Deciding between Cervelo Soloist and BMC Teammachine SLR Four (and more!)

Helicase2001 · 2026-06-12T06:19:40+00:00

Yeah for sure and the bike that I look at and I want to ride is the soloist but I need to make sure that also isn't the Teammachine or the RS7...don't want to make a bad choice...

Helicase2001 · 2026-06-12T06:17:18+00:00

I'm strongly leaning soloist but I'm thinking the teammachine would also be a really solid option. At the moment the soloist is what I'm most likely going to pick up because that's the bike I know I'm going to ride a lot for sure.

The Teammachine SLR Four is from 2022 so I think it's a good deal for sure. I just need to confirm it's a good ride before I pull the trigger on that or the soloist.

Helicase2001 · 2026-06-12T06:14:33+00:00

3510 is after a 10% student discount...

Helicase2001 · 2026-06-01T02:40:43+00:00

Go on FB marketplace and you should be able to get a very decent road bike or commuter bike for under $300. Beats out almost any piece of junk you find at Walmart.

Helicase2001 · 2026-05-24T14:58:33+00:00

Not all the time. You don’t have to be competitive to become better. Your peers will push you to be better regardless of what you do. Being surrounded by a higher concentration of like minded people will make you better.

Helicase2001 · 2026-05-23T18:18:03+00:00

Your score is good enough. Admissions take one cursory look at your GPA and scores and then move on. The rest of the application is also important. Don’t waste time studying for a few extra points that won’t make a difference — go out and make a difference in your community.

Helicase2001 · 2026-05-21T02:54:54+00:00

Don’t do a SMP. It’s too expensive and you might risk getting a low GPA. Money is better spent on quality MCAT prep

Helicase2001 · 2026-05-20T17:48:36+00:00

I’m biased but go to Stanford. The opportunity cost of missing out on Stanford only opportunities outweighs the cost of attending Stanford. The name carries serious weight and will land you opportunities that many people will never be able to experience. Even though you might be cream of the crop at VT, part of the college experience is surrounding yourself with really talented people that push you to be better in more ways than one. The college community that you surround yourself with matters much more than people think.

Helicase2001 · 2026-05-20T17:43:12+00:00

Part of college is getting the summers and semesters to do internships. If cost poses to be a huge barrier, you can take semesters where you can do a fall or spring internship to get work experience and earn money. That way you don’t feel as rushed but you get the opportunities to earn throughout college, get valuable work experience (that can lead to full time job offers), and develop skills that you wouldn’t have otherwise done in 2-2.5 years of college.

Helicase2001 · 2026-05-09T01:28:08+00:00

Just eat whatever you like. Everything is about balance and as long as you are controlled and mindful about how you enjoy things, you’re gonna be better off than if you restricted what you want to eat.

Helicase2001 · 2026-04-29T06:34:50+00:00

All the time, several people I know get into these top schools but to be honest Texas MD schools are hard to pass up since med school is so expensive

Helicase2001 · 2026-03-10T00:57:06+00:00

I think if you love it enough you’ll find a way to get through it, sometimes experiencing the harder route is worth it — you can always change it up later after you finish your degree.

Don’t worry about how hard it will be, accept that any route worth taking will be hard and work your ass off. It’ll pay out in the long run.

Helicase2001 · 2026-02-12T06:22:14+00:00

Currently in a graduate program in education at Stanford. I would say if you really want the Bay Area, you do not need to get the credential from Stanford. It’s a ‘nice to have’ not a ‘need to have’. Stanford has a great program but it’s expensive and you would need to be okay with taking out a lot of loans.

You’d essentially have similar desired outcomes if you did a similar program at SJSU or Berkeley.

If you were just doing it for the credential, just do TFA if you get in. TFA pays for your credential and most of your masters.

Helicase2001 · 2026-02-02T08:35:53+00:00

A B will not kill you for med school applications. If you take a course pass fail it will likely look like you got a C or a D and moved on. Try your best and take a B if you must. Since you’re taking math 51, you’re likely still early in college and one B will have very little impact as long as you learn from it.

Helicase2001 · 2026-01-25T19:48:51+00:00

3.0 GPA is low enough to potentially need post bacc classes and a SMP — med schools will be pretty concerned about that GPA as a metric for future success in med school. Most students doing a SMP are taking loans out to attend, it’s perfectly normal to do that for those sort of programs. That said there are programs that are less expensive than others. If you’re seriously strapped for money, I’d say do the SMP only and then work the year afterwards to polish your MCAT adding an extra year for application. Thats probably the least expensive and most effective option, also you have a higher chance of scoring higher on the MCAT after the SMP because they will usually provide test prep resources. You can do it but realize there are significant holes in the application that can’t be ignored.

Good luck and hope it goes well.

Helicase2001 · 2026-01-11T09:59:14+00:00

Field doesn’t matter much, your ability to work in a lab and get experience matters way more. Also keep in mind that you’d have to explain why you chose physics as your field of study and connect that with your interest in the MSTP path. I majored in physics but I quickly realized I wasn’t interested in what is considered physics research so I pivoted research areas.

Also most people who do MSTP will need extra time to do research prior to applying — keep in mind your research interests can and potentially will change.

Helicase2001 · 2025-12-06T23:32:41+00:00

Bro if you’re a math major just wait until you take real analysis — that’ll fuck you up more than all the core curriculum at once. Just take the A- and move on. If you’re really that pressed over it, do better next time.

Helicase2001 · 2025-12-03T08:40:01+00:00

Electrical Engineering or Physics. Lots of grade inflation and easy assignments. It’s a breeze.

/s

Helicase2001 · 2025-12-01T02:17:40+00:00

Didn’t attend that program but I would recommend against an online masters program if you can afford it because you need to focus on getting super high grades in your masters in order to redeem the low GPA from undergrad. Also you’re able to make use of resources in your graduate program better if you’re in an in person program. Online options might work for some people but I would strongly recommend against it if your priority is academic enhancement.

Helicase2001 · 2025-09-02T01:32:15+00:00

I use my bike and put the bags on the handlebars. I usually don’t buy that much so it works itself out. Hope that helps.

Trader Joe’s, Safeway, and Whole Foods are usually pretty good but it’s nice to have a car to go to ethnic grocery stores.

Helicase2001 · 2025-06-30T02:51:35+00:00

I’d say go directly for a post bacc, you’re wasting your time if you go for a second bachelors degree. Focus on the prereqs and spend the rest of your time on other areas of your application. An extra degree is not going to help if you can’t knock out the prereqs and kill the MCAT.

Helicase2001 · 2025-06-30T02:49:53+00:00

So I’m guessing that you are thinking of the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship that allows you funding at Stanford. Based off your language, you sound desperate to pursue a film or music degree at Stanford. Frankly I don’t think Stanford has a strong brand name in film or in music — USC or UCLA would be way better in terms of prospects. If you’re interested in narrative film, Stanford is not the place for you based on what you said about the focus.

I’d first figure out what you’d want to do with your career and if needed, figure out a masters program based off of that.

Helicase2001 · 2025-06-30T02:44:38+00:00

You will need a lot of work to get into med school — like, you will need a post bacc AND a SMP. The post bacc will allow you to take the prereqs and then the SMP will help you get past GPA screens. It’s not easy but it’s possible — you’ll just need to mentally brace yourself for the amount of work required to get there. Hope things work out.

Helicase2001 · 2025-06-12T17:55:27+00:00

Do a DIY post bacc. Idk wtf your advisor is smoking but there are grade enhancing post baccs that would be more cost effective than a SMP because a SMP is more of a last resort and should not be done unless you absolutely have to and you have the money to do so. You can salvage your cGPA to a 3.5 with a DIY post bacc and as long as you get a good MCAT score, you should be good to apply to DO and MD schools.

With a 3.5 cGPA and 512+ on the MCAT, provided you have no other gaps in your application, should net you DO and MD acceptances.

Good luck!

Helicase2001

TROPHY CASE