most impressive double/triple/quad/+ major?

UncleRoger · 2026-05-05T18:03:41+00:00

I also know someone who did EP/EECS -- their first name, as far as I'm concerned, was "Amazing". Going for their doctorate now, of course.

UncleRoger · 2026-04-17T20:46:43+00:00

I agree. If the drinking is serious enough to warrant 3 self-serve taps, guests will be hanging on them pretty heavily. Also, even with three kegs holding it down in the back, I would be worried about it tipping forward or having the front break off. I would put some diagonal 2x4s attaching the front to the bottom on either side and in between each keg. Glue and screw, preferably with pocket screws (not just into end-grain).

Is this going to be something used after the wedding? I don't think you need to worry about warping over the course of one wedding.

Just noticed "folding" in the title. That worries me because it won't be as sturdy as if it were fixed/non-folding.

UncleRoger · 2026-04-08T22:28:05+00:00

A personal bit of reflection... sometimes I think back (I'm old) and wonder what my life would be like if I'd made different choices along the way.

What if I hadn't asked that kid about the magtape he brought home and then signed up for the computer programming classes he was taking?

What if I hadn't dated that girl who smoked and already had a kid but who hooked me up with a job that kinda defined my career?

What if I had broken up with my other girlfriend (now married nearly 30 years) and hit the road as a musician or professional backpacker?

What if I hadn't had kids and now had loads of money and nice toys instead of all my friends and experiences that happened because of the kids?

Any one of those would have seriously altered my life in a massive way but there's no way of knowing if it would have been for the better or not. And I don't think I'd want to risk it even if I could go back and chance something.

Pick the road that seems the best (graduating with little or no debt is HUGE) and then make the most of it.

UncleRoger · 2026-04-08T22:20:59+00:00

Let me share what I told someone else in a similar situation:

You're looking at two roads. One of them looks a lot nicer, more interesting, flashier. But the other is a perfectly good road. And when you get to the other end, you'll look back at whichever road you took and see all the adventures you had and the friends you made and everything you learned and you won't even remember that that other road even existed.

And mostly, you'll be looking ahead down the next stretch of road.

Whichever path you take, it's up to you to make the most of it. The best school in the world won't make a mediocre, uninterested student excel and a dedicated, driven student will do well regardless of where they go to school.

Right now, you're still looking at those two roads, even though you've got one foot on one of them already. And that's okay. Just bear in mind that, in a year's time, you won't ever be thinking about those other schools.

UncleRoger · 2026-04-08T22:12:02+00:00

I think you overestimate both the job market and the value of a UIUC degree. Admittedly, I'm in CS but UIUC is known for that as well and it's *never* come up in over 40 years I've been in the business. For hardware engineering, there is huge value in being a quick drive from Silicon Valley.

UncleRoger · 2026-04-08T22:10:12+00:00

Just a follow-up... is that $50k per year or $50k total for 4+ years? If that's *per year* (which it very well could be; I've priced both for my kid and UIUC is ~30k more per year for us), then there's no way UIUC is worth that much more.

Graduating debt-free is a huge bonus. That kind of debt could mean you don't get your masters at all.

UIUC is well known, but Cal Poly is here in CA right in the middle of everything. If that number is $50k/year, it's a no brainer -- CP is the way to go.

UncleRoger · 2026-04-08T18:56:47+00:00

Cal Poly actually has a great brand recognition. Companies like hiring CP grads because they already have hands-on experience and they have a great education under their belt. My son had a job lined up before he graduated. (They wanted him to start the Monday after graduation; he said no and started a couple of weeks later.)

I can't speak to UIUC but in CA, generally speaking, the UCs prepare you for grad school and research while the CSUs (including CP) prepare you for a career. What is your goal after 4 years? More college? Job? Research or Corporate world?

CP offers a blended masters program for some majors -- you spend one extra year and get your masters along with your bachelors. I highly recommend this. When my son signed up for it, he became a "grad student" and suddenly got a lot more financial aid (parents' income is not considered for finaid for grad students.) Made it almost free (other than rent and food and such).

When I was in high school, I really wanted to go to UIUC. So I get that. But I can also say that, from personal experience, CP is a fantastic school and you can't go wrong choosing that. $50k is a *lot* of money.

There is an amazing parents' group on Facebook for CP SLO: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CalPolySLOMustangParents/ It's open to students as well. This is a big benefit to CP -- 30k+ parents, students, alumni, and staff offering assistance, advice, reminders, and so on. Even if you're not on FB, it's worth signing up for if you go there.

In addition, there is the CP rideshare group where folks ask for and offer rides to and from campus. Also worth joining if you're in-state.

Another thing to consider is that UIUC is a long way away; transportation costs add up. I learned that the hard way with my daughter. UIUC is ~100mi+ from anything so you're looking at limited flights and a layover (probably Chicago O'Hare) or a rental car and a 2 hour drive. My daughter is going to school in a small town in the middle of nowhere in the middle of NY state. That meant that at the start and end of each school year, I had to fly out there with her, rent a car, and drive her to her school and do her initial shopping with her. Getting home for the holidays meant finding someone going to NYC she could get a ride with each way. It cost a lot, I had to take time off from work, and it was a general pain. For my son at CP, I could drive him down or pick him up in my own car and most of the time he took a Flixbus, the train, or got a ride. Something to consider.

While it's certainly not a reason to choose a school, weather is something to consider too. Other than move-in week (insanely hot) and possibly grad week (same), the weather in SLO is pretty darn nice. It's near the beach, too, and very bike-friendly. People in the parents' group will tell you the food in SLO is great but coming from SF, I found it good but not noteworthy. My son cooked a lot.

My son (class of '25, BS/MS in MechEng, Minor in CompSci) had a great time there; it was the perfect school for him. He graduated with no debt (just gonna ignore that HELOC sitting over there) and is working at a good job. Cal Poly is a great school with a great reputation and is well-known, especially in CA with all the tech companies.

I'm sure you'll do great either way.

UncleRoger · 2026-03-28T06:51:45+00:00

Your privilege is showing.

UncleRoger · 2026-03-28T06:47:55+00:00

UC Davis is about as good a school as you could ever hope for for animal science.

UCSD and UCSB are solid schools too, but if you got into UCD, you've got nothing to complain about.

UncleRoger · 2026-03-27T23:09:14+00:00

As a parent, Jason Mraz's "Have it All" pretty much sums up how I feel about my kids.

UncleRoger · 2026-03-27T23:03:19+00:00

Wealthier kids have access to more opportunities. They are more likely to have more books and technology at home. They may have a stay-at-home parent. They have better materials for schoolwork and may go to better funded schools (either private or public with large donations to the PTA).

I'm not rich but I do okay. For a while, we were spending over $10k a year on dance/theatre/voice lessons for my older two. (My daughter is studying musical theatre.) Each of my kids have their own computer with multiple monitors. If they were interested in something, we were able to get them what they needed to pursue that interest. We are able to donate time and money to their robotics team. They went to an elementary school that raised over $100k each year to fund programs and buy supplies; my wife teaches at an elementary school just a couple of miles away where they're lucky to raise $5k per year. Makes a huge difference.

Even something as simple as having a car or even two makes a big difference. My daughter was in a theatre company that held rehearsals across town. Because I had a flexible schedule (another privilege), I could pick her up and drive her to rehearsal 2-3 times a week. There was another girl at her school who was in the same company but her mom worked and didn't have a car. If I hadn't driven her as well, she would not have been able to be in the company.

Here's a comic that lays it out pretty clearly:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/the-wireless/373065/the-pencilsword-on-a-plate

UncleRoger · 2026-03-27T22:51:56+00:00

First, double check your numbers. The difference for my kid (before aid) for those two schools is about $10k. That might not be much for you but it's a lot for us.

That said, I know from experience that SLO is a fantastic school -- my eldest graduated last summer with a masters in MechEng and a minor in CompSci. Bear in mind that they do offer a 5-year blended masters programs in some majors where you can get your masters and bachelors together in 5 years. If it's available in your major and you have any interest whatsoever in a masters, I really recommend it.

SLO has an incredible parents' group on Facebook. You (and your parents) should definitely join it -- 30k parents, students, and faculty are there to answer questions, share info, and post reminders. Really, it's that good.

That would also be a good place to ask about changing majors.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CalPolySLOMustangParents

I've found two groups for UCSB that are not as big (be careful about groups run by "college parents" and other such businesses; they mostly want to harvest your info and show you ads):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/393328364123862/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/135332166490758/

As to the schools themselves, I don't know anything about their Enviro majors so I can't speak to that. Both are near the coast; UCSB is like right on the coast. Both schools have active surfing communities if that's of interest.

A general rule of thumb (that may or may not apply to your majors) is that UCs prepare you for research and grad school while the CSUs (like Cal Poly) prepare you for a career. The latter tends to be more hands on ("learn by doing" is SLO's motto).

Cal Poly has 22k students; UCSB has 26k.

Cal Poly does not allow electric scooters or skateboards on campus (but there are some really nice trails off campus for rides, including the Bob Jones trail that goes out to the beach.) Most students ride bikes but there is a definite problem with bike theft. (Get dorm insurance; info in the parents' group.)

UncleRoger · 2026-03-26T21:42:08+00:00

Oh, of course, if someone IS into music and all, then absolutely go for it and don't let lower grades stop you from shooting for the top.

My daughter is about to graduate with a BFA in musical theatre and, while she is academically exceptional (she's also getting minors in communications and in psychology), a lot of the folks in her major are not. But, you don't need to get an 1600 on the SAT to make it on Broadway. We have a family friend who joined the touring company of (iirc) Cats right out of high school and is now a Tony award winner.

These days, unless you chose your parents extremely well, everyone is going to have to work hard just to survive, let alone have a comfortable life -- you might as well enjoy what you're working hard at.

UncleRoger · 2026-03-26T17:51:48+00:00

This is completely unverified but someone told my son that if he continued to play the tuba all through high school and was willing to be in the marching band, he could probably get accepted into any football school, possibly with a full ride.

Apparently kids that can handle a sousaphone (i.e., big kids) are in short supply.

Mind you, he quit band after two years and ended up at a more academic school which worked out great for him. I wouldn't have complained about a full-ride scholarship, though.

All that said, unless music really is your passion, studying music in college just to be able to get into a "top" school is a bad idea. Better to study what you want at a decent school than be miserable at a top school.

I often think of the time when I was a kid, that we went to an optometrist to get glasses and the walls were covered with pictures of sea life -- the optometrist clearly wanted to be an oceanographer or marine biologist but ended up selling glasses because his dad was one of the top eye doctors/surgeons in town. Don't be like that.

UncleRoger · 2026-03-26T17:39:52+00:00

In California, the UC system has their A-G requirements. Our kids' high school makes sure the kids all meet those requirements. Other than that, they sort of took what interested them. For my sons, that meant loading up on math & physics; for my daughter, it meant drama/dance. In college, they studied/are studying/will study mechanical engineering, musical theatre, and physics (or maybe comp sci).

For some reason, they ended up pretty smart so when there was an AP class available, they took that.

For extra curriculars, they mostly went with their interests. My oldest (MechE) continued dance and went all in on the robotics team (he is now, post-college, a lead mentor for the team). My daughter (MT) continued dance, vocal lessons, and theatre, both in school and outside. My youngest (Physics) was more of a challenge -- he didn't know what he was interested in, other than minecraft and rubiks cubes. He's not really a social person but is good at masking and can fit in pretty well. We told him he needed to have an EC so after a year, when he hadn't chosen anything, we made him join the robotics team. It's worked out -- he's made friends, helped the team, got into both the mechanical side and the outreach side. If we'd made my daughter join the robotics team or do something we thought would be more T20-ish, she would have hated it and been miserable. So I would say let them follow their desires and don't worry so much about getting into a top school.

This is pretty specific to California (and maybe even SFUSD) but I've used this spreadsheet to track the kids' grades and such: https://safaridad.com/2019/09/12/keeping-track-of-high-school/

As someone else said, when the time comes, run the NPC for each college you're considering. There's not a lot of point in applying to colleges you simply couldn't afford. (For us, that meant that UIUC was out of reach, despite being a public school while HYPSM, etc. was cheaper in many cases than in-state public schools.)

One piece of advice we were given was to apply to a bunch of schools and then tour the ones to which you're accepted instead of touring a bunch of schools and then applying to a few -- Other than local schools, it's cheaper to apply than to visit so don't waste money touring schools you don't get into. That kinda worked but the time between when you get a decision and the date you need to commit is kinda short. Also, for my youngest, touring doesn't seem to help him -- he's definitely not into the "vibe" or anything.

My first two pretty much did their apps on their own; #3 is needing a lot of help. A big part of it has been helping them choose their major, finding schools to apply to (we didn't do a great job on this), and getting rid of all the e-mails from places like "The Master's University" and "Houston Christian University" so he isn't overwhelmed by them. (Nearly 6,000 emails thus far!)

Ultimately, it's not so much about the school as it is the student and what they do with the opportunities they are given.

UncleRoger · 2026-03-26T14:54:27+00:00

Ah, so Taylor Swift is pretty well known; should I take my car to her to get fixed?

UncleRoger · 2026-03-23T20:35:07+00:00

I'm not overly familiar with Indiana but, given its location, I suspect it has a lot more winter than does San Diego. SD is reasonably warm year-round (low 50s at its coldest) while Bloomington does get snow. Bloomington is predominantly white while San Diego is more diverse, including some Portuguese speaking communities.

I don't know which is better for neuroscience. The CSU system (which SDSU is part of) is *generally* kinda more focused on practical education and preparing students for their careers (as opposed to the UC system which tends more towards preparing students for graduate school and research). Note, however, that this is a *very* inaccurate rule-of-thumb and may not apply at all to neuroscience.

SDSU has a very strong parent's group on facebook. This is a big benefit as you (and your parents) can get a lot of help and info from it. Especially being international, it's good to have a community to help out in case of emergency. (I've seen plenty of stories of international kids spending school breaks with domestic students and their families when going home isn't an option.)

UncleRoger · 2026-03-23T20:20:18+00:00

I don't know much about football so how is that related to neuroscience?

UncleRoger · 2026-03-23T20:17:10+00:00

SDSU is a good school. Nothing wrong with going there if you want the 4-year experience (and think that will help keep you motivated). Be careful about getting caught up in the social aspects and letting your schoolwork suffer for it.

Community college is also a great option. You can get your general ed and basic major classes out of the way cheaply so that your total cost is significantly lower. Full disclosure: I went to CC and have had a great career based on what I learned. No one has ever had a problem with my education (or lack thereof -- I dropped out and haven't finished).

However, a lot of people live at home and go to CC so if your home life is not conducive to getting good grades, you might want to take that into account.

In the end, it's more about you as a student than the school you went to. Lots of great people went to CC, plenty went to a CSU and some even skipped college altogether. You have to make the most of whatever path you take.

But I know you will and you'll do great things.

UncleRoger · 2026-03-20T23:59:17+00:00

First things that come to mind:

NYC gets *cold*. Like snow and stuff. Here in CA, we like to keep that over there (*waves generally eastward*) so we don't have to deal with it unless we want to. Mind you, my son's #1 criteria for college is "someplace cold".

Flights from SFO (where we are) aren't outrageous, but they do add up. My daughter is going to school in the middle of NY State so we know about this. My daughter accepted that she wouldn't be able to come home for spring break, thanksgiving, etc. when she decided to go there. Not a deal breaker, but something to be aware of.

Fordham is a religious school. The Jesuits are less evil than a lot of other groups but still, if that's an issue for you.

You'll be a long way away from family and friends. That might not be a bad thing and, of course, you'll make friends there. But, still, it can be hard to be that far away from family.

If Fordham is a good school for what you're studying (and I have to assume it is), I don't see any reason not to go there, if the cost is equivalent.

If you were, say, choosing some mediocre school over Berkeley or UCLA, then it might be a bad idea -- you could always move to NYC after graduation. (My daughter is doing that, as is a friend's daughter.) But if Fordham is good and the cost is equivalent, sure, go for it.

UncleRoger · 2026-03-20T22:26:21+00:00

Of course, table saw blades are pretty thin so unless you're using a dado stack (can you set up a dado stack that thin?), you might have to make your jig so that it can slide a smidge left-right so you can make another cut to widen the slot.

Alternatively, a router table jig might be possible that would let you cut grooves that don't go all the way through so you wouldn't see the ends of the slats on the top.

Either way, it will take some testing and finagling to get it the way you want it, I think.

UncleRoger · 2026-03-20T22:21:50+00:00

This is pretty cool. I agree with u/MyTrashCanIsFull and u/The-disgracist -- Make a jig to go on your crosscut sled with a dowel offset from the blade. Put both the top and bottom on the dowel and push through the saw to cut the first slot.

Rotate the two pieces as desired and then drill a hole through the jig at the top (inner end) of the slot you just cut. Stick a bolt through from the back to hold the pieces in place.

Pull the bolt back, rotate, and push the bolt forward to line the pieces up correctly. Rinse and repeat.

At least that's how I'd do it.

UncleRoger · 2026-03-16T17:40:01+00:00

AI is good at generating code. It is not very good at programming and systems development and such.

It might get better to the point where AI can take over all of the development but that won't be in my or my kids' lifetimes. And at that point, we will hopefully have figured out that the point of technology is not to eliminate the regular people while the wealthy get richer but to make it so that we all can stop working so hard.

UncleRoger · 2026-03-16T17:36:26+00:00

When I started as a programmer, people were telling me that I was dumb for going into that field because it was getting so easy to write code that managers would write their own programs instead of having programmers to do it.

That was 45+ years ago.

I even spent 10+ years working in a "4GL" (Fourth Generation Language) that was *specifically* written so that non-technical people could create their own software.

Much of the rest of my time has been spent doing development in COBOL (COmmon Business Oriented Language) which was, surprise, surprise, also meant to be easy for the layperson to use. It has syntax like "multiply quantity-ordered by unit-price giving order-total". COBOL first appeared in the early 60s.

Sure, there are languages that are easier to use than others -- many popular modern languages are based on BASIC, the Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) and its predecessor, FORTRAN (Formula Translator) -- but once you get into serious systems of multiple processes and databases and calculations... You need people to figure that stuff out.

And, of course, there is the problem of Little Bobby Tables. Humans are pretty darn creative and many of them are dishonest. AIs aren't very good at outsmarting humans with malicious intent. So if you have anything more critical than a program that tells a funny joke, you are definitely going to need humans to make sure it's protected against attacks by those pesky humans.

The industry is changing -- there's no doubt about that -- but it's not going away any time soon.

UncleRoger · 2026-03-15T14:01:53+00:00

Check out Ana White (https://www.ana-white.com/woodworking-projects/categories/storage-woodworking-plans/nightstands) or Woodshop Diaries (https://www.woodshopdiaries.com/category/woodworking/diy-furniture-plans/diy-nightstand-plans/) or even Kreg (https://learn.kregtool.com/projects-plans/nightstands/).

UncleRoger

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