University choice

[altasnob]

Utah and U of Washington are both commuter schools for undergrads, meaning the majority of the students live with mom and dad and commute in to class every day (who the fuck could afford to live in Seattle as a student these days?). So the undergrad vibe you get at both is much different than schools in traditional college towns like Oregon, OSU, and Washington St. Less house parties. Less social cohesion. For grad school, this phenomenon is less important (at least for me).

Good private schools in the west with access to skiing and traditional college vibe include Colorado College (C Springs, non I-70 access to Breck and A Basin; where the Airforce guys go to find chicks) and Whitman (Walla Walla, Bluewood). Both may not be Cal Tech but I know STEM grads from both who have gone on to accomplish great things.

[highangle]

Goddard Space Flight Center
Geodesy and Geophysics Lab

Overview

The laboratory performs broad research, in the areas of Earth time variable and static geopotential and geomagnetic fields, Earth orientation, surface deformation, characterization and change, tides, land ice mass evolution, global and regional sea level, and airborne and spaceborne laser altimetry. The laboratory also supports many NASA missions in fundamental and core capabilities including satellite radar and laser altimetry precise positioning, pointing, ranging, timing, geolocation and calibration and validation. The laboratory is a leader in the design, development, implementation and application of airborne and spaceborne geodetic laser altimeter technology and instruments including NASA’s Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS) and the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation Lidar (GEDI). The laboratory is the home of the Space Geodesy Project which encompasses the management, development, operation and maintenance of NASA’s Space Geodetic Network that is comprised of the four major space geodetic observing systems: Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR), Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and the Doppler Orbitography and Radio-positioning by integrated Satellite (DORIS) system. It is also home to the Crustal Dynamics Data Information System dedicated to the archive and distribution of space geodesy related data sets; as well as the home to GEODYN, NASA’s state-of-the-art geodetic parameter estimation and precision orbit determination system.



https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/earth/geodesy/

[fatnslow]

Undergrad STEM classes these days require 3-5+ hours of study per hour of lecture. Shit is hard, and it comes at you fast. It's a 60hr/wk job, and over 80% of STEM grads take over 5 years to get an undergrad. And it's expensive af. It has to be considered irrespective of skiing.

That said, has anyone mentioned Colorado School of Mines yet? Highly respected [and endowed...and selective... ] and can take a nerd anywhere a Cal/Ivy undergrad degree can.



Geodesy informs so many applied earth and space sciences that geodesy grads are 1% technocrats of the planet. Ohio State geodetic science grads literally write their own tickets in government, academia, and industry worldwide. Acceptance and standing in the program will get him secondments to any university in the world, should he so desire, and pretty much anyone who can handle the program qualifies for the kind of finaid you don't have to pay back...




What is Geodesy?
Geodesy is the science of determining the size and shape of the Earth (including its temporal variation) using measurements primarily (today) of distance, time, and gravity. Being one of the oldest sciences, with a history of more than two thousand years, the traditional measurements were mostly associated with land surveying (distance and direction measurements of landmarks and celestial objects) and gravity observations (to determine the geoid, as reference surface for heights, and the plumb direction). The age of satellites, radio and optical science, and computer technology have completely transformed these methods and enabled geodesy to branch into many of the Earth sciences where the exquisite measurement precision has enabled observations of ocean circulation, terrestrial hydrology, tides, solid Earth deformation, tectonic plate motions, ice sheet mass change, ionospheric and atmospheric changes, Earth rotation variation, and other geodynamical phenomena with unprecedented detail and accuracy.

Contemporary geodesy utilizes the latest in mathematical modeling, research in physics, astrometry, scientific computations, and statistical analysis to aid in the understanding of ocean currents, sea level rise, the world's hydrological cycles, atmospheric conditions, global climate change, post-glacial rebound, and elastic deformation, particularly as it relates to natural hazards, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and flooding. In these Earth science applications, accurate terrestrial reference frames, high-resolution global gravity models, and precise time keeping are of paramount and fundamental importance. Geodesy, of course, continues the tradition of forming the backbone for all national and international datums and reference systems needed to establish three-dimensional positional control of regional and global networks of terrestrial points, as well as the world’s civilian and military satellite missions to the Earth and beyond. Many geodetic principles and techniques also have found application in studies of the Moon, other planets, and their satellites.

https://earthsciences.osu.edu/resear...ademic-program

Colorado school of Mines actually courted my daughter pretty hard but she wasn't interested. Top of the rock pile for their field.

[fatnslow]

Utah and U of Washington are both commuter schools for undergrads, meaning the majority of the students live with mom and dad and commute in to class every day (who the fuck could afford to live in Seattle as a student these days?). So the undergrad vibe you get at both is much different than schools in traditional college towns like Oregon, OSU, and Washington St. Less house parties. Less social cohesion. For grad school, this phenomenon is less important (at least for me).

Good private schools in the west with access to skiing and traditional college vibe include Colorado College (C Springs, non I-70 access to Breck and A Basin; where the Airforce guys go to find chicks) and Whitman (Walla Walla, Bluewood). Both may not be Cal Tech but I know STEM grads from both who have gone on to accomplish great things.

My neighbor's kid just finished his PHD in applied physics after undergrad at Whitman but another kid(oldest kid's life long friend) hated it and cut bait after 1 year transferring to Lewis and Clark. Walla Walla kind of sucks balls for a college kid.

[::: :::]

Undergrad STEM classes these days require 3-5+ hours of study per hour of lecture. Shit is hard, and it comes at you fast. It's a 60hr/wk job, and over 80% of STEM grads take over 5 years to get an undergrad. And it's expensive af. It has to be considered irrespective of skiing.

That said, has anyone mentioned Colorado School of Mines yet? Highly respected [and endowed...and selective... ] and can take a nerd anywhere a Cal/Ivy undergrad degree can.



Geodesy informs so many applied earth and space sciences that geodesy grads are 1% technocrats of the planet. Ohio State geodetic science grads literally write their own tickets in government, academia, and industry worldwide. Acceptance and standing in the program will get him secondments to any university in the world, should he so desire, and pretty much anyone who can handle the program qualifies for the kind of finaid you don't have to pay back...




What is Geodesy?
Geodesy is the science of determining the size and shape of the Earth (including its temporal variation) using measurements primarily (today) of distance, time, and gravity. Being one of the oldest sciences, with a history of more than two thousand years, the traditional measurements were mostly associated with land surveying (distance and direction measurements of landmarks and celestial objects) and gravity observations (to determine the geoid, as reference surface for heights, and the plumb direction). The age of satellites, radio and optical science, and computer technology have completely transformed these methods and enabled geodesy to branch into many of the Earth sciences where the exquisite measurement precision has enabled observations of ocean circulation, terrestrial hydrology, tides, solid Earth deformation, tectonic plate motions, ice sheet mass change, ionospheric and atmospheric changes, Earth rotation variation, and other geodynamical phenomena with unprecedented detail and accuracy.

Contemporary geodesy utilizes the latest in mathematical modeling, research in physics, astrometry, scientific computations, and statistical analysis to aid in the understanding of ocean currents, sea level rise, the world's hydrological cycles, atmospheric conditions, global climate change, post-glacial rebound, and elastic deformation, particularly as it relates to natural hazards, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and flooding. In these Earth science applications, accurate terrestrial reference frames, high-resolution global gravity models, and precise time keeping are of paramount and fundamental importance. Geodesy, of course, continues the tradition of forming the backbone for all national and international datums and reference systems needed to establish three-dimensional positional control of regional and global networks of terrestrial points, as well as the world’s civilian and military satellite missions to the Earth and beyond. Many geodetic principles and techniques also have found application in studies of the Moon, other planets, and their satellites.

https://earthsciences.osu.edu/resear...ademic-program

i'll put that in front of him for his reference, thanks

[::: :::]

Has he considered International Baccalaureate to help him hone in on what he wants and to give him a leg up in admission applications?

he's been AP track just because that's what his HS supports
i'll read up & see if IB applies to him at this point
thanks

[::: :::]

Utah and U of Washington are both commuter schools for undergrads, meaning the majority of the students live with mom and dad and commute in to class every day (who the fuck could afford to live in Seattle as a student these days?). So the undergrad vibe you get at both is much different than schools in traditional college towns like Oregon, OSU, and Washington St. Less house parties. Less social cohesion. For grad school, this phenomenon is less important (at least for me).

Good private schools in the west with access to skiing and traditional college vibe include Colorado College (C Springs, non I-70 access to Breck and A Basin; where the Airforce guys go to find chicks) and Whitman (Walla Walla, Bluewood). Both may not be Cal Tech but I know STEM grads from both who have gone on to accomplish great things.

thx re: campus vibe -- that seems like a real portion of enjoying undergrad

[fatnslow]

he's been AP track just because that's what his HS supports
i'll read up & see if it applies to him at this point
thanks

AP is similar , it's all based on passing exams and results in relation to receiving college credit. I would argue AP is more widely accepted/acknowledged nationally and IB is newer kid on the block. Don't EVER go to a bunch of helicopter parents and question the supremacy of either one.... My kids are at a IB school and most of the parents acts as though an IB diploma will get you into Harvard. I had a funny conversation about the odds of ending up at one of the true blue chip uni's with my daughter by just listing the schools that we agreed as first tier, number of freshmen slots, college entrants, top 5% of them, legacy, high net donations and the odds are staggering AND the saddest part is it's like 5th grade math with most parents not being able to figure out the odds BUT I still buy Powerball tickets so.....
MOST parents can't separate themselves from their proud helicopter myopia to realize that 4.0 doesn't equate to shit anymore and their 87% percentile kid is going to state U or a overpriced third tier private school. Had a conversation with a casual friend who's son is same age as my youngest about his kid wanting to go to USC.........................I didn't have the heart to tell him that his kid's ranking many hundreds down in a class of 400 plus and under 3.5 gpa won't get it. Same guy think his kid has a shot to play college baseball even though he's playing JV as a junior.

[Buzzworthy]

he's been AP track just because that's what his HS supports
i'll read up & see if IB applies to him at this point
thanks

My junior just started IB this year. Sounds like our kids are on a very similar path.

[nickwm21]

I’m of the strong belief that the name or rank of the school you go to for undergrad does not matter.

Find somewhere he’s stoked on going that fits your budget.


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[Buzzworthy]

Matters when undergrad is just a stepping stone to med school.

[altasnob]

I’m of the strong belief that the name or rank of the school you go to for undergrad does not matter.

That's my attitude as well. As others have mentioned, a CC where you can then transfer into an elite state school is definitely the best bang for your buck and way most youth go to college these days. This will only increase in the future. In Washington, UW-Tacoma or UW-Bothell both allow you to transfer into UW-Seattle and your degree looks no different. UW-Tacoma is by far and away the most diverse school in the state.

[Mazderati]

I’m of the strong belief that the name or rank of the school you go to for undergrad does not matter.

Curious what that is based on.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/bus...here-s-n982851

[nickwm21]

Matters when undergrad is just a stepping stone to med school.

A lot less than your MCAT score


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[nickwm21]

Curious what that is based on.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/bus...here-s-n982851

Reread that article…

“So, in the end, it might not necessarily matter where a person went to college. It’s the fact that they did.”


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[::: :::]

i don't see education as a transactional step leading to a job, but part of the growth of an individual into a benefit to community

at the same time, there really isn't a reason to come out of school with overwhelming debt

and the cost of uni has outsprinted salaries & cost of living since i was in school

[MontuckyFried]

AP is similar , it's all based on passing exams and results in relation to receiving college credit. I would argue AP is more widely accepted/acknowledged nationally and IB is newer kid on the block. Don't EVER go to a bunch of helicopter parents and question the supremacy of either one.... My kids are at a IB school and most of the parents acts as though an IB diploma will get you into Harvard. I had a funny conversation about the odds of ending up at one of the true blue chip uni's with my daughter by just listing the schools that we agreed as first tier, number of freshmen slots, college entrants, top 5% of them, legacy, high net donations and the odds are staggering AND the saddest part is it's like 5th grade math with most parents not being able to figure out the odds BUT I still buy Powerball tickets so.....
MOST parents can't separate themselves from their proud helicopter myopia to realize that 4.0 doesn't equate to shit anymore and their 87% percentile kid is going to state U or a overpriced third tier private school. Had a conversation with a casual friend who's son is same age as my youngest about his kid wanting to go to USC.........................I didn't have the heart to tell him that his kid's ranking many hundreds down in a class of 400 plus and under 3.5 gpa won't get it. Same guy think his kid has a shot to play college baseball even though he's playing JV as a junior.

Excellent observations. My wife taught at an IB school. Honestly, many of the teachers and the education sucked just as bad as anywhere else, but due to the very high test scores, the school, parents, and community thought they were just that freaking awesome. When truth is, many of those parents were ivy league grads and damn successful in life, MEANING that odds are their children would do freaking great no matter how good/bad their school was. They had au pairs at home, tutoring a plenty, stable home lives with well educated parents who gave their kids every learning opportunity possible outside of school. I mean geez. Some of those kids had already visited the Louvre and seen half the globe before they even got to primary school. Haha. So, yeah. IB vs AP. At the end of the day, if your daddy went to Harvard, then odds are good you'll get to go too regardless of which status your HS education has tacked on to it. Nothing to get too hung up on either way. Neither should be "bad."

[Mazderati]

Reread that article…

“So, in the end, it might not necessarily matter where a person went to college. It’s the fact that they did.”

Rereading implies I read it a first time. But I did just read it. Really, that was the first link I saw that halfway took the opposite side of 'strongly believing undergrad school name does not matter.' A bunch of people take the opposite side of that argument. I'm asking what your conclusion is based on.

[Buster Highmen]

I wholeheartedly reject the notion that education should lead to a job, that education should be vocational.
I also reject most measurements of a colleges quality, especially US News.

And any argument that links salaries to colleges is the most base and stupid principle of all.

It's about the experience, the trip, the work, the people, the place, the curriculum, the vibe, the history, the culture.

i don't see education as a transactional step leading to a job, but part of the growth of an individual into a benefit to community

at the same time, there really isn't a reason to come out of school with overwhelming debt

and the cost of uni has outsprinted salaries & cost of living since i was in school

^yup.

[Viva]

I also reject most measurements of a colleges quality, especially US News.

And any argument that links salaries to colleges is the most base and stupid principle of all.

It's about the experience, the trip, the work, the people, the place, the curriculum, the vibe, the history, the culture.

[Skeeze]

Another plug for Harvey Mudd. It’ll be similar academically to Cal Tech but with the other Claremont Colleges around, there’s more diversity than a STEM-focused school. And it’s plenty rigorous if that’s a goal.

I went to a Claremont school and skied 50 days/year, but Harvey Mudd students typically study more. Plenty of climbing around. And the school would give us a car for free and pay for our gas whenever we wanted to travel for anything skiing/outdoor related.


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[::: :::]

And the school would give us a car for free and pay for our gas whenever we wanted to travel for anything skiing/outdoor related.

that's a hell of a perk

[Skeeze]

that's a hell of a perk

For sure, plus free climbing and camping equipment to borrow. The programs for sure still exist but I think they’ve become a bit more formalized than when I was there (basically the Wild West of getting any and everything reimbursed).

Also the schools pay for your alcohol 5-6 days/week. Harvey Mudd at least used to have a hard liquor licenses and give it away for free, pretty crazy in retrospect but nice as an 18-year-old to stay in the campus bubble.

[::: :::]

For sure, plus free climbing and camping equipment to borrow. The programs for sure still exist but I think they’ve become a bit more formalized than when I was there (basically the Wild West of getting any and everything reimbursed).

Also the schools pay for your alcohol 5-6 days/week. Harvey Mudd at least used to have a hard liquor licenses and give it away for free, pretty crazy in retrospect but nice as an 18-year-old to stay in the campus bubble.

wait, wut?

[Buster Highmen]

Ah, the sunny day keg.
We can thank Nancy Reagan for the end of that tradition.