Academic Advice

[D. Wellington]

I would like to hear any advice the college-veterans might have for their younger counterparts concerning their pursuit for a college degree. What would you do differently if given the opportunity to go back to school? How would you approach your studies? Would you be more degree specific, or broaden your area of study? Would you have studied abroad? Or possibly given more of your free time to internships, or volunteer opportunities? Thank you for your replies!

[CharonY]

I would actually focus less on the study topics upon entering grad school and network more (or rather train myself in networking). Also I would have though harder about the requirements and necessities to get a science job. If I wanted a industrial job, a focused internships or equivalent may have been an option.

[DrRocket]

I would like to hear any advice the college-veterans might have for their younger counterparts concerning their pursuit for a college degree. What would you do differently if given the opportunity to go back to school? How would you approach your studies? Would you be more degree specific, or broaden your area of study? Would you have studied abroad? Or possibly given more of your free time to internships, or volunteer opportunities? Thank you for your replies!

 

If you are studying a subject that interests you, pursue it as far as you are able.

 

If your interest is solely n making money, go to work.

[CaptainPanic]

I would do nothing different.

 

My chemical engineering degree prepared me very well for the working life. I always made sure to understand the topics I was studying, rather than just memorizing the books.

I actually did some studying abroad (I really recommend that!). I had a healthy combination of studying and social life ('social networking'), and also worked a bit for the equivalent of the faculty's student union at times. I always made sure to travel in summertime to 'broaden my horizon'. And usually had a parttime job to pay for my holidays and/or other expenses.

[Chalky]

If you want to go into science, do lots of maths and physics, regardless of your eventual aim. It's much easier to switch from a mathematical to a more conceptual science than vice versa. However, all sciences involve an element of maths at their highest level, so being taught "conceptually" (my experience with subjects like biology) doesn't prepare you for the top end of that science.

[Marat]

Although the social and economic design of the world requires people to specialize in some particular area of study and develop an expertise in it, this is highly unnatural, since everyone is inwardly aware that he could have been an actor, a soldier, a butler, a chemist, an engineer, or a war criminal, given the right circumstances and influences. Essentially you have to tell yourself a lie about yourself to pretend you 'are' just one thing or the other.

 

Keeping this in mind, always try to broaden your academic foundation in preparation for future changes of direction.

[mississippichem]

I think its always good to develop a side subject that you have reasonable knowledge of. A lot of work environments are interdisciplinary these days. If you major in physics, chemistry, or biology its always a good idea to brush up on knowledge of one of the other two. Not to be an expert in both necessarily, but to have a working knowledge in order to communicate with other people and understand to some degree.

 

Taking extra math classes is always a good idea as well.