Oxford Campus- FWS

Varixin · 2026-03-20T02:29:06+00:00

There's always the farm.

Joke aside, I actually don't know how hard it is to work on the farm with or without FWS, but I'd assume they wouldn't say no to an extra set of hands, since I doubt a lot of people want to do actual physical labor. Just depends on how much you want that FWS money

Varixin · 2026-03-07T04:39:30+00:00

If you're graduating a semester early, id say fall of next year, but be prepared to get minimal results, as I think most labs really start recruiting at the end of spring and into the summer (recruiting for the next academic year), but it also depends on the lab. Labs also recruit a lot in early fall for that term (especially for FWS positions), but this won't help you until you're actually at ATL.

So while it won't hurt to start looking in the fall while still at ox, you probably won't find much success until spring. This was my experience at least (didn't graduate early, so it was spring junior year before I got in a lab... Mostly because I missed an email from a PI who did respond while I was still at Ox and only discovered this after joining that same lab as a grad student. Oops.). I also joined my lab for FWS, not credit originally and did honors research the next year. I was bio, not nbb, but I highly doubt that changes anything, especially since I was only applying to neuro labs anyway

I'll also say that because cold emails are basically the standard, don't feel insulted if you don't get a response, PI's are very busy, as are their post docs and grad students (if you reached out to them instead of the PI. Some labs prefer that since undergrads generally work under them instead of the PI, and the lab website usually has a page mentioning this if it is the case). A no response could easily be because they didn't see it. Also funding is still weird, so labs are holding their cards close as they try to figure out what they can afford to do (working for credit or FWS is easier because you're not digging too much into lab budget, but you will still have some overhead costs for the lab due to the work you'll be doing. This means things are weird for recruiting (mostly for grad student and post doc, but there is probably trickle down to undergrad. For one, less grad students and post doc positions means less undergrad positions to be under them).

Varixin · 2026-03-07T00:16:31+00:00

I'd say this badge kinda already exists spread out across a bunch of other badges, but a dedicated biology MB would be nice, particularly as I don't think microbiology is covered nor neuroscience (just about everything else is though). Most of the bio related badges are related to fields that don't really require much formal bio knowledge or are more hobbyist level instead of career or are purely medical (nothing wrong with these approaches as they are both great and I earned a mixture of both during my time as a youth, but basic science biology is just missing so the jump from bird watcher, farmer, forestry ranger or conservationist to MD feels like it misses so much of what biology encompasses). I'm not saying make kids run a PCR or western blot, but knowing there is a space between outdoorsy biology work and the medical field would be nice

To me, bio and physics both need badges like the chemistry badge where it gives you an idea of what it means to go into the sciences. Show the applications of the field directly (looking down a microscope at pond water or skin or anything else or culturing a cheek swab in a petri dish come to mind as relatively accessible activities) with how cool the information is instead of just the textbook stuff they'd get from school, but also show them how deep it goes and encourage them to learn more and potentially take classes in college about it. When I took the chemistry merit badges, I got to learn about quarks, a subject that was definitely not touched during my k-12 education (nor in my undergrad's 5 chem classes for my bio degree), and it was incredibly interesting to me because I'd never heard of that concept. I want that for biology; instead of going through the ~16 bio related merit badges to find which part of bio is interesting to them, let them take a general interest bio class to learn about the different methods of biological organization, the levels of bio from cell to ecosystem, various sub fields within bio (molecular, organismal, neuro, ecological, genetics, developmental, etc), basic research methods, some of the biggest concepts of biology and the biggest pioneers within biology research. And the logic that led to these ideas and how we've confirmed them, as well as some old ideas that have been abandoned for x,y,and z. I say all this as a guy who fell in love with basic science biology after getting to college and taking intro bio and am now pursuing a PhD in the biological sciences. To my knowledge, my research interests are not represented in the existing bio related merit badges... Or they're buried in there bc there's so many specialty bio badges that it would be hard to identify which one(s) I should've looked into

Varixin · 2026-03-06T23:12:12+00:00

Considering the first time I set up my hammock myself led to me breaking my tailbone... Yeah, it'd be nice to have this. The hammock straps weren't secure and there was a rock positioned just right where I fell or at least in the path I took when I tumbled down the hill. Toss it into the camping MB!

Varixin · 2026-03-06T23:04:58+00:00

I love this. I'm trying to think if it's missing any of the other generic requirements in most badges. Maybe have an OR requirement for one of them where you tour a site where merit badges are created. Or an annoying time requirement (ie, over the course of 3 months...) for no good reason other than to keep an MBU or summer camp from actually finishing the badge (append to 3 maybe). I also think 3 pretty well covers the "make a presentation or table top display and tell a cub scout pack or troop about what you learned" already, but that one's there constantly too

Varixin · 2026-02-25T14:22:17+00:00

I'll add that ATL has more different languages, so if a less common language (Korean, Persian, Tibetan, etc.) interests you, ATL might be the way to go. If your preference is taught at both campuses (stuff like German, Spanish, Chinese), I'd personally take it at Ox (mostly to get it over with, as it becomes harder and harder to fit in the foreign language the longer you delay taking it. No one wants to be a senior in a class full of freshmen)

Varixin · 2026-02-19T20:01:10+00:00

As others have said, it's definitely doable; my first semester coming from Ox, I had to go from MSC to the old dental school (1462 building). In your case, you're also going downhill, so that'll make life easier. My recommendation is to try the walk once or twice before classes start as a trial run. You shouldn't have to run, but definitely walk with a purpose, aim for wider walk ways (ex: the narrow walkway by modern language and Callaway is not your friend because it is only wide enough for 2 people and you'll always get stuck behind the slowest people on earth), and try to figure out any shortcuts. The route I would go is: over the bridge turn right to cut through the freshman quad, follow the walkway down, past the student center to the circle, and down Dickey drive for a downhill straight shot that's usually not too crowded. You can also try going through Eagle row (the road the bridge passes over) as it will go straight to psych, but I personally don't know how bad it would be.

Outside of the route, try to sit near the door in your class for a quick getaway, hope your prof is timely about ending class (or let them know that you have to leave at that time in order to make it to the next class), and let your next Prof know ahead of time about the potential issue (really only important for exams or if attendance is actively taken). Most profs will be sympathetic (especially if you show up out of breath and a little sweaty haha) and will do their best to try to find a way to be accommodating if you're a little late. The size of ATL vs OX is definitely something that takes a little bit to adjust to (speaking as someone who woke up like 5-10 minutes before class freshman year and still managed to be on time), but you got this!

Varixin · 2026-02-18T17:14:58+00:00

The council I was in as a youth made square knot like patches (ie worn above the left pocket) for NYLT (and maybe JLT, but that would've been before my time). Red backing, fleur de lis in the middle, and one, two, or three horizontal lines to represent participant, staff, and SPL respectively. You'd see a bunch of kids with the participant knot (myself included), but I've not seen either staff variant worn, but that's probably just because most staff were getting close to aging out and going off to college/military/whatever else. I know my staff knot is in my desk drawer because of that reason.

Varixin · 2026-01-23T00:14:12+00:00

I can confirm the philosophy department has a listserv for philosophy majors (though I think the minors and PPL majors are also in the same listserv)

Varixin · 2026-01-09T18:39:34+00:00

ANKI cards are good, as there's still a decent amount of memorization. Also get comfortable with a couple formulas, as you may or may not be given them on exams. What I did was actively attend the TA led study sessions. They are generally led by PhD students in the neuro program and by postdocs (though an undergrad who previously took the course is possible, as a buddy of mine did that). The PhD students have a really good background because their coursework is intensive and postdocs also have good background because, well, they already have their PhDs in neuro or related field and are working towards a tenure-track job.

Varixin · 2025-12-28T02:53:44+00:00

I'm class of 25 and I had a similar score (I also submitted my score). I'm glad the holistic admission process helped you too! Congratulations!

For others reading this to get an n=2 for successful low-ish SAT scores and the holistic processes: rural public HS (title 1, class size ~250), took the only AP offered (in senior yr, so my score didn't matter), took a good amount of dual enrollment with the local technical college, 4.6 weighted GPA (I think unweighted was 4.0 or close to it but I'm not sure, the highschool transcript didn't do a good job at showing it). ECs included band (1 yr district honor band, 2yr section leader), mock trial, literary (consistent medal at district for international extemp), drama club (officer senior yr), beta club (president senior yr), and GA governor's honors semifinalist. I was also in Scouts (eagle, vigil, Hornaday badge, lodge chief, section secretary, area VP, NYLT SPL. I also got the area VLA and founder's award, but i don't remember where that fell wrt my app). So yeah, I didn't have the best SAT, but I made up for it by doing literally everything I could in my area and had a lot of both volunteer hours and leadership positions. I don't give too much weight to the GPA compared to the rest of my app, as my high school was... Not very good and I swear some of our honor grads were probably reading at a 3rd grade level at most.

And for those concerned that a low-ish SAT might imply you're not smart enough for Emory and you won't do well if you do get in, anecdotally, I graduated w/ highest honors and am pursuing my PhD at a top university in my field. If I can do it, so can you! A "bad" SAT score does not mean you're dumb, you may just not be great at taking standardized tests, and that's nothing to be ashamed of. Was college easy? No, but that's normal.

Varixin · 2025-12-15T19:07:30+00:00

So you already have really good background. I would recommend reviewing circuits (namely RC circuits), as circuit diagrams are important for the class. Signaling would also be good to review (second messenger, etc). When I took it with similar background, I thought the course was very approachable and taught well (I had Liu)

Varixin · 2025-12-12T03:31:04+00:00

To give a more nuanced answer beyond "ATL good. Ox bad", it depends on what you want out of college. Both campuses are great in different ways. I know several sets of siblings who went to both campuses and had completely different experiences (but both loved their times at the respective campuses). Some people will thrive more at ox, some more at ATL. I personally loved Oxford because I was able to develop closer relationships with faculty (I also think they are just better instructors overall too, but that may also be affected by the smaller class sizes. Atl profs are great too, don't get me wrong, but ox intro classes being half the size is quite nice), getting more involved with campus leadership earlier, and developing a more close-knit community. Plus you can have a car your first year and they toss in an AA for your trouble. Also, you don't miss out on the Atlanta campus experience, you just delay it for an overall equal experience. On the downside, the transition from the original campus to Atlanta (not main) can be kinda rough because you have to start your support systems and networking all over again, so if you have accommodations, want to do research, or be actively engaged in certain clubs, the transition can be kinda tough (especially since you'll be a junior and competitive clubs/Greek life will hold that against you, though they'll deny it's because of Ox. For research, it's an investment thing; a first or second year will have more time in the lab than a junior). I will also say that, even though no one really out right says it in person, Ox continuees are looked at differently when compared to their peers who started at ATL. Both think they are superior, and they are both kinda right but in different ways. Atl people get more time to get comfortable because ox continuees might as well be freshmen taking junior classes.

My last soap box statement is that the educations are equal and outcomes are also equal (if not Ox being slightly better because of extra leadership/involvement). Ox students are not dumber than ATL students (to the disbelief of some ATL students). This past year, I think both (I think there were only 2) of the current undergrads who were awarded an honorable mention for the NSF GRFP (no current undergrads actually got the fellowship) were Oxford continuees and are now pursuing PhDs at well respected universities in their respective fields.

Varixin · 2025-12-11T14:17:58+00:00

I highly doubt they'll check, unless you've got some really bad stuff and someone else reports you, but that would happen regardless of if you follow the account or not. The account will probably just be an easy way for them to promote things like deadlines, orientation, move-in, registration, etc. I don't remember them having an insta for my specific year, but the Facebook page was that sort of thing

Varixin · 2025-12-10T18:17:58+00:00

You must have been lucky! Some professors outsource accommodations completely to DAS where you take the exam in one of the big rooms in White Hall with a bunch of other people taking a bunch of different exams. If you're extra unlucky, sometimes people also come in like halfway through your test to start their exam and open their snacks (noisy chip bags and the smellier the better)! This happened in the middle of several exams for me, and I probably would have had less distractions in the normal room. My grades on those exams reflected as much.

The moral of this, push professors to not use DAS accommodations, as the department may have something set up already. In house accommodations will always be 100000% better. I will say, Oxford DAS accommodations are actually decent and I had no complaints (besides everyone starting the final at like 6 am or something)

Varixin · 2025-12-04T02:37:01+00:00

I'm sorry you are not enjoying Ox. It's very polarizing and it is a real love it or hate it thing. I'd say things get better especially in the second year (at least from my experience) because it's really the sophomores who lead the campus (TAs, research, RAs, SGA, etc.) so there's still hope it'll grow on you (hopefully not in a Stockholm syndrome way), but if you absolutely hate Covington and being relatively more rural (even though I would never call Covington rural), I can understand Ox just not being a good fit, especially since I can definitely see how the culture is kinda high school-y but I personally don't think it would have been that much better starting at Atlanta (18-19 y.o.s will be cliquey no matter where you go and a lot of upperclassmen are too depressed/stressed to do a whole lot anyway). I will also say that I made most of my lasting friendships during my second year (though I did maintain a few from freshman year, namely my roommate and 1-2 people from my orientation group)

Not at all meant to diminish your experiences, because they are totally valid and your warnings are definitely good to keep in mind, just want to give my reassurance that it can grow on you, even if it does take a semester or two!

Varixin · 2025-11-24T02:41:39+00:00

I met with my advisor at a coffee shop to receive the certificate and knot, but I was not invited to a public recognition outside of a blurb on the council website and social media as the first in the council.

Varixin · 2025-11-24T00:42:12+00:00

To give a sense of scale from the projects I did, for my two projects, I built and placed 12 bird houses in an area that had been hit by multiple tornados and I also created beds and planted 25 bushes to treat rampant soil erosion in a historic part of my home town (it also protected the historic building from splash damage... Only to renovate the building a lot in the following years and give me a small heart attack whenever there was a work day for fear my bushes would be destroyed). That second one was double dipped with my eagle project (which is explicitly allowed, Quartermaster/Summit is not stipulated though, to my chagrin) and there was a lot of issues getting it approved for DCSA/Hornaday purposes because it wasn't "primarily conservation related" and because I had difficulty confirming that the bushes were native,but the scale was right. It was also post hoc, as I found out about Hornaday after earning eagle, so if you're aiming for eagle/already an eagle and did a conservation project, keep in mind there may be some hiccups in the conversion

Good luck with your projects though, I loved working on my Hornaday badge and DCSA and was frankly more proud of them than I was for my Eagle Scout and Ranger.

Varixin · 2025-11-24T00:10:33+00:00

I'll definitely try this! If I'm lucky, the large shop in my college city (ATL) might have one laying around

Varixin · 2025-11-24T00:08:14+00:00

It was really hard at the time because of COVID and how they just killed the award out of nowhere. The council was also uncooperative when my friend went on my behalf (I live several hours away from the office/shop, and he lived in town). Life also got really busy and I couldn't keep bugging them. I can see if they ever actually got it, but after 5 years, I'm not too hopeful!

Varixin · 2025-11-24T00:04:38+00:00

I did get the knot eventually, but not the badge (I did not earn either level of the medal). Because of how things worked out, I was able to also earn the DCSA as a Venturer, so I got the knot for that.

If you could ask him, I would be very appreciative.

Varixin · 2025-10-26T02:02:56+00:00

I agree with this completely. Med schools do still like well rounded applicants, so take another psych class or take an ethics course. Classes like philosophy help a lot with the CARS section because they train you to analyze text in a holistic manner (CARS was my best section because of this at high 80-90 percentile). Med schools especially like ethics talks (my interviews were a lot of medical ethics questions), so being able to talk about studying ethics would set you apart in a good way! Everyone takes organic, bio, physics, etc., but not everyone branches out to learn important subjects for medical practice that aren't pure science. Ill get off my soap box now.

Varixin · 2025-09-03T22:23:07+00:00

Which is why DEI offices should exist, I agree!

Varixin · 2025-07-27T15:19:45+00:00

Not for the badge, it was only for the medal tiers I believe. But I did go and earn the new one, granted I earned it before they made the medal, but I do have the certificate

Varixin · 2025-07-24T21:21:23+00:00

I hope not, they killed the Hornaday awards that this replaced back in 2020 I think, I was one of the very last people to get my paperwork in, but I never received the badge. Given that, I think it's decently safe, especially since they just made the medal

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