OT: General OT Thread

[jenn_gp]

i talked to a guy yesterday who thought ray allen was still with the sonics. yikes.

That's scary and disappointing.

[BenjaminH]

Here is something much more off topic:

I received an offer from UW. If I accept, I will move next year and live in the Seattle area for the first time. I have a few other competing offers from places about UW caliber, but I would really like to stay in the Northwest. Some of the better places, like Ex-Hippie's alma mater, only made terrible offers. In any case, I am leaning towards UW next year.

[HeavyP]

That's funny, I'm leaving UW this summer to continue my graduate work near Hippie (he's in spokane right?) as I'll be going to Eastern.

[BenjaminH]

No, I think he is from New York, though he may be from the Spokane area. I don' t know.

[HeavyP]

Ah yes, I was thinking of Wiff.

[FARMERMAN10]

Ben excuse my ignorance, but are you talking about teaching, graduate work, or being an undergrad?

[BenjaminH]

You're not ignorant, I was not clear. I am an undergraduate now. These are fellowship offers, which are for teaching and research. So, I would be teaching introductory undergraduate courses and doing some graduate research. John Hopkins is offering me the most money, but UW is about as good, and the money isn't very far off when I take the cross-country move into account. (Ex-Hippie's alma mater is offering me next to nothing - they aren't even competing for me when I tell them about my other offers!) I haven't been to the Seattle area for years though, which is really odd when I think about it.

[FARMERMAN10]

well i don't want to pry excessively, but what is your major?

I'm doing the college search myself right now, so i'm interested in how other people handle things.

(any advice is welcome!)

[BenjaminH]

If you're looking at undergraduate institutions now, I'm what (?), four or five years ahead of you. So, I remember it pretty well and hopefully you can learn from my mistakes (and triumphs!). And I pretty much just went through that a similar process myself again. To be perfectly honest, I didn't choose well out of high school and I didn't do very well at my first place. But I transfered and have flourished at my current institution (a liberal arts college in Portland). I know that big universities can be a lot easier in that you don't have professors focusing on you so you can slide by doing a lot less. (You can do really well at big places, but you really need to motivate yourself and continually seek out ways to go above and beyond because you can pretty much finesse your way into an impressive GPA with very little work. So, don't get me wrong, big universities can be just as demanding, but only if you really try. I have spoken at a few (and visited a few more), and have found that the level of expertise is usually better. Obviously, bigger places have more money and attract bigger names.) But, depending on what you want to do after graduate school, I think it is probably better to be the big fish in a small pond. So, most people would disagree with me, but if you can afford it, I recommend a small liberal arts college. That way, if you do well, the faculty will notice. You will be taught by professors instead of grad students. Also, the access to the professors allows you to pursue a lot of extracurricular research or whatever projects you like with them. What else? You will also be able to win more academic awards, especially if they are just college-wide, because there will be a little bit less competition. And when you ask for letters of recommendation, they will be much stronger because of the one-on-one work you do. I gather that you play basketball at least somewhat competitively, so you may not love the idea of a small school. But most will still put enough money into athletic programs to be taken seriously. You'll also get big fish in small pond status athletically too; it is very hard to play basketball at a big-division school, but much easier at a small college. So, that could actually be something you're interested in. Of course, there are a lot of terrible things about small liberal arts colleges. For one, they are often incredibly liberal with just as many temptations as big universities. They are also liberal in the pretentious way, and at the undergraduate level, that arrogance is usually just a few confused ideals and an intermediate understanding of an introductory course. That usually wears off in a couple of years, at least if you're smart. (You seem to be smarter than I was 4 or 5 years ago.) The worst thing is probably that they are much more expensive ... Wherever you go, a big or small place, I would recommend trying to find what you're interested in as soon as possible and start taking courses there immediately. It is good to be well-rounded, and that is the general idea behind a liberal arts education. But most graduate and professional schools (and certainly employers) prefer expertise over well-roundedness. Don't waste too much on electives. In fact, it would be ideal if you already knew what you were interested in. (I copped-out for a while, unable to decide, which I regret.) That way when you research schools, you could go to the department page and start skimming the faculty CVs. You probably won't be able to tell much at first, but look for degrees and the number/quality of publications. It probably isn't smart to go someone as an undergrad just so you can study with someone, but you should be able to get a general idea of the strength of a department. Also, some schools with good names are especially strong in some departments but weak in others; and vice-versa. So, look for that. Also, start building your CV early on. Even one B+ or A- freshmen year can screw you over. So, be smart from the get-go. Though, you should pursue whatever honors or advance courses that you can even at the risk of an A-. Do an honors thesis or degree if offered. If you skim faculty CVs you will notice that the best ones started CV building as undergraduates. So, start adding things like publications, professional and collegiate activities and such extracurriculars whenever you can - but make sure they're directed at what you want to do, and never let extracurriculars get in the way of your GPA. Feel free to ask me any further questions.

[FARMERMAN10]

Ben,
I can't thank you enough for all that, thats the most extensive description of the college process I have heard from ANYONE, and I appreciate you taking the time to write all that. I will certainly take all that to heart as I continue the process.

So here's my side of things:

I'm a high school junior, at a very good high school in North Carolina.

I just took my SAT's, and got a 2020. I'm considering retaking it to up my math score, as I got in the 80's as far as percentile, with everything else in the 90's.

I feel fairly confident that those SAT scores are decent enough to at least get me a shot at the places i'm interested in.

My one problem may be class rank/gpa. I'm very high, but not going to be top in my class. I tend to get bored in classes and have gotten a B or two as a result. I'm not proud of it, but its in the past now.

For schools, I'm really hoping to get into Duke, and manage for their team. My coach in school is good friends with Kryzewski, and is going to introduce us this summer. If that is actually an option I can't see myself turning that down, the networking potential is outrageous.

Other schools i'm considering are Wake Forest, Davidson (yes, i was thinking about them BEFORE the tournament run), and perhaps somewhere in New England, although my research so far has been in state.

I've gotten the usual form letters from lots of good schools, so i'm keeping my options open with schools like Vanderbilt, Temple, Clemson, etc. etc.

As some of you have probably gathered, my goal is to be a GM. It's been my dream since I job shadowed Rick Sund in the 8th grade, and I'm very dedicated to reaching that goal.


So thoughts on where I should be headed? With such a close knit forum here, i'm willing to talk in pretty close detail, as I trust the judgment of most people here (to the extent that one trusts the denizens of a message board )

Looking around, I may be one of the youngest here. With that in mind, i'd really like the input of all those either in school, or graduated, or those reformed members of the counter culture.

Again, thanks Ben, and I look forward to any words of wisdom you all have.

[Troy McClure]

On a lighter note, the bigger dance brackets are now open to fill out, and if you remember(from the first page) I said I'd host a RealGM Sonics board "office pool"

Now, to join this pool, go: http://204.29.20.134/mitmbd/home.asp

Sign up to be a "sportsclub" member.

After thats done click on the "Office Pool" Link at the top of the page.

Group name: RealGM
Password: Sonics

Please join, and have fun. I don't want this to fail.

[Ex-hippie]

(Ex-Hippie's alma mater is offering me next to nothing - they aren't even competing for me when I tell them about my other offers!).

Whoa, I guess I missed out on this thread. Well, you don't want to live in Hyde Park anyway.

P.S. You're right, I'm in New York; it's no Spokane but it'll do.

P.P.S. Goddamn, I'm old. I have a nephew who's older than Farmerman. He's going to college in the Fall. (Matter of fact, he's going on a basketball scholarship to a midmajor school -- no, not Davidson -- and is ranked on Scout.com as the #1 recruit in that conference and I believe national top-200 or so. We're all very proud.)

[jenn_gp]

On a lighter note, the bigger dance brackets are now open to fill out, and if you remember(from the first page) I said I'd host a RealGM Sonics board "office pool"

Ya know, even though I'm a woman, I actually find the bigger dance pretty entertaining to listen to on my ride to work. I was listening to Mitch this morning and he was interviewing "Mr. Skin" and his pick to win was some British model..can't remember her name.

[D5150]

having "spitzers hooker" in the feild is a little crass. and jennifer aniston? really? what the hell has she done lately?

[FARMERMAN10]

P.P.S. Goddamn, I'm old. I have a nephew who's older than Farmerman. He's going to college in the Fall. (Matter of fact, he's going on a basketball scholarship to a midmajor school -- no, not Davidson -- and is ranked on Scout.com as the #1 recruit in that conference and I believe national top-200 or so. We're all very proud.)

Congrats to your nephew, must be one helluva a player to be ranked in the top 200.


As a completely random side note, Hippie are you a Kurt Vonnegut fan? Something about his style makes me think you'd be a big fan of his.

[jenn_gp]

lol @ Lisa Gangel being in the Bigger Dance Great Taste region.

She's a skank IMO (excuse my language)..just don't like her reporting on King5.

[D5150]

where is megyn kelly from fox news? she is not hard to look at.

[Ex-hippie]

-= original quote snipped =-
As a completely random side note, Hippie are you a Kurt Vonnegut fan? Something about his style makes me think you'd be a big fan of his.

I'm hooked on Ice-Nine!

[BenjaminH]

You're welcome Farmer Man. Also, keep in mind that I am not really speaking from wisdom because I am only a few years older than you. I just tried to tell you what I have only recently learned.

The only thing I would add is that if I were you, I would definitely expand your search to out of state schools. There are plenty of great schools in your state, but if you want to be really compete after your BA I would recommend looking at least looking at some of the lesser Ivies, some of the really good small liberal arts colleges. I.e., apply to more places about Duke-level. Of course, I know nothing about your field of study, so take that with a grain of salt.

Hippie, I would definitely commute if I went there. It is possible to commute in Chicago, isn't it? Actually, I don't care (sour grapes).

FYI, I am leaning towards UW. John Hopkins is offering me more money, a few thousand. But, that is also a big move and I don't really want to live in Baltimore. JHU probably has a better reputation nationally, but I think that is mostly because they have had a good reputation historically (and a great medical school). When you really look at it, UW is just as strong, if not stronger. There are also some other schools in the mix, but I am liking UW the most. In any case, I need to make a decision in the next week or so. So, like Farmer Man, I too would appreciate any advice from "the grownups".

[FARMERMAN10]

So exhippies a Vonnegut fan. I guess I was right. what all have you read of his?

And Ben remember from my perspective you actually do speak from a wealth of experience I don't have, even if your only a few years older than me.

Also, I've already started my out of state school search. Georgetown is pretty intriguing, and i'm going to talk to my guidance counselor about smaller, lesser known schools that could still be a great fit.

Still, for pure networking potential I'd really like to manage for a top D-I basketball program. obviously Kryzewski at Duke is an intriguing option, but my family situation may not support a $50,000 a year commitment.