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Author Topic: Random Stuff Part III  (Read 650307 times)

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yuma

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #250 on: February 16, 2016, 10:34:02 am »
+4

Any tips for someone going away to university for the first time?
It'll be my first time living on my own and all.

Some good advice has already been given, but I'll add a couple of additional points that I feel somewhat strongly about. Keep in mind that I have spoken to others who feel completely the opposite of what I am about to say, but I will try to back up my statement with an argument that I believe to be convincing.

Get a job (if possible). If it isn't possible explore the possibility. If it isn't possible. Volunteer, a lot!

I didn't work for money. I mean, I got paid and that was nice. But I already had a scholarship and living expenses were covered as well. So money wasn't an issue. I know it is for some people and part-time jobs are necessary for getting an education, hopefully you aren't in that boat.

The experience I received was extremely beneficial. More so to the point that it stopped me from pursuing careers that I would have ended up absolutely hating. I had four jobs during my college years.

One working for the university paper when I thought I wanted to be a journalist. One working as a TA when I thought I wanted to be a teacher/professor. One working a secretary in a law office when I thought I wanted to go into law. One as a lab assistant when I thought I wanted to be a laboratory scientist and the career I ultimately stuck with and continue to really enjoy.

While I didn't hate the first three jobs I quickly saw and realized that I would not enjoy a long, lasting career in those professions and was quickly able to course correct my education/major/job to something different.

My wife (who I ended up marrying toward the end of college did the same, but that is a separate situation and one that others have already talked about) and it was just as beneficial to her. We both refused to work full time. I for one saw way too many students as a TA who did work full time either fail classes or drop out completely. But we were able to graduate with $10,000 saved between us. That allowed enormous flexibility when it came to actually choosing a job to get into as neither of us felt compelled to say yes to the first crappy job that came along offering really low pay and was part of the chunk that we used to make a large(r) down payment on our first house. But the money was just a fridge benefit.

As others have said, the purpose of college is to learn. So if a college job starts to become more important than learning, it isn't being done right. But if you can use a job to learn about a prospective career and make some money on the side while enhancing your education, I say absolutely go for it.
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Witherweaver

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #251 on: February 16, 2016, 10:39:41 am »
0

Regarding job, most colleges have some sort of work study program, where you can work at one of the college offices.  That's what I did, through the tutoring center.  The pay was small, but it's also manageable hours, and it was something I liked doing.

Additionally, the learning center at my undergrad college had a bulletin board for external tutoring opportunities (not current students).  They'd call and leave their number, and anyone could take the info and contact them, and set up independent things.  That's how  I earned a lot of my money in undergrad.

Of course, Yuma has a point of looking into careers that you're actually interested in.  For me, I new I was going to grad school pretty soon after I started, and already knew what I intended with my degree, so it wasn't as important to look into particular industries. 

Edit: On the other hand, I had no savings when I graduated college, nor when I finished grad school. 
« Last Edit: February 16, 2016, 10:40:49 am by Witherweaver »
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liopoil

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #252 on: February 16, 2016, 11:08:10 am »
0

The real metric system there would be to report all temperatures in Kelvin. But that's not as useful for the range temperatures that we actually experience in day-to-day life. Celsius is better for that, but so is Fahrenheit.
I get that Kelvin is more fundamental scientifically because its 0 actually means something, but I don't see why it would be the 'real metric system'. Celsius has a better argument to make for the whole base-10 thing because of 0 and 100, and well the properties of water at one atmosphere of pressure are relevant for every day life. It's not like the meter or kilogram are special scientifically either, the thing which makes them better is the easy conversion by changing the exponent of 10.

In metric systems, correct me if I'm wrong, but multiplying something always means you that multiple amount of it. Double 10 metres and you're travelling twice as far. Triple 10 kilograms and you have something three times as massive. Double 10 degrees Celsius and you don't get something twice as hot. But if you multiply 30 Kelvin by 3, you do get something three times as hot. So that's a pretty reasonable argument for using Kelvin as the standard unit.
Oh hey - it's like it's actually a measure! (well, in the sense of additivity; total kinetic energy (heat) would work better since it isn't averaged). That's certainly a good reason to call it metric. Thanks, it just clicked. In fact I remember always having to convert Celsius to Kelvin in chemistry class for this very reason.
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pacovf

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #253 on: February 16, 2016, 11:52:38 am »
+1

Oh, something else about university: you might feel very lost in your courses for a term or two, the difference with high school can be quite a shock. It's perfectly normal! Don't despair or think that you are worthless and everybody else is smarter than you. I mean, obviously there will always be people that are smarter than you, but most will feel just as lost as you do. Just keep calm and carry on. I'll repeat scott_pilgrim's advice about working with other students, it really helps with productivity and motivation.
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Witherweaver

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #254 on: February 16, 2016, 12:16:35 pm »
+3

Oh, something else about university: you might feel very lost in your courses for a term or two, the difference with high school can be quite a shock. It's perfectly normal! Don't despair or think that you are worthless and everybody else is smarter than you. I mean, obviously there will always be people that are smarter than you, but most will feel just as lost as you do. Just keep calm and carry on. I'll repeat scott_pilgrim's advice about working with other students, it really helps with productivity and motivation.

Fun story from my first analysis course.  This was the first course I ever had that was actually difficult.  My first homework got utterly torn apart by the instructor because I had written like you might for a basic Calculus course or something, not using real sentences or anything.  I was also heavily overloading that semester, so I was pretty sleep deprived all the time.  Anyway, four or five of us in the class used to get together to work on the homework, and we were all pretty equally lackluster.  (We were allowed to collaborate in such a manner, by the way.)  Maybe if the homework had 50 points, we were getting low or mid 30's.  I don't remember gaining anything from those study sessions.  For the last two or three homeworks, I ended up just not going with the other people and going off by myself to work on the problems.  All of the sudden, more scores jump up like 10 points and I actually understand what's going on.

Working with other students can be helpful, but it can also be a distraction. 
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Joseph2302

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #255 on: February 16, 2016, 12:31:02 pm »
0

Wow. Thanks for the great advice! I've actually never drank before...and I'm not really planning on it I guess? I agree that it seems like a hugely overrated part of college life, though of course I've never experienced it myself. I'm straight (thanks for covering all those bases though  ;D), and I appreciate the admonition about the expectations of meeting a possible life partner in school--as I definitely have/had that expectation. I must admit, I'd probably be a bit sad if I was finished with college without meeting someone "special" or whatever. I'm not a terribly outgoing person, and it seems like it's difficult to meet people once you're out of school? Or so it seems to me at least.

Up to this point in my academic career, I have been really focused on my GPA. I really appreciate your take on the true purpose of education, as I sometimes do feel a bit cynical about things and have almost certainly avoided some courses in order to protect my grades. I do feel really passionate about my major though (computer science). It took me a while in community college to really settle on what felt right for me, but I find the subject matter incredibly engaging, so that's a positive.

I never drank until I was 29, almost 30.  It has helped a lot for dating (well, maybe).. a little bit for other social life.  Otherwise, it's highly overrated.

If you do decide to start drinking, do so for actual taste and not just for the sake of drinking alcohol.  Avoid people that want to 'get drunk'.  At least, that's my advice.
Agree, I spent most of uni not drinking, and worked fine for me (other than living in a house with Tables).
And if you do want to start drinking, I recommend trying different things out, to see what you like.
Also, don't leave your assignments until the last day before starting them- lots of people do, but it's just unnecessary stress.
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Awaclus

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #256 on: February 16, 2016, 12:56:28 pm »
+4

If you do decide to start drinking, do so for actual taste and not just for the sake

I see what you did there.
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Ichimaru Gin

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #257 on: February 16, 2016, 02:40:19 pm »
0

Oh, something else about university: you might feel very lost in your courses for a term or two, the difference with high school can be quite a shock. It's perfectly normal! Don't despair or think that you are worthless and everybody else is smarter than you. I mean, obviously there will always be people that are smarter than you, but most will feel just as lost as you do. Just keep calm and carry on. I'll repeat scott_pilgrim's advice about working with other students, it really helps with productivity and motivation.
Yeah. I've already been going to community college for a while,  and I'm transferring in as a junior. I'm sure university classes will still be significantly more difficult though. I'm sure it will take me a while to be ok with not getting A's.

iguanaiguana

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #258 on: February 16, 2016, 04:02:08 pm »
+1

Oh, something else about university: you might feel very lost in your courses for a term or two, the difference with high school can be quite a shock. It's perfectly normal! Don't despair or think that you are worthless and everybody else is smarter than you. I mean, obviously there will always be people that are smarter than you, but most will feel just as lost as you do. Just keep calm and carry on. I'll repeat scott_pilgrim's advice about working with other students, it really helps with productivity and motivation.
Yeah. I've already been going to community college for a while,  and I'm transferring in as a junior. I'm sure university classes will still be significantly more difficult though. I'm sure it will take me a while to be ok with not getting A's.

You seem like a smart guy, you can probably still get mostly A's if you try hard enough.
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enfynet

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #259 on: February 16, 2016, 04:35:51 pm »
0

The only effort increase I saw between Community College and University was in travel time. However, the larger difference was in the lack of flexibility offered by the university. I had multiple classes either cancelled or had their days changed after I registered. As I was focused on my major, my three options were: pay for useless credits and maintain health insurance, work two days less per week and hope I could not go broke, or take less classes and throw off my plan to complete the necessary (once-per-year) courses.

Needless to say, I have been on a University hiatus for nearly 10 years, with my BS degree waiting. The downside of my college->university transition is that I spent 6 years, full time, in school and still need 2 full years of courses to complete my major.
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pacovf

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #260 on: February 16, 2016, 04:52:44 pm »
+3

If you do decide to start drinking, do so for actual taste and not just for the sake

I see what you did there.

WW had the right spirit.
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Seprix

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #261 on: February 16, 2016, 06:42:30 pm »
+3

So I heard Dominion: Empires was coming out...



(EDIT: I was not aware of any drama at the time of creating this. If I knew, I would have done something completely different.)
« Last Edit: March 07, 2016, 01:41:23 pm by Seprix »
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markusin

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #262 on: February 16, 2016, 06:48:15 pm »
+6

Woah, Random Stuff Part III? When are we going to release the trilogy on Blu-ray?
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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #263 on: February 16, 2016, 07:00:44 pm »
+1

Woah, Random Stuff Part III? When are we going to release the trilogy on Blu-ray?

Once this thread gets 100+ posts
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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #264 on: February 16, 2016, 07:01:03 pm »
+1

Correction: pages
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Kirian

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #265 on: February 16, 2016, 07:35:25 pm »
+1

Woah, Random Stuff Part III? When are we going to release the trilogy on Blu-ray?

Once this thread gets 100+ posts

Don't forget the two years spent adding a bunch of shit CGI no one wanted.
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markusin

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #266 on: February 16, 2016, 07:55:41 pm »
0

Woah, Random Stuff Part III? When are we going to release the trilogy on Blu-ray?

Once this thread gets 100+ posts

Don't forget the two years spent adding a bunch of shit CGI no one wanted.

I literally laughed out loud after reading this. A rare feat!
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qmech

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #267 on: February 16, 2016, 07:59:30 pm »
+23

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pacovf

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #268 on: February 16, 2016, 11:44:21 pm »
+3

If you do decide to start drinking, do so for actual taste and not just for the sake

I see what you did there.

WW had the right spirit.

I kinda want to wine about this barley getting upvoted.
« Last Edit: February 17, 2016, 03:13:10 am by pacovf »
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Kuildeous

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #269 on: February 17, 2016, 07:45:07 am »
0

I literally laughed out loud after reading this. A rare feat!

Now I want to use an acronym LLOL to include literally. But I rarely LLOL, so I'll probably never type it (except for here).
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Witherweaver

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #270 on: February 17, 2016, 10:19:06 am »
0

I literally laughed out loud after reading this. A rare feat!

Now I want to use an acronym LLOL to include literally. But I rarely LLOL, so I'll probably never type it (except for here).

Laugh literally out loud?

Laugh loudly or literally?

Literally loud overture (of) laughter?

Laudanum literally originates laughter?
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KingZog3

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #271 on: February 17, 2016, 12:06:21 pm »
0

I literally laughed out loud after reading this. A rare feat!

Now I want to use an acronym LLOL to include literally. But I rarely LLOL, so I'll probably never type it (except for here).

Laugh literally out loud?

Laugh loudly or literally?

Literally loud overture (of) laughter?

Laudanum literally originates laughter?

Pretty sure it means Let's Lose our Legs
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Witherweaver

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #272 on: February 17, 2016, 12:07:44 pm »
+1

I literally laughed out loud after reading this. A rare feat!

Now I want to use an acronym LLOL to include literally. But I rarely LLOL, so I'll probably never type it (except for here).

Laugh literally out loud?

Laugh loudly or literally?

Literally loud overture (of) laughter?

Laudanum literally originates laughter?

Pretty sure it means Let's Lose our Legs

He said he wanted 'literally' in there.  Literally lose our legs?  Literally loose our legs?  Literally loosen our legs?
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Kuildeous

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #273 on: February 17, 2016, 01:17:37 pm »
0

Laugh literally out loud?

Laugh loudly or literally?

Literally loud overture (of) laughter?

Laudanum literally originates laughter?

LOLL
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Kuildeous

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Re: Random Stuff Part III
« Reply #274 on: February 17, 2016, 01:19:39 pm »
0

Whew, dodged a bullet, but it would have been one I fired myself.

A local production of the Nerd apparently lost their leading man, so they were in desperate need of a replacement. The show opens in under 4 weeks. That would have been a helluva rehearsal schedule. I'm sure I would have been up for the challenge, but I'm glad I hemmed and hawed and allowed someone else to step forward. I'm not certain I really want that stress, though it would have been exciting.
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