Re: OT: I wanna be a scientist

Frank Sullivan wrote:

> Ok guys, sorry for the delay in getting a serious reply. I wanted to
> sort of compile all of the advice into a few paragraphs and then ask a
> few questions for whoever doesn't mind answering them!
>
> A community college may not be necessary, but it can be a nice
> transitional place. If I go to a community college (which is likely),
> go for two years and then switch to a four-year school. Take some tough
> science and math courses and get excellent grades. I should be very
> careful about which classes I take so that I'm sure that the credits
> will be transferrable. Take chemistry/organic chemistry with lab, and
> get a full year of calculus. Take a full year of physics with lab and a
> full year of bio with lab. Talk to a science advisor at the University
> about my plans, especially to make sure that I will meet all the
> prereq's. Try to get a useful A.S. out of all this.
>
> Transfer to a 4-year school (in my case it will likely be the
> University of Utah). Get a sense of what I want to do there. Mooch some
> field or lab work off of the faculty members there as a volunteer. Read
> a lot of literature. Contact faculty of other schools for advice.
> Volunteer for lab work (said that twice for emphasis!).
>
> When I'm ready for graduate school, take my GRE's and get a kickass
> score. Apply to a school that is good for the field that I'm
> interested.
>
> Don't wait until I'm 50.
>
>
> Q: Is there a certain level that I should reach in the areas of
> chemistry, bio, and physics at CC? The calculus part is
> self-explanatory, but taking physics 1010 and physics 1050 is a lot
> different than taking physics 2200 and physics 3000. Both are a full
> year, but let me just say that I took physics 1010 last year and it was
> pretty much 8th grade physics. Should I at least strive for a 300 or
> 400 level class completion?

The numbers are meaningless to me. But you should take the courses
intended for science majors, which in a first-year course is probably
the same as those intended for physics majors.

> Q: Who is an advisor and what do they do? Are they like high school
> counselors for graduates?

No. Your advisor is also called your major professor. He's the person
who is responsible for guiding your thesis work and is also the chair of
your thesis committee. Exactly what he does will vary from place to
place and person to person. You may or may not work closely with him.
But at minimum he's responsible for approving your progress toward a degree.

> Q: Any tips for approaching faculty members? The idea of walking up to
> one and being like, "helo thar, can I do some lab work for you pls
> thnx!1" is intimidating! Is this something that is expected of all
> students or should I take special care to do it without looking like an
> annoying runt?

The first step might be taking a course from him/her. But that's not
necessary. Keep your ears open around whatever department we're talking
about. Some people will be actively looking for research help. And yes,
you can just walk up and say you're interested in working in their lab.
You may be rejected -- however useful another worker is, training is
also time-consuming -- but you may not be. Be sure it's something you
are interested in, and try to learn something about it beforehand.

[snip trilobites]

.

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