I just found out that, although I have lost my California residency (I have Colorado/Montana dual residency), the fact that I went to a California high school for more than three years and passed the California High School Exit Exam means that I would pay in-state tuition rates at a California State University, not out-of-state rates. This makes returning to California even more desireable an option, since I won't pay out-of-state tuition like I thought I would.
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Sample some of the higher maths lectures as Khan Academy to see what you think.
It's difficult to predict whether you will find higher maths difficult based on previous experience - it's a very different beast. Although I struggled with A-level maths (UK) which lead to problems with my Astrophysics degree, I later found a Maths degree quite easy.
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I just found out that, although I have lost my California residency (I have Colorado/Montana dual residency), the fact that I went to a California high school for more than three years and passed the California High School Exit Exam means that I would pay in-state tuition rates at a California State University, not out-of-state rates. This makes returning to California even more desireable an option, since I won't pay out-of-state tuition like I thought I would.
There are a lot of strong choices in the UC system, although some can be competitive. If you qualify for in-state tuition, it can be a good place to start.
Tuition in California can be tough even for in-state people. Don't discount the colorado or montana universities.
My only real advice to you (and to everyone that I talk to) is don't just pick a job because it has high demand, and don't just pick a job because you love it. Maybe that sounds harsh, but being an accountant is in high demand, and I would sooner gouge out my eyeballs than balance numbers for the rest of my life. On the other hand, being an ESPN sportscaster would be a sweet job, but their is such low supply compared to the demand I'd probably top out at a local radio sports station after being an intern for 5 years and only make $25K a year with bizarre hours that are not family friendly.
Do something that interests you, but make sure that the market will support whatever you do. If not, be aware of the consequences of your choice.
Well, Paleo/Archeo won't really be doable. Both fields are too specialized to comfortably combine them.
I think I'm settled on a Marine Biology or Marine Sciences major and a language or history minor. I enjoy biology, I enjoy the ocean, and it's a field with work available. Also, I'm going for schooling in California, and every UC college I'm looking at offers Marine Biology or Marine Science.
Tuition in California can be tough even for in-state people. Don't discount the colorado or montana universities.
For Monterey Bay's UC, I would pay $4,721 tuition, $1,386 in books and supplies, and $9,152 in room and board per year. With my high level of FAFSA eligibility, that's managable.
If you find yourself changing your mind frequently on majors, go in undecided. As a 1st year student in a bachelor's program, you should take what interests you (particularly your core requirements) and decide on a major later.
I just needed to set aside some time to sit down with the course catalogs, mark everything that interested me, and go through those things one by one. Now that that's done, I'm fine as to my major.
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My wife is doing her doctorate in Fisheries and has the bachelors and masters in marine biology / natural resources management. I've done a bunch of field work for it. It's a good field.
If you want to do well / be indispensible here's a couple of tips:
Take statistics courses.
Take some basic computer sciences courses (learn to use databases, excel, and C or C++)
Real fish scientists do a lot of modeling and a lot of bayesian statistics.
Stay fit - real fish scientists kill lots of fish in remote locations. Being able to carry 50 pounds of nets through the woods or up and down a mountain is handy.
Get used to killing fish. Real fish scientists kill things and cut them open. Everything else is just mammal squeezing and poop collection. :P
Learn your field - Ray Hillborn 's publications and editorials are a good start. He gets into arguments with other top people in the field on a regular basis.
There are some kick ass volunteer opportunities through the US GS and Arizona Game and Fish - They do trips down the grand canyon that are freaking amazing. Les Bell is the volunteer coordinator I think. While you are applying for Uni, you should also check out the AZ game and fish website and start trying to volunteer for stuff. It's fun and if you want to get work, it looks awesome on the resume. If you do a google search for "arizona game and fish grand canyon survey volunteer" you'll pull up a bunch of people's blogs with pics and videos. I did two months of volunteering in the grand canyon a few years ago. Totally worth it.
Tuition in California can be tough even for in-state people. Don't discount the colorado or montana universities.For Monterey Bay's UC, I would pay $4,721 tuition, $1,386 in books and supplies, and $9,152 in room and board per year. With my high level of FAFSA eligibility, that's managable.
One note about books: they're aren't always strictly needed. Read some reviews if you can about a given course and find out just how much you'll really use the textbook. Some professors use the book(s) quite a bit (especially if you're lucky enough to get the prof who wrote it); others use it occasionally; some give it out as suggested reading. Also, sometimes you don't need the most recent printing. But think hard before selling a book off; once in a while you find you'll use the same book more than once, or it just makes a good reference work.
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Been looking at some of my old threads to see what's changed. Can't believe I posted this 4 and a half years ago. Which means I've been in college 3 and a half years. Turns out I didn't have Colorado residency and my Montana residency didn't count for tuition purposes, so I moved in with my grandmother in Silicon Valley to take advantage of my automatic in state tuition in California. Studied a mixture of History, Geography, and Anthropology at De Anza College for two years and got an associate's in Liberal Arts (though I started as Computer Science, which didn't even last through my remedial math courses), and transferred to San Francisco State University, where I double major in Geography and Urban Studies & Planning (I would, however, consider Geography the primary major). Which actually be giving me more of the history I like most than a History degree might. I have a transportation planning focus, so my marine studies are specifically about shipping and port and harbor design. I've been in Geography for 3 years now, so I guess I'm pretty settled in by this point. Just not into anything this thread really suggested I was going to do. At least it's a field that's actually super interesting to me, and that has pretty good job aspects (Especially since I do have some GIS under my belt).
Now I feel old.
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