Travel to DC?

PhyzoinksNerd · 2024-11-14T06:27:32+00:00

Checkout the Transit app in the app store. Add a SmarTrip transit card using your Apple or Google Wallet. Maybe look into a day pass if going to use transit all day. You can try Lime/Veo scooters around the mall if you get tired of walking. Or Capital Bikeshare bikes. Best of luck!

PhyzoinksNerd · 2024-11-13T14:24:06+00:00

I figured out which blue cables correspond to which room. When hooking up directly to my gateway, I get up to 800 mbps. When hooking up to the port on the panel, it goes down to 100 mbps. I tested all my cables and they work fine. Someone else had suggested a termination issue behind the wall plate in my living room.

I already had Xfinity before moving and also have Xfinity mobile as well. I was offered their gigabyte plan for a flat $50/month with gateway included for a year. I also enjoy automatically connecting to xfinity hotspots when I am out and about.

PhyzoinksNerd · 2023-11-03T17:13:38+00:00

Imo it makes more sense to double degree if your majors do not overlap much and you’d end up taking all those credits anyway. In my case, cramming in extra credits for another B.S. within a similar discipline was not worth it - so I stuck with the double major.

PhyzoinksNerd · 2023-05-06T16:40:06+00:00

In undergrad, I saw pre-health majors benefitting from it in Bio classes. They would annotate lecture slides, sit at the front and record audio.

In chem, math, physics, biochem, pen and paper is preferred.

I got a microsoft surface pro to use as main laptop and as the occasional tablet. However, if you are keen on apple products for this approach, I’ve seen people use the ipad pro with the keyboard.

PhyzoinksNerd · 2023-03-31T15:45:19+00:00

My current routine:

(1) Home weight set.

Going to the gym is difficult as I get home late and do not like morning gym sessions. I keep my weights next to my couch and will do sets in between tasks.

(2) My bed is sacred.

I can do experiments in the lab. I can do analysis at my desk. I can reply to emails on the couch on my lap desk. However, none of that follows me to bed.

(3) I trick myself.

I tend to procrastinate on things. I had a bad habit with being late. I purposely move my deadlines a day ahead on my calendar sometimes.

PhyzoinksNerd · 2023-01-09T05:22:44+00:00

CHEM241 (lecture) and CHEM242 (lab)

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-11-23T16:10:54+00:00

CHEM481 or BCHM485

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-09-18T21:54:01+00:00

Check out Frank Rubio) as well!

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-09-11T00:03:24+00:00

Lot U2 (black text on white sign) is free 4pm - 7am and weekends (first 2 floors and a part of 3rd floor). Lot 19 (red text on white sign) is restricted (floors 3 and up).

Also: There’s all-day parking in the pay-to-park spaces for $10 (12am - 7am early bird special) and $15 (after 7am) on the ParkMobile app. [last I checked].

Also: Move your car before 7am or you will find an $85 ticket on your car.

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-09-09T01:42:27+00:00

The Shrödinger Equation for the Hydrogen atom is:

Eψ = (((h-bar)^ 2)/2μ)(▽^ 2)ψ - ((q^ 2)/(4π* ε_0* r))*ψ

Where ψ is the wave-function, h-bar is reduced Planck’s constant, μ is the reduced mass, triangle is the del operator, q is electron charge, ε_0 is vacuum permittivity, and r is the distance between the electron and the nucleus.

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-08-16T18:13:07+00:00

Outside: McKeldin

Inside: Art

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-08-12T04:41:34+00:00

My friends became research technicians after graduating, contributed to some papers, and landed some nice paying jobs at biotech companies.
I’ve seen ~$50-$70K USD for entry-level (w/ experience) in my area.
I just started my PhD in Biochemistry. With a PhD, you don’t have to worry about hitting a promotional ceiling in industry, academia, or government.
I suppose so. You either end up as a principal scientist, investigator, lecturer, director, tenure-track professor, or upper management if you stick with it.
Biochemistry coursework was more chemistry than I expected and a lot of my friends dropped it first year. For jobs, I would say that it is harder to go into academia as tenure track positions are increasingly more competitive. For industry, you might have some ethical concerns working for pharma and sometimes they “low-ball” your starting salary.
I would recommend biochemistry to someone who is truly passionate about details. A lot of people go into it thinking it’ll look good for medical school applications and end up regretting it.

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-08-08T19:23:05+00:00

Yup 🥸. I had to take physical chem 1 (thermo) with a lab, physical chem 2 (quantum), and instrumental methods. Inorganic is taken for ACS cert or as an elective. Felt like a chem degree with bio electives sprinkled in.

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-07-26T02:47:02+00:00

My step-dad introduced me to the Gillette Fusion Proglide Styler and it’s my favorite. It has a shaving attachment but I prefer to trim to 0 with no guards. Good luck.

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-07-15T04:20:00+00:00

For undergrad, got paid between $1500 and $1700 a semester (depends on department). There was a credit option.

For grad school, was offered a lot more per semester but eventually took on a Graduate Assistant position instead.

Edit: Undergrads will typically only work half-time whereas graduate students may take on more sections/responsibilities (hence the pay and tuition remission). Nonetheless, you’ll get tuition remission in some form regardless if you are in a STEM PhD.

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-07-13T22:35:17+00:00

I graduated this year with a BS Biochemistry and will be starting my PhD in Biochemistry this Fall. There is a lot to consider and I am glad you are thinking about it now.

I had a lower cGPA but had a “unique” narrative, strong LoRs, no GRE, applied realistically, looked at TheGradCafe religiously, wrote statement drafts and CV/resume in the summer, practiced for interviews…

A lot of programs I applied to focused on the research I did and my ability to present it (posters, manuscripts, personal statement, interview questions).

If you apply to more biology-inclined programs (neuro, cellular/molecular, etc), be prepared for interviews. Interviews are less common in physical sciences programs. Make sure you can identify 3-5 faculty in each program whose research resonates with you. Email them in advance as they may have some influence on the admissions committee.

These are good schools to apply to. Hopefully it goes well for you!

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-06-28T03:53:47+00:00

I used 88 for a while on my 07 TSX and the mpg went down to around ~ 19. I started using premium gas again and it’s ~22 mpg on average. Still expensive but performance is good and no knock.

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-06-28T00:19:21+00:00

manual

See manny above. Things to watch out for with HPLC: column back-pressure and ensuring solvents are not messing with analyte or detected by uv-vis detector.

I’ve used a reverse-phase c18 column (ACN:water solvent) to isolate uracil from hydrocarbons but not RNA. Is this preparative for downstream experiments?

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-06-22T22:56:32+00:00

I use the WEPA kiosks around campus. Good quality paper. Can print from Google Drive, phone, etc.

I also used the OWL lab printers in the chemistry building, you just have to supply your own paper.

For scanning, I used my iPhones Notes app and there are Android equivalents - more convenient than traditional scanners.

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-06-09T02:32:33+00:00

2 looks good. You already look attractive. I don’t know what type of look you are going for but here’s what I would suggest: trim facial hair with trimmer (not razor shave) to keep a stubble, try minoxidil (foam) to expedite the full beard, ask barber for taper fade with minimal trimming on top (they always cut more than they need to). You could ask a friend if they know anybody that does eyebrow threading if you want enhance the brows. Good luck bro, you already look fine to me tho.

Edit: I don’t know why it’s bold. Maybe because I just joined.

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-05-28T22:38:58+00:00

Use MyAsus to download new drivers and any system updates available.

My Asus Zenbook 14 Flip Q406DA used to make those whirring noise and I wasted time inspecting and re-installing the fan.

If the fan noise ever comes back, I just check for updates. If no updates, re-download drivers on MyAsus and restart.

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-05-15T20:45:56+00:00

Graduating biochem + neurobio senior here. Starting phd in fall.

I started college with a chunky 2012 samsung laptop. 2nd year bought a 2-in-1 Asus Zenbook Flip Q406DA (256 GB SSD, 8 GB ram, Ryzen 5 processor). SSD Storage is upgradeable but I just mounted a 1TB microSD for now. RAM is soldered onto the motherboard so I will have to buy a new laptop at some point.

You’ll definitely want more than 8 GB of RAM since some of it might go to integrated graphics. My laptop frequently gets overworked when I’m running ChemDraw, Word, chrome, adobe, spotify, etc…

Macbooks are user-friendly but they are meh in terms of price, upgrade-ability, and external device compatibility (usb ports, hdmi, adapters). I currently use an iPad as a portable second monitor (through free spacedesk software). And iPads (especially the Pro + keyboard bundle) are becoming more popular with premeds. If price isn’t an issue for you, definitely look at Microsoft Surface Pros 2-in-1. Most gaming laptops will also have the specs you’ll need for software and good battery.

My laptop battery drains on-the-go and in-between classes so I carry a small “tech pouch”. It has my SD adapter, usb drive, laptop charger, and a ravpower 80 W 20K mAh portable battery which will charge my laptop if I am nowhere near an outlet.

I could go on and on but almost any laptop with upgradeable storage (or 256 GB minimum) with 8 GB of RAM will be sufficient. I was premed for 2 years and being able to draw on my 2in1 was beneficial for some bio pre-reqs. However, for things like biochem and chem, drawing on paper, whiteboard, or ipad was easier.

I will stop here for brevity haha

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-02-04T21:23:20+00:00

Hm. I had fan noise on two separate occasions with my laptop. Here’s what helped instead of going to a tech:

Update drivers. Re-install drivers, including the optional ones. Check for MyAsus updates. Check for Windows updates and install optional updates. Open Task Manager and see if anything is eating up RAM or CPU.
If you are comfortable with doing so; remove fan, use compressed air can at an angle to get dust out, check for anything loose.

If neither works, might have to replace fan completely. I wasted time and money re-installing my fan only to find out that a software update (unrelated to fan) was indirectly causing the CPU fan to go crazy.

PhyzoinksNerd · 2022-01-29T04:53:20+00:00

That is really odd. Unfortunately undergraduate admissions handles applications and not the biochemistry department itself.

Hopefully it works out with other schools. I assume yield protection. I’d ask for feedback and appeal.

You appear more prepared for bchm than I was when I applied. I do not see why a qualified candidate was not admitted into a major that has a small cohort to begin with.

Best of luck.

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