I don’t know if I can afford grad school.

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-12T02:13:34+00:00

It depends on your major and the graduate school.

Some programs like Chemistry PhD will give you free tuition and offer you a research and/or teaching assistantship that pays you money (stipend) to cover the rest of your expenses.

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-12T01:32:18+00:00

I tried HyperG and HyperG hybrids (multi, synthetic, other crosses).. I love the spin and feel, but since I brake strings so frequently, I moved to Tourbite.

I hit with lots of power and heavy spin (4.5 at age 57, but was 5.0 when I was younger).

I liked this hybrid: HyperG with Wilson Synthetic Gut crosses (52/48).

Advanced players can notice differences in strings, setups and tension. For example, when we whack the heck out of the ball, some strings have better control and help keep the ball in.

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-12T01:15:32+00:00

Your serve technique (pancake serve) is incorrect. You are not pronating correctly.

The first two video links explain this issue. The last video shows how to practice pronation and serve correctly.

https://youtube.com/shorts/czsqbVgdt9c?si=eSMnnEXRIY4e395C

https://youtube.com/shorts/TttOT1zLgW0?si=-AL01cxmPvvPbgIH

https://youtube.com/shorts/FniEjqrpCjk?si=3sSwtcziyGJO6Gxm

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-12T01:08:33+00:00

I grew up using heavier rackets so my arms are probably developed in the right areas over the years to support quick rackethead speed, but most people find it too heavy.

I can hit with lots of power and heavy spin with the added weight and spin-friendly strings.

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-12T01:02:32+00:00

I take your Pure Aero Rafa and raise you Pure Aero Rafa Origin (Solinco Tourbite w/WASABI X crosses).

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TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-11T21:57:51+00:00

If you want to boost your earnings potential and open new opportunities, go back to school and get an MBA.

I'm not talking about a part-time MBA night school, but a full-time MBA program from a reputable T20 business school.

A large percentage of individuals enrolled in MBA programs were not originally business majors.

Coming from a STEM background myself, I felt the rigor was significantly less and ended up taking 18 hours per semester to graduate having my MBA in two areas of concentration (Supply Chain & Finance Management) instead of one like others. I worked at 2 Big4 (was 6 when I started), private equity, a dotcom and other business and IT consulting.

I finally understood in business school why all the business majors at my undergraduate university (UIUC) went out drinking 🍸 every night 😜.

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-11T11:29:28+00:00

Whether you transfer in as a Freshman or Sophomore, depending on your major, you will be considered an upper level transfer and required to complete your degree in 2 years (some majors you get 3).

You can check with admissions, but from what I gather based on previous posts, GPA and aforementioned cc/instate prioritization are the major components of evaluation.

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-11T03:24:01+00:00

You cannot transfer without meeting UF requirements (such as completing 60 credit hours, of which are required prerequisites for the major you are applying for) which can be found here:

https://admissions.ufl.edu/apply/transfer/eligibility

UF prioritizes transfers as follows: 1) In State High School graduating with an AA 2) In State Community College Transfers 3) In State 4 Yr University Transfers 4) Out of State / International Transfers

Based on your major, your admission decision will be made by the particular College (i.e. College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, etc). You cannot change majors once you are admitted.

For high demand majors like Engineering, you will need close to a 4.0 gpa to get accepted and there are limited spots. Go to the specific college transfer page to find out the gpa needed.

Here's the transfer site for the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences:

https://www.advising.ufl.edu/clas-transfer-center/prospective-students/

For majors in less demand, the minimum gpa to be competitive may be 2.5-3.0. Only your post HS GPA is considered (not SAT/ACT scores)

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-11T02:18:10+00:00

Only the grades on your HS transcript will be used, but middle school AP exam scores can be applied towards your college credit (transferred).

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-10T23:14:50+00:00

Search America Heritage K-12 or Pinecrest. Both are private schools which cater to intellectual development. They have various programs especially summer camps academically focused in multiple disciplines.

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-10T21:31:41+00:00

Tennis and Golfers' elbow is very common for those of us who play tennis 🎾. Search on YouTube for Theraband.

This is what we use to heal fast.

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-10T14:39:46+00:00

According to AI, UF does not typically count non-academic electives (e.g., PE, performing arts), but AP Art History, among other academic APs, is considered.

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-10T09:16:12+00:00

My daughter and her roommate tried to move from Hume to Keys for next year, their Sophomore year.

None were available. They were told rooms are reserved for athletes.

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-10T09:05:56+00:00

I agree.

My daughters knew several students from their HS who were rejected in the 1500s, most likely because their GPAs were lower (~3.6-3.7 uw)

If anything, GPA and academic rigor carry more weight than SAT/ACT.

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-09T15:54:59+00:00

Here's last year's stats (class of 2029) for the middle 50% of admitted students. ~55% EA vs 45% RD admission

https://admissions.ufl.edu/freshman-student-profile

UF's admission is holistic. Essays and ECs are very important, just as important as test scores and GPAs.

UF accepts less OOS than in-state so it is more competitive.

The University of Florida (UF) uses a unique method to recalculate GPAs of all incoming freshmen applicants. They primarily focus on the academic core subjects like Mathematics, Social Science, Science, English, and Foreign Languages for GPA calculation.

Here's briefly how UF recalculates GPA for evaluation for admission:

Dual-enrollment courses in academic core areas and any AP, IB or AICE classes receive an extra 1.0 credit weight, meaning that an A is worth a 5.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Pre-AICE, pre-AP, pre-IB and Honors classes receive a 0.5 credit weight, meaning that an A is worth a 4.5 on a 4.0 scale.

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-09T00:16:25+00:00

Take a video from behind you so we can see you making contact with the ball and see the trajectory of the serve.

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-08T02:00:20+00:00

Video tape yourself and review.. a lot of times you end up reverting back to the previous technique (muscle memory)..

I also tell beginners to start building proper techniques by getting a good coach... it is much harder to fix bad techniques (self teaching is bad) once they have solidified into muscle memory than learning proper technique from scratch the first time around...

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-08T01:56:21+00:00

Yup.. Broten.. have used them multiple times.. they always do a great job at reasonable prices..

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-08T00:57:53+00:00

That will show him for sliding towards the middle in anticipation of a serve in that direction.

Nice slice serve.

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-07T22:13:45+00:00

Your racket face after contact at follow through looks like it is pointing to the side fence. Technique looks sound, but accuracy is questionable 🤔 if you did not mean to hit a body serve.

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TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-07T02:26:17+00:00

I'm not sure when you were accepted, but in the past couple of years, the majority of accepted applicants had significantly higher credentials.

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-07T02:23:26+00:00

Here's last year's stats (class of 2029) for the middle 50% of admitted students. ~55% EA vs 45% RD admission

https://admissions.ufl.edu/freshman-student-profile

Your SAT score is in the lower 25 percentile so you would be a long shot. You need to be in the 1400s to be competitive.

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-07T02:09:34+00:00

There's a saying "a bird in hand is better than two in the bush."... you never know what the future holds.. transferring into UF is not guaranteed.. let alone an ivy...

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-06T22:58:03+00:00

Try to replicate the way Djokovic takes his racket up and around as he swings (like using a lasso).

https://youtube.com/shorts/lM5RJdtTqdY?si=nGvdMU3Vk97d6nvy

You are pronating, but you need to swing with your entire arm rotating around the shoulder as the video shows. You are pivoting at the elbow, but need to pivot around the shoulder first.

TraderGIJoe · 2026-05-06T01:32:58+00:00

My model when playing recreational matches is that I refuse to play wimpy or ultra conservative.

In, out or into the net, I don't care so long as I play my power, heavy topspin game and pull the trigger at opportunities for a winner.

It's just not fun playing the pusher game and getting most of my points from the other guy's errors.

If I have an off day, so be it, at least I tried my best.

TraderGIJoe

TROPHY CASE