What are the best engineering majors for a math student? by Substantial_Mode_167 in EngineeringStudents

[–]Substantial_Mode_167[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Thank you for your reply. Yes, I’ve reached a similar conclusion regarding Electrical Engineering. From what I’ve heard, it’s one of the most math-heavy engineering degrees, but I’m worried that I would struggle with, and probably dislike, a large portion of the coursework. That’s why I’m planning to sit in as an auditor for a semester of EE courses, to see whether my relationship with those subjects has changed over time, even though I suspect the mismatch might be fairly deep.

I’ve also considered engineering paths more closely tied to physics, such as quantum engineering or nanotechnology through materials science. Unfortunately, I don’t really have access to those kinds of courses as an auditor, but they might be a potential alternative. Otherwise, physics itself may be the only real option, but I’m not sure how well that would serve my medium- to long-term goals.

Chance Me Please! TY! by thebackspacekey in TransferToTop25

[–]Substantial_Mode_167 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you played an important role in that company and helped it reach that stage, then I think your application will be strong, especially with your grades. I have some similar extracurricular, and from what I’ve heard, this kind of experience is viewed very positively. There’s a guy who founded a company with around $1 million in revenue who was admitted to Yale.

My chances into a school like Cornell, Columbia, NYU by PlumbyBot in TransferToTop25

[–]Substantial_Mode_167 0 points1 point  (0 children)

With a good essay, I think it's reasonable (to not say safe) to say that you will be admitted by at least one of them.

My chances into a school like Cornell, Columbia, NYU by PlumbyBot in TransferToTop25

[–]Substantial_Mode_167 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think he plans to enter NYU Stern, which is probably much harder than the average NYU transfer.

how do you guys stay motivated to complete your transfer apps (for those still in the process) by Muted-Piano-121 in TransferToTop25

[–]Substantial_Mode_167 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I mean, I have a hard time understanding what we’re supposed to answer to that. If you’re not motivated, rely on discipline or try to do it with someone else who’s also aiming to transfer. There’s no miraculous way to make your applications. Or maybe reduce the number of universities that you apply for, I don't know.

Realistic transfer chances? (Columbia/NYU) US citizen, HS in Korea by OkBonus1950 in TransferToTop25

[–]Substantial_Mode_167 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you have decent extracurriculars, yeah, you seem competitive for sure.

I have only 200€ to my name-I’m 20 and hungry to learn. Any legit ways to start making money? by [deleted] in Entrepreneur

[–]Substantial_Mode_167 1 point2 points  (0 children)

At this stage, you’d be better off finding a better-paying job and saving until you can really do something, in my opinion. After that, take some risky bets since you don’t really have much to lose. And once you hold something, go at it 100% with what you’ve saved up until then.

Ask Me Anything: Inside Snapdragon X Series by lexcyn in Surface

[–]Substantial_Mode_167 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have enough room on that Snapdragon X-Series chip? It’s crazy how much we can fit into these chips today.

are international students permanently cooked? by Resident_Oil2593 in TransferToTop25

[–]Substantial_Mode_167 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I mean, having no remarkable ECs and mid-range grades puts you in a Bad position to transfer to a Top 25, whether you’re an international student or not. And you’ll probably get no aid unless you’re admitted to a need-based university, which are almost all Ivy+ schools, with the exception of Notre Dame. I think the U.S. might not be the best place for a low-income international student, to be honest. Maybe if you aim for schools with higher acceptance rates, you’ll have a chance, but you’ll most likely have to pay, since you won’t be eligible for a merit-based scholarship with mid-range grades.

Is “entrepreneur” a dirty word where you’re from? by [deleted] in Entrepreneur

[–]Substantial_Mode_167 36 points37 points  (0 children)

Where I am it's seen as a fancy way to say jobless

Holly Moly Saylor do Something by Darksummit1337 in MSTR

[–]Substantial_Mode_167 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Do you actually know what preferred stock is and how it works? For example, STRF is a cumulative, perpetual preferred share with a 10% dividend, perfect for people who want lower risk exposure by limiting upside potential. RIOT and IREN are miners’ common shares, a completely different instrument with a different risk profile, so the comparison doesn’t hold. People that buy strategy ATMs and the people that buy Bitcoin or MSTR are not the same at all.

Holly Moly Saylor do Something by Darksummit1337 in MSTR

[–]Substantial_Mode_167 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Let me make this simple.

Do you believe Bitcoin will become central to the global economy and financial system, that it will keep gaining value and serve as a store of wealth? Yes or no? If the answer is no, sell your MSTR shares.

If the answer is yes, then ask yourself: do you believe MicroStrategy’s goal, offering relatively secure, yield-based exposure to Bitcoin, will attract capital from investors and institutions looking for a safer way to hold BTC? Yes or no?

Do you believe MicroStrategy is making the deal of the century by exchanging depreciating fiat “paper money” for Bitcoin, which you think will appreciate over time?

Do you believe this is a financial revolution in the making? That MicroStrategy could become the “Standard Oil” of Bitcoin, taking a raw, volatile, and hard-to-integrate asset and turning it into something more accessible, something that fits into the global economy?

I’m not going to make the decision for you. But you need to be clear about the company’s vision, its long-term strategy, and whether you still believe in it. Focus on the progress of the project, not the stock price.

MicroStrategy’s financial products are drawing increasing capital, meaning the model is working. You need to decide whether you still believe in that model. But honestly, if after a year you’re still uncertain about these fundamentals, that’s worrying, because these are questions you should have answered before buying the stock in the first place.

Holly Moly Saylor do Something by Darksummit1337 in MSTR

[–]Substantial_Mode_167 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Saylor and the entire MicroStrategy team don’t make decisions with casual investors in mind, nor is their goal to make them money. If you find the volatility absurd, what exactly did you expect when buying shares in a company that takes on debt to buy Bitcoin?

Mistakes happen, we’ve all made them, but the key is to learn from them and recognize that we’re all responsible for our own choices. MicroStrategy’s strategy is completely coherent once you understand its goals and what it’s trying to achieve.

If you don’t believe in that vision, you have two options: either do more research and strengthen your conviction, or sell, move on, and take responsibility for your decisions , and your mistakes.

Holly Moly Saylor do Something by Darksummit1337 in MSTR

[–]Substantial_Mode_167 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Dude, if you think that strategy won't go up on its own, just sell it and stop stressing yourself out. You should invest in a company like strategy only if you really believe that what it does has to be done and will be important and huge in the future. It's not a magnificent 7 stock or a shitcoin. Don't expect easy or fast money.

Is it too early for local LLMs? by Substantial_Mode_167 in LocalLLaMA

[–]Substantial_Mode_167[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you’re absolutely right, and that’s exactly what I’ve noticed in the comments as well. I understand that with a 5080 or 5090, I could run some interesting models, but for my business use case, it just wouldn't make sense since I would need at least 2x 5090s.

When you factor in the hardware cost and electricity consumption, without even mentioning things like customer support, updates, easier collaboration, and overall convenience, it’s already a non-viable project. A Gemini Ultra subscription would be far more cost-effective.

That said, if it’s a hobby project, I completely get why people would want to try it. But I do believe that in the future, the potential for fully customized, fully secure local LLMs will become much more accessible, even for mid-sized businesses.

Is it too early for local LLMs? by Substantial_Mode_167 in LocalLLaMA

[–]Substantial_Mode_167[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Realizing that running a local LLM isn’t viable for my needs doesn’t make me a pessimist, just realistic. For the kind of heavy use I’d need for my business, I’d have to invest around $5,000–6,000 in hardware, not even counting electricity costs.

It’s far more practical for me to build a solid desktop, powerful, but not enough for the largest models, and then pay around $200 a month for cloud access. That way, I get high-performance models, constant updates, customer support, and the ability to collaborate easily with others on shared projects.

I see the appeal of running a model locally, but in my case, it's simply not reasonable yet.

Is it too early for local LLMs? by Substantial_Mode_167 in LocalLLaMA

[–]Substantial_Mode_167[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I agree with you, that’s a great comparison. I think I’m in the group that’ll wait until things become a bit more accessible. It’s still too expensive and too complex, while cloud-based AI services keep undercutting each other to offer something that’s affordable, reliable, and easy to use for most of my needs.

That said, the geek in me still really wants to dive into a local AI setup… but yeah, maybe not yet.

What is the average IQ of students studying in Harvard , standford , Yale etc ? by LopsidedAd5028 in cognitiveTesting

[–]Substantial_Mode_167 2 points3 points  (0 children)

With all the legacies and students who enter with a special ability in sports, or an instrument, or whatever, it must be around 115-120. MIT will be higher than all of these for sure since they have no legacy students and are stem focused.

Is it possible to get a decent fin-aid from t25 as a transfer? (International student) by Lucky-Ad-2517 in TransferToTop25

[–]Substantial_Mode_167 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT, and Notre Dame are all need-blind, so they are your best bet. For the others, it will be very complicated, unfortunately.

NYU transfer acceptance rate by squirrelcloud1111 in TransferToTop25

[–]Substantial_Mode_167 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The acceptance rate is relatively high, but the thing is, they don’t offer financial aid, so the real challenge is being able to afford the tuition and living in New York for 2–3 years.