# Sciencey(yes I know that isnt a word) Colleges in NE



## awf170 (Jan 22, 2006)

(Knowing that there is no better place to ask this then a skiing forum  ) 

What are some good colleges in Northern NE for science majors.  Not too sure what I want to go into right now, but I know I want it to be something involving science/math/outdoors.  Anyway I have a 3.8 gpa if that helps.  Right now Umaine is looking like a good choice, suggestions?


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## NYDrew (Jan 22, 2006)

lets see, there aren't to many that come to the top of my head like they should (im a senior in bio-chem at binghamton)

you got Cornell and Yale and StonyBrook.  There are many more.

My suggestion, enroll in a state school with a respectable science program.  Do very well, save the money for a grad school with a great science program.  Nothing in science is worth anything without a masters these days.


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## BeanoNYC (Jan 22, 2006)

awf170 said:
			
		

> science/math/outdoors.



We could use an official AZ Meteorologist!  Drew, doesn't Albany have a good Meteorology program?  Campus there is bunk but the town is real cool.


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## awf170 (Jan 22, 2006)

I was also thinking out going to Canadia for college.  I heard it was pretty cheap and the schools were good.


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## BeanoNYC (Jan 22, 2006)

awf170 said:
			
		

> I was also thinking out going to Canadia for college.  I heard it was pretty cheap and the schools were good.



Yes, I hear the schools closest to Whistler are the best.


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## awf170 (Jan 22, 2006)

BeanoNYC said:
			
		

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Yeah :lol: I would love to go to Vancouver, such a pretty area, and an awsome town(having whistler two hours away doesnt hurt either :wink:  :lol: )


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## riverc0il (Jan 22, 2006)

i would suggest looking at it slightly differently.  unless you are interested in attending a lot ranked academic institution (and can afford to pay those types of bills), look for other important things that will be of major importance during your college years outside of academics.  what makes or breaks most college students from what i saw during my four years was what happened outside the classroom instead of inside.

are you looking for a large bustling university, mid-sized college, or something small?  public or private?  near a city or in the sticks?  party school or more academically focused?  party and shopping options nearby or does it matter?  proximaty to the mountains of your choice?  extra curricular activities?  live on campus or commute?  price?

can't emphasize that last one, at 27 i still have another five years to go of rediculous monthly payments.  i am fond of saying about college that i learned more outside the classroom than inside.  the experience and education were invaluable, but given my career choice, i can't say the education was anything i couldn't have gotten (as they say in good will hunting) for a buck fifty in late charges from my library.  but the experience was sure worth the price of admission.


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## awf170 (Jan 22, 2006)

thanks for the info Steve, always nice to have someone have a different way of looking at it.



			
				riverc0il said:
			
		

> are you looking for a large bustling university, mid-sized college, or something small?


Looking more towards small.



			
				riverc0il said:
			
		

> public or private?


Doesnt matter, but would like it be cheap, so looking more toward public



			
				riverc0il said:
			
		

> near a city or in the sticks?


Sticks



			
				riverc0il said:
			
		

> party school or more academically focused?  party and shopping options nearby or does it matter?


Dont care about partying at all or shopping.  



			
				riverc0il said:
			
		

> proximaty to the mountains of your choice?


Extremely important.  



			
				riverc0il said:
			
		

> extra curricular activities?


Doesnt really matter



			
				riverc0il said:
			
		

> live on campus or commute?


Probably on campus, atleast the first year.




			
				riverc0il said:
			
		

> price?



pretty important.




To me lyndonville is the perfect town, location and school size, but it doesnt seem like it has any large departments that fit what I want to do.


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## riverc0il (Jan 22, 2006)

LSC probably isn't going to fit your needs as their majors in the science field are fairly specific.  they have a GREAT meteorology program and a really good exercise science program that works well with their outdoor recreation major.  there are smaller sciences departments, but no other major physical science programs.

if you are unsure on your major, it might be better to look at mid-sized colleges that you could more easily switch majors if you decide what you innitially take up isn't right for you.  it is a lot easier to switch majors at the right college than to switch colleges altogether if they don't offer the program you want once you are ready to go for it.

also, another issue to watch out for is out of state rates at public schools from other states.  for example, the LSC tuition for out of state students is insanely high.  if you are going out of state, the public vs. private issue is less relevent because you will likley pay the same in many cases regardless.

i guess the question is which mountains are your favorites :lol:


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## nelsapbm (Jan 23, 2006)

Check out Green Mountain College in Poultney, VT. They are known for their environmental sciences and outdoor/recreation programs. Poultney is a small town like Lyndonville, yet you are near Killington/Pico area. 
I was originally going to suggest Middlebury College until I read that you'd like something relatively cheap!


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## nelsapbm (Jan 23, 2006)

Also, check out St. Michael's College in Colchester, VT (next to Burlington). It's not in the sticks, but it's not in a city either.


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## ChileMass (Jan 23, 2006)

Plymouth State in NH is pretty ideally located, but I don't know anything about its science/math programs.  My sister-in-law graduated from there and is a science/math teacher, and I hear their education programs are very good......


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## ChileMass (Jan 23, 2006)

BeanoNYC said:
			
		

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SUNY Albany has a highly recognized meteorology dept which used to be chaired by Kurt Vonnegut's younger brother, Bernard.  2 bits of trivia in one post....

ChileMass - SUNYA Class of 1987   :dunce:


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## kickstand (Jan 23, 2006)

awf170 said:
			
		

> I was also thinking out going to *Canadia* for college.  I heard it was pretty cheap and the schools were good.



you should probably know how to spell the name of the country before you apply there for schools, Mr. 3.8 GPA.....


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## ctenidae (Jan 23, 2006)

I'll second NYDrew. Go to a decent undergrad school, with an eye towards grad school. Most colleges will give you stats on where students go to grad school, and for what. That ought to be a pretty good indicator for you. 

I don't really know any of the colleges in Northern NE (they have schools in Maine? Who knew?), so no specific help there.


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## Paul (Jan 23, 2006)

kickstand said:
			
		

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Gah!! Beat me to it!


MIT? I hear they have a pretty good Science dept.  :wink:


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## ski_resort_observer (Jan 23, 2006)

*Canada*

The best science schools in New England/NY are not exactly in the best locations, schools like WPI(Worcester Poly), RPI in Troy, Union College in Scantady, already mentioned MIT, RIT in Rochester and Clarkson in Potsdam, NY, which does have the best location by your parameters of all the good science/engineering schools. 

As others have mentioned most of the larger universities would have the program you want. You just have to check them out like we did with our daughter. 

They probably won't have what you are looking for but I would check out U of Maine Farmington, Plymouth State, Keene State or maybe Plattsburg State in NY. 

UVM, Middle, Dartmouth would work but they are very pricey. To bad Lyndon State doesn't have the program cause I think that would be such a great place to go to school. ]

Canada is also worth checking out. I know several local kids who have gone or currently enrolled in McGill U. in Montreal and they love it. Realize that the exchange rate diference is not very much these 
days. I think it was 1.00<1.14 last Friday.

Anyway with good grades you have many choices and options before you. Good Luck.


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## ChileMass (Jan 23, 2006)

*Re: Canada*



			
				ski_resort_observer said:
			
		

> .....Union College in *Scantady*.......



Sorry - gotta hit you up for this spelling......you can spell Worcester, but not Schenectady, huh? C'mon, man - you have to at least try!!  I guess it's a slightly higher degree of difficulty.  

OK, write it 25 times on the board and you're off the hook....... :wink:  :dunce:


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## ski_resort_observer (Jan 23, 2006)

*Re: Canada*



			
				ChileMass said:
			
		

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 :lol: I know how to spell it correctly. It's what alot of people call it cause it's kind of scanky so your right it should have been Scanktady. 

I grew up in the Daks and many, not me of course, considered the entire Albany area pretty scanky. 

Matter of fact the last time i heard the term Scanktady was from the mouth of my 8 yr old nephew, blame my brother, last summer, who lives in Clifton Park, when I told him we had a festival to work in Washington Park in Albany and would be camping outside of Schenectady, near Maple Ridge ski area.


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## ChileMass (Jan 23, 2006)

Hah - I hadn't heard of Skantady, but it fits, for sure.  I lived in Albany off/on for almost 10 years, and the place we used to give the most crap to was Troy.  Some of the locals called it Troylet.  Skanctady is better than Troylet, but not by much....


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## roark (Jan 23, 2006)

riverc0il said:
			
		

> can't emphasize that last one, at 27 i still have another five years to go of rediculous monthly payments.



5 years of payments left... I wish!


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## noski (Jan 23, 2006)

*Re: Canada*



			
				ski_resort_observer said:
			
		

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 Reminds me of another NY town that I wonder how long it takes to spell. Skittleyatlas, skateyatalis, skinnyatlas, oh never mind.


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## ski_resort_observer (Jan 23, 2006)

*Re: Canada*



			
				noski said:
			
		

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 :lol: Yea, some of those indian names are tough. My fav is Lake Memphremagog, a large lake straddling the Vt/Can border up by Newport. 

Which, to bring us back to the thread topic, a girl I worked with at LL Bean went to Bishop College in Sherbrooke, PQ, not too far from Newport.


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## skibum1321 (Jan 24, 2006)

*Re: Canada*

IMO if you are looking to go to grad school after undergrad you should probably look at some of the more competetive schools. Unfortunately these are also the more expensive ones. Obviously Middlebury and Dartmouth are awesome schools (with good location). Gotta give a plug to the alum - St Mike's - awesome location (50 min from Stowe, Smuggs, the Bush, MRG) and right next to Burlington. Maybe they won't ask me for a donation since I'm shamelessly plugging the school. UVM has the same great location but is much bigger.

Unfortunately with schools like Lyndon, Johnson, Green Mountain, etc. they are not very competetive. Many grad schools and employers will look down on this when it comes time to leave the fantasy world of college.


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## smitty77 (Jan 26, 2006)

Take a lot of what Riverc0il wrote to the bank.  You should choose a place that you can stand to *live in* for 4-5 years.  You *will* learn more about  life and yourself outside of the classroom, so be sure the campus and its surrounding area is a good fit for you.  Coming from Lynn, will you really be comfortable in a small village like Middlebury?  Some schools don't allow freshman to have cars on campus, so assume you'll be public transportation bound for off-campus forays your first year until you find out otherwise.

Along that line, wanting to be near the mountains is nice, but how much time and money will you really have for skiing, especially if you're in a hard major at a challenging school?  I had a freshman working under me at WPI who was on the volunteer ski partol at Sunday River.  He went north every weekend to ski, and nearly flunked out his freshman year.  Luckily, he pulled his act together and got his BS/MS in civil engineering, but didn't do nearly as much skiing during that time.

Another thing to consider with price:  It *will* go up every year.  And your grades earned in school will have an effect your financial aid packages each year.  Yes, you have to apply for aid *each* year.  And be sure the jobs in your field of study will be able to support your loan payments when you get out.  Repayment begins 6 months after you leave school, and the loan cannot be erased through bankruptcy.  Luckily, I managed to get a degree and escape with only $20,000 in federal loans.

Lastly, I'll put in a plug for my alma mater, WPI.  It's a nice, competetive, small engineering school.  A bit pricey, but the aid packages are good if you have the grades.  If you don't mind small mountains, Wachusett is only 25 minutes away.  Plus, they have (or at least did have) a ski team that travels to the big mountains.  *[url]www.wpi.edu*[/url] if you want to check it out.

Smitty


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## Marc (Jan 26, 2006)

Smitty, recommending WPI?

What are you trying to do to the poor kid?  You must be getting a kick back from the Alumni Assoc. or something...


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## skibum1321 (Jan 26, 2006)

smitty77 said:
			
		

> Along that line, wanting to be near the mountains is nice, but how much time and money will you really have for skiing, especially if you're in a hard major at a challenging school?  I had a freshman working under me at WPI who was on the volunteer ski partol at Sunday River.  He went north every weekend to ski, and nearly flunked out his freshman year.  Luckily, he pulled his act together and got his BS/MS in civil engineering, but didn't do nearly as much skiing during that time.


If you are close enough to the mountains and you plan it right you can definitely get plenty of time in. I don't consider St. Mike's to be the hardest school around but it's competetive and I was a Comp Sci major, which is a lot of work. I still managed to ski Tues, Thurs, Sat and Sun, for at least a couple hours most weeks. I think a big part of college is that you need to play hard too. I would have gone nuts if I didn't get out every weekend. Also, if you like the outdoors maybe you could think about being a Wilderness leader. I got a lot out of leading trips for the WP plus it's good leadership for the resume.


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## Zand (Jan 26, 2006)

I don't know about you Austin, but I want to go to either Plymouth or Lyndon. Both are big meteorology schools and both are close to the ski areas (PSU is near Loon, Waterville, and Tenney, Lyndon is near Burke as well as its own hill) so I'll be in luck. I may also go to UMASS Amherst and I'd get an All-For-One if I went there.


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## Marc (Jan 26, 2006)

skibum1321 said:
			
		

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When I was in school I often found for most of my peers the need to "play" was directly proportional to the amount of tuition that was getting covered by the 'rents.

School always came first for me and it payed off.  My advice, Austin, is you're young (and this is coming from someone who still is young as well).  If you're not planning on making a living out of skiing, then choice of school should be around your desired field of study.

WPI was right for me, I busted my ass, and now I'm enjoying the rewards.


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## JimG. (Jan 26, 2006)

Marc said:
			
		

> When I was in school I often found for most of my peers the need to "play" was directly proportional to the amount of tuition that was getting covered by the 'rents.
> 
> School always came first for me and it payed off.  My advice, Austin, is you're young (and this is coming from someone who still is young as well).  If you're not planning on making a living out of skiing, then choice of school should be around your desired field of study.
> 
> WPI was right for me, I busted my ass, and now I'm enjoying the rewards.



Hey Marc, don't make me come over there and slap you around...you're starting to sound like an adult and we can't have that!

Seriously good advice.


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## awf170 (Jan 26, 2006)

Zand said:
			
		

> I don't know about you Austin, but I want to go to either Plymouth or Lyndon. Both are big meteorology schools and both are close to the ski areas (PSU is near Loon, Waterville, and Tenney, Lyndon is near Burke as well as its own hill) so I'll be in luck. I may also go to UMASS Amherst and I'd get an All-For-One if I went there.



I would love to go into meteorology, but it sucks trying to find a job for it, and most jobs are for the govt and you wont make much.  I was thinking about going into to it because meteorology is so cool, but I think Id regret it later in life.

Seriosly if just had to choose on location I would pick lydon or plymouth, but they just dont fit me so I know I really shouldnt go. 

And you forgot two very important things about plymouth. Cannon is close, screw all those other mountains! and second one of the best things about plymouth is the climbing at rumney.  Seriously if you go there get into rock climbing, probably the best sport climbing in NE(also some awsome bouldering)


Anyway, Im am more confused now then when I started this thread, but whatever thanks for the help everyone.


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## skibum1321 (Jan 27, 2006)

Marc said:
			
		

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I never really found it to be the case that play was proportional to tuition covered by the 'rents. My parents barely covered anything but I still played hard. I busted my ass too though - there is plenty of time to work hard and play hard. Sure there are the kids that slack hardcore and then there are the kids that do everything under the sun, but there's no reason you can't find a happy medium. For the record, I had a high GPA in a tough major and landed a good job and had fun while doing it all.


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## mattchuck2 (Jan 27, 2006)

When I applied to colleges - in '98 - St. Lawrence offered me a lot of money.  They seemed to have a decent program and they were about an hour and a half from whiteface.

I ended up going to Colby.  An hour from Sugarloaf and a great school. . .  but definitely NOT cheap.


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## awf170 (Jan 28, 2006)

*Re: Canada*



			
				skibum1321 said:
			
		

> IMO if you are looking to go to grad school after undergrad you should probably look at some of the more competetive schools. Unfortunately these are also the more expensive ones. Obviously Middlebury and Dartmouth are awesome schools (with good location). Gotta give a plug to the alum - St Mike's - awesome location (50 min from Stowe, Smuggs, the Bush, MRG) and right next to Burlington. Maybe they won't ask me for a donation since I'm shamelessly plugging the school. UVM has the same great location but is much bigger.



Kinda curious about St. Mikes.  Like hows the housing? How much does it cost? Whats the average GPA?  Just pretty much any info, good or bad you got about the school.









I also have a stupid sounding question for everyone.  How much harder is college then High School, I know it depends on what you go into and where you go.  And I know it is obviously going to be harder.  Right now I kinda believe it wont be nearly as hard as everyone says because every year Ive been is school so far I was told next year would be a lot harder, and it never was.  Like for example this year I have all honor classes and about a 4.0 gpa and I never do homework at home unless it is project or needs to be typed.


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## redalienx11 (Jan 28, 2006)

While deciding earlier this year what schools to apply to, I also considered the proximity to a ski hill. But then I got to thinking... I'm the kinda guy who would not be able to stop skiing if I have to the choice. It's all I would do. Now I'm not saying I'm a slacker (same as Austin as far a GPA and honors stuff) but I can see myself skiing when I should be working which might hurt in the long run.

That said, I applied to SUNY Envi Sci & Forestry and just got accepted. It's about 45 minuted from any skiing, but no huge ski areas in the area.

I guess that was the balance I was looking for... something where I _could_ ski, but wouldn't necessarily be needing to ski all the time.

Or something like that.

Anyway good luck w/ the decision.

--Tim

edited:



> ...How much harder is college then High School...



Well I can give you a partial/half/semi answer: it's just different. I'm taking all college courses this year through the local community college and I don't feel super-challenged with the material. The biggest thing for me was transitioning from the highschool work of "answering questions 1-20 in the textbook" to the college mindset of "read this this this and this by next week and write a paper on it"

Then again I'm not taking classes from a "prestigious college"  and I'm not living on-campus.


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## awf170 (Jan 28, 2006)

redalienx11 said:
			
		

> While deciding earlier this year what schools to apply to, I also considered the proximity to a ski hill. But then I got to thinking... I'm the kinda guy who would not be able to stop skiing if I have to the choice. It's all I would do. Now I'm not saying I'm a slacker (same as Austin as far a GPA and honors stuff) but I can see myself skiing when I should be working which might hurt in the long run.
> 
> That said, I applied to SUNY Envi Sci & Forestry and just got accepted. It's about 45 minuted from any skiing, but no huge ski areas in the area.
> 
> I guess that was the balance I was looking for... something where I _could_ ski, but wouldn't necessarily be needing to ski all the time.



Your crazy... :wink: Seriously what is wrong with you, what kind of kid thinks about there future more than having fun in college...
I think I would do better in a college without skiing that close, but I still think I can hold myself to not skiing if I have to do work.  Im pretty sure I can keep a balance between skiing and school, hopefully...


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## skibum9995 (Jan 28, 2006)

I'm at Lyndon State now and for location it can't be beat. 10 mins to Burke, 40 to Cannon, and 55 to Jay. If you want serious academics this is not the place. If you want some sweet skiing this is the place. As for setting priorities, I put skiing before class and now I'm staying an extra semester to graduate. I don't mind though, I came here to ski and have fun, and not to kill myself doing homework. Anyway, it just extends the time I can take advantage of college discounts.


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## hammer (Jan 28, 2006)

*Re: Canada*



			
				awf170 said:
			
		

> I also have a stupid sounding question for everyone.  How much harder is college then High School, I know it depends on what you go into and where you go.  And I know it is obviously going to be harder.  Right now I kinda believe it wont be nearly as hard as everyone says because every year Ive been is school so far I was told next year would be a lot harder, and it never was.  Like for example this year I have all honor classes and about a 4.0 gpa and I never do homework at home unless it is project or needs to be typed.


OK, so I graduated from college almost 20 years ago, so I may be off base...

If you decide to be a science or engineering major, I can tell you that your freshman year will be a big-time reality check.  I did very well in high school (valedictorian of my class) and I found my freshman year to be a lot of hard work.  The work level didn't back off for the next 3 years, although I did get a little more used to it over time.  In addition, I didn't go to MIT or some other nationally-ranked engineering school either.

Not trying to scare you out of a science or engineering degree (honest!) but you may find that the school/skiing balance will occasionally be all school...


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## Marc (Jan 29, 2006)

Screw it all Austin.




Just be a ski bum for all us sinners.


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## skibum (Jan 29, 2006)

I took a year off from college...it turned into twelve.(well i did get an associates in that time). I now work as a janitor at PSU. In the science/meteorology building (Boyd Hall) believe it or not. I took the job for the free tuition but am  leaving because they only allow two classes per semester, thats gonna slow me down waaay to much. Just gonna  do it the american way: massive debt.
The boyd building is pretty damn nice, very modern. There is a job postings board in the meteorology wing that has a bunch of jobs on it, doesn't seem so bad. The professors I've met seem very knowledgable, the students, well, not so much. Of course, you will only get out of it what you put into it. 
My recommendation to you: go to Colorado Mountain College for the first two years of school. You will save a buttload of money and ski buttloads of powder. 300 days of sunshine and 300 inches of powder will make you think youre in heaven. I went to Steamboat. There are also campuses in Leadville (10 minutes to Ski Cooper,30-45 minutes to Vail or Copper, a little more to A-basin, Beaver Creek, Breck, Keystone) and Glenwood Springs (10 minutes to Ski Sunlight,20-30 minutes to Aspen or Snowmass). 
One of the campuses will have what youre looking for.


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## skibum1321 (Jan 30, 2006)

*Re: Canada*



			
				awf170 said:
			
		

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Here's the scoop on SMC...

Costs:  Total Tuition & Residence fee 	$33,330
--They give a lot of financial aid, though.

According to the Princeton Review the average GPA is 1140. Obviously there is variation there -- mine was 1360.

As for the housing, you live on campus all 4 years. The first 2 years will be in dorm rooms, then there is some variation. The classes have been getting bigger and they're now forcing people to live on campus so housing is getting tighter. I lived in a campus apt junior year and a townhouse senior year, so all in all it's pretty good. I loved having everyone right there on campus. It's a tight community and there are lots of wilderness/volunteer opportunities.

In general, I think college is more work, but it isn't so much work that you can't keep up. At the start of the semester you gauge the class and figure out what reading you have to do. I found that you really don't need to read for most classes because the teacher will test you on what they teach in class. Obviously not true for all classes. There is a good amount of hw but not so much that you have no life. There is still plenty of time to get involved and most importantly, time to ski.


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## smitty77 (Jan 30, 2006)

Marc said:
			
		

> Smitty, recommending WPI?
> 
> What are you trying to do to the poor kid?  You must be getting a kick back from the Alumni Assoc. or something...


Don't I wish.  I get that stupid pledge form 2-3 times every year, and have yet to send them a red cent.  I figure they got enough from me for now.  Plus, they've been using my picture with my former boss/professor on the flyer they mail out of their FEE/EIT Review course.   And I don't get a kickback when some Hollywood types would be making revenue on every copy mailed out.  Sheesh!

Seriously, I had a great time at that school, worked full time as a staff member for 2 years after graduation, and was offered a real nice position by my present employer becuase of some research work I did while I was working there.  Like you Marc, I worked my arse off but put myself in a good career position because of it.


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## smitty77 (Jan 30, 2006)

*Re: Canada*



			
				hammer said:
			
		

> If you decide to be a science or engineering major, I can tell you that your freshman year will be a big-time reality check.


I was also a Valedictorian and my freshamn year at WPI was harder than I expected, but I still mamaged okay.  In one of our intro engineering classes we had a few people "from the outside world" also attending.  (Their companies were paying for the credits if they passed.)  About halfway through the course, they asked a few of us: "Are all the courses at WPI this intense?".  We told them most were harder.  They never came back.  Looking back, my last 2 years were twice as hard as my freshman year, but you learn how to cope and adjust, and just "Git 'Er Done" at all costs.

It's not for the faint of heart.  The school runs on a "quarter" system, like high school, and not semesters.  The courses are 7 weeks long, then a break, then a whole new set of courses.  The bonus is you only have to suffer for 7 weeks at a time.  The downside is effing-off for three weeks in the winter will basically spell doom for your term grades.  Plus there are three major projects to complete to earn your degree.

*Austin, don't get scared!*  You sound a lot like a friend I had at WPI.  He double-majored in Nuclear/Electical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering.  He also found time to be an officer on the EMS squad, a member of the crew team, dabbled in the amateur radio club, and had a radio show with me on Sunday afternoons for a stretch at the campus radio station.  He never seemed to crack a book or labor over homework and graduated in 4.5 years with high distinction and two majors (took a half year break for co-op).  Some people are just damn smart.  You may be one.  You won't find out until you challenge yourself.

The again, Bode Miller seems to be doing just fine as a ski bum.


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## kbroderick (Jan 30, 2006)

I'll throw in my 2 cents, as an '03 SMC grad who still owes way too friggin' much on student loans.  I went to a prep school in Maine with a strong ski program, and I decided before I even started looking that I wanted to be in ski country.  I went in with the desire to go to a good liberal arts school while also having the time to not be studying 24/7 (hence, no applying to MIT).  My SATs were good, for all that they're worth (I have yet to be attacked by a vicious army of dots that must be filled in under time constraints in real life).

Anyhow, I visited SMC, Dartmouth, and Middlebury; I also looked into Colby and would have been quite interested in Bates, had it not been located in Lewiston/Auburn.  I'd recommend SMC to anyone who's not quite sure what he/she wants to do and who is willing to accept a Smugg's pass for $25 (caution: you do need to be in good academic standing).  Colby and Bates might be worth a look, as well; both have some pretty competitive academics and are reasonably close to ski country.

As far as UMF, my brother is a senior there now and I think he's been pretty happy.  He's majoring in geology and geography or something similar, and he went in looking for a way to be interested and spend plenty of time out of doors.  Academics weren't his highest priority, but I think they're working out okay for him at this point.  The school has been building a pretty solid reputation in the past few years, so it may be worth a look.

As far as price goes...pay attention to it.  I was basically encouraged to figure out where I wanted to go and then worry about how to pay for it, and I've now got what amounts to a long-term, low-interest car loan despite the fact that I do not have a new car.  I think it's a little too easy nowadays to end up with $15-20k in college debt without really thinking about it, and having that debt load hanging over your head has a serious impact when you graduate (i.e. you can't say, "Screw it, I'm going to backpack across the country while working enough odd jobs to get food and laundry money," as you've got to come up with $150 or whatever every month to pay The Man).


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## awf170 (Apr 28, 2006)

Bump.
Alright, I think I now have slightly a better idea of what I want to go into.  As much as I love nature/outdoors stuff like biology just bores me, I just couldn't take the classroom part of it.  I have finally found out that I have to go into something involving math.  As much as I don't want to sit a computer the whole day, I am too good at math and like it way more than anything else in school.  Also I have found out that Physics is my favorate subject so far in school.  I love figuring out extremely long complicated problems involving rockets and such. 
Another thing, that I'm not sure can help me in anyway.  I love maps, I can stare at any map for hours on end.  Heck, Terreserver.com is probably my second most viewed website(behind this) and ready to kill my computer right now because it wont load it for some reason.:uzi:

Anyway.  I'm not too sure if any of this info can help at all, but I was just hoping for some help.


And BTW.  My gpa 3rd quater was a 4.15:-D and is over a 4.0 for so far this year.:-D


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## BeanoNYC (Apr 28, 2006)

awf170 said:
			
		

> Bump.
> Alright, I think I now have slightly a better idea of what I want to go into.  As much as I love nature/outdoors stuff like biology just bores me, I just couldn't take the classroom part of it.  I have finally found out that I have to go into something involving math.  As much as I don't want to sit a computer the whole day, I am too good at math and like it way more than anything else in school.  Also I have found out that Physics is my favorate subject so far in school.  I love figuring out extremely long complicated problems involving rockets and such.
> Another thing, that I'm not sure can help me in anyway.  I love maps, I can stare at any map for hours on end.  Heck, Terreserver.com is probably my second most viewed website(behind this) and ready to kill my computer right now because it wont load it for some reason.:uzi:
> 
> ...



Ever think about becoming a math teacher?


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## awf170 (Apr 28, 2006)

BeanoNYC said:
			
		

> Ever think about becoming a math teacher?


Not really.  Even though I'm really good at math I'm bad at explaining things and have the worst hand writing ever.


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## kcyanks1 (Apr 28, 2006)

Congrats on the good grades!  I skimmed some of the posts earlier in the thread.  Are you thoughts still for a smaller, rural school with being near skiing a priority?  Would any state in New England be acceptable location-wise?  Any particular schools on a list?  IIRC, you are 17 now, so you'll be applying in the fall?  Have you thought about visiting any schools yet?


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## awf170 (Apr 28, 2006)

kcyanks1 said:
			
		

> Are you thoughts still for a smaller, rural school with being near skiing a priority?



Kinda want a smaller school, but isn't a major deal.  I'm not going to lie, being near skiing is extremely important to me.  I really haven't though about upstate NY but that may be a good idea :idea: 



			
				kcyanks1 said:
			
		

> Would any state in New England be acceptable location-wise?



Gotta be NH, ME, or VT.  I hate southern NE.  Though I guess western MA wouldn't be horrible.



			
				kcyanks1 said:
			
		

> Any particular schools on a list?



So far I'm most interested in UVM, Umaine, and St. Mikes.  Middlebury, Colby and Dartmouth look awsome, but I'm not sure if I'll have the grades(actually I think I'll have the grades but not the other stuff) and there wicked espensive.(and I don't think they have to much in the science/math department.



			
				kcyanks1 said:
			
		

> IIRC, you are 17 now, so you'll be applying in the fall?



Yes.



			
				kcyanks1 said:
			
		

> Have you thought about visiting any schools yet?



Yeah, I was thinking about going to UVM and St. Mikes during april vacation but just kind of forgot about it.:dunce: I'll probably do some visiting soon though.


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## kcyanks1 (Apr 28, 2006)

I probably can't be of too much help myself for choosing a school, but I have a friend who went to Dartmouth (not a skier) and one who went to Middlebury (a big skier) who I might be able to put you in touch with if you'd like.  PM me if you want me to get in touch with them.  If you are interested in majoring in physics though and have any questions, that I can talk about since I majored in physics and graduated in '03.  Don't worry that your haven't done much visiting yet, you'll have plenty of time in the summer, and then once you get into places they'll have days for you to visit again and meet some students.  Good luck!


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## awf170 (Apr 28, 2006)

kcyanks1 said:
			
		

> I probably can't be of too much help myself for choosing a school, but I have a friend who went to Dartmouth (not a skier) and one who went to Middlebury (a big skier) who I might be able to put you in touch with if you'd like. PM me if you want me to get in touch with them. If you are interested in majoring in physics though and have any questions, that I can talk about since I majored in physics and graduated in '03. Don't worry that your haven't done much visiting yet, you'll have plenty of time in the summer, and then once you get into places they'll have days for you to visit again and meet some students. Good luck!



Thanks a lot.  I might ask you later about getting in touch with them, once I get some more knowledge of those schools so that I'll actually have some good questions to ask them.

So about physics.  What do you do now? What are the possible jobs that come out of being a physics major?  How hard is it to get physics related jobs once you get out of college(not including be a teacher)


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## NYDrew (Apr 28, 2006)

Major in physics if you like it.  It has more possibilities then math.  And if you are doing physics you MUST apply to UC Berkely.  I know its not in the north east...but it is the best friggin physics school in the world (by my opinion) and a hell of a lot closer to Colorado and Utah.  Another choice would be SUNY Stony Brook.  Another school that has access to a national lab, but located in bumbleF* long island.

Good Luck man.  (If you do math...DO NOT GO TO BINGHAMTON, one of the worst math programs...ive gone to community colleges with better math programs)


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## kcyanks1 (Apr 28, 2006)

awf170 said:
			
		

> Thanks a lot.  I might ask you later about getting in touch with them, once I get some more knowledge of those schools so that I'll actually have some good questions to ask them.
> 
> So about physics.  What do you do now? What are the possible jobs that come out of being a physics major?  How hard is it to get physics related jobs once you get out of college(not including be a teacher)



Well, you are going to laugh, but I'm just about to graduate law school.  I plan to go into patent/IP law, so I'm still sticking to my "sciencey" roots, but not quite the normal path.  Though to be honest it is becoming fairly popular now.  I have a handful of friends in college with science or engineering backgrounds, and a know a few people graduating college this year with engineering degrees going to law school in the fall.

Otherwise my impression is that the standard route would be to get a PhD and do research, whether for a university or a company.  I actually applied to grad schools at the same time as law school since I really wasn't certain what I wanted to do (and may always wonder what things would be like if I did that), but in the end decided to do law school.  I think I would've enjoyed the teaching aspect of academia, actually, but didn't feel that I wanted to make my career based on doing research, and also wasn't fond of the idea that getting jobs in the geographical location you want can be very tough for academia (but not so much for law firms).

Feel free to ask any more questions that you think I might be able to answer.


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## awf170 (May 4, 2006)

Bump...
I think(atleast for now) that I going into Physics.  80% sure.   So the question is:  What college in Northern New England, upstate NY, and even sourthern quebec have good physics programs.


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## skibum1321 (May 5, 2006)

awf170 said:
			
		

> Bump...
> I think(atleast for now) that I going into Physics.  80% sure.   So the question is:  What college in Northern New England, upstate NY, and even sourthern quebec have good physics programs.


Well at this point you would probably want to rule out SMC unless you're looking for a really small department. They probably have 2-3 students every year - I'm not sure about the quality of the program, though.

FWIW I was in the CS program, which is also really small at SMC but I thought it was good and I liked the small classes.


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## nelsapbm (May 5, 2006)

Re: Southern Quebec - McGill in Montreal is a fantastic school. Very competitive though. Awesome location right in the city. 
I am a UVM grad, so feel free to PM or email me with any specific questions you may have about the school, Burlington, etc.


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## kbroderick (May 5, 2006)

skibum1321 said:
			
		

> Well at this point you would probably want to rule out SMC unless you're looking for a really small department. They probably have 2-3 students every year - I'm not sure about the quality of the program, though.
> 
> FWIW I was in the CS program, which is also really small at SMC but I thought it was good and I liked the small classes.



Wow.  I went there and never realized the physics department was that small--the faculty outnumber the majors (according to the website, at least).

The math department is pretty decent, IMO; I had a fair amount of interaction with Prof. Simons, amongst others, and did enjoy calculus from time to time.  Unfortunately, LinAlg never quite fit into my schedule and I didn't manage to pull off the math minor that I was considering.

I'd definitely encourage you to visit any schools under consideration and preferably to sit in on classes.  That's one of the better ways to get a feel for the school; the best, of course, is to do an unofficial overnight visit.  If you've got a friend at a particular school under consideration, drop  him/her a line and see if you can drop in for Friday classes, crash on the floor Friday night, and hang out Saturday before heading home.  That should get you a good feel for the school without the official sugarcoating admissions may put on it.

If you're really interested in mapping, you might try looking at geography programs.  SMC has a decent minor (I highly recommend Prof. Kujawa).  I can put you in touch with my brother if you want to get feedback on UMF's programs in that regard; I know that the stuff he worked on that I heard about was interesting, but I'm grossly underinformed to make any sort of overall assessment of the program (PM me if interested).


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## skibum1321 (May 5, 2006)

kbroderick said:
			
		

> Wow.  I went there and never realized the physics department was that small--the faculty outnumber the majors (according to the website, at least).


Maybe it wasn't that small, but it sure seems that way. The faculty could outnumber students because a lot of people take the intro class or there may be more students...


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## kbroderick (May 5, 2006)

skibum1321 said:
			
		

> Maybe it wasn't that small, but it sure seems that way. The faculty could outnumber students because a lot of people take the intro class or there may be more students...



What I meant by "according to the website" is that the Physics dept. lists students at http://academics.smcvt.edu/physics/students.htm and faculty at http://www.smcvt.edu/academics/physics/faculty.asp; the former lists five students and the latter seven instructors (four professor types, one instructor-type, and two professor emeriti). 

You're probably right in speculating that the intro classes get a lot more students than the upper-level classes, and there may also be some classes that are required as part of the 3+2 engineering program with UVM.


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## ski_resort_observer (May 5, 2006)

My son is 17 and a couple of weekends ago my wife took him and a friend for interviews at Lyndon State and Johnson State. Surpisingly he liked JS over Lyndon. I think it's because JSC has a halfpipe right on campus...:lol: 

Obviously the cheapest is going to be in Mass. Have you checked out North Adams State. Nice area, skiing nearby and all those cute girls with rich parents over at Williams.

Someone mentioned McGill U. up in Montreal, great school. I went to U. of Wyoming, very very cheap for out of staters, about 1.5 hours to Steamboat, 7 hours to Jackson Hole...lol


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## catskills (May 6, 2006)

There has to be something here 

http://www.cccs.edu/FindCollege.html


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## awf170 (Aug 27, 2006)

Bump.  So are there any majors out there involving maps at all?


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## Marc (Aug 27, 2006)

Cartography?  I wonder if that's a major?


Maybe your best bet is to look into something involved with GIS.


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## awf170 (Aug 27, 2006)

Marc said:


> Cartography?  I wonder if that's a major?
> 
> 
> Maybe your best bet is to look into something involved with GIS.




Sounds good.  Also as much as I love maps, i love statistics almost as much.  The more random, the better.


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## Marc (Aug 27, 2006)

Holy God, you love statistics?  I don't think there are any statisticians that love their jobs.  AFAIK they all do it for the money.  And the money is good because no one wants to do it.



Have you considered looking for colleges with the SI bikini waxing major?


If you find one, let me know.  I'm in for a career change.


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## YardSaleDad (Aug 27, 2006)

awf170 said:


> Sounds good.  Also as much as I love maps, i love statistics almost as much.  The more random, the better.



You could be a National Geospatial-Intelligence Analyst!


[SIZE=-1]http://www.nga.mil/careers[/SIZE]


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## ChileMass (Aug 28, 2006)

Wow - statistics.  Not being a scientist or having much acumen for it, the only job I know of that comes form a good math/stats background is as an actuary for an insurance company.  Not a sexy job, but certainly highly prized by the big insurers, and they have lots of money to pay.  

A very good buddy of mine was a math major, fooled around at various jobs for several years and then got into the actuarial program at the New England back in the late 1980s. The New England put him into their 3-year (IIRC - could have been 4 years) actuarial training program, during which there are several rounds of standardized tests (like 10) that MUST be passed with a sufficiently high score to continue in the program.  Those who fail or score below the target wash out of the program.  My buddy made it through successfully and is a very well-placed manager at another insurance company in Syracuse.  He makes good money and he enjoys what he does, so it worked out well.  

Everyone needs a dream job (meteorologist on CNN, ski hero on Warren Miller movies, Emporer of the World, etc) but having a fallback job in mind is important.....


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## Birdman829 (Aug 28, 2006)

UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT.  Great for outdoorsy stuff (whether that means studying it or participating in it.)  Well regarded for life science/environmental science.  Oh and it's also less than an hour from Stowe, Smuggs, Sugarbush, Bolton Valley, MRG, and just over an hour from Jay.

It's not small, but more midsize if you can deal with that.  It's in a city, but Burlington feels more like a big town than a small city.  If you drive 5 miles from Burlington, you wouldn't even know you're near a city.  My advice would be at least visit it.  In case you haven't figured it out yet I go there.  I applied without even seeing the school then visited it in the spring after I got in.  After being on campus for about 5 minutes I was sold.


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## John84 (Aug 28, 2006)

Birdman829 said:


> UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT.  Great for outdoorsy stuff (whether that means studying it or participating in it.)  Well regarded for life science/environmental science.  Oh and it's also less than an hour from Stowe, Smuggs, Sugarbush, Bolton Valley, MRG, and just over an hour from Jay.
> 
> It's not small, but more midsize if you can deal with that.  It's in a city, but Burlington feels more like a big town than a small city.  If you drive 5 miles from Burlington, you wouldn't even know you're near a city.  My advice would be at least visit it.  In case you haven't figured it out yet I go there.  I applied without even seeing the school then visited it in the spring after I got in.  After being on campus for about 5 minutes I was sold.



Do you know anything about their merit scholarships?


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## awf170 (Aug 28, 2006)

Birdman829 said:


> UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT. Great for outdoorsy stuff (whether that means studying it or participating in it.) Well regarded for life science/environmental science. Oh and it's also less than an hour from Stowe, Smuggs, Sugarbush, Bolton Valley, MRG, and just over an hour from Jay.
> 
> It's not small, but more midsize if you can deal with that. It's in a city, but Burlington feels more like a big town than a small city. If you drive 5 miles from Burlington, you wouldn't even know you're near a city. My advice would be at least visit it. In case you haven't figured it out yet I go there. I applied without even seeing the school then visited it in the spring after I got in. After being on campus for about 5 minutes I was sold.




Right now UVM and Saint Mikes are the colleges I'm learning towards. I'll probably be visiting both in the next month or so. I would say that the odds are about 75% that I end up in either on of these colleges.

So the most important question.  Where are you getting a season pass?  Jay Peak and Bolton combined pass is only $300.


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## kbroderick (Aug 29, 2006)

awf170 said:


> Bump.  So are there any majors out there involving maps at all?



I may have mentioned this before, but my brother graduated from UMF last spring with a Geogrpahy/Geology major and is now working as a State of Maine intern doing GIS stuff.  Drop me a PM or an email if you want his email address.


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## Birdman829 (Aug 30, 2006)

Actually the Jay/Bolton pass is only about $240 including the absurd 7% Vermont sales tax.  If I can find some people who are definitely getting that pass then I'll get it (I don't have a car).  For now though, I'm just going to sit tight and see where everyone else will be skiing (hopefully Jay).

As to the question about merit scholarships, I'm on one right now.  It's not a big package ($2000 a year), but I didn't exactly do that well in high school (didn't do much homework).  I was sort of the smart and lazy type.  I guess I could have gotten a better package if there wasnt so much disparity between my test scores and my GPA (2220 on SATs, 3.34 GPA).  I'm told however that if I do well this year, I can get more money next year.


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## Marc (Aug 30, 2006)

Birdman829 said:


> Actually the Jay/Bolton pass is only about $240 including the absurd 7% Vermont sales tax.  If I can find some people who are definitely getting that pass then I'll get it (I don't have a car).  For now though, I'm just going to sit tight and see where everyone else will be skiing (hopefully Jay).
> 
> As to the question about merit scholarships, I'm on one right now.  It's not a big package ($2000 a year), but I didn't exactly do that well in high school (didn't do much homework).  I was sort of the smart and lazy type.  I guess I could have gotten a better package if there wasnt so much disparity between my test scores and my GPA (2220 on SATs, 3.34 GPA).  I'm told however that if I do well this year, I can get more money next year.



Damn, man you are smart.  You scored 620 points above perfect on the SAT.  How'd you pull that off?


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## Birdman829 (Aug 31, 2006)

The SAT changed to a 2400 point scale by adding a writing section.  My scores were Verbal 730, Math 740, Writing 750.  So I guess on the scale everyone's used to I got a 1470.


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## Marc (Aug 31, 2006)

Blindsided.




Well damn good thing they didn't have that when I took 'em.


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## smitty77 (Sep 1, 2006)

Austin, some random thoughts:

Physics major could also lead to areospace engineering and nuclear engineering.  WPI has both as majors, along with a very small nuclear rector on campus.  Tres cool.  The civil engineering department has a professor with a passion for crash analysis and impact attenuation.  Lots of physics involved, especially when materials deform.

Love mapping, then go into GIS or advanced surveying.  Lots being done with laser measurments tied with GPS/GIS tied with aerial "photography".  This major will definitely get you away from a desk and likely into the woods.

There can be lots of math involved with any major if you look hard enough.  In areas that I am familiar:
Environmental - calculating disperson and flow rates
Civil - calculatig bearing capacity of soils, foundation design, structure design, traffic flow, traffic safety, pavement design.
Project management - some statistics, if/then routines, logistics problems.

I would chose a school with a strong math/science/engineering base and work from there.  If you find you want to modify your major, you'll have options.   And just because you use math doesn't mean you sit at a desk all day.  Trust me.


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## John84 (Sep 20, 2006)

Just saw something about geology that might interest you Austin:
http://www.unc.edu/~sdilts/PCBsyndrome.pdf

On the second page it says that the ratio of jobs available in geology in 1998 to the number of graduates in geology was roughly 14.5:1.


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## mattchuck2 (Sep 22, 2006)

I majored in Geology.

I didn't really have the easiest time getting a job after graduating (from Colby) in 2002.  Of course, I only had a bachelor's and a lot of the good geology jobs go to people with Master's and PhD's.  I ended up okay, though.   

Definitely, I'd go for the training in GIS, whatever sciency type degree you get.  People with GIS experience are increasingly in demand.


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