What college do you go to and what is your major?

Page 2 of 7 [ 97 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ... 7 Next

Previous topic | Next topic

Phagocyte
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 15 Oct 2007
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,757

11 Mar 2008, 5:35 pm

I attend Rutgers University, and my major is Biology. I am considering a minor in mathematics or physics.

_________________
Un-ban Chever! Viva La Revolucion!

singularitymadam
Sea Gull

Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Posts: 213
Location: I live in a Mad Max movie. It's not as fun as it sounds.

11 Mar 2008, 7:25 pm

Phagocyte wrote:

I attend Rutgers University, and my major is Biology. I am considering a minor in mathematics or physics.

Impressive. My father's rabbi earned his degree in physics from Rutgers. Good luck!

I attend University of Central Florida, because I do not feel like paying rent in addition to tuition. I sort of had to create my own major. Technically, it is Interdisciplinary Studies, but I am really going for a degree in Cognitive Science.

Malachi_Rothschild
Deinonychus

Joined: 4 Aug 2007
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 375

11 Mar 2008, 7:32 pm

I was enrolled in the Bachelor's of Jewish Studies program at Hebrew College in Newton, MA and will be returning there once I move again.

Tim_Tex
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 2 Jul 2004
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Posts: 46,150
Location: Houston, Texas

11 Mar 2008, 7:54 pm

wolphin wrote:

UT Austin is probably the one more well known and prestigious and such outside of texas. Other things like state funding, total endowment, endowment per student, professor pedigrees, research funding, tradition and people's perceptions (it is very hard and slow to change people's opinions of universities) and of course athletics influence that kind of thing.

Of course, none of that might have any bearing at all on whether UTD or UTA is better for any particular student. Certainly scholarship/financial aid/money was a significant factor in where I chose to go, as was location and environment, in addition to academics.

By UTA, you mean UT Austin, right? (UTA is the abbreviation for UT Arlington as well).

_________________
Who’s better at math than a robot? They’re made of math!

Awesomelyglorious
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 17 Dec 2005
Gender: Male
Posts: 13,157
Location: Omnipresent

11 Mar 2008, 10:02 pm

Orwell wrote:

I know of UTD and its location. UTD would not be in a bad area I don't think. I am not sure how close it is to civilization but it is not unreasonable at least, as well Dallas is a modern city and probably just a bit more conservative than the rest of the population.

Quote:

EDIT: Is UTD considered to be inferior to UT Austin? I've seen the rankings claim that UTA is better, but if you look simply at the statistics of incoming freshmen, UTD seems to attract a more talented student body.

UTD is considered inferior, however, it has a lot of potential for growth as you note from the incoming freshmen. They have only had an undergraduate program since the 90s so, they might really change. It is not a bad choice to look at.

Phagocyte
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 15 Oct 2007
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,757

12 Mar 2008, 4:32 pm

singularitymadam wrote:

I attend University of Central Florida, because I do not feel like paying rent in addition to tuition. I sort of had to create my own major. Technically, it is Interdisciplinary Studies, but I am really going for a degree in Cognitive Science.

Cognitive Science? That's fascinating. I assume that's a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding cognition, with neuroscience, philosophy, right? Sounds tough, but extremely rewarding.

I'm interested in the brain as well, I've actually just gotten a research position under my university's neurobiologist. We'll be working on problems concerning how the mammalian brain processes visual perception.

_________________
Un-ban Chever! Viva La Revolucion!

singularitymadam
Sea Gull

Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Posts: 213
Location: I live in a Mad Max movie. It's not as fun as it sounds.

12 Mar 2008, 10:07 pm

Phagocyte wrote:

Cognitive Science? That's fascinating. I assume that's a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding cognition, with neuroscience, philosophy, right? Sounds tough, but extremely rewarding.

Correct. It actually encompasses more than that: computer science and AI, neuroscience, biology, philosophy, linguistics, engineering, and psychology. And yes, I am so excited.

Phagocyte wrote:

I'm interested in the brain as well, I've actually just gotten a research position under my university's neurobiologist. We'll be working on problems concerning how the mammalian brain processes visual perception.

I assume this means you will also be studying recognition; tremendously intriguing field, especially when you consider all that can go wrong.

How is the brain not interesting?

I assume everyone would want to understand what goes on between their ears, but perhaps that's just my distorted impression of people.

Phagocyte
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 15 Oct 2007
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,757

12 Mar 2008, 10:48 pm

singularitymadam wrote:

I assume this means you will also be studying recognition; tremendously intriguing field, especially when you consider all that can go wrong.

Sort of, the actual field is neuroethology, though I only have a vague sense of the research we'll be tackling. I have a good deal of reading and studying to do that he assigned before I can step into the lab after Spring break.

Quote:

How is the brain not interesting?

I assume everyone would want to understand what goes on between their ears, but perhaps that's just my distorted impression of people.

You know, one would think. However, I have been disturbed by the number of people I have talked to that have demonstrated utter apathy towards most scientific subjects. It's a pity.

_________________
Un-ban Chever! Viva La Revolucion!

Odin
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 12 Oct 2006
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,475
Location: Moorhead, Minnesota, USA

12 Mar 2008, 11:43 pm

I currently go to Minnesota State University Moorhead majoring in Biochemistry with a minor in Zoology. If I can I'd like to go on to grad school and get a Ph.D. in Microbiology, Paleontology, or Neuroscience.

_________________
My Blog: My Autistic Life

wolphin
Velociraptor

Joined: 15 Aug 2007
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Posts: 465

13 Mar 2008, 4:34 am

singularitymadam wrote:

Phagocyte wrote:

Cognitive Science? That's fascinating. I assume that's a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding cognition, with neuroscience, philosophy, right? Sounds tough, but extremely rewarding.

Correct. It actually encompasses more than that: computer science and AI, neuroscience, biology, philosophy, linguistics, engineering, and psychology. And yes, I am so excited.

Wow, that's really cool. I know a couple of people that would *love* to do that major, but alas, where I go doesn't let you design your own.

What are your plans for the future? Grad school/phd? With that background I can imagine a number of places would be very interested.

(and yeah, when I said "UTA" I meant UT Austin. I'm not from Texas, sorry, so I didn't realize there could be an ambiguity

)

singularitymadam
Sea Gull

Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Posts: 213
Location: I live in a Mad Max movie. It's not as fun as it sounds.

13 Mar 2008, 3:04 pm

wolphin wrote:

What are your plans for the future? Grad school/phd? With that background I can imagine a number of places would be very interested.

Definitely grad school, most likely a Ph.D. What do you mean, a lot of places would be interested? I'm not aware of any jobs I could get with this degree... I'm just studying what I enjoy.

Phagocyte: How on earth did you get a research position at your age? I'm so jealous.

Tim_Tex
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 2 Jul 2004
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Posts: 46,150
Location: Houston, Texas

13 Mar 2008, 3:08 pm

Orwell wrote:

Awesomelyglorious wrote:

Orwell wrote:

Is Texas a nice place to be? I'm somewhat considering a school in Texas, but I'm not sure what to expect from the Lone Star State.

Yes, it is a nice place to be. Especially depending on what part you are looking at. Really though, few states are completely scummed up. What school were you thinking of? Rice, SMU, Texas A&M, UT? I've lived a lot of my life in Texas so I will probably know some things about the places you would think of.

UT Dallas, they are my best option financially. They became obsessed with recruiting National Merit Scholars a few years ago, so they would actually pay me to attend. I believe they are actually located in Richardson, despite what their name would suggest.

EDIT: Is UTD considered to be inferior to UT Austin? I've seen the rankings claim that UTA is better, but if you look simply at the statistics of incoming freshmen, UTD seems to attract a more talented student body.

I've heard that about UTD being in Richardson.

_________________
Who’s better at math than a robot? They’re made of math!

Tim_Tex
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 2 Jul 2004
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Posts: 46,150
Location: Houston, Texas

13 Mar 2008, 3:09 pm

As far as schools in texas go, I think the admissions department at the University of Houston is very unreliable.

_________________
Who’s better at math than a robot? They’re made of math!

Phagocyte
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 15 Oct 2007
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,757

13 Mar 2008, 4:47 pm

singularitymadam wrote:

Phagocyte: How on earth did you get a research position at your age? I'm so jealous.

It's strictly on a volunteer-basis, and as a freshman I have a lot to learn.

It sort of fell into place; I expressed an interest in the professor's area of study, and that was really all it took. I have a rudimentary understanding of neuron function, though I have to study quite a bit before I am competent to help him approach the research problem. I don't believe his area of research is really that popular compared to some of the other professors (there's a zoologist whose research regularly appears on nature specials and in magazine articles), so there wasn't any competition. I'm a pretty average student, so all that was really required was my interest.

Another thing I like about his field is that he's also done work in theoretical biology, and from the looks of it our research will take a more quantitative slant than other areas of biology. I'm actually toying with the idea of changing my major to mathematics while studying biology as a minor, my interest being on it's theoretical aspects.

singularitymadam, I have a question for you concerning your major. I hope this doesn't come off the wrong way, but how do you manage to study such a wide variety of subjects without spreading yourself too thin? This has me very curious, and I admire people who can effectively multitask.

_________________
Un-ban Chever! Viva La Revolucion!

Last edited by Phagocyte on 13 Mar 2008, 4:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

BenYoung
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

Joined: 12 Jan 2008
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Posts: 62

13 Mar 2008, 4:50 pm

[quote="singularitymadamWhat do you mean, a lot of places would be interested? I'm not aware of any jobs I could get with this degree... I'm just studying what I enjoy.[/quote]
Your field is excellent preparation for computer programming, particularly AI.
(I say that based on my own experience, which includes philosophy and programming.)

_________________
The Devil he looked at the mangled Soul that prayed to feel the flame,
And he thought of Holy Charity, but he thought of his own good name: --

singularitymadam
Sea Gull

Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Posts: 213
Location: I live in a Mad Max movie. It's not as fun as it sounds.

13 Mar 2008, 5:20 pm

Phagocyte wrote:

It sort of fell into place; I expressed an interest in the professor's area of study, and that was really all it took.

It sounds like that professor will be a lot of fun to work with

Phagocyte wrote:

...how do you manage to study such a wide variety of subjects without spreading yourself too thin? This has me very curious, and I admire people who can effectively multitask.

I am not so good at multitasking, and I wouldn't want to be. From what I understand of the field, most cognitive scientists choose one or two fields of expertise, but learn enough of the others to effectively apply their knowledge (one of my professors became interested in cognitive science after he took a philosophy class as a computer science major). A few go far outside even this broad range of subjects, like researchers who study social insect behavior and apply it to robots. Because it is such a multi-disciplinary field, I doubt any one contributor is expected to study each part in great detail. Rather, it's almost like they all got together and had a party saying to each other, "let's figure out how to make machines more like people."

You might like this, actually: "Becoming a scientist is less a matter of learning a set of laws than it is a matter of mastering the details of the prototypical applications of the relevant resources in such a way that one can recognize and generate further applications of a relatively similar kind." -Paul Churchland, "On the Nature of Theories: A Neurocomputational Perspective"

Page 2 of 7 [ 97 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ... 7 Next

Jump to:

What college do you go to and what is your major? Post Reply New Topic

What college do you go to and what is your major?