Am I insane for minoring in political science? My degree will be a bachelor's in science - mathematical physics, and although I really love theoretical physics, I'd like to do some work in science policy before I go onto a higher degree. Since I haven't checked in a while, what programs are all you old-timers in? New people, what are your plans?

Do Comp Sci, all the awesome guys (i.e. me) do it :D

That reminds me of what happened when I was choosing my courses. I need a last half course, and by that point I was so frustrated that a lot of my considered options weren't possible. I said to the advisor: "Just give me any course, I don't care anymore." Advisor: "Well, there's a computer sci-" Me: "NOOOO! Not computer science. Not happening."

That got me a lot of funny looks.

RCB wrote:Am I insane for minoring in political science? My degree will be a bachelor's in science - mathematical physics, and although I really love theoretical physics, I'd like to do some work in science policy before I go onto a higher degree.

I'm doing a double environmental science/bio-archaeological anthropology (well, there's a 50/50 chance I'll quit and try to run away to animation school, but that's a different topic). I'm not allowed to judge. Definitely do some science policy stuff though, currently our government flat out ignores any and all science they are presented with on any issue. Might be nice to have someone sensible out there.

After a bachelor's, I have no idea what I'm doing. Was I supposed to have a plan or something?

Captain Internets wrote:Do Comp Sci, all the awesome guys (i.e. me) do it :D

Always good choice.

Anyways, RCB, in Canada, a political degree is a decent minor. in terms of job opportunities. Not so much a bachelor in science, though your field is a bit better than a general science degree. Jobs seeing that degree will not put you high on the priority list if we're just looking at that degree, and no other factor on your application.

I'm planning to do engineering at Waterloo. With their co-op, there should be a decent plan for me after.

FuzzyLobster wrote:environmental science/bio-archaeological anthropology

That is the most specific degree title I have ever seen. (Not the weirdest combination, though. That goes to a degree I saw listed in the clearing section of a newspaper a decade or so ago in Geology and Neuroscience.)


I finished my physics degree a year ago and got the heck out of uni.

Eh it depends. I know of a few crazy people who are business majors but then go ahead and take all the prerequisite sciences to apply for med school. Or major in something ridiculously liberal artsy and then minor in one of the engineering fields.

As for me, I'm a math major. :)

---

(And econ minor.)

Nero wrote:

Captain Internets wrote:Do Comp Sci, all the awesome guys (i.e. me) do it :D

Always good choice.

Anyways, RCB, in Canada, a political degree is a decent minor. in terms of job opportunities. Not so much a bachelor in science, though your field is a bit better than a general science degree. Jobs seeing that degree will not put you high on the priority list if we're just looking at that degree, and no other factor on your application.

I'm planning to do engineering at Waterloo. With their co-op, there should be a decent plan for me after.

Ohey, I go there, and I know a lot of engineering bigwigs if you want to network. What sort of engineering?

Being from Ottawa, I recognize how useful political science is, but my end goal is eventually continuing in physics.

rubberchickenben wrote:

Nero wrote:

Captain Internets wrote:Do Comp Sci, all the awesome guys (i.e. me) do it :D

Always good choice.

Anyways, RCB, in Canada, a political degree is a decent minor. in terms of job opportunities. Not so much a bachelor in science, though your field is a bit better than a general science degree. Jobs seeing that degree will not put you high on the priority list if we're just looking at that degree, and no other factor on your application.

I'm planning to do engineering at Waterloo. With their co-op, there should be a decent plan for me after.

Ohey, I go there, and I know a lot of engineering bigwigs if you want to network. What sort of engineering?

Being from Ottawa, I recognize how useful political science is, but my end goal is eventually continuing in physics.

Hopefully chemical engineering.

Ahh, I see. I forgot you were from Ottawa.

Sentynel wrote:I finished my physics degree a year ago and got the heck out of uni.

^ After months of saying he didn't want to enter the real world and was going to go postgrad no less

Sentynel wrote:

FuzzyLobster wrote:environmental science/bio-archaeological anthropology

That is the most specific degree title I have ever seen. (Not the weirdest combination, though. That goes to a degree I saw listed in the clearing section of a newspaper a decade or so ago in Geology and Neuroscience.)


I finished my physics degree a year ago and got the heck out of uni.

Ah yes. What do you do now? Programming an empire?

Captain Internets wrote:^ After months of saying he didn't want to enter the real world and was going to go postgrad no less

I saw the error of my ways.

Mwamba wrote:Ah yes. What do you do now? Programming an empire?

Something like that, yes.

As it turns out, it's a good thing I didn't take computer science. I was talking to some one who just had their first lab; it was about file transfer. Even I can do that!

Sentynel wrote:That is the most specific degree title I have ever seen. (Not the weirdest combination, though. That goes to a degree I saw listed in the clearing section of a newspaper a decade or so ago in Geology and Neuroscience.)

Yeah, my uni likes very specific degree titles. The two majors have no actual relation to each other, but I have a short attention span.

Nero wrote:I'm planning to do engineering at Waterloo. With their co-op, there should be a decent plan for me after.

I was thinking about engineering, but me and math have issues with each other. Plus I'd need to catch up on all the physics courses I didn't take. Just curious, what are you doing right now?

Sentynel wrote:

Mwamba wrote:Ah yes. What do you do now? Programming an empire?

Something like that, yes.

What, no evil laugh?

While we're on the subject, what's everyone's thoughts regarding grad school?

FuzzyLobster wrote:

Sentynel wrote:

Mwamba wrote:Ah yes. What do you do now? Programming an empire?

Something like that, yes.

What, no evil laugh?

It's a serious error to get all hung up on the evil laughter before you have an evil empire to laugh about, you know. Distracts focus.

FuzzyLobster wrote:

Nero wrote:I'm planning to do engineering at Waterloo. With their co-op, there should be a decent plan for me after.

I was thinking about engineering, but me and math have issues with each other. Plus I'd need to catch up on all the physics courses I didn't take. Just curious, what are you doing right now?

Still in high school.

I am currently doing my masters in biomedical genetics. I am in my last year and from January to June next year I would have to work on a research project in any of the labs in India. After that, I am planning to do a PhD. In the field of genetics only. Currently I am giving exams to get admission to US colleges. (So hopefully by August 2013 I will be there.) My alternate plan is doing PhD from India only. (In case I don't get into a good college in the US or the fees are too high.) If I don't get into a good college for PhD in India, I would take up a JRF (Junior Research Fellowship) position. Or take a year gap and try to give the PhD entrance exams again. Or try and get a job as a genetic counselor somewhere. If I get into a good PhD programme, I would finish it and settle for a job as a researcher or might consider doing a Post Doc.
^^ My whole career plan.

My views on grad school are ambivalent (and I speak from experience). It all totally depends on the type of person you are. And on the kind of job you want. But mostly on the former.

Wow n&b is so much more distinguished than everyone else

rubberchickenben wrote:Wow n&b is so much more distinguished than everyone else

No I am mostly elder than everyone else. :P

Nero wrote:I'm planning to do engineering at Waterloo. With their co-op, there should be a decent plan for me after.

Nooo go to UfT, we're so cool. The engineering program does a flash mob in the first test every year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8majjGwwDZY

Waterloo-UfT pranks are the funniest.

Luciene wrote:

Nero wrote:I'm planning to do engineering at Waterloo. With their co-op, there should be a decent plan for me after.

Nooo go to UfT, we're so cool. The engineering program does a flash mob in the first test every year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8majjGwwDZY

Ya I saw that from before. That was great.