If one day you decided to start all over, what would you study and why?

[RedPotato]

If I could entirely change who I am and what I am good at, I would be a surgeon. I'm in awe of being able to perform surgeries and save lives. Now if only I was good in math and science....

[Aunuwyn]

I am on a political scientist track now as well. I have often mused over this question though, and have a pretty solid answer. I would either go into Economics or Astronomy. While the economics is not a huge deviation from my current field (especiall since I'm an IPE type) astronomy is. You would never know it looking at me or my resume, but I am probably one of the most knowledgable persons you will ever meet about the field of astronomy. Most of my friends are physicists and they constantly comment how knowledgeable I am in the subject for a "lay person". In fact my role model growing up was Carl Sagan.

[katalytik]

ima medical doctor..... had i want to do things again..... either pimp or drug dealer.....

kidding!

the first part is true though....

[fsmn36]

I am on a political scientist track now as well. I have often mused over this question though, and have a pretty solid answer. I would either go into Economics or Astronomy. While the economics is not a huge deviation from my current field (especiall since I'm an IPE type) astronomy is. You would never know it looking at me or my resume, but I am probably one of the most knowledgable persons you will ever meet about the field of astronomy. Most of my friends are physicists and they constantly comment how knowledgeable I am in the subject for a "lay person". In fact my role model growing up was Carl Sagan.

If I was good at math, I'd have been an astrophysicist. As it is, I like to study weaponization of space because that's the closest to the sky I can get in my field.lol

[Jennszoo]

Well I'm going for SLP after being a business major, so in effect, I am doing my redo. But if I was 18 again and picking a major, I would do nursing. It would have served me very well with good pay, decent job options and flexible work schedule during these years I have been raising kids.

[psychdork]

Currently I'm going for a PhD in social psychology.

I'm kinda torn between whether I would stay in psych or change my study focus completely. If I would stay in psych then I would start doing research earlier, especially focusing on a publication or two. If I would change my path completely, then I would go into veterinary medicine. Every so often I wonder why I didn't in the first place.

[pangur-ban]

I'm applying for a PhD in linguistics, but if I could do it all over again, I'd want to be Indiana Jones. (Is that cheating?) But anyway, I'd want something that involves studying ancient languages, deciphering unknown languages, and lots of travel and excitement.

[LateAntique]

I'm currently applying to Ph.D programs in Classics or related to early Christian stuff, but my parallel universe self is probably doing work in evolutionary anthropology.

[purplepepper]

I don't think I'd start over into another academic career...if I wasn't so stubborn when I was "young" (when I thought I had to do academics). i'd become either a sommelier or a train driver in Europe. But at least going into academia will allow me to drink lots of wine and give papers in places where I can ride on trains

[Aunuwyn]

If I was good at math, I'd have been an astrophysicist. As it is, I like to study weaponization of space because that's the closest to the sky I can get in my field.lol

I'm a big fan of the space weaponization field as well. Perhaps we can publish a paper or something.

[Early]

I'm doing sociology, but i'd love to rewind and do some marine bio.

[red_crayons]

I would've ignored my mother, followed through with a linguistics major and revised Bill Labov's atlas of American dialects, at least for the northeast, because it's so out of date and (I suspect) had such a small sample size to begin with that it's WRONG WRONG WRONG. There are parts of Maine where people still sound Scottish when they speak! Different counties have distinctly different accents! Where is that in his big precious book?

Alternatively, I would have started ignoring my mother even sooner and gone to music school for the clarinet instead. My bottom teeth would've fallen out by now and I'd have a bionic mouth. It's ironic how I ended up in a town with some of the best clarinet faculty in the country but gave up playing almost as soon as I got here because of a mean faculty member...

Edited January 20, 2010 by red_crayons

[zilch]

well there's a class at illinois under food science that is titled "Chocolate Appreciation". I wonder if they give PhDs in that.

[psycholinguist]

I would've ignored my mother, followed through with a linguistics major and revised Bill Labov's atlas of American dialects, at least for the northeast, because it's so out of date and (I suspect) had such a small sample size to begin with that it's WRONG WRONG WRONG. There are parts of Maine where people still sound Scottish when they speak! Different counties have distinctly different accents! Where is that in his big precious book?

Alternatively, I would have started ignoring my mother even sooner and gone to music school for the clarinet instead. My bottom teeth would've fallen out by now and I'd have a bionic mouth. It's ironic how I ended up in a town with some of the best clarinet faculty in the country but gave up playing almost as soon as I got here because of a mean faculty member...

I know of a little bit of work coming out of the University of Southern Maine on phonological shifts in...well, southern Maine.

[psycholinguist]

And sorry to hear that you were discouraged out of studying linguistics! You'll always count as an honorary linguist, though. * grins *

[red_crayons]

I know of a little bit of work coming out of the University of Southern Maine on phonological shifts in...well, southern Maine.

Yeah. That's an interesting area because there are a lot of Boston/New York transplants, and a lot of younger people have the standard American dialect, NOT a regional dialect AT ALL.

Lots of young people from my area - further up, really rural - have more subtle differences from a standard dialect that I can't totally put my finger on. Some syntax, some phonological things that I don't know enough to describe, but really weird stress patterns. Transplants tend to pick up the stress patterns first, then the syntax, and rarely the phonology changes. I want to know more about how that works!

Seriously, though, among older (40+) people, in some areas you can pinpoint the town someone is from from their speech, since so many places were completely isolated until 20-odd years ago. SO COOL. But everyone just thinks they know New England, and it's just kind of like Boston... Not true!

And sorry to hear that you were discouraged out of studying linguistics! You'll always count as an honorary linguist, though. * grins *

Awww, thanks! I took two historical ling (with a Germanic phonetics guy), one socioling (with a prof who wrote an early book on gender and language), syntax, and most of a semantics course as an undergrad, which gave me a really solid grounding. The ling people welcomed me with open arms, I LOVED them! My favorite ling prof lived next door to me, so I got to see her a lot even after I was done with her class.

I plan to work linguistic analysis into graduate study on sociology of science/science communications. Since Cornell and MIT are two of the schools I'm considering, I'll have lots of chances to stalk good ling faculty.

Great job, guys, you got me to geek out.

Edited January 21, 2010 by red_crayons

[fsmn36]

I'm a big fan of the space weaponization field as well. Perhaps we can publish a paper or something.

Awesome. Let's do it.

[jordy]

I wouldn't change a damn thing, I'm meant to do this.

Damn straight. I love my field!

But to play along, if social psychology didn't exist then I would consider heading in the direction of women's/gender studies, anthropology (which was my original declared major on my application), or else something in the realm of medical technology (possibly genetics).

[peppermint.beatnik]

I would do the same, or some type of environmental science, or primate research.

Three different fields, but the latter two I incorporate into my hobbies as much as possible (well, not primate research, but I love reading anything in the area).

[Smaudge]

I'm in Linguistics too, which I love love love.

In an alternate universe I'd like to have started early (pre-fluency cut off age, aka <13) learning a language with a non Roman alphabet.. something like Arabic or Russian, and then continuing through undergrad. Throw in some years studying abroad for complete fluency. Mmmmm..

If that's cheating since I picked something still language-related, then I choose Anthropology of media (is that a made up field?), where I could study propaganda during different political periods. I once took a Nazi cinema class and was absolutely fascinated!

[Matilda_Tone]

I also love what I do (history).

I sometimes wish I had managed to take some English courses in Undergrad though- that is one avenue my schedule never allowed me to explore, and I do love using novels and poetry as historical sources. Perhaps it would have changed things a bit.

[psycholinguist]

Yeah. That's an interesting area because there are a lot of Boston/New York transplants, and a lot of younger people have the standard American dialect, NOT a regional dialect AT ALL.

Lots of young people from my area - further up, really rural - have more subtle differences from a standard dialect that I can't totally put my finger on. Some syntax, some phonological things that I don't know enough to describe, but really weird stress patterns. Transplants tend to pick up the stress patterns first, then the syntax, and rarely the phonology changes. I want to know more about how that works!

Seriously, though, among older (40+) people, in some areas you can pinpoint the town someone is from from their speech, since so many places were completely isolated until 20-odd years ago. SO COOL. But everyone just thinks they know New England, and it's just kind of like Boston... Not true!

Ooh, neat!

Awww, thanks! I took two historical ling (with a Germanic phonetics guy), one socioling (with a prof who wrote an early book on gender and language), syntax, and most of a semantics course as an undergrad, which gave me a really solid grounding. The ling people welcomed me with open arms, I LOVED them! My favorite ling prof lived next door to me, so I got to see her a lot even after I was done with her class.

I plan to work linguistic analysis into graduate study on sociology of science/science communications. Since Cornell and MIT are two of the schools I'm considering, I'll have lots of chances to stalk good ling faculty.

Heh! I did my BA in linguistics at Cornell, actually, so if you have any questions about stalking the ling-professors there (almost all of whom are awesome), let me know! * grins *

Great job, guys, you got me to geek out.

w00t!

[Euphoria5L]

I'm not sure that I'd really want to do anything different. But if I started over or if I had more motivation as an undergrad, I'd have probably studied some combination of linguistics, mathematics, and philosophy. I love what happens when you throw them in a blender, and if I were better at the linguistics and math parts (I'm alright with the math and linguistics, but my knowledge is pretty piecemeal and restricted to what philosophers normally talk about...), I know that I'd be a lot better off than I am now. But I absolutely love what I do, so I'm really not sure where I'd end up if I hadn't gone down this path.

[juror#1]

I actually had this conversation with my research advisor and a couple other faculty members last week...

Currently I am applying to Ph.D. programs to study Social Psychology and the Law, which I have fallen in love with but this was not my original plan...

My biggest dream ever was to be a forensic anatomical pathologist doing autopsies and what not and then would eventually be elected County Coroner. It was when I took a college anat and phys course in highschool that I discovered my ineptitude at the endocrine system . My choice to go into psychology was, quite literally, merely writing the major down because I was too heart broken over losing my choice field (don't try and say I could have done it because I tried very hard to learn it and to this day still suck at endocrines). But it ended up just fine as I am extremely happy with my field and after hanging out with the county coroner where I attend undergrad, realized that I don't necessarily have to have a medical background to be elected .

My second choice would be either an astronaut or an astronomer because space is just incredible.

[1f3_2kf2]

I am CS major. I would have doubled in math because admissions LOVES math courses on your transcript!