h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

History and linguistics...
Do you have any long-term plans, besides learning for its own sake? Just asking because I also chose two majors because of academic interest, and now I'm a bit stuck.

Now. The strange thing is that Latin *used* to be a spoken language, up until 150 years ago. It was the Esperanto of the educated Western world.

Linguistics, you say? Then how come we've not seen you over on the Language and Linguistics thread?

Recently someone asked me what I'd do if I won the lottery tomorrow. I think I'd take university linguistics courses.

Q. What do you say to someone with a degree in history and linguistics?
A. I'll have a Big Mac.

(Although actually I know more than one person who got into computer-related careers by going from Old English to Linguistics to AI)

emr, looking at your list, I am struck by a couple of things. The colleges/unis you are looking at are all excellent schools, but they have very different cultures. Are you looking for a rigourous program, or are you looking for something that allows you to work across disciplines? If the former, Chicago is terrific -- but it lacks flexibility, and tends to be rather cut-throat. UCB is both, while UCSC and Reed are more flexible than rigourous.

The second is the inclusion of Princeton in your list, because it sticks out like a sore thumb. I say that because Princeton, while excellent for graduate school, is not known to be a particularly great school as far as their undergrad program goes, unless you are looking at a specific program that is recognized.

Knowing you, I'm sure you've already been in touch with people there, etc., but my suggestion is that you ask each school to put you in touch with someone who is doing something you want to be doing (students, not faculty) and ask those people to be brutally honest. Can you live on the scholarships the school offers, or are you or your parents going to have to take out massive loans? Do they have time to engage in their own interests, or is it rounds of rote memorization? Make a list of the things that YOU think are vital, things you'd like, things you can live without, and things that you will not tolerate, and ask them to comment on your list via the schools.

Sorry. Just a been there, done that sort of thing.

sorry, my fingers are too fast for my brain right about this time of day. "vis a vis" your list...not "via".

...most Ivy Leagues don't offer scholarships. Just need-based financial aid. Which means that you can attend if you're poor and brilliant or rich and stupid. (Or rich and smart, but that's irrelevant.)

To answer a few points:

I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do with my life after university. I'm just gonna get there first, and see what happens. I'm not necessarily thinking of doing history and linguistics at once, but maybe one or the other or maybe sociology or anthropology, or maybe something else entirely. I would like computer science if I weren't terrible at it.

MR (seems like I haven't seen you in a while!), I am applying to a wide variety of places, because: a) I'm not sure yet what I'd prefer; b) I'm not sure which type of school would prefer me. Public and private, large universities and liberal arts colleges... we'll see where I get in, as that's pretty much a toss-up these days, or so I understand. Chicago definitely tops my list, though. I don't know anyone who goes there or went there (except for a distant acquaintance's older brother), but having read comments from students and that sort of thing, I have come to be attracted to Chicago as a place where one can actually learn lots of things without meeting anyone from one's high school. The smart kids from public high schools like mine often end up at "name-brand" schools like the Ivy League - ones who are smart but also more interesting seem to gravitate towards Chicago. And as much as I think I'll find it difficult to start with, I want to work really hard wherever I go to college. I've got those four years to become educated (though I may go on to grad school; I don't know yet) and I'm going to get as good an education as I can - something that I have to work for, too.

As to Princeton - my mother went there. It's that simple. Though I understand they have an excellent history department.

Wake up and smell the coffee - or gin. Everyone knows college is about partying, sororities/fraternities, getting drunk, and having fun. You want to spend that quality time studying?






Computer science is easier when you learn it from a professor. I minored in it - wasn't so bad, but it wasn't as easy as liberal arts. I got more sense of accomplishment out of creating a dinky little C++ program than out of writing a feminist interpretation of "Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood" just because the prof said it wasn't possible. Though it was a close call (re sense of accomplishment).

Well, I kinda want to have some fun too. But my general instincts *are* to have fun; in high school my general inclination is to drop everything in order to hang out. I'd like to squash that, if only for four years, and try to accomplish something more worthwhile and character-building. Silly, isn't it?

I'm taking AP comp sci this coming year in school - we'll see how that goes. I like learning about the code, but I lack the innate skill for coding and the patience to practice and learn.

Is there an innate skill for coding? There's a certain orderly logic to it, but I found that the best students in my class were the ones who plugged away the longest and weren't bashful about asking for help. (We also had an awesome textbook. Sometimes the books are better than the professors.)

Anyway, I'm just saying don't dump something because you don't notice a talent for it. But I'm going to shut up before I start sounding like your grandmother.

Princeton's history department is good if you do colonial American. Or later Europe.

That said, if your inclination is Chicago, then by all means, go Chicago. UCB has the same sort of rigour, but without the cut-throat attitude. Besides, UCB is far cheaper!

And by doing what you want to do, I mean things like...do they offer a variety of Latin courses? Can you create your own major/minor? Will you be too busy to take a music class, etc.

Kurt Vonnegut was enrolled on anthropology at Chicago. His master's thesis was rejected. Years later, his novel 'Cat's Cradle' was accepted in its place.

No thoughts on computors, except to say that you sound like the sort of person who'd enjoy playing with a localhost server. (A geeky friend downloaded Apache to my laptop, and I'm having great fun with it.)

I applied to college through the CAO system A378353 was offered both my first preference choices. I took the shorter one: National Certificate in Applied Biology from Athlone Institute of Technology. My second choice in that category was the National Certificate in Applied Chemistry from Athlone IT, to which I transferred at the end of first year. I'm mathematically minded, and was getting on better with the chemistry side. The two courses have a common first year. In fact, on later years' CAO forms, they're offered as a single choice, with students picking biology or chemistry at the end of first year.

After the two-year cert, I did a one-year add-on National Diploma in Analytical Chemistry, and then a Degree in Applied Chemistry. After getting distinctions and awards all the way, I failed fourth year. I got apathetic (also, I discovered h2g2). It was only one exam I failed, which I later resat and passe, so I now have my B.SC.(Hons.).

I'm cleaning windows, and applying for jobs, and doing an online TEFL course.

TRiG.