ITT academic advice

[Izzy]

Re: ITT academic advice

I have to finish writing this speech and I can't find any credible sources about how genetic diversity can have medical benefits. Everything that I find through the libraries databases are way to specific and not broad enough.

[Reincarnate]

Re: ITT academic advice

I have to finish writing this speech and I can't find any credible sources about how genetic diversity can have medical benefits. Everything that I find through the libraries databases are way to specific and not broad enough.

Look up stuff from Dawkins -- he's got plenty to say about the medical advantages of genetic diversity without getting into nitty-gritty detail.

[Izzy]

Re: ITT academic advice

http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/3/1/14

I found this using googles scholarly beta search. Seems to be exactly what I need even if it is a little detailed. Just need to paraphrase a little.

I had no idea google had such a feature.

Biodiversity loss diminishes the supplies of raw materials for drug discovery and biotechnology, causes a loss of medical models, affects the spread of human diseases, and threatens food production and water quality [10] . Its reduction has direct effects on the discovery of potential medicines.

My speech is actually a persuasive speech about saving endangered plants / animals and one of my main points is that it has medical benefits. This quote seems to support that.

[DossarLX ODI]

Re: ITT academic advice

i ****ed up bad in high school. trust me, trying to half-ass your way through those four years will only serve to bite you in the ass when all is said and done. also try to be involved in at least one-two extra curricular activities because admissions LOVE that. basically the best advice is mostly stuff you've already heard a thousand times, you just got a little numb to the preaching.

My grades freshman year were enough to land me a 3.48 GPA instead of the 3.5 needed for my $2500/yr scholarship. I got the highest grades I possibly could senior year and they weren't enough. Shame.

rofl whoops

Really makes me wonder how this even happens, especially since I try all the time.

[Reincarnate]

Re: ITT academic advice

btw..

how to balance freedom & academics in college ?_?

I won't get into superspecifics here, but the end result: "Study hard, play hard." When it's time to study, STUDY. Do it early, and don't let a damn thing distract you. This ensures that you keep up with the material and understand it better over time. You'll do much better on an exam if you have studied the material over the entire semester vs. cramming everything in a few nights before the midterm/final. You need to give your brain more time to absorb the info. It's amazing how doing a little bit more frequently does loads more for your performance when compared to doing a lot all at once.

But allow yourself time to play and enjoy freedom/friends. It'll keep you happier and well-focused. It's actually harmful to lock yourself in a room 24/7 as a studybot. You need to get out once in a while to clear your head and communicate with others (it's also useful to work in groups... assuming you have a smart group).

The most successful people I know from college were also some of the biggest partiers and/or enjoyers of freedom. You don't have to be a genius -- you just need to have good time management. Time is so valuable in college, and if you can force yourself to use your time wisely, you'll level out your stress to an average that is far, far more manageable.

Work hard and get your stuff done early. But then get out and enjoy some guilt-free freedom and actually have a college experience.

[iironiic]

Re: ITT academic advice

I attend a small state university because of financial reasons, but I know I could go to a better school... If I was considering graduate school in math, what do I need to do?

I know you should take either French, German, or Russian for your foreign language requirement, so i'm doing that now. And I am trying to take as many math classes as possible trying to earn the best grades I can. Does the fact that I attend this unknown but somewhat prestigious (not as prestigious as well known universities) school will hurt my chances of me considering a private school for graduate studies in math (or economics)?

I'm also considering applying for an REU this winter and trying to score well on the Putnam Exam this weekend :/

[Izzy]

Re: ITT academic advice

I never tried during highschool because it all seemed like a depressing amount of pointless busy work. Once I got to college though I got it together as started getting decent grades. College seems a lot easier in my opinion. Less work that is more interesting.

[DossarLX ODI]

Re: ITT academic advice

By the way, in case my post was a bit unclear, I meant that some of the grades I get are ridiculously out of whack even when I try.

So uh, yeah, makes me laugh at the ones who are like "I didn't try DERP". What would you have gotten if you "tried"?

[Reincarnate]

Re: ITT academic advice

http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/3/1/14

I found this using googles scholarly beta search. Seems to be exactly what I need even if it is a little detailed. Just need to paraphrase a little.

I had no idea google had such a feature.



My speech is actually a persuasive speech about saving endangered plants / animals and one of my main points is that it has medical benefits. This quote seems to support that.

It depends on what species you're saving and why -- sometimes it's better to let a species go extinct, and sometimes it's better to preserve them.

[Izzy]

Re: ITT academic advice

I probably would have gotten better grades in highschool if I had tried since I neglected to turn in assignments because they seemed boring.

I always seem to get B's in college now though. I don't understand why I can't get an A no matter what. I do somewhat poorly on one assignment and it drops me to a B and I can never get it back up.

It depends on what species you're saving and why -- sometimes it's better to let a species go extinct, and sometimes it's better to preserve them.

I see what you are saying, but that seems a little to in depth. I'm assuming the reason to let a species go extinct is so that it causes another species to live. Still the same general idea of saving species one way or another.

[Reincarnate]

Re: ITT academic advice

I attend a small state university because of financial reasons, but I know I could go to a better school... If I was considering graduate school in math, what do I need to do?

I know you should take either French, German, or Russian for your foreign language requirement, so i'm doing that now. And I am trying to take as many math classes as possible trying to earn the best grades I can. Does the fact that I attend this unknown but somewhat prestigious (not as prestigious as well known universities) school will hurt my chances of me considering a private school for graduate studies in math (or economics)?

I'm also considering applying for an REU this winter and trying to score well on the Putnam Exam this weekend :/

No, it doesn't decrease your chances -- but you need better grades if you're aiming for better schools. The easier your school, the better your grades need to be. But the school you attend won't be held against you. Admissions are usually done within context.

[OneHandNow]

Re: ITT academic advice

@Izzy: Well, college =/= high school, and from what I've seen it really depends on the competition..

So having B's in college isn't that bad - schools have GPA inflation, some schools have intense competition.. it really boils down to context.

For example, UC Berkeley has intense competition.. and most classes either run out of space, and when you DO get in, only a very minor percentage of the student body manage As. It's unusual to see 3.5+s in UC Berkeley.. (thanks to bell curves and midterms with an average score of 35%)

@Dossar: unless your teachers are completely ****faced and/or whack, if you try, you WILL get good grades - guaranteed. Most of school is white & black, meaning courses except literature / arts have guaranteed rewards if you study. (I'm excluding English / Arts courses because your grade is at the mercy of your teacher.)

So Dossar, whenever you tell others that your grades are out of whack no matter how hard you try, just remember that you only have yourself to blame - unless these out of whack grades were caused by unfair grading by teachers on subjects like English & Arts & Drama, etc etc.

[Rubin0]

Re: ITT academic advice

I've learned to be a lot more charismatic in class. If the professor thinks you can express yourself well, then he/she will begin to expect you to perform well on assignments on tests, and might even get better grades as a result. It's human psychology.

I learned this my last two years of college and I've been pulling a 3.8ish GPA average since in comparison to my 3.2 average before. Before I was basically doing about the same amount of work, but never really went out of my way to express my opinions in class and didn't really seem to care half as much. Attendance is also important. Even if you don't go over the attendance limit, if you are absent and never even bother to tell the professor why, he/she might put that into consideration when giving you your final grade. I ALWAYS email my professor to let him/her know why I won't be in class...even if it's some lame brain excuse. It shows you care, even if you don't.

[Reincarnate]

Re: ITT academic advice

By the way, in case my post was a bit unclear, I meant that some of the grades I get are ridiculously out of whack even when I try.

So uh, yeah, makes me laugh at the ones who are like "I didn't try DERP". What would you have gotten if you "tried"?

It depends on how you direct your efforts. If you're "trying" but not "trying" in the areas that matter with respect to a particular class, you won't be doing yourself any favors. It's always a good idea to understand how the teacher teaches, how tests are conducted, how the syllabus is arranged and how things are graded, how to effectively take notes and study, etc. It all depends on the class.

And if there's a particular subject you just hardcore suck at, then consider looking to the Internet for extra help (all sorts of concepts are taught with a variety of approaches and details), or get a tutor, or take additional classes at a local CC for residual credit. Or just hang around smart friends who can help you understand stuff better.

[DossarLX ODI]

Re: ITT academic advice

Exactly, it's subjectivemanias (although I am doing good - but Izzy's post about the college thing made a lot of sense since guys on DF also mentioned grades that were seriously off).

Example:

AP Lite - A
Math 2 (broad topic, upper level next to AP Calc) - A
Physics - A
Music History and Appreciation - A
20th Century History Topic - A
Biology - F