posted
I was on a forum that many students of the school frequented for about a year and a half (at least) before applying. I went and talked to two professors and the head of the honors department. I sat in on a class. As I said, I felt I got suckered.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
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I agree with pH and Amanecer here, you need to do your research before you pick your college. If you did do your research beforehand then the idea of being "suckered into it" seems sort of silly to me. You weren't forced to take the scholarship, there are other ways of paying for college and while scholarships are nice, if you really feel so unhappy with the program then perhaps you should reconsider transfer.
Remember that you're there to get an education, not just a degree.
Posts: 459 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
I did my research. Ask any of my friends and family members. I was researching colleges when I was a freshman in high school. It came down to a decision between UT and UTD. The good press (via students, professors, tours, and such) + the huge scholarship (which my parents worked somewhat against me via another deal) is what made me take UTD over UT. After being at UTD for just a few weeks, I realized I had been blatantly lied to about a few things and at least somewhat lied to about others. As for transferring now, it's a bigger issue than you realize (and it's been discussed ad nauseum since last fall when I first started discussing my dissatisfaction with UTD as a school).
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
If you figured you didn't like UTD after just a few weeks, why didn't you start planning your transfer then?
I'm not one to downplay how important money is in the whole college equation, but if you feel like the education you're getting at UTD isn't up to par then you're only hurting yourself. Talk to an advisor about which of your classes are transferable to another college, go talk to the people at UT and figure out how much you can transfer as well.
Posts: 459 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
I did. The transfer issue is a large discussion in itself, and it's been an ongoing discussion since last fall. In fact, for a small period a month or so ago, it was almost certain I would be transferring out of UTD. Uncertainty keeps me here though, just like it kept me from making a proper college decision until forced upon me.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
But you already know that UTD isn't right for you. You're already in a bad position, it doesn't seem like the uncertainty of trying another college could actually hurt you more than it already is. You're choosing to stay in a place where your unhappiness is already certain, whereas trying out another school at least opens up the possibility that you might actually like it.
Posts: 459 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
It's giving up something certain (in the form of the scholarship) for something uncertain (possible happiness at another school). I know money isn't everything, but it plays a large factor (at least in many of the discussions between my parents and I on the subject).
EDIT: UT could be lying just as well. That's what I mean by uncertainty. There's no guarantee UT (or any school for that matter) will fix my dissatisfaction with college.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
I've been to studentjobs.gov, most of the internships either want tech or engineering students or don't pay anything. As I said, I've found a few that do, but not nearly as many as I was hoping for.
Mostly, I've been looking in the DC area, but location isn't an issue at all, really.
The school has an online thing to help people look for internships/jobs, but you have to upload your resume in order to get on it at all, only recently has my resume been in a state where I was willing to do that, and school's been rather hectic, so I haven't gotten around to it.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
Well, you're going to need a resume to get pretty much any internship anywhere, paid or unpaid, so that's a good place to start .
Posts: 650 | Registered: Mar 2005
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quote:most history majors are creative, intelligent, and good at learning
pfresh, you clearly seem to care a lot about your learning experience. I picked my University based on its campus and its general good reputation. You went to a lot of trouble to try and get yourself the best education.
But... no one's tricking you. History as it's taught at your college just isn't your thing. Perhaps history itself isn't your thing, but going around bashing other students because they don't happen to live up to your standards is not going to make you a happy person. I am a history minor, and no, I'm not a witty, sparkling genius who can re-imagine history like Marx did, but I'm not stupid and dull. And I can tell when people think I am.
History is not so much about imagination or creativity as understanding and interpretation. There's only so many ways you can look in a non-biased way at a particular event or issue. Yes, you can have an imaginative mind to see the world in a different light and you can come up with creative links between one historical story and another, but it's more of a discovery mission than one of creation.
If you're interested in a more creative look at historical events or a more socioligical view you might be interested in looking into Political Science, which I find can allow you to go a step away from teh actual facts and in why things actually happened. I find it more creative. If you're more interested in people, take more people-based classes rather than the more factual ones.
If the classes are really easy for you and you're getting straight As, do the work and study want you want on the side, or attend more classes or different classes.
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
There are a number of things I could say here, but I'm going to refrain (mostly because they would cause more arguments and solve none of the issues). The point of my at least partially sarcastic comment (the one you quoted Teshi) was that you can't make broad generalizations (like saying a broad liberal arts education will likely result in a certain type of people which are better in this regard to a certain other type of people).
As for the no one's tricking me remark, I'm not going to bite on that. The only person who knows exactly what happened and what the circumstances are is me, so the rest of you have no real reason to say one thing or another. In regards to history not being my thing, nothing is my thing. I'm the master of all trades but interested in none. The reason I'm a history major are complicated at best. I am taking a variety of classes (and always have since I knew I couldn't be bogged down in anyone subject). I've found them almost all of them dissatisfactory in terms of what I'm learning. Please note though that this isn't me saying UTD is bad in regards to education. Just that I (as an intelligent guy who went to a really good high school) am not getting anything out of it.
With this reply, I'm not coming back to this thread. I'm even contemplating not coming back to Hatrack for a while. I feel like most times my comments are misconstrued and I feel badgered by a group of people. So I'm taking a break. I need to go and do something else, because this place is being more harmful than beneficial to me at the moment.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
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EDIT: Well, I'm terribly sorry and sad, if that's the case. If you're still reading, pfesh. I certainly didn't mean to be taken as horribly offensive. Considering I am a liberal arts major, though, taking English, History and Politics, plus other classes on the side for similar reasons that pfresh is, I should say that I'm not just making things up.
I believe that it is important that many people in business have liberal arts degrees because I think, like any field, it widens the view of the company considerably.
quote:I'm the master of all trades but interested in none.
I suppose I am the opposite. I'm interested it a lot of areas, but I am the master of none, really. Because I'm not passionate about either.
Also, the transition of a student from a high school to a University can be a difficult one, however good the school.
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
err ... oops? I've been reading the thread all day wondering when I should interject and perhaps turn the conversation elsewhere ... I guess that ship sailed though. Oh well. So ... Does anyone have any suggestions where to definately NOT go to school for a History major?
(the tounge is sticking out in a cheekish sort of witty way, not at anyone or anything in particular. )
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Ok, so now I'm going to ask a few more specific questions. First off, is where I get my undergraduate degree very important, considering I will most likely be going for a graduate degree? and If I decide not to get my graduate degree, does the name of where I went to school mean much on job applications? and In both of those scenario's, is a state university (FSU) likely to be better thought of than a smaller private university which doesn't really have a highly recognizable name?
Basically I want to know if it really matters where I go to school. I have a short list now, and the final verdict will most likely come as a result of A) Me visiting the schools and B) Me being accepted to the schools. Any thoughts on the usefullness of stressing out over this issue would be appreciated.
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
And before anyone mentions the whole above shenanigan with pfresh and all, the schools on my short list are schools that I am almost positive I will enjoy going to, and if I go there and visit them and have a bad feeling, they go off the list. If everything feels good and looks good (as in I have done a lot of research), then I don't know there's anything else I can do to ensure I dont' have a bad experience. Though any succinct thoughts on that subject would be appreciated also.
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Yes. Graduate schools have very few slots in any given major, so if you go to a less-than-prestigious undergraduate, you can forget Harvard, Princeton, Yale, etc. Regardless of your grades or accomplishments.
No. Why do you need to go to Harvard, Princeton, or Yale? Go to a place that makes you happy, and don't worry about some silly competition to be able to drop the biggest name.
The vast majority of people don't go to Ivy League schools, and educated hard-workers generally turn out just fine regardless of which (accredited) university they attend.
(Personal story to follow . . . )
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
Any chance of elaboration on which undergraduate schools have a particularly high rate of acceptance into respected graduate schools? I've looked for this information and can't seem to find it.
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
When I was getting ready to graduate from high school, I had some pretty phenomenal SAT scores, that attracted attention from all kinds of high-powered universities. But we were poor, and my grades were (probably) not good enough to earn me a scholarship at some of those schools, though I might have gotten admitted. At a less prestigous local school, I was more likely to get a scholarship.
My father convinced me that I should to a local school. His argument was that I was going to grad school anyway. (Nobody actually asked me . . . ) As he said, nobody ever asked their doctor where their BS degree was from. People cared about where the MD was from. He felt I could stay home now, and go to a more prestigious school for my Ph.D. (and not get burned out in undergrad.)
He was wrong.
I went to a relatively unknown private, Catholic university. The total enrollment was 6,000 or so.
As an undergraduate, I had very nearly straight A's. (I can count on one hand the number of B's I had. With fingers to spare.) I took more coursework than I needed to, and ended up graduating with 145 out of 120 credits. I was in the honors program, which involved extra coursework and extra papers in normal courses. I was in at least two honor societies. I was in student government for two years. I was in the Honor Student Association, and I was the vice president for two years. I also published the newsletter for the HSA for two years. I was the Editor-in-Chief of the student newspaper by my sophomore year. During my junior year, I worked an internship as a researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. During my senior year, at my campus, I worked in an NIH-funded project studying the spread of HIV in South Florida. I also worked as a tutor in the learning center for three years. I won a closet-fuil of awards, including the highest honor awarded at the university. I also had unbelievable GRE scores. (Did I mention that I'm a minority member?)
When I was done, I applied to every Ivy League school for graduate school. I also applied to UNC-Chapel Hill, Clemson, and Old Dominion University.
Every Ivy League school denied me admission out of hand. Chapel Hill waitlisted me before rejecting me. Clemson and Old Dominion both offered me fellowship/assistantship combinations, and I went to Clemson.
But in the end, my father was not so wrong.
I went to school in a wonderful, nurturing, loving environment, which was totally the opposite of my high school experience. I had a lot of friends, I had a lot of success, and I had a lot of fun. I matured an awful lot between high school and grad school, and Clemson was absolutely wonderful for me as well. I loved the area; I loved the people. I had a full life. I was happy.
I've never had any significant difficulty finding a job since then, even without an Ivy League name opening doors for me. And, to be honest, I think I got nurtured more along the way than I would have otherwise.
So I'm not so sure things really turned out for the worse.
I say go where you will be happy, and don't give much thought to where the school ranks, unless that is truly the only measure that exists for you. (And if it is, consider broadening your perspective.)
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
I did a little checking afterward. A school like Yale, for example, might only have a dozen or so incoming grad student spaces. Guess whose students got first dibs on them?
If you want a Ph.D. from Yale, and FSU is not good enough, then you pretty much need to go to Yale straight through.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
Actually, there's a movement in the humanities where graduate schools prefer students from other universities to keep from doing "academic in-breeding." So if you want to go to Yale for graduate studies in a humanities field, you should try to get into the other Ivy league schools.
blacwolve, have you been looking for internships in areas other than political science? I'm certainly not planning on going into marketing, but I took a job working as a marketing assistant after my freshman year of college because it was fairly interesting, paid decently, and, more importantly, a good resume builder. Having a "real job" on my resume has helped out a lot, I think, in landing other opportunities.
Posts: 2409 | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Mostly, I've been looking at data analysis. I can't really think of anything else I'm at all qualified for.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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