University/College subjects

[combo_dude]

I'm in the process of applying to university in England - I'm planning on reading Classics. I'd be interested to know (as a rough guess) what subjects people did/are doing/are going to do at Uni, preferably why as well. There's all this talk about law, science, maths majors, so I figured why not actually find out properly?

Not too bothered about where they went/are as the system here is different to most other countries, unless anyone has contacts at Cambridge that would make the interview a breeze.  :lol:

For example, I want to do Classics because:
a) It's really diverse - you can look at a whole range of cultural aspects - sure there's language and literature, but there's the architecture, politics, history etc. to consider too.
b) I LOVE epic poetry, and being able to study the three originals in so much depth is awesome.
c) So Much Good Literature. Tragedy, comedy, history, epic, mythology - anything, really.
d) You get a reasonably interesting/eccentric load of people doing it, normally.

Adam

[JDawg13]

I'm a Actuarial Mathematics major over here in the states.  For those of you unfamiliar with the course of study, it's basically your typical mathematics major, with a focus on the more probabilistic studies.  A lot of actuaries end up working for insurance companies determining what a person should be given for a policy, given their lifestyle.

Anyway, I settled on this major as I absolutely love working with numbers.  Math has always been my favorite subject in school from the very beginning.  The math class I took in my senior year of high school sealed the deal for me; we spent all year doing projects involving real-life problems with statistics, etc.  I absolutely loved it and at that point I knew I wanted to work with numbers for a living.  The fact that actuaries make lots of money doesn't hurt either.  

[wonkey_donkey]

Anyway, I settled on this major as I absolutely love working with numbers.  Math has always been my favorite subject in school from the very beginning.  The math class I took in my senior year of high school sealed the deal for me; we spent all year doing projects involving real-life problems with statistics, etc.  I absolutely loved it and at that point I knew I wanted to work with numbers for a living.  The fact that actuaries make lots of money doesn't hurt either.  

I enjoy maths, but I can't stand doing the applied stuff. I'm doing some pure maths stuff and loving it at the moment, but the statistics sends me to sleep! I've done a little bit of work experience at an actuarial firm, though, and most of the stuff I did wasn't the number-crunching that expected it to be, which was a nice change.

Having said all that, I'm in the process of applying for PPE - philosophy, politics and economics. The courses look fantastic, and its one of the few truly diverse courses that I could find. It appeals to me as it makes you think, helps if you have a logical mind, and is very theoretical. Also my essays are always very rhetorical, which you can get away with when doing philosophy .

Tom

[rvs]

I'm doing Business Studies (Somewhat like Business Administration, only... not). Basicly, it's an international management training program kind of thing, and it's pretty interesting. What I specifically like is the teamwork that is really at the heart of the whole thing.

I started doing that because I had no clue and figured I had to do something.

Even though classics sounds interesting, your d) reason would actually be a turn-off for me, but hey, whatever you like is fine with me

[Pyromaniac]

Morefling likes the 2 hours of college a week even more, but besides that

I just finished my bachelor's degree in Chemistry

[Moxlotus]

I'm majoring in Biochemistry.  I've always loved chemistry because you BURN SHIT and MAKE EXPLOSIVES!!!  I'm doing biochem rather than chem because biochem has classes required for dental school in its major.  If I was a chem major I would have to use elective hours for stuff like cell and molecular biology, biochemstry and genetics.

[Mixing Mike]

Music major's aren't very useful...

[theorigamist]

I'm at UChicago studying applied mathematics, but I'm also in a premed program, and I'll probably go for a MDPhD.  I like the idea of going into something like scientific research (possibly medical), but I don't really want to become a doctor.  I'd be happy enough as a research professor or something.

[TracerBullet]

I'm at UCLA, studying History and Political Science, with a minor in English.  Basically, I study everything that has happened, everything that is happening, and try to figure out what will happen.

[wonkey_donkey]

I'm at UCLA, studying History and Political Science, with a minor in English.  Basically, I study everything that has happened, everything that is happening, and try to figure out what will happen.

That sounds like a seriously cool course, actually .

I'm vaguely surprised so far, despite Bram's demography poll things, at how many people are university or near-university age. I thought most people would be a bit older or a bit younger. Meh.

Has everyone here always known what they've wanted to do at uni and afterwards? I'm fairly sure I want to be a teacher when I leave uni, but I'm not sure what I want to teach (hence the really broad course)! This kind of applies to people who are doing maths, as it was a big consideration of mine for a long time - I decided it wasn't open enough, especially since I'm interested in the really abstract stuff and not too much else on that front. I like writing philosophy essays, too, as you can often just say what comes into your head as long as its coherent with whatever else you've said!

Tom

[Matt]

I'm doing pure mathematics at UT-Austin. I'm probably going to work for some consulting firm or possibly the National Energy Regulatory Commission.

[Machinus]

Hoping to finish with both Grad Physics and Pure Math bachelors. Having lots of trouble with the quantum mechanics, and in particular, the disgusting amount of partial differentials and tricky integrals I have to know.

[jpmeyer]

I'm getting my Ph.D. in Cinema Studies so I can be a professor.  That way I can get paid to go to school!

[Jacob Orlove]

Double major in Economics and Environmental Studies. No idea what I'll do with them, though.

[Chaos Blade]

Can't beat this, 9th grade honors english, and US History 1... I want to see how many of you guys pass dat cookie.  Well my goal is to get an MBA and a law degree. Im thinking of going into enviromental law/international law. That with an MBA will let me do basically anything in life. But I first have to complete four years of high school.

[Sagath]

Mechanical Engineer grad, now back in school in canuk land for Electronic  Engineering. Ive got more job offers then I know what to do with. I chose Engineering origionally because of the hard math use involved, but its morphed into some kind of sick technological love.

A lot of actuaries end up working for insurance companies determining what a person should be given for a policy, given their lifestyle.

No offense ment, but you cause me much grief at being under 25 and classified with all the ricers on the road. WERE NOT ALL THE SAME PERSON  . But yeah, i can understand why your doing it. The cash is mad hawt in there. My buddies mom is an insurance actuary. Shes rich. And Hot. I hope you reading this Peter. thx

[jshields]

Currently, this is my fifth year at Virginia Tech (USA) doing a double major in Human Services and Spanish, possibly having enough credit hours to get a BA in Spanish and a BS in Human services.  Out of all my card playing buddies that I know, I am the only one that is not in a major that is related to math, computer science, engineering, or physics.  However, this is not to say that I do not love my computer and messing around with its insides to see how it works.  

Nonetheless, I originally wanted to see about being a Pre-Med major as I have enjoyed my biology classes, have been curious to see about how the various parts of the human body work together, wanted to help others out for all the help I have been given in life having grown up with medical problems, and grew up with a dentist that specializes in gum and bone surgery for a father.  However, due to developing unstable health and trying to manage time, I decided that Human Services would be a better major for my interests after having had an extremely inspiring group of psychology teachers and with my Spanish, a chance to work within the local Latino community with basic social work, teaching english, and with immigration.  By the time that I had completed all of this at the end of my second year, I figured that by having a Spanish class every semester, I would be 15 credit hours short of a major and decided to add Spanish on as an additional major.

Currently, I have enjoyed all my classes, gotten along quite well with my classmates, am liked by my professors, and have done rather well in school gradewise with about a 3.5 overall GPA on a 4 point scale.  I am in 6 different honor societies, have been president of our local chapter of Mortarboard Honor society this past year, am an officer in the Spanish Honor society, and depending on my schedule am a regular member of the Virginia Tech Student House of Representatives.  

My goal for the time being is to complete my degree(s) by May and try to graduate Magna Cum Laude (I would have to bust my balls to do this though).  Afterwards, I am planning on considering graduate school in either Clinical Psychology or Law or possibly going into a federal job - some have reccomended that I could work as an interpreter, which is highly needed in anymore here in the USA where 20% of the population speaks Spanish.  Also, I still like to enjoy cards and am your over all friendly and helpful guy that most people have ended up considering a good friend once they get to know me.

[Machinus]

What is with the double-majoring? Most people think I am insane for trying it.

[jazzykat]

BS in Computer Engineering
General MBA
and now I work!
I am going to try to find work in Scandinavia && || Dutchie land soon as my contract is getting short.

Don't ask why I chose them it was for all the wrong reasons.

[Spizzard]

Right now I'm at University of Michigan and am planning on studying computer science.  I'm not sure if I want to go into programming, or something to do with graphics.  Being a freshman I have time to decide

[Malhavoc]

Finishing Computer Science. I've always like programming since when I realized I could pass the whole day reading and rewriting the same old code until it was going to work.

..too bad that posting on this forum takes away time that should be used to finish my thesis!  

[nataz]

I'm currently a senior at the University of Maine 2x majoring in Marine Bio and Political Science and having a lot of fun doing it.

::Random thoughts on college and classes::

I like double majoring so much because I get to take classes like Russian Politics and Classic Political thought right along side classes such as Conservation of Marine Mammals and Oceanography. It makes for a really diverse set of teachers and ideas, which I think is pretty helpful when trying to tackle all different kinds of problems.

Its funny because at first people look at marine bio and political science as two completely different things, but if you really stop to think about it they go great together in real life. I want to work with things like international fisheries stocks, or maybe Fisheries policy, and this means that I will have both the social and the science background for the job.

Its all well and good to do something you enjoy in college (in fact, I would say its a must) but you better pick something that will be useful after college or else you will have four great years, and then 40 really boring and mundane years stuck in fast food

So yea, I am double majoring because of the diversity of classes I get to attend, the possibilities that it offers after college, and the fact that I couldn’t decided which i wanted to do more.

I would suggest it to everyone, except for the fact that it tends to be a lot more work if you fields don’t overlap. (i.e., I'm on the 5 year plan AND taking 2 summer courses a year because of the extra classes)

Anyways, i feel like I made a pretty good choice overall, and am pretty happy with what I've gotten out of college so far.

=-pce
carter

[Joel Rojo]

I am studying Marketing right now, planning on getting my masters degree on the US as soon as I'm done with college.

I actually could be happy working at so many things, but marketing is really fascinanting to me, trying to understand and predict how this huge masses of people will act, to see all this people, all infinitely complex on their own, being overwhelmed by surroundings much more broad than they know, reacting to it without even noticing, and taking decisions, moving, thinking, buying, one by one creating huge ammounts of people, creating markets on their own, and looking at this markets mix themselves, in countries, in the world, in infinite set of people creating an infinite set of markets, all of them comprehensible at some point, but their very core, at every one of us, uncertain, predictable but never completely so. I don't even think I can express what I am actually thinking on all of this, or how this fascinates me.

And that just being a part of it, dealing with so many things, really... Looking at the human being as a social being, societies being the product of this, to study the markets is to a certain point studying the inherent desires and motivation within men and how this developes when grouped.

Besides, I find intellectual work way more satisfying, and even though I sometimes get stuck creatively when I have to do some advertising, its even more satisfying when you overcome this sort of stuff and you can look proudly at what you've done.

[xrizzo]

What is with the double-majoring? Most people think I am insane for trying it.

Double majors are really valuable if the two majors actually work well together.  To get a chemistry degree with a history degree, for example, would suggest that you will make money of chemistry, but enjoy history.  This is a 'for fun' degree.  

If you get the base degree in English, and a secondary degree in poly sci so you can go into law, then everything makes sense.

Personally, I hold a BS in Electrical Engineering from UCLA, and I am currently working on an MS degree in Engineering Management of Technology from USC.  I will get an MBA in the future from either Stanford or Harvard.

I tried to double major by adding astrophysics because I thought I could do it with only 5 more classes, but the phyics department didn't want to accept my EE courses as equivalent credit.  This would have been an example of a purley 'for fun' degree.

[Machinus]

Haha, I know that it has significant advantages to double major...that is not what was asking at all. Double majoring is DIFFICULT, to say the least. I don't know if I am going to be able to pull off both of mine in four years, but a lot of people here at TMD seem to be doing it with ease. So I ask, what is the deal?

[TracerBullet]

Ha!  I will have completed a double major WITH a minor in 3 years!



Pwned, bitched, pwned.


Long story short, I came in with over a year's worth of AP credits, and my two majors (and minor) are all in the humanities, with many overlapping courses.

[nataz]

to be fair I also came in with a years worth of college and AP credits, and I also have a minor (which of course is also in a non-overlaping area :-p).

Its true though, how hard your double major is depends entirerly on how much you get get your two majors to overlap. Depending on what I choose, I could have been done much earlier.

[majestyk1136]

I think that you should look into studying International Political Economy. (IPE)  If I had to do it all over again I would do the same major that I did and Dual major in IPE.  IPE analysts get paid upwards of $0.25 per word (including "if," "and," and "but") to write reports analyzing the business/political environment in a potential market nation.  Your potential clients include huge multinational corporations looking to invest a scad of money into some nation where they can cheaply build/manufacture products and even Governments like the US who may be looking at whether there is some comparative advantage in giving loans/grants to one nation over another.  It's something to think about, and international politics and economics make for good spectator sports.

[Bram]

Currently graduating in Energy Technology (majoring in Technology Innovation Policy for Advanced Economies) at the Technology and Society arm of the faculty of Technolgy Management at the Technical Univeristy of Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

Basically, I look at why renewable energy doesn't work. So quit your lit babble and help me out, dammit!

[snotball007]

Undecided......gotta love it.

I am probably going to go into Professional Communications, my college's version of Journalism, English, and Communications all wrapped into one messy little bundle. Crazy jesuit universities.