The School Thread

[Spaceman Spiff]

Anyone here at college (or university)? Undergrad? Grad? Highschool?

Tell us what you're studying, where you're studying, and any interesting shit you have to read. Oh, and berate your pompous pretentious profs!

Even though this is a film (and I suppose art-centric) forum, is anyone else here in the sciences?

[Ivan Drago]

Southern Illinois University - Carbondale. Minoring in Journalism and double-majoring in Cinema and Beer.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I decided to go back to school. I actually have my last appointment for readmission this morning. I'm technically a sophomore, but I'm not going to feel like it when I go back. I'll be getting my B.B.A., and minoring in either English or Entrepreneurship. I'm a huge mix of worried and excited.

[Ezee E]

I'm going to go to Paramedic School next year. Huge commitment. It'll certainly take my match cut time away.

And yet, I already have a BFA.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Well, I'm all set. I register next Tuesday.

*is already sweating*

[Spaceman Spiff]

I'm going to go to Paramedic School next year. Huge commitment. It'll certainly take my match cut time away.

And yet, I already have a BFA.

Paramedic School? Does that require medical studies? Cool, if so.

I'm an undergrad at the University of Toronto. Studying Cognitive Science/AI and Physiology. Also, minoring in Cinema Studies (which I don't really like, academic theory is kinda boring).

I greatly prefer my robotics/mechanics and bio. Chem is a big pile of gay, but a necessary gay. Linguistics is also lame.

[Ezee E]

Paramedic School? Does that require medical studies? Cool, if so.

I'm an undergrad at the University of Toronto. Studying Cognitive Science/AI and Physiology. Also, minoring in Cinema Studies (which I don't really like, academic theory is kinda boring).

I greatly prefer my robotics/mechanics and bio. Chem is a big pile of gay, but a necessary gay. Linguistics is also lame.
Paramedic School just needs EMT training and experience. There is an entrance exam. Other then that, it lasts a year long and is comparable to the amount of work that goes into Medical School for that particular year. it's pretty brutal.

Linguistics would be awesome to have. Think of the opportunities you could have with those languages.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Paramedic School just needs EMT training and experience. There is an entrance exam. Other then that, it lasts a year long and is comparable to the amount of work that goes into Medical School for that particular year. it's pretty brutal.

Linguistics would be awesome to have. Think of the opportunities you could have with those languages.

Linguistics is the study of the structure of language. We don't really study languages. It's horrendously dry.

[Ezee E]

Linguistics is the study of the structure of language. We don't really study languages. It's horrendously dry.
Ah. Yeah, nevermind. Sucks for you.

[Wryan]

Totally done with all schoolage. Miss my school friends but I'm glad that I'm not in the system anymore. The Onion did a fantastic article about a child who realizes he's going to spend the next 15 years or so in the school system and has a transcendental meltdown. Was incredibly awesome.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Totally done with all schoolage. Miss my school friends but I'm glad that I'm not in the system anymore. The Onion did a fantastic article about a child who realizes he's going to spend the next 15 years or so in the school system and has a transcendental meltdown. Was incredibly awesome.

Yeah.

I like school to some degree, but (and I'm going to sound like Holden Caulfield here) the phoniness of many of my profs, TAs, and academics in general have turned me right off. I have other complaints too (the backwards bureaucracy, poor funding, etc) which really dissuade me from perusing graduate studies.

With that said, some of my classes are pretty good. And the downtown-ness of my school is nice.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I think the thing that bothers me most about school is the necessity to push gen eds that have nothing to do with your degree. Didn't we do enough basic stuff through high school? Do I really need a chemistry course to get my degree in Business? And yeah, the smugness of certain professors along the way is grating, but I can usually tune that out pretty easily.

[Russ]

I decided to go back to school. I actually have my last appointment for readmission this morning. I'm technically a sophomore, but I'm not going to feel like it when I go back. I'll be getting my B.B.A., and minoring in either English or Entrepreneurship. I'm a huge mix of worried and excited.
When I went back, I was in my early

40's.
It had been so long that I lost a lot of credits and also went back in (technically) as a sophomore. Perseverance, dedication, and the right field of study (along with about 30K in student loans) paid off: got a great job, finally started earning my age, and now I'm only about a year off from having my loans paid back. Hang in there, and best of luck to you.

[Raiders]

Currently getting my second master's degree, this time in Computer Science/Software Engineering.

[D_Davis]

I can see myself going back to school when I am 40, probably to get a masters in some kind of communication.

I want to do good at communicationating.

[BirdsAteMyFace]

Graduated almost two years ago with my BA in Psychology. Planning on obtaining a Master's in Mental Health & Drug Rehabilitation Counseling (or a similar degree) within the next few years.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Currently getting my second master's degree, this time in Computer Science/Software Engineering.

Ugh.

I had to take a couple of programming courses for AI (and still need to take another few). I'm much more interested in the mechanics and physics of robotics needless to say.

That probably has something to do with the AWFUL comp sci profs I had that pretty much expected the students to have an intense knowledge in object-oriented programming and software design. I drank far too much caffeine that semester.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I think the thing that bothers me most about school is the necessity to push gen eds that have nothing to do with your degree. Didn't we do enough basic stuff through high school? Do I really need a chemistry course to get my degree in Business? And yeah, the smugness of certain professors along the way is grating, but I can usually tune that out pretty easily.

I actually kinda dig the emphasis on general studies in your first couple of years. Yeah, occasionally you'll end up having to take a really rotten course, but I wouldn't have been able to find my niche (us roboticists have one of the smallest departments - less than 100) if it weren't for the physics and calculus I was forced to take during my 1st year as a Life Science (and now Physiology) student.

To be fair, all the smug pretentious academics I've met are in the cinema studies department, which is a real shame. Every prof I've had seems more concerned with showing off their academic credentials and pontificating on theoretical vagueries, while all my TAs are hipsters who sort of encourage conformity of thought. It's almost like a Daniel Clowes comic.

Good luck on returning by the way. I've met a couple of fathers in my classes who are working towards their medical degrees(!) so anything is possible. What classes are you taking?

[dreamdead]

I'm a Ph.D student in a blended Film/Literature program at Northern Illinois University.

Film (and literary) theory is all sorts of fun. I love it. So long as I can get a job earning about $40,000 after ten years of college education I'll be happy. Not expecting more than that from an English/Film degree starting out, but I've incurred no loans thus far for my education so I know that I've been lucky.

[thefourthwall]

ditto
:pritch:

[D_Davis]

I've incurred no loans thus far for my education so I know that I've been lucky.

Nice.

How did you do that?

I've always been lucky enough to be part of the lower middle class, which means I can't afford to pay for school and bills without working full time, but I make too much money to get financial aid.

[Mysterious Dude]

I miss school.

[Ezee E]

Nice.

How did you do that?

I've always been lucky enough to be part of the lower middle class, which means I can't afford to pay for school and bills without working full time, but I make too much money to get financial aid.
Lower Middle Class represent!

Same happened here.

[dreamdead]

Nice.

How did you do that?


I went to a regional branch of Kent State University for my undergrad, which reduced tuition to about $2,000 a semester. Between work and several scholarships I graduated without debt, and the graduate degrees have included Teaching Assistantships both at Kent State and at NIU.

I love the atmosphere of learning, but dread seeing the growing incredulity on my students when I ask them to do work that I did eight years ago without complaint. Ah well.

[Lucky]

I have my BS in biochemistry, and I've been slapped with the realization I need to go back to school unless I want to be a lab monkey the rest of my life.

I'm hoping to begin a master's/doctorate in toxicology next fall. Don't know how, don't know where. One of my New Year's resolutions is to get that accomplished.

[bac0n]

Nice.

How did you do that?

You can do like I did, which is to take 1-2 classes a semester and pay as you go. The disadvantage is that takes forever to get your degree (it took me six years, and this is after having gone three years to a full time university and having most of my credits transfer) and between work and school, you never have time to do anything fun (which thanks to shelling out $$ for school tuition, you'd never be able to afford anyway).

Still, I finally made it through, and I have the satisfaction of having taken ownership of a good portion of my education, and I have no loans to pay back.

[Duncan]

I graduated in May from Columbia University. Majored in mechanical engineering with a minor in economics. In fairly severe debt, but I'm probably going to live with my parents for a year and my current job pays quite well so I figure I might be debt free in 12 months. And then I will quit my job ASAP and go live in the woods.