who wanted glory for the school, that I wanted nothing to do with graduate school at all.  I do think about it occasionally nowadays but I don't really know for sure what I'd want to study, and it's such a commitment of time and money that as you say, I don't want to jump in unless I'm sure it's what I want.

I occasionally miss the rigor and detail you get studying in college, but being away from the stress helped me remember why I liked poli sci in the first place, so at this point I'm feeling that if/when I go back I'll probably focus more on something that improves career/earning prospects and leave the subjects I enjoy to be pursued as hobbies.

It definitely doesn't hurt to wait a few years. Although this depends on the person, of course. Going into being a student with the financial stability having worked a few years certainly helps with dealing with the financial hardships most students go through. Also I think it helps to let yourself mature a bit. I'm a bit of a hopeless case, but I'm not sure I ever felt up for this course until this semester. Actually, I might have been better off starting to study now.

Take a few years, and when you feel ready and really want to apply yourself to something, then do it. I don't think that's necessarily a bad idea at all.

Also, if you're worried abut the financial side you could always take your degree here, or somewhere like Scotland, where the studying side at least is free.

Free even for non-citizens?

Yup.

Yeah, Norc has encouraged me to look at universities in Norway before too. I don't want to move too far away from my family at this point but it's definitely worth keeping Europe in mind.

Going back to school for free would be a nifty retirement plan. School is a lot of fun when there's no pressure to succeed. Doubt if schools would accept geezers for free though. Sure I'd still be paying room and board, but if I had time (and stored up funds) to sit in on free coursework, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

I went to college with a couple of people (at a state school here in MD) who were attending for free because they were in-state retirees over the age of 60.

teach me norwegian. i will come to norway.

I always disliked the older students in college. I'm talking middle aged people going back to school. They'd always sit in the front row and ask obnoxious questions and try to be buddy-buddy with the prof.

Well, you have to pay your own room and board, or rather supply and cover your own as fjordlandian universities aren't live in. But the teaching, examinations and everything are practically free.

And we have a lot of courses in english.

i want to live there. it is so beautiful. it's like new zealand without all the pj baggage.

bungobaggins wrote:I always disliked the older students in college. I'm talking middle aged people going back to school. They'd always sit in the front row and ask obnoxious questions and try to be buddy-buddy with the prof.

Oi you!

us oldies know its wise to get your tutor boozed up and photographed in compromising positions with a traffic cone.

that actually happened by the way.

bungobaggins wrote:I always disliked the older students in college. I'm talking middle aged people going back to school. They'd always sit in the front row and ask obnoxious questions and try to be buddy-buddy with the prof.

I know the type but I found a lot of regular aged students like that too. It is annoying as hell, though. And I say this as someone who was friendly with some of my professors; it's the tryhard shit that I couldn't stand.

As you might know I am in community college studying SubSea-engineering, but I am not sure I've chosen right... Or in another way, I just don't think this is the thing I want to do the rest of my life.
So what I am considering is changing my field of study (and the place im studying) to this: https://uit.no/utdanning/program?p_document_id=282393 at University of Tromsoe. It is basically a 5 year integrated masters in space physics. So when I'm done, I'll be a space engineer!

Well, it's always a big decision deciding to switch tracks. But if it what you feel is right, you should go for it. Moving to a new city is always a big deal though, and you have to consider you might loose touch with a lot of the people you've just gotten to know. Obviously you'll meet new people at your new course too. But I don't think it's stressed enough how important good friends are to student life. If you've made some great friends they might be reason enough to stick around for in themselves.

Space physics sounds cool though.

huffjuff wrote:As you might know I am in community college studying SubSea-engineering, but I am not sure I've chosen right... Or in another way, I just don't think this is the thing I want to do the rest of my life.
So what I am considering is changing my field of study (and the place im studying) to this: https://uit.no/utdanning/program?p_document_id=282393 at University of Tromsoe. It is basically a 5 year integrated masters in space physics. So when I'm done, I'll be a space engineer!

wowzer dunno what that is but it sounds cool and Star trekky.