Jump to content

Jezebel

Members
  • Posts

    15
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Jezebel

  1. I'd say study whatever is interesting to you, just make sure you get the pre-reqs met. Many people major in something like English so they can get higher grades (don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say English is a cake walk, just that programs in the hard sciences tend to be more competitive). The humanities are very important for future doctors as well, so being a well-rounded candidate can only help. There's no one path to medicine. Just don't let yourself be so caught up in "knowing" you want to go into medicine that you ignore other options. I have known a few people who spent their entire undergrad certain that all they wanted to do was be a doctor, and then were hit with the sudden realization that's not what they wanted and they wasted all that time with tunnel vision, struggling to compete and agonizing over grades. It's good to have a goal, but it's better to enjoy what you're doing than try to force yourself into doing what you think you need, in order to get where you think you want to be.
  2. Definitely don't go to grad school unless you are sure that's what you want. Especially since you don't seem highly motivated by school and your current courses you should probably reevaluate how interested you are in Psych (if the course material isn't interesting enough for you to want to learn it...). Look at the courses you've received A's in, and the ones you've done poorly in. That might give you some guidance. I'll also note that your undergraduate degree alone doesn't qualify you for anything - you need work experience, and in most cases that is far more important than your field of study. Start looking at job postings early - that'll give you an idea of what you need to do to be a competitive applicant. Psychology undergrad is incredibly common, and doesn't typically give you any employable skills (unlike engineering, chemistry, etc), so in terms of your options - basically everything and nothing. Grad schools care about your grades, employers care more about your work (and volunteer) experience. Some jobs will ask for transcripts, so definitely get your grades up if you can, but if I were you I'd seek out whatever kind of interesting volunteer or internship position and do an awesome job at it. That'll get you a good reference, it'll help you learn more about what you want or don't want to do, and may give you a lead to a job when you graduate. If I were you, I'd let go of the notion of working in a particular field and try to think in terms of TYPES of work you might or might not enjoy (ie. plugging in data, managing grants, customer service, sales, sterilizing medical equipment, health coaching, answering phones, presenting to groups). Do you want to work toward a particular cause (poverty, environment, suicide prevention, domestic violence, technology)? Or do you just want a job that isn't horrible and pays the bills? The world isn't neatly organized into "jobs for psych majors", "jobs for humanities majors" as one might imagine. Good general skills to get onto your resume include financial management(understanding of economics, managing a budget, supply chain), communication, and project management. Good luck, and don't forget - life's too short not to love what you do and do what you love! =)
  3. Like many others, I'm weighing the options of various grad degrees that culminate in a public health career - among them, the MPH. While the MPH seems to be "the degree" for public health, I can't help but feel like it won't satisfy my ambitions to make a serious impact or fulfill my love of knowledge and science. I've been trying to read job ads to get a feel for what is out there, and so far it seems that many of the MPH jobs out there are 'managerial'. Glorified paper-pushing. I guess I don't even know what the possibilities are, but it'd be nice to think I could do more than sit at a desk 40 hours a week, making sure my team plugs in their Time and Attendance correctly, attending webinars, and applying for grants. So, I charge you, forum readers, to tell me what you think the best (most interesting/coolest/most fun and rewarding) job you can do with an MPH is, or to tell me what you do/hope to do with your degree.
  4. To the extent of my knowledge, it's determined by the school and will depend on their level of funds. I don't think all schools participate in the federal work study program. There may or may not be a federal standard, but I think it will depend more on what the economic profile of the students attending your school is. If they have a lot of very needy applicants, they may not offer you work study or will offer you less, even if you qualify. I'm still an undergrad, and my award varies from semester to semester depending on how much they expect me to work/how much money they have, and they threaten to take it away in future semesters or reduce your award if you don't use all or most of what they award you.
  5. Haha! That's great. What did you say? I'm going to Уфа. How about you?
  6. How did everyone's oral proficiency interview go? I had mine this morning. My tester was really sweet but she gave me the hardest role-play ever! The scenario was "you just ate a delicious meal at a restaurant and you realize you forgot your money...". I tried a bunch of different things like offering to work in the kitchen or trying to flirt with the cute boy at the other table to get him to pay for me but she kept shooting me down with things like "The kitchen is closed" and "he already left" so I was like... "I guess I'm going to run and you can call the police!" Hahah.. I realized in retrospect I should have asked "What do you suggest I do", but in the heat of the moment I was desperate. I hope I did okay! I had to take mine at 7am, so I had to get up at 5 to curtail sleep inertia, but I was still soooo tired. Why couldn't this wait until after finals? Oh well... Hope everyone else's went well! Excitement is mounting as the semester winds down!
  7. I had the same fear when I transferred schools 2 years into my undergrad. I was HORRIFIED and cried for days on end, thinking that I had made the biggest mistake of my life. The first few weeks were hell, but I adjusted and now I've never been happier. There's no way I could have planned to end up where I am now, how I am now, but I feel like this is absolutely right for me. It's normal to feel that sense of regret and remorse, fear and anticipation. It will soon turn into excitement and enthusiasm! I'm sure you'll love where you end up, and if not you can just accept it and move on. It's okay to not know, to make mistakes, and to fear the unknown! Be brave and good luck!
  8. Is there anything else factoring in, like location, degree tracks, funding opportunities, etc? If I were you, I would look closely at the faculty and see what they are involved in and try to get a feel for the atmosphere of your program. Are there any special programs or research positions available at one that are not at the other? For example, one school offer funding to go on an archeological dig in the middle east, another might have a faculty member researching native american mythologies. If all else is equal, there's at least a good chance that one faculty member will be doing something that trips your trigger and could lead you into bigger opportunities. BC might be better in terms of overall opportunities, but GTU might be better if you want something small and very focused. You will have to pay for it ultimately, but you have to decide what your experience is worth to you. I took out a lot of loans to get my undergrad, but in doing so I had some wonderful experiences, and I don't regret transferring schools and having to take out a private loan. (Although maybe I will years down the road when I'm paying it off!). Bottom line is that I'm happy here, which is not something I could have predicted from stats about schools or financial aid. I decided on a whim to move halfway across the country and ended up doing something I never really expected, met my soulmate, and am feeling like I'm finally figuring things out in my life. Most importantly, it's not where you go, but what you make of what you're offered there. Follow your heart! You never know where you'll end up.. =)
  9. I can't speak to the schools or the programs, but I can tell you about the city of Buffalo. I spent most of my life growing up in WNY and honestly Buffalo isn't the greatest place in the world to be. It's fairly cheap to live in but that's only because poverty is rampant. Since you've got funding for Bloomington and I'd bet money it's a nicer city, that'd be enough to seal my decision if the programs are similar. However, New York is a beautiful state and there's lots to do within short distances from Buffalo and lots of rural and scenic areas nearby (in NY, Canada, and PA). Perhaps the region just seems dead to me because I grew up there... Anyway, where are you from and what factors are weighing most heavily on your decision? (ie. close or far from family, cost, program type/size?)
  10. This thread is a godsend! I'm doing a language proficiency phone interview for an intensive language study scholarship in a week or so and I'm so nervous! I do so much better in person where I can take clues from gestures and body language! Not to mention oral exams really put you on the spot - even in your native tongue! My plan is as follows: 1) Spend a little time reviewing basic grammar in context and common conversational phrases and sayings that make speech more natural 2) Think about common topics like how I would talk about myself and my interests and do some practice dialogs with another speaker 3) Get a good night's sleep (I can't even begin to stress how important sleep is for consolidating memories and improving cognitive function!) 4) Don't drink coffee and STAY CALM! (coffee will only make me all cracked out and unable to focus, so at least for me it's not an option) I know that my 'score' won't affect anyone's opinion of me, nor affect my participation in the program, but I'm so nervous that I'll bomb it and not accurately represent my abilities. I'd hate to be classified as "Intermediate-Low" after 4 years of language study =P. I'd feel so bad about myself... I guess it helps just knowing other people are in the same boat, so we can empathize and feel each other's pain! Good luck everyone who is taking one of these!
  11. Not sure if this is the right forum to put this in, but my search in the Biology and Medicine forums turned up nothing to my liking. My question is this: Is it possible to get a decent PRA job in a clinical research position with just a Bachelors? know someone for whom this was the case, but the job was MUCH more administrative than scientific, and ideally I'd get to do more than just answering phones and coordinating staff schedules. On the same token, I haven't yet had much interest in doing my own experiments (ie. I don't really care to do a master's thesis on my own work - I'd rather just assist in the work of others). I don't mind being an underling! I currently work in two research labs as an undergrad (one studying Sleep, the other studying Neuroscience/Linguistics), but I don't do much more than subject running, recruitment, etc. I like working in data collection, but would like to do more than the same 'trained monkey work' over and over again. I would love to work in a CTRC or other clinical research environment for a while after graduating with my BA in Physiology (yes, for some reason it's a BA, not a BS). My specific interests are with exercise physiology/physical therapy and public health. Ultimately I think I want to get into International Public Health (most likely MSPH, then some time working, then go back for a PhD if I feel so inclined), but in the mean time I'd love to stay involved in research. At this point I could continue on and get my Masters in Physiology, but I'm not sure it'll be worth my time. I have a lot of loans and therefore a lot of pressure to get out of school and get a decent job. Any advice? I'll be done next semester (Fall '10) or Spring '11 and then I'm up in the air as to what's next. Ideally a Fulbright (to study public health and buy myself a year to let the economy rebound while I figure things out), then find a job with my BA if possible or go back to school. If anyone has had any experience in physiological or biomedical research and post a little about their experiences, that would be most helpful! Alternately, other people in the same boat feel free to commiserate or share your plans!
  12. You're talking about the Fulbright Critical Language enhancement, which is a different thread... This is for the CLS program sponsored through the Department of State (not associated with Fulbright).
  13. Aw Hellokitty, that sucks about not hearing back yet... I was dying just to find out if I got this in March because I just can't cope with uncertainty and it's so hard to get things lined up for the summer this late in the semester. I'm glad something else worked out for you though! But they really should be better about keeping people in the loop.. Anyway, I just got my language assessment info. A phone interview... boo!! I hate oral exams! Does anyone know if they'll be placing intermediate and advanced speakers together? I kind of hope this is the case, since I'm in the "advanced" Russian group, but I rank my own skills as intermediate (whatever that means). Also any other people here going to Russia?
  14. Hi! Congrats to everyone who was accepted! I got accepted to the Russian program and was recently notified of my city placement via email with a packet of information to fill out. So now I am just finishing up my visa application/letter to host family & housing preferences form - hooray! I'm really excited and can't wait to meet the other people who are going to be in my program! I just wish information wasn't trickling out so slowly.. it's agony! Although I guess since it's almost finals, I should be grateful for having less to think/stress about right now... =P I realize this will be different for different programs, but has anyone heard anything about language testing? Just one more thing to fit into the horrendously busy weeks ahead. I'm not sure whether to expect a phone interview, a package in the mail with testing materials, an online exam, or a proctored test through my university. Any insight would be much appreciated... Hope everyone keeps posting here as they find out more!
  15. Boulder, CO! I've lived in Boulder for over 2 years car-free. Boulder is ranked as one of the best bike-friendly cities, which I think is fairly accurate. There are plenty of bike lanes and bike paths, and most drivers are accomodating at sharing the road. It's okay to bike on sidewalks here too. Bike safe with a helmet, a bike light at night, and use hand signals and you're pretty much set. There is some animosity between motorists and bicyclists, but most if it is directed at reckless bikers (namely CU students who don't use hand signals, don't wear helmets, bike too fast, and weave in and out of pedestrians and traffic) and the 'spandex wearing elite bikers', who get mocked regularly in some circles and are accused of hogging the road. I think you'll have that anywhere though. A lot of students in Boulder are out-of-state, and I would say that students pose the greatest risk to cyclists as they are much less aware about how to share the road. There are lots of resources about biking in Boulder if you search the web. Overall, it's worked great for me - I've only been hit by a car while biking once! The bus system is great for the most part and a bus pass (usable throughout Boulder/Denver on any Boulder local or RTD route) is included in my student fees. If you're considering the Boulder/Denver area, check out RTD-denver.com for info on bus and lightrail routes. The buses are fairly reliable and can get you reasonably close to anything you might need. If you're living downtown, there's bound to be lots in walking distance, and it's a nice city, so there's ample motivation to walk. I can't speak so much for Denver, but I do know the Denver bus system is extensive and they are putting in more lightrail to be completed soon. I've only used the lightrail system in Denver a few times, but I found it to be not bad if you don't use it at peak hours going through DU's campus. You can also take your bus on the lightrail. There is also a great local (Boulder/Denver) carshare called Ego CarShare that has a one-time $25 application fee and then has 2 plans - a $10 a month with lower usage charges and a free monthly plan with charges that are $2/hr more. The mileage fees are reasonable seeing as it covers gas/insurance/maintenance. Best of all, they don't charge an hourly rate between 11pm and 6am. The Boulder/Denver area prides itself on being eco-friendly, so there is lots of initiative to get people out of cars and onto bikes or public transport. Twice a year there is a free "Bike-to-Work Day" event that serves up tasty free breakfast to bicycle commuters at locations all over Boulder. Nothing makes the trip to work nicer than snagging a fresh bagel or some fruit and granola bars on the way! If anyone has specific questions about getting around Boulder or the surrounding area, feel free to shoot me a message!
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use