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I would also suggest you try to use some of the computer algebraic systems (Maple, Mathematica, etc) when you're going through your calc III studies (if you have access to these software packages - they can be very expensive, but many schools have good deals or discounts). It will help with more advanced topographic calculations and they are a pretty useful tool in geophysical research.

Usually at the Master's level a 3.7 - 4.0 (out of 4.0) is the typical "good" average in terms of GPA (so A/A-/B+ range).

They're both pretty strong programs. How are you defining 'decent' Econ PhD? Also what kinds of jobs are you interested in?

Also getting involved with outreach opportunities on your campus is helpful. You should definitely get in contact with the institute's career services office - they always have contacts that can help one get unique opportunities.

Agreed about the MS being funded, unless you happen to have the necessary funds yourself. Also if you do choose the MS, try to publish something.

Apply to schools you feel you would honestly attend. Now while there is really such thing as a 'safety' school, there are schools on your list that you may not want to attend as much as the others. One piece of advice - be open during the process (and apply to a good spread - geographically and by ranking), you never know which schools may accept you or have super cool research going on there. The school I will be attending is very highly ranked (top 10) and I originally wasn't going to apply. Also limit yourself to about 10 schools (too many schools makes it seem as though you don't have a research focus). If you have a decent application/interview season, you will quickly get exhausted from traveling for 8-10 weekends straight.

^ Hey Veep is awesome

For most master's programs your GPA shouldn't really be an issue. Plus it sounds like you have plenty of other positives to help you with your profile.

1. R&D Scientist in a Big Pharma company in the UK or Germany 2. VP of Production & Distribution @ said Pharma company 3. Chemical Engineer/Process Design Engineer in a Biotech company 4. Artist (Graphite drawing or clay mediums) *5. TV and Movie critic *6. Something like Man vs. Food I'm on my way to be qualified for #1 & 2. I already worked as #3 (didn't care too much for it). #4 is my hobby (15 yrs of experience) but very hard to make a comfortable living strictly doing art. I would love to do #5 but I have no clue how people get into these jobs (plus I don't think I'm cynical enough to always criticize a show/movie, I like to find the positives). #6 Would be fun for like a year, then it would be exhausting .

The Blacklist, Revenge, Grimm, Arrow, Modern Family, and 2 Broke Girls are my favorite shows for this current season. I've caught up with all my shows so it seems it's time to get back to finishing writing this thesis.

dark sorrow

^ true - Chrome tends to eat up RAM regardless of the platform its run on

I would go with UCSD - the west coast is very big on sustainability and alternative energy now

Both are good programs and would afford you ample connections for career advancement and/or graduate studies. I can't really give more detailed of an answer unless you specify what sub-discipline you would like to get into.

Apartments: Village Quarters (nice+affordable), Heritage Trails (nice+affordable), Ashton (a bit more expensive+very nice), Stadium Apartments (very nice+expensive+hard to get into), Sharp Flats (ok+dirt cheap) There are also quite a few houses for rent but rarely affordable if you don't have 2-3 roommates Food: Plenty of places to eat, especially downtown by the mall area and near Indiana State's campus (Wabash Ave) Terre Haute is a growing town/city so you have to look for entertainment but if you want bigger city thrills then Indianapolis is 1 hr away.

perpetual motion

The best ways to prep for the subject exams is to comprehensively review the undergrad textbooks in all the foundational areas: general, analytical, organic, biochem, physical & quantum chem, inorganic. If you have pretty good textbooks for the classes you already took, the following are some of the books I used during my undergrad: Physical Chemistry: - Atkins (8th Edition) - generally ok reference - Levine (6th Edition) - good Quantum: - Lowe (3rd Edition) - I found it to be helpful but I found it hard to track down really good quantum books Inorganic Chemistry: - Miesslerr (3rd Edition) - I found it to be ok but with the same limitations as the quantum books Hope this gives you a good starting place. Also I would begin studying since the subject exams are only given three times a year (the next time being September and October) and they tend to be tough exams.

While I wouldn't label myself as an antisocial person - I have run into the situation that the OP mentioned. So recently, I've started to go on the offensive, i.e: I'll start the conversation about where their from, comment a bit on it (your winters must be awful or something else innocuous), or maybe something about their clothes or shoes (I'm a huge sneaker-head) then I tell them a bit about myself - mostly hobbies and such. Basically I like them to know about me a bit before they can ask what I do (cancer research). TV and sports tend to be quite unifying, so I like to keep up with such topics (I have a smart phone so spending 5 minutes in the morning reading about last night's games isn't a real hassle). I don't know much about celebrities nor do I care, but if the person I'm having a conversation with seems to like "reality show x" - I tend to ask what it's about and why they keep watching it. Or I say like " how can celebrity x complain about how much their getting paid when they get paid millions". The way I see it, most people don't want a lecture or anything super comprehensive in these types of conversations. One doesn't always have to be self-deprecating (it does help if you can laugh at your own struggles). One way I like to answer the "your so smart question/comment" is by saying "I'm kind of smart, but I'm more of a crazy person to keep doing x (where "x" is a quick description of your job duties). This tends to get people to see you as a mostly normal adult who enjoys some but not every part of your job. Anyhow, you can't always avoid awkward moments but you can learn to be a more social conversationalist with practice.

I will go on the opposite and say that if the institute is close to you and you got a couple of hours - you might as well visit. I did that for 2 of the programs that were within 1 hr of my institute and it helped give me a better sense of the programs environment.

There are many options for you including pharmaceuticals, biotech, government research or policy, etc. Honestly it depends on what you like, location, etc. I suggest that you talk to the career services center at your institute and begin exploring possible careers. Also talk to your department's DGS to get an idea of where the program's graduates go to after completing their PhDs.

Honestly, your GPA is fine (3.7 - 4.0 is pretty typical). As long as you show a nice positive trend and you take a good number of advanced electives and do well (B+/A) - the AdComms should view your profile positively.

You should finish your Master's and try to publish if possible. Even though you most likely would work on a different project during your PhD, the MS degree would give you a better understanding of what graduate research entails and that will show in your interviews (at least I think that's what happened in my case). I'm slightly younger than you (24) and so it's a bit different, but a PhD will take a few years and relatively speaking, you're young and have plenty of time to develop a strong research portfolio and career. Basically, finish the MS, and go for the PhD - age is really not that big of a deal anyhow. Also I think your experiences would bring a unique perspective that many programs are seeking.

flying cars

With all the above points, I will also say the following: luck and determination. While 4 years is a good typical number, how well you design your experiments and with some luck and how promising the results are - you may be able to finish faster. Also of course brute determination - if you're willing to work like a crazy person coupled with the "luck" situation I previously mentioned, one can finish quite quickly. The shortest PhD completion I've heard was 2.9 years - which is almost ridiculous IMO, but hey some people got other plans. Overall, I would say enjoy the ride and try to not focus too much on how long it'll take you. Set a realistic goal (4-5 yrs) and work diligently to achieve it, but understand that life sometimes throws you curve balls, so be flexible and try to honestly push the bounds of your field. At least, that's how I'll approach my PhD - at this level, what's a couple of years of my life? I'm still relatively young and I got plenty of time to enjoy my research and career.

Echosmith - Cool Kids