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/sci/ - Science & Math

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4901398 No.4901398 [Reply] [Original]

I'm not sure if I should put this in a different forum or not.
I'm requesting academic advice, preferably from people who actually know what they're talking about.
That said,
I'm 24 and I'm an engineering undergraduate. I had issues in high school I didn't deal with that caused me to be mediocre, I took some time off after that, and then I started at a community college again after coming out of (a VERY LONG episode of) major depression and completely changed, cognitively.
My community college ran out of courses and since then I've been at University of Illinois, Chicago. I have a 4.0 and I destroy curves. My major as an undergrad is electrical (signal and image processing, specifically), minors in BioE and Math, and I'm planning an accelerated Masters in BioE. I don't like my school. I feel like my degree will just scream "I got rejected from the REAL U of I", which isn't even true. If I transfer elsewhere, I'll lose both minors and have anything this fall and after not count. Is it worth it to do it, right now? I'm not getting any younger, either.

>> No.4901409

>>4901398
It's not worth it. The school you go to doesn't matter that much when you're applying for jobs or for graduate schools. What really matters is experience (research or internships/etc.) and recommendations. No one will care that you went to the Chicago campus instead of the main one, and that won't be a reason to deny you from grad school.

Don't let it bother you at all. Get good grades, build a rapport with some of your professors, and try to get some research or internship experience. You'll be fine, anon.

>> No.4901418

>>4901409
Shit, though, I feel like a loser every day.
I mean, I used to be a fuckup, and now I'm now, but I'm still living by the mistakes of the past.

>> No.4901434

>>4901418
Eh, it happens to all of us sometimes. I have a friend who just quit heroin at 22 and is trying to go back to school. We all have our burdens to bear. The best thing you can do is to ignore them and pursue your future! Graduate with your degree and try to turn it into something.

>> No.4901437

don't let your age be a limiting factor to your decisions. Dude in my Signals and Systems class last year was 60-something years old.
The point is, as long as you've learnt from your mistakes, who gives a fuck about "where you should be up to by now"

>> No.4901444

No one cares. It's actually better if you go to a community college before a University. As far as transferring, this tends to depend on your state. For example, in Colorado there are laws that require a ton of shit to be transferable in state (with few exceptions). It is still better to finish your degree and then transfer into a graduate level program afterwards though.

>> No.4901494

>>4901437
Maybe it's the psychological thing.
I can't be the person I want to be by tautology.
I remember what youth feels like and now I feel none of it. I already know who I am, I don't like it, and I don't think I can change it. All I know, now, is harsh materialism, math, and sociopathy. I work out, study and study to be better than everyone else, but I can't be that if I'm 24 without a degree, let alone, I'm pursuing a degree, and it's NOT from Stanford or any place I would actually want a degree from.
I don't think my thought processes are highly unique.
I will never be a youthful college kid.

>> No.4901525

>>4901437
It's not about that, though.
The real dilemma is whether getting an elite degree at 27 is better than getting a non-elite degree at 26.

>> No.4901671

>>4901494

4901437 here, I used to feel the same too. The best advice I can give is to take some medicine for it. I recommend a teaspoon of cement and harden the fuck up.
>>4901525
same goes to you too.

>> No.4901680

OP, once you get your first job, it doesn't even matter. People care about your experience more than the name of the school on your diploma. Study hard, get an internship or two, and you're set

>> No.4901683

>>4901680

>no experience yet
>job interview
>experience required for job
>repeat again and again
>them feels man

>> No.4901702

>>4901683
Do an internship, or start at a crappier job in the company and try to move up internally.

>> No.4901735

its better to be the best at a pretty decent school than average at a fucking hard school.

also where you went/the grades you got only matters for your first job, after that no one gives a shit.

and if you want to stay in academics, it only matters where you got your graduate degree from.

basically, stay put and demolish shit.

>> No.4902216

"its better to be the best at a pretty decent school than average at a fucking hard school. "
Can you verify this?

>> No.4902217

>>4901735
I also feel like I won't get to meet elite people, too, and that hurts.

>> No.4904021

bump

>> No.4906407

Topics apparently live forever on sci

>> No.4906412

>>4902217
Stop worrying about meeting "Elite" people, OP, because they don't exist in any other places. The fact is most people are lazy and idiotic, and they won't be any better at a state university vs. a "prestigious" college. Fuck man, I go to an Ivy, and I've watched over 10 hours of Firefly today. Supposed reputation of an institution doesn't mean shit in regards to the quality of its students.

>> No.4906423

>>4906412

I have a hard time believing that.

Don't get me wrong, I think you'll find a lot of diversity everywhere, but I'm willing to bet a standard deviation or two above in regards to intelligence, physical attractiveness, work ethic, physical fitness, etc., at the most prestigious institutions. I imagine differences only statistical, but I'd still be happier further away from a bunch of fat greasy 30 year olds who smoke cigarettes and have a network of solution manual copying being half the students in the EE department.

>> No.4906440

Computer Science professorfag here

A high GPA like yours from UI Chicago will get you into a Masters' program at some more prestigious place. May get you a scholarship as well.

At every stage of your career that is spent in academia, it's best to trade up and get into the best place that you can. If you are already committed to a masters' at UI Chicago, that's OK too. Just remember:
- Getting a high GPA in your masters' will be important too for your next stage
- Getting excellent letters of recommendation will be important too.
If I see a graduate application from Oshkosh University but the grades are outstanding and the letters say "I did my PhD at Northeastern and this grad student compares favorably with people I knew there", then that will count for a lot.
I don't know why I picked Northeastern, just wanted to emphasize that a good recommendation from someone even from a second-tier university will look very good on your application.

>> No.4906457

>>4906440
Maybe I just have a Rudy complex.

>> No.4906473

>>4906457
Rudy complex?
You lost me m8

>> No.4906574

>>4906473
/wiki/Rudy_(film)

You can read the summary for more details, which I can related to, but, basically, Rudy (who was actually a real person) was this short guy who grew up broke and wanted to go to Notre Dame and play Notre Dame football, if for no other reason then to be one of them. He succeeded, but he was also 28 or so when he got a college degree.

>> No.4906622

Professorfag here again...
Every professor will tell you "some of my best students have been mature students". They are a joy to teach.
Getting a bachelor's at 24 or 28 is no detriment to your future career.

>> No.4906660

>>4906622
I don't think you get it, though.

You're not one of them. You want to be one of them. No matter how hard you to try to convince people you're one of them, they know you're not one of them almost as well as you know.