/sci/ - Science & Math

[Anonymous No.5333918]

>/lit/ justifies why they can't get into a good college
>>>>/lit/3222562

This thread is comic gold, a few jems:

>I just want them to know. I got a C- in human history, so what? I aced the tests and never turned in a bit of homework. Why bother if I already knew the material? While you were making flashcards and panicking over the next exam I was reading Dostoevsky. Of course, I get punished for it, because going against the puritanical law code of our academic factories ensures I get sent to a shit tier school while the students who can't even read get sent to Yale.

>I've been categorized as genius level intelligence by a multitude of proffesional IQ tests, and by past teachers.
>Yet, my GPA is under 1.0. This is mainly because i was traumatized at an early age by a horrendous upbringing. I've got a multitude of neuroses that made me incompatible for public schools here in the US.

>One semester I took only academic classes including one class which was almost entirely in French because I wanted to learn French and a math class a year above me. I finished with a pretty average grade. Meanwhile the school valedictorian took two non-chalenging academic classes and two 'easy' classes which generally only exist to pad grades. I'm not saying I'm smarter than the valedictorian (she was quite intelligent), but it's hard to measure two people against eachother on their performance when one is pushing themselves as hard as they possibly can and the other isn't even going an inch out of their comfort zone.

What a bunch of faggots, but let's hear why YOU GUYS couldn't get into a good university.

[Anonymous No.5333928]

I'm in a pretty good school.
Let's talk about you OP, I'm afraid you are diagnosed with severe faggotry

[Anonymous No.5333932]

well i couldn't as an undergraduate because i fucked off in highschool and didn't really understand the importance of any of it. theres no real excuse for it it's just a failure.
i got into a really awesome grad school though so it doesnt really matter in the end i suppose

[Anonymous No.5333937]

>>5333918

Believe it or not, most of /sci/ goes to university or plans to.

[Anonymous No.5333946]

>>5333918
>implying /sci/ can't get into good grad schools

[Anonymous No.5333967]

>>5333918
At one of the best schools for my undergrad, mainly for the networking I can achieve here

[Anonymous No.5333978]

>>5333967
>>5333946
>>5333937
>>5333932
>>5333928
Well what do you guys think of /lit/'s excuses? Good points or just pointless whining of egotistical faggots?

[Anonymous No.5333987]

>>5333918

>YOU GUYS couldn't get into a good university.

nah, never had that problem, personally. for undergrad i got in everywhere i liked a lot anyway. everywhere i applied accepted me except princeton and harvard, iirc, but they weren't spectacular programs for my area anyway. didn't get to go where i wanted to most for money reasons (had to go to an in-state school for the state lottery scholarship money and the academic scholarships they gave me (it was a bit lower ranked) cuz financial aid boned us by not counting medical bills, but that's another story). but hey, i can't complain, i still got into the number two program for doing my phd. and number one was johns hopkins, which i didn't even apply to, considering i don't enjoy getting stabbed by mugger and/or stressed to the point of suicide.

anyway, this thread is dumb. oooh, you can single out a handful of idiots on /lit/, you're SO cool. i wish i could be you, man. you DO realize that people a huge number of incredibly dumb posts right here on /sci/ that i could selectively repost on /lit/ to make us all look like mentally retarded inbreds if i wanted to. right?

[Anonymous No.5333990]

>>5333978
>>5333918
>>I just want them to know. I got a C- in human history, so what? I aced the tests and never turned in a bit of homework. Why bother if I already knew the material? While you were making flashcards and panicking over the next exam I was reading Dostoevsky. Of course, I get punished for it, because going against the puritanical law code of our academic factories ensures I get sent to a shit tier school while the students who can't even read get sent to Yale.

This guy is a pretentious douche who may actually have a large intelligence but is very weak on the inside. He thinks he's so edgy because he doesn't follow the course work, but if its so easy why not do it, knock out a crazy mark and then continue to read Dostoevsky?

>>I've been categorized as genius level intelligence by a multitude of professional IQ tests, and by past teachers. Yet, my GPA is under 1.0. This is mainly because i was traumatized at an early age by a horrendous upbringing. I've got a multitude of neuroses that made me incompatible for public schools here in the US.

Simple excuse, pass blame onto the system. If the system didn't work why are people doing so much better?

>>One semester I took only academic classes including one class which was almost entirely in French because I wanted to learn French and a math class a year above me. I finished with a pretty average grade. Meanwhile the school valedictorian took two non-chalenging academic classes and two 'easy' classes which generally only exist to pad grades. I'm not saying I'm smarter than the valedictorian (she was quite intelligent), but it's hard to measure two people against eachother on their performance when one is pushing themselves as hard as they possibly can and the other isn't even going an inch out of their comfort zone.
Valid points are made, he respects that the Valedictorian was actually intelligence, is still whiny, but I can respect him/her

[Anonymous No.5334051]

So what did you guys do that got you into all these fantastic undergrad schools? Are you seriously all valedictorians? Do you lack the rebellion that /lit/ has?

>>5333990
His next paragraph is more rage inducing
>Right now I'm a 16 year old droppout trying to teach myself everything I can. The textbooks at my school where shit, the teachers sucked, and if you wanted to take advantage of any educational opportunities outside of the one's offered through the educational system you're going to be docked grades as though you're doing something bad. Recently however I learned of a really interesting sounding liberal arts university that I think would be great to go to, they're really progressive in terms of how their education is run, the average class size is 15 people, and the staff sounds really well qualified. The only problem is that you have to pay out the ass to go there, I'm hoping that if I get enough scholarships I'll have a chance.

[Anonymous No.5334059]

I go to MIT soooooo

yeah

(went to thomas jefferson for high school woohoo)

[Anonymous No.5334075]

>I've been categorized as genius level intelligence
U WOT M8
something that 'smart people' don't realize is that drive is seriously the motivating force behind getting anything done. sure, you can be the smartest guy in the world, but nobody is going to give a shit unless you can back it up.
go to school.
get good grades. impress the people around you.
eventually the people that matter will take notice and you may even get into the habit of applying your 'intelligence' to the real world god forbid

[Anonymous No.5334076]

>>5334051
I'm not too sure what you mean by fantastic undergrad schools. Many of us usually go to normal state schools that offer quality education that nearly anyone can get in. Some of us may be #1 or 2 of our high school class and decided to go to an Ivy League program, but my guess is that you'd only find a few if they even reply

As a note, for science and mathematics, Ivy League schools don't really offer anything head and shoulders above other schools in these programs. MIT for instance is better than any ivy league school, however; even MIT may not be necessary considering your program. Many of us lack the necessary funds to get into some ridiculously expensive schools, while others just accept half or full tuition at a private college somewhere.

Personally, in HS I was 15th in my class and got a 4.0 GPA and was an Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts. I didn't score ridiculous marks on my SAT and only took one AP course- AP Chemistry. This was only so I could skip Chem 101 in my undergrad and it all worked out find for me. I'm going for my Ph.D. now in Chemistry at a state school.

As for /lit/, I know that most of the years at my HS, people that do get valedictorian either go into Business or some Humanities. Very few of the years that graduated with or around me ever even had a large science seeking crowd. I only knew 4 others who went to get their engineering degree - I was the only one who ever considered Chemistry.

[Anonymous No.5334096]

im actually studying with the open university which, while suffering a lack of networking opportunities, is actually a pretty solid course and the working full tme means i wont be assfucked by dept by the time i go get my postgrad, not sure how you guys would rank it but i'd say its pretty good

these /lit/fags need to get some fucking perspective, there are so many people in the world worse off than they are

[Anonymous No.5334126]

i got sooooo lucky. was lazy as hell in high school but managed to get into the best school for my major due to interviews, sats, and teacher recs. my gpa kinda sucked

[Anonymous No.5334131]

I applied to UCLA as a junior with a 3.8 GPA. I'm kind of worried though because
>very few extracurriculars
>no standardized test scores
>I got a B in the first two calculus.

I've been told repeatedly that math isn't an impacted major, that extracurriculars (other than jobs, which I have) and test scores don't matter, but the Bs in my math classes are actually worrying me. I'm sure I'll get an A in third quarter calc since I ended up with a teacher who gives really easy tests this quarter, so maybe they'll consider me more once they see that?

Any advice on this? I mean Davis or Irvine wouldn't be so bad, but UCLA would be a really good school for my major.

I'm whiter than white, so that won't help, but maybe being a chick will? I don't know how male-dominated math is compared to other STEM majors, so I don't know if this gives me any advantage.

[Anonymous No.5334136]

For undergraduate I just went to the local university as thanks to grade inflation *every* applicant to a programme in an elite school is goig to have perfect high school grades. They get in based on extra curricular activities and "leadership potential", whereas I had nothing of that. By the time I graduated this pool of homogeneously brilliant students got differentiated somewhat and I easily got into Oxford.

[Anonymous No.5334137]

>>5334131
>tfw 3.5 gpa with extracurriculars, life experience, and volunteer work coming out the ass
>tfw want to get into same program

Which one of us do you think has higher chance of getting in?

Also, what is the grade range for B's and A's in your school? Becuase I slept through half the math classes in mine and still got an A

How old are you now? You probably still have time to bring your extracurriculars up, I know that's what I plan to do with my grades (I've got two years left so I'm hoping to bring my shit up to a 3.8, but I just hope I'm not too handicapped already.

Do you actually like math, or do you just want to be an accountent or some likewise boring shit?

[Anonymous No.5334142]

>>5334137
I don't know! I've heard that grades matter a lot more than extra stuff as a transfer student though. It's possible that was just people trying to make me feel better. The average GPA is about 3.6 for the program though, so you should be fine if you get yours just a little higher.

Mine is 90+ is an A, 80+ is a B, etc.
First quarter calculus fucked me over because, SURPRISE! I have an learning disability, and while I always did great on regular math tests, since I have all the theory really good and down, that class was a "weed out" class for other majors, so half of our tests (including half of the final) was multiple choice... so my theory didn't save me from my inability to keep numbers straight.
Then I got another B in my next class because I'm still learning a thing or two about organization, so even though I did all the homework, I kept forgetting to turn it in. God, that sounds so retarded. Because it is.

I'm 19 now, I sent in my applications a few weeks ago. If I don't get in I'll just go to a lesser school and work my ass into a great graduate program.

Right now, I'm very excited about math, but I'm also still in calculus, so I really haven't done math yet. I'm aiming for pure math, but I'm only just starting to be able to read math books on my own, so it might turn out that I suck at it really bad. If that happens I'll be taking classes so that I can switch to either applied math or science.
How about you?

[Anonymous No.5334150]

>>5333918
>let's hear why YOU GUYS couldn't get into a good university.
U of M is a good uni. And I never studied, and I hate homework, but at least I got off my ass enough to get As. Unlike the lazy slob of OP.

[Anonymous No.5334153]

>>5334142
>Then I got another B in my next class because I'm still learning a thing or two about organization, so even though I did all the homework, I kept forgetting to turn it in. God, that sounds so retarded. Because it is.
I did the same thing in school, usually I'd end up sleeping in class or missing weeks on end and then not studying the material I learned, I think it's a pretty normal thing to do.

I'm not quite sure about your post though, are you still in highschool? Are you trying to transfer in from a community college or something? What sort of calculus are you studying?

>I'm only just starting to be able to read math books on my own
Do you mean textbooks? They're really easy to read on your own, maybe aim for some easier ones until you get the style down, but generally they're no problem to read. Also, there are a shitload of different types of math, so even if you don't like calculus you can get into something else math related.

Right now I'm still in highschool, and I have a few years until I need to go to university so I'm not really too nervous about applications. Mostly I'm just studying stuff on my own and trying to get a feel for different fields, but the only thing I feel very passionnant about is math. I'm just starting calculus, but I'm already loving it a lot, and I'd like to go on to major in it.

[Anonymous No.5334161]

>>5334153
Ahh, what are you doing on 4chan then?

I'm transferring as a junior, so I'm in my second year at community college. Right now I'm at the tail end of the first quarter multivariable calculus class, out of a two quarter class.

As far as what kinds of books... it's kind of a fine line between textbooks and pleasure reading in math. I have a hard time distinguishing a good textbook from an ordinary published book.
I've been eyeing the subject of Differential Games for a while now, but I'm still kind of struggling with game theory. I think it's a bit ahead of me at this point. Basically there's a lot of foundational math that I'm just not there yet that I really need to be comfortable with in order to understand theoretical math, from the subjects I've looked at.

Anyway, a passion for math is good. Keep asking questions and definitely keep doing your own reading, that's the only way to really learn. Stay in school, etc.

[Anonymous No.5334166]

I am lazy and wait till the last minute to study. Hence I was rejected by Cal, Stanford, UCLA and too poor for USC. So I went to crappy UCSD with all the other transfer student rejects.

[Anonymous No.5334169]

>>5334166
What were your grades like?

[Anonymous No.5334183]

>>5334150
>U of M is a good uni
Does the M stand for Maryland?

Because if so, then the "university" is a worldwide laughingstock.

[Anonymous No.5334185]

>>5334183
Ha ha! I'm laughing right now.

[Anonymous No.5334188]

Because I probably could have if I wanted to.

I just don't like wasting thousands of dollars more for a slightly less useless piece of paper.

[Anonymous No.5334192]

>>5334169
3.43 i majored in structural engineering, which is the easiest and never impacted. i had my aa in math before i applied.

[Anonymous No.5334203]

>>5333918
>What a bunch of faggots, but let's hear why YOU GUYS couldn't get into a good university.
Because I'm lazy as hell, filled with maladaptive psychological traits and shit genes, and am generally a waste of perfectly good amino acids.

[Anonymous No.5334212]

>>5334075
>something that 'smart people' don't realize is that drive is seriously the motivating force behind getting anything done. sure, you can be the smartest guy in the world, but nobody is going to give a shit unless you can back it up.
Fucking this. My intelligence is my only redeeming feature. All this means is that I get to be aware of all the shit tier decisions I made while I stock shelves at walmart.

Doesn't matter if the system is logical or 'fair'. You can't fucking change it and if you don't know that you're insane or stupid. If you fuck up, it's mostly your fault.

[Anonymous No.5334222]

>>5334051

>tfw I was a 16 year old dropout and taught myself everything I needed to study engineering or mathematics at university
>tfw I got into university and am the most capable student in the class
>tfw I don't study liberal arts

[Anonymous No.5334225]

How isn't that last one a completely valid complaint?

[Anonymous No.5334252]

>>5334225

By virtue of it being placed with two absurd complaints.

>Well, why don't we just prostitute our children, torture the elderly for sport and roll in national healthcare!
L2reasoneddiscuourse.

[Anonymous No.5334259]

Because I was lazy when I was younger (and I am still, but not as much, and not for the same things as before) so I didn't work enough and my grades were just acceptable. When I started to work it was too late, my file was already mediocre and I was refused.

Simple as that.

[Anonymous No.5334281]

>mfw I go to Oxford

[Anonymous No.5334301]

I dropped out. Best decision of my life. Grade school was like jail for your mind.

[Anonymous No.5334309]

>>5334142
>90 is an A
>80 is a B


Fuck you. Seriously. I have to work my fucking ass off to get an A. The cutoff for an A is a 94%. Cutoff for a B is 85%. I don't understand why this is not fucking standardized on a national level, I would have a 4.0 if It wasn't for this fucking bullshit

[Anonymous No.5334380]

I was accepted into a good engineering school, but couldn't afford it because my dad won't do his taxes and I couldn't get any financial aid so I withdrew. I did nothing for a few years and am doing well in community college. The great news is I can spend one third of the price of said university for two years, transfer back to said school as a junior and still graduate with the same degree.

>tfw

[Anonymous No.5334387]

>tfw former polytechnic

I'LL JUST GO KILL MYSELF.

[Anonymous No.5334390]

>>5334281
Oxford is only good for humanities and shit.
Scientists and engineers go to Cambridge.

[Anonymous No.5334405]

Because I'm a fuckup with no sense of time management.

[Anonymous No.5334421]

In my country if you want to get into the good universities you pretty well have to just be in the top 40 percent of wealth in the nation to pay for it....and that includes pretty well all the white people; so we're all fine