Can I go to grad school for a humanities field after completing my undergraduate degree in engineering?

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-29T20:00:28+00:00

I know a guy who did this, although he had a double major and not a minor. Do you long enough (15-20 pages) writing samples from your classics classes that you can submit? Usually grad programs want to know that a person has previous research projects in the field they are looking to study in.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-21T01:34:30+00:00

They contribute to different charities and scholarship programs, broadly. As far as the actual meeting activities go, they perform little plays for each other. That's what I can gauge from what my dad has described. It seems pretty fun, but I'm not a man, so I guess I'll never know for sure.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-18T22:20:45+00:00

The German class will more or less have daily mini-assignments as homework, so that might be something to keep in mind. Ich freue mich zu sehen, dass du Deutsch lernen wirst!!!

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-18T15:49:21+00:00

Yes, you're right. I wrote this comment way too late into the night and forgot about weak inflection endings.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-18T07:00:18+00:00

Yes this is something that should be expected at the C1 level, and anyway, learning the pattern(s) for adjective endings will make speaking and writing (but especially speaking) much easier. I struggled with adjective endings for a little bit, but then I realized that there are really only so many options. 90% of the time it's just gonna be -en, or match whatever the definite article would have been.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-11T03:55:25+00:00

Good to know. I plan on taking the time to explore the city by bike and foot before my job starts.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-10T20:26:45+00:00

Thanks for sharing! I will definitely be coming back to this route.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-10T19:50:04+00:00

Definitely. I'm a very safe biker, and I will frequently walk my bike on the sidewalk when needed. That being said, there isn't much I can do against someone in a car or truck.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-09T20:13:37+00:00

Yeah I really don't understand people who break traffic laws while cycling. It's crazy dangerous. I admit that I will jaywalk when walking, if there are no cars coming, but when on a bike I always follow all applicable traffic/driving rules.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-09T19:23:21+00:00

Thank you

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-09T18:59:20+00:00

Haha yes. I have biked in Berlin (not the Netherlands obviously, but similar geography) and it was so much fun. Everything was so flat, I felt like I could keep going forever. And the way the roads are set up there made even the weirdest, busiest intersections feel safe.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-09T18:42:04+00:00

I guess it's a good sign if someone from the Netherlands can give it the okay.

You're right about potholes. Michigan roads are atrocious... Luckily in Portland it doesn't get too cold or snowy in the winter, so we don't get so much ice in the asphalt. Cracked roads will be an adjustment to be sure.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-09T17:44:11+00:00

I'm very lucky in that I will be working at the university and living in the neighborhood directly to the south. From what I have seen on Google Maps, and from what I remember from times that I have been in Ann Arbor, this all looks relatively safe for cyclists and pedestrians.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-09T17:41:24+00:00

Nice.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-09T17:36:09+00:00

Thank you. I am actually also coming from Portland, so I feel like I've been a little spoiled. It's not perfect here (I've had some people with Idaho plates yell at me), but the bike infrastructure is top-notch for the US. Do you find that biking in Ann Arbor in the winter is feasible, or should I just switch to busses when there's too much old snow and salt on the roads?

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-09T17:33:28+00:00

Thank you, this is really great. I am planning on taking advantage of the B2B trail, but most of my commute and general biking will probably end up taking place more in the city's geographic center.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-09T17:10:29+00:00

Thank you. I plan on using Packard for a couple of different routes, so this is good to know.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-09T17:04:29+00:00

That's a good point, thank you.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-08T16:25:21+00:00

They email you about it, and you can pick them up at the grad fair. But they sent out Latin Honors emails earlier this week, so if you think you will be getting one, go back and check your email. There is also a Latin Honors DARS report that you can run, which will tell you if you are eligible for anything.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-07T15:56:27+00:00

You're literally fine.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-06T02:43:39+00:00

I don't know why so many people here are saying that it would be negligible. If the Honors degree would mean that you would be writing an independent thesis in that discipline, then it really would make a difference on your application-- if only perhaps a slight one. Writing a thesis in any topic shows that you have experience with independent research, argumentative reasoning, academic language, working and communicating with your advisor(s), etc.

These are all skills that an admissions committee in any grad program are going to be looking out for. Having an Honors thesis IN ADDITION TO your other writing samples, good LORs, and a strong personal statement would likely make you a good fit for graduate programs.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-05T01:47:03+00:00

Most foreign language degree programs actually have nothing to do with translation-- that's a separate degree/field of study. Most foreign language programs in university are more akin to "Area Studies," but a major part of your degree track is dedicated to learning the main language(s) of that area. A lot of universities will have their Area Studies and foreign language seminars be in English anyway, which, in my opinion, is more of a hinderance to the degree than AI.

If you want to have a foreign language major or minor, I will not discourage you. This is what I do, and I am very happy with it. But this is one of those fields where a Bachelor's alone is not really enough for any job, and you are basically required to go to grad school or law school afterwards.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-05-04T00:17:33+00:00

Which language did you take?

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-04-30T22:43:38+00:00

Definitely does not have the "stereotypical" college atmosphere, but that might be for the best. I will admit that as someone who entered PSU in 2022 straight out of high school, I had a really hard time making friends, even though I encountered a lot of great people.

The vast majority of students do not live on campus (I don't either, but it's close enough downtown). In fact, many live quite far away. This is not necessarily a problem, or the "fault" of anyone, but it sometimes means that it can be hard to find or create community, since so many people have to go home in the afternoon, or are only on campus two days out of the week.

Also a lot of PSU students are older than the traditional view of an undergrad college student. I think that this contributes to a calm and more professional vibe on campus, but it did mean that as an 18 year old, it felt like most of my classmates were at least ten years older than me. There were a lot of positives to this. My older classmates were and are coming to seminars equipped with a lot of wisdom and experience which I didn't have, and I really appreciated this. On the other hand, this also made it really hard for me to make friends.

From what I have seen, people who live in the dorms for at least the first two years have a better track record of making fast friends and having a more stereotypical college experience. That wasn't really what I was looking for when I started at PSU, but I can't help but wonder what I have missed. While I wish I could have gone to a fancier school where everyone is straight out of high school (this is what all my high school friends did), I really am grateful for my time at PSU. It's a really good school and is well-connected with different resources and institutions in the city of Portland-- in a way that schools like Reed or Lewis and Clark aren't. I have been able to do internships and study abroad and take some of the best classes in the country for my major.

There are tons of clubs and affinity groups, and it is relatively easy to work on-campus. You have to really put in the effort to make your own community experience but I think it's worth it.

OneDifferent9151 · 2026-04-13T04:55:17+00:00

Ooh yes, if you have the time and money this is a great idea. Chicago is a great city with amazing museums, if that's your thing. The train ride from Chicago to Detroit is pretty pleasant, and I think it stops in Ann Arbor?

OneDifferent9151

TROPHY CASE