eat.climb.love
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Posts posted by eat.climb.love
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Part of me thinks an iPad is cool but the leap from the 140 kindle to the 500 dollar iPad is pretty big. Maybe if I were a desktop user that wanted the tablet as a secondary device - but I have a perfectly new laptop so I am trying to save some cash. Although for those of you that want to make the iPad leap, I have heard good things from my friends that have it.
Thanks for the input on the Kindle! It really seems like a good investment. I plan on saving my class notes as PDFs and reading them on the Kindle as well. Unless the book is a supplement, I probably will not buy it on the Kindle unless it is dirt cheap. I actually do take a lot of notes in my textbooks (but not on articles, I have a scattered little studying process). For 139, the Kindle seems like a deal! (I've already started looking at cases... there are some cool ones!)
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By recommendation of one of my interviewers, operation "teach myself linear algebra" is about to begin. I want to get to the point where I can use Matlab and equivalents without having to rely on help from engineers for every little thing.
I am planning on doing MIT's open course on linear algebra. I did my undergrad in music so this should be fun!
Will this be the death of me? Any advice? Similar situations? Shared misery?
Some supplements to MIT's course:
This guy got me through college math! His notes are great. http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/Classes/LinAlg/LinAlg.aspx
I also recommend getting this book but I bet you can find it for a better price!: http://www.amazon.com/Linear-Algebra-Problem-Solver-Solvers/dp/0878915184
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Hello! Question unrelated to the current discussion (back to the main topic):
I've been accepted at UMass Amherst (in computer science, if that affects the clothing choice), and the candidate's day is coming up this Friday. I'm pretty sure this is my first choice school, so I'd like to make a good impression. I'm a female who doesn't really dress up very much, so I don't really have any casual skirts, and the only pairs of slacks I have are black (might be a good investment...). I was thinking of going with dark jeans, a nice sweater, and tennis shoes (don't have a massive shoe selection either...), and I was just wondering if people think that would be appropriate. I don't want to show up and be the only person in jeans!
I have a lot of friends who went to UMass and it is pretty casual. They are being hit with a pretty heavy winter so if you have any boots, I would suggest bringing them. Your outfit sounds fine. (Is this an accepted students day or an interview? I am not familiar with the term "candidate's day.") But if you haven't been accepted yet, I would suggest wearing slacks opposed to jeans. Oh wait - scratch that, I just remembered this was an accepted students thread. Duh. You are fine, then! =D UMass is very pretty, hope you like it!
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I was rummaging through my undergrad stuff and noticed I had printed out a LOT of articles. I had an unlimited print quota so there were no worries in my little world at the time (don't worry - double-sided, two per page! I try to stay a little green! =P). But now that I am potentially heading off to grad school and will not be able to print as much as I used to, I was considering purchasing an e-Reader of some sorts.
I personally don't mark up my articles too much (I take notes in a separate notebook and have the citation of the article at the top of the page) so I am not going to really miss that feature. But I did want to know how people have liked certain e-Readers. I was thinking of the Kindle because the basic one is only $139. Any experience with the Kindle or any other e-Readers?
I tried looking at older threads but since the newer Kindle just came out in the fall, I was hoping that some of you have purchased that one and could share your thoughts. Thanks in advance!
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My requirements? The point I was trying to make was that people should dress for the "job" and present themselves as how they want to be perceived.
While I totally understand this for grad students (I would not show up to work in sweats), undergraduates sitting in on a lecture are there to learn and generally aren't receiving payment to do so. What they wear (as long as it isn't offensive), really doesn't matter. As a grad student being funded by the department, yeah, I would dress up. But as an undergrad paying for tuition, I would dress up when necessary or whenever I felt like it. If I wanted to get in an extra mile or two at the gym and skip the make-up, then I did.
Then again, I come from departments where professors wear socks with sandals so ANYTHING above that is generally seen as an improvement. =) (Nothing live a pair of Tevas with gym socks. Sexy.)
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Figured this might get y'all's minds off of grad school just for a moment. Let's flash back to our naivete as undergrads. How many times did you change your major before reaching the one you finished in? I changed twice. I started out as applied math (actuarial), decided I hated calculus, changed to English for about a month or two then signed up for a history class and remembered how much I loved history. I changed to history in the spring of my freshman year and the rest is...history?
Two times ... was admitted to my university as a psych major. Was told by parents to switch to Bio so I did ... HATED it. Switched back to psychology second semester of Freshman year. Would have loved a biostats or public health major at my undergrad but sadly we didn't have them. (Because I would have probably switched again to that Sophomore year!) I took on two minors because I was just a confused little undergrad with too many interests.
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I have seen this book before: http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Engineers-Problem-Solver-Solvers/dp/0878918388/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1298756061&sr=8-12
They also make a bunch of other math/engineering books. You can find them cheap on e-bay or Amazon.
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I'm officially old. In the pictures of my birth, my sister is wearing those.
I stick to the rule that if you were old enough to wear them the first time, you can't wear them when they come back in style.
I feel that way about stir-up pants. When I was in college they came "back in" on my campus. I have many a childhood photo with the little stir-up hanging out of my sneaker because I was so disheveled.
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Hey guys,
I'm based in the UK and will be moving to Cambridge, MA this fall- does anyone know any good shipping companies? I won't have too much but don't want to pay loads for excess baggage!
Also what is the deal with cell phone contracts in the US?
There is so much to sort out, any advice would be great!
I had no idea about the contract fees people are talking about but I am still lucky and pay for my share of a family plan. However, I will probably be switching to a no-contract service because they have cheaper data plans.
Some of my friends used MetroPCS. You can add a feature that is abt 10/month and call overseas numbers, I believe. My friend used this to call her friends instead of those prepaid phone cards. I don't know if there will be service where you are going or if they have some fee they will charge you, but you could check them out http://www.metropcs.com/
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Yep, the brand. What in particular did you go to graduate school for?
I am not a grad student (yet) but I took some grad classes in psych, stats and public health. My campus really didn't distinguish between grads/undergrads and we all sort of just blended together once you got to take upper-level classes.
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How would you guys compare this to wearing something like jeans and a pair of rainbow sandals (assuming you aren't in some kind of medical field or something where it would obviously be inappropriate)? Would that pretty universally considered to be ok under normal class conditions (assuming you aren't given a presentation or something like that)?
Rainbow as in the brand of flip-flop? Everyone at my undergrad wore those! (Even grad students!)
Those sandals last forever! I've had mine for 5 years and live my summers in them. Def worth the price!
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I have applied to almost 14 PhD...lost count after a while -12 EHS applications 1 Health Policy and 1 Public Policy.
So far accepted into
OSU- funding options pending
University of Georgia with funding
Interviewed and official transcript requested (applications only require unofficial transcripts) for Health Policy PhD at University of Toronto
Invited for open house by UIC for university housing...don't know what that means...anyone? I wish to go to UIC for my EHS PhD
Rejected by University of Washington, Seattle for EHS PhD
Under grad Dentistry GPA 3.51
Graduate- MPH GPA 3.83
GRE 1290 620 V 670 Q
I got the same UIC e-mail and then nothing. It seemed to be catered to all applicants? I will call if I don't get something by March because I got an e-mail in December that said 6 weeks. I feel like if I call around March, I will give them an adequate amount of time.
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As an undergrad, I wore my boyfriends oversized sweatshirts all of the time. No one cared. I had a professor who joked about my huge clothes but it never was an issue. I would dress up from time to time if I had meetings or presentations and I feel as if my constant scrubbiness would make people think I looked more dressed up than I was.
I doubt I will be able to pull off the oversized clothing next year but I will invest in some "dressier" yoga pants. I am one of those people who curls up in a ball while maniacally taking notes. If I have presentations or anything, I will definitely keep something nicer in my car.
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I'm curious what people think about the marketability of a PhD in health policy as opposed to an MS or MPH. There has been a lot in the news lately about humanities PhD graduates having a hard time post-doc with few academic positions available. I'm not interested in academia...more interested in working for the fed gov't but a search of USAjobs seems to indicate there's not much out there. Is this because most of these health policy research/analyst positions are in the private sector as this work is contracted out more and more often? If that's the case, do you think this trend will continue?
I applied to all Master's degree programs and one PhD program (sort of a whim) and surprised myself by getting into the PhD program. I love the program and would like to attend but I want to make sure I'm not putting myself in a bad position post-graduation for jobs. Thoughts? Thanks for any advice!
When I was interviewing for jobs (some in health policy), all of the people had PhDs in Health Policy. The people who had the MPHs were mostly MDs or people with PhDs in something else. Maybe it was just the institutions where I was interviewing, but that seemed to be the trend.
I am not in the health policy field but that was just a little observation that I had.
Congrats on the PhD acceptance!
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Hello,
I was wondering if any of you could help me figure out which statistical program(s) is typically used for psychology research whether at the graduate or professional level. I'm familiar with SPSS and excel and I have not heard of any other common stats software, yet I have no idea what psychology students at other universities are using.
When I worked in a few psych labs everyone used SPSS. I learned how to actually use the syntax (in addition to the point and click option) because it is a lot faster once you get comfortable with it. My professors highly encouraged us to know both the point and click and the syntax for SPSS.
R is handy but set up differently than SAS/SPSS. It is more of an actual program than statistical software. If you want to give it a go, it is free and totally worth learning. I have always been able to use SAS for free by being a student/working but if I didn't have the opportunity, I would definitely pick up R.
There are a bunch of books that would help. I used a book by Cody and Smith for SAS, I believe. It was a great book. This website is pretty good for SPSS: http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/SPSS/
Also if you are planning on doing syntax, download something like Notepad ++. I like to do my code in that and then copy and paste to wherever I am going to run the code.
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Hey all, I'm seeking some advice about entering public health. I am considering applying for some sort of public health program in the next few years but I am not sure what is right for me. I have a couple of questions:
1) Do many people start with an MPH and then go on to get a PhD? Would this be a waste of time and would I be better off just going straight for a PhD, or is there some value in getting an MPH first?
2) What are the pros and cons of a PhD vs. a DrPH? I realize that the former is more research-focused and the other is more "practice" oriented, but what does this translate into as far as jobs go? Is choosing one or the other going to significantly alter my job prospects, or is there some blurring of the lines, so to speak? Are there any types of jobs you simply can't get with a PhD that you can get with a DrPH, and vice versa?
3) Is the DrPH degree respected / valued in the public health community? In my own field (nursing) there is a practice doctorate as well (DNP), but it is controversial and some people do not respect that degree (with some good reasons). I have heard of PA doctorate degrees that do not significantly improve clinical skills and mostly just focus on "fluff." Is the DrPH seen as a light-weight degree that is the result of "degree inflation", or is it truly challenging and respected?
4) If anyone here applied for / is applying to a DrPH or PhD, can you explain the reasons you chose one over the other?
Thanks for anyone that can answer any of these questions.
1) If you are really sure about the subfield of public health that you want to go into there is always the MA/MS option and then apply to PhD options. However, if you already have the master's in nursing, it could be possible to apply to doctorate programs. I have professors who started out with the MPH and then went to PhD and some who did the MA/MS option before continuing.
I think MPHs are a waist of time for multiple reasons. The first being many major universities' mph programs are diploma mills for MDs or residents so the quality of education is poor, especially at the big names in pub. health e.g., johns hopkins, harvard, berkley etc.
If you cannot get into a PhD program today, I would suggest getting a master's degree in a math/statistics/science type discipline. Do NOT get a master's in something like nursing or kinesiology or nutrition. These majors are for people who cannot do science and they generally end up in very remedial schools, if they choose to transfer over to pub health later in life.
I know a few Dr. PHs and they are very smart but have very limited skill sets. They have not brought in any dollars from research grants at least not from NIH which is very important to do especially if you want promotions and tenure. Dr. PHs are more analysts than anything else. They do a lot of consulting and generally teach data analysis courses to MPH students, if they have to teach at all.
Pub Health is one of the best disciplines in academia, if you are good at what you do. You have opportunities to help people at a mass level and the opportunity to earn a very comfortable salary.
Ouch ... I hope there aren't any nursing/nutrition/kin majors reading this. Might not be the nicest comment to say to someone who has Nursing as their program. .
I do remember the nutrition major being extremely science heavy at my undergrad institution so I don't know about this being a field for people who don't "do" science.
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I've recently switched from saying I'm planning on getting my degree in Epidemiology to saying Public Health when asked.
I now get questions about medical school and the medical field. But at least I don't get blank stares when I say "Epidemiology." Plus, I don't have to tell people again what I'm studying because they can't remember the word epidemiology. Public Health is just so much easier. And because I live in Atlanta, the next question is always, "So you want to work for the CDC?" It's a fair question, and I might work for the CDC at some point, but it's hard to make people understand that there's more to public health than just the CDC.
"Oh 'epidemiology' .... isn't that a skin-doctor? I thought you didn't want to go to med school!"
No, that's dermatology and epi is a field of public health.
"Oh I see! Good thing your boyfriend is studying ___, you won't make any money in public health."
... sigh. I feel your pain.
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This topic makes me happy. I thought I was the only one that was so particular about school supplies. When I was younger, I would bring binders AND notebooks on the first day of class to see which was the most appropriate for the class.
I would get so excited to go back to school just so I could take the annual trip to Staples with my dad.
That being said - I still bring both notebook and binder to the first day of class. If it is a powerpoint-oriented class, I use a binder to organize things in but usually only bring that week's worth of notes in a folder. (Preferably a folder with a cute animal on it. Or Lisa Frank)
If it is a notebook kind of class, I try to either get those Mead Five Star Notebooks when they are on sale for a dollar at Target or Walmart. A few years ago, Staples had these recycled-paper notebooks with hard cardboard covers on sale for 25 cents. I bought 10 and am just running out. =/
Usually the recycled paper is pretty crappy but these were amazing. I guess I will have to go back to my Mead Notebooks. I then usually type up my notes (unless it is for a math class in which case I do not have the patience) at the end of the week to force myself to go through them.
I once did a Moleskine for a calc class but I was so compulsive about being neat that I ended up buying one of those cheapo notebooks, taking class notes in that and then transferring it into the Moleskine. (Sometimes, I am a little anal and it definitely comes out in my class organizational skills!)
Edit: I forgot to post the notebooks I use from Staples, they are great! The paper is so smooth and obviously not Moleskine quality but I like it. They come in a bunch of sizes. They are made from some sort of sugarcane waste.
http://www.staples.com/Sustainable-Earth-by-Staples-Eco-Friendly-Notebook-9-1-2-x-6/product_749565
http://www.staples.com/Staples-Eco-Friendly-Composition-Notebook/product_749566?cmArea=sku_pd_box1
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I've 3.9 gpa from a top 5 school, majoring in math and minoring in stats. I can take all graduate stats classes my senior year.
Too bad I didnt like the 2 REUs I've done. I bombed the 1st one (due to personal problems at the time) and did mediocre on the 2nd.
So my LORs will be pretty bad..
No publications. No other experiences...
What kind of biostats phd programs can I get into? mid tier, lower tier, none at all?
I just want a good advisor with a direction matching my interest and enough funding to house/feed me. I don't care about school name or location ...
I do think I can get a good LOR if I keep going with my 2nd REU. But its direction isnt really my interest so it'll be kind of a drag..
so i dont feel like doing that just so I can get into a better school..
tell me if im wrong here...
im happy as long as im doing worthwhile research and i dont know if better ranked programs can make that much more likely?
Thanks guys!
Have you ever heard of the SIBS program? I would highly recommend it especially if you are pretty sure you want to go into Biostats. There are a few locations throughout the US and if you get in they pay for everything.
http://www.nhlbi.nih...ook/sibsweb.htm
I would suggest doing one at a school that you like so that you can meet faculty before you apply. Keep in mind that this program is fairly competitive, so you might want to apply to a few of the locations.
I would also recommend, if you haven't already, taking some sort of biology class. Not a ton, just maybe one or two might help.
You have a decent chance. Lots of people can do the applied stats work but if you have the theoretical stuff under your belt, you will be fine!
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I am. Well, a mix of PhD/MS since I lack a Master's degree. Good luck!
Admissions Mistake
in Waiting it Out
Posted
Something like this happened to me. I sent them an e-mail asking if my application would still be considered the same way the others were since it was still sent on time. Luckily, it was and I was accepted. However - totally different field.