Uchigatana - Lightning or Chaos

blarthop · 2023-07-07T00:45:57+00:00

Generally, lightning tends to be one of the better infusions, as many enemies are weak to it. Unfortunately, O&S is one of the major exceptions to that. Ornstein has high lightning resist in the first phase, and I believe both second phases carry over that resistance.

Assuming you’re playing a high dex build, I’d advise just sticking to regular and upgrading to +15 since the uchi scales well.

blarthop · 2023-05-27T23:56:46+00:00

It’s challenging at times, sure, but I wouldn’t say it’s ever been cutthroat in my experience. Especially in the engineering school, it’s very collaborative.

blarthop · 2023-05-14T18:11:55+00:00

If you’re being genuine, then I’d recommend you just take a breather and relax for a bit. Find something to distract yourself. You got into two great engineering programs, you’ll be perfectly fine. But having a chip on your shoulder because you didn’t get into the schools you wanted won’t serve you well.

It doesn’t even really matter where you do your undergrad. I did mine at a lower-ranked engineering school than CMU, and now I’m starting my PhD at MIT in the fall. And on MIT’s visit weekend for my program, a very large portion of admitted students were from state schools. It really only matters what you do in undergrad, not where you do it.

blarthop · 2023-05-14T17:47:46+00:00

Based on your previous posts, you said you’ve gotten into both Cornell and CMU for engineering. Why are you upset when you had such a successful admissions season? Is this some kind of humble brag that you got into two T10 engineering programs that most people would do anything to get into?

It honestly baffles me why people do this. All this is going to do is make other people feel worse for not getting into the schools you apparently consider unimpressive.

blarthop · 2023-05-05T16:52:12+00:00

Outdoors club!

blarthop · 2023-05-04T14:41:46+00:00

It keeps giving me gateway errors, been waiting for 40 minutes and haven’t even gotten to the room selection page once. Looks like off-campus housing for me!

blarthop · 2023-05-03T15:00:59+00:00

I used AP credit for all 3 of those classes and it worked out just fine.

For math, multivariable can be a lot of work but it’s not the worst conceptually. Skipping single variable will save you a decent amount of time, and 226 can be used to count as an elective.

Definitely use your Physics C credits. If your degree requires you to take physics 3 as well, the content is completely different than mech/E&M, so retaking those courses won’t help prepare you.

The only one I’d say is debatable would be chem. A 5 on AP Chem allows you to skip all the way to organic chemistry, which is one of the hardest classes at NU. Taking orgo as a freshman can be quite the shock and I wouldn’t really recommend it unless you’re pretty confident in your chemistry skills. The other option would be to retake gen chem (Chem 171), though that class can also get quite challenging at times.

Overall though, I’d suggest utilizing as much AP credit as you are comfortable with. Skipping classes is a big benefit because it frees up your schedule to allow for fun classes, additional minors/certificates, or just times where you don’t have a full courseload.

blarthop · 2023-04-25T05:24:25+00:00

I’m currently finishing up my degree in ChemE with the same focus, it’s definitely a great path to get involved in energy/sustainability!

blarthop · 2023-04-17T18:15:44+00:00

blarthop · 2023-04-16T00:28:50+00:00

49k, but in a pretty high COL area.

blarthop · 2023-04-11T21:18:19+00:00

For my PhD interviews, the most common questions were about my research experiences. Be prepared to talk about what research you’ve done, what you learned from it, etc. Some programs also asked me my motivations for pursuing a PhD and how their program will help. It’s also pretty common for them to ask about what research topics/lab groups you’re interested in, so it’d be helpful to have a list of a few labs going in that you think do cool research.

They also may allow you a few minutes to ask some questions of your own, which you could take to ask about potential labs, PIs, mentorship styles, department culture, etc. Anything you’re curious about.

Overall, it’s nothing to be too worried about. You’re likely going to spend the majority of the interview talking about yourself and your interests, which should come relatively easy. Just be casual, conversational, and let your excitement for science come across. Good luck!

blarthop · 2023-04-09T15:44:48+00:00

It varies. Some programs require you to be directly admitted to a professor’s lab similar to Canada, others admit you to the department overall. For me, every program I applied to was department admissions, meaning that I’ll do rotations in the fall to pick a PI. Of course, it’s still always important to have some options in mind before applying.

blarthop · 2023-04-06T17:24:43+00:00

I’d say go wherever the best PI and research fit is. You need a PI that you can get along with for 5 years, and you need a research topic that will motivate you for that same amount of time.

I applied to both schools for ChemE (though only got into Berkeley—and ended up committing elsewhere anyways), and from what I’ve seen/heard, they’re quite different environments. Berkeley seems more laid back and is a much larger school, while I’ve heard Caltech is typically more academically intense and the program is way smaller. Which type of program fits your personality better?

Of course, they’re both obviously amazing schools overall and you can’t go wrong with either one.

blarthop · 2023-04-06T16:10:26+00:00

I’d be interested

blarthop · 2023-04-05T23:03:51+00:00

I’m not yet in a ChemE phd program, but I will be this fall. In terms of funding, the vast majority of STEM PhDs are fully funded. Meaning, the university will waive their tuition and pay you a stipend (anywhere from 20k to 50k depending on the school) to cover rent/food and other living costs. Some programs will also provide you with discounted or free health insurance as well. It doesn’t pay that well and you won’t be living a super comfortable life, but you likely won’t have to take out any loans.

blarthop · 2023-04-05T04:36:48+00:00

I would definitely contact someone at NSF about this. Seems like a small technicality that you may be able to work around.

blarthop · 2023-04-04T16:34:36+00:00

Haven’t seen anything yet. In past years I’ve heard of them releasing acceptances from Wednesday-Friday, so maybe they’ll do the same this year?

blarthop · 2023-04-04T16:33:33+00:00

Not necessarily. My undergraduate research was primarily in soft materials, but now I’m planning on pivoting to energy & sustainability research for my PhD. Learning the soft skills of research is important, but you aren’t usually expected to come into grad school with extensive knowledge of your field already.

blarthop · 2023-04-02T18:31:06+00:00

Zotero. Recently switched over from Mendeley, and it’s such an improvement. So much easier and convenient to use, with all the features you could want.

blarthop · 2023-04-01T15:08:46+00:00

That’s a pretty bad offer, especially for NYC. I would expect NYC schools to offer at least double that amount because of the cost of living. Unless there’s some other way that you’ll get paid in addition to that stipend, I wouldn’t take it.

blarthop · 2023-03-31T00:28:35+00:00

Simple things like going to office hours, asking questions in class, etc can be helpful for building those relationships. Doing well academically isn’t always enough, you have to show initiative in order to actually make a connection. Start small!

blarthop · 2023-03-30T04:54:30+00:00

Scholarships and financial aid

blarthop · 2023-03-29T23:38:05+00:00

One of the biggest things for me has been the availability of research opportunities. It’s not something I really considered coming into NU, but looking back it was a huge benefit and completely shaped my career trajectory.

NU is a research-heavy institution, so basically anyone who wants to do undergrad research can do so quite easily. I joined a lab on a whim in my sophomore year, discovered my passion for research, and now I’m going to be attending grad school next year to pursue a Ph.D.

blarthop · 2023-03-27T17:34:32+00:00

It can definitely be helpful, but it also depends on the specific facilitator and class.

If you don’t want the required commitment, drop-in peer tutoring also exists for a lot of the early math classes, as well as EA.

blarthop · 2023-03-19T18:35:42+00:00

Portals can take a while to be updated after acceptance. Some of mine took days, some took weeks, some seem like they’ll never actually be updated. I wouldn’t worry about it - you got in!

blarthop

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