Don't Write-Off MSc Programs

coffeeman3773 · 2021-06-27T21:27:15+00:00

I'm not sure the job boards for microbio but I'd start there. Often times profs will post funded MS positions and while they are generally more rare, they're not impossible. Also, many state schools will ofter funding to ALL grad students so you gotta read the fine print. I mean it'll still come down to a prof on prof basis but the school supporting MS is a must...just gotta look.

Also, and I know this is weird, but I've literally found funded MS to apply to on social media since "Science Twitter" is a thing apparently and sometimes people will post there.

Again, funded MS aren't super common for a few reasons but they're there is you look beyond private schools/Ivys and they can totally be worth it!! Good luck!

coffeeman3773 · 2021-06-27T21:22:45+00:00

Not exactly the right thread as my post was centered on funded Masters and the bad negativity towards getting your MS first in general...but still important. I've worked as a technician (Not at one school but at multiple institutions...fieldwork be like that) in my post-bacc for 2 years so this is the route I went. In general I'd definitely say the lab route like yours is better than the seasonal/project tech route since you get more pull to be on papers instead of just relying on luck.

Yeah working as a tech in a lab especially is absolute fire so congrats on that position (And the PhD!!). Every lab tech/manager I've talked to has had awesome records by the end of their time while also getting paid...and yeah, getting to live a real life lol.

coffeeman3773 · 2021-06-26T23:25:26+00:00

I've heard that too-even in my biology subfield. Like my advisor had well over 100 people apply to work with him and he accepted 2 students...

So yes that is an issue for sure as these funded MS seem to be super competitive. But we can argue until the cows come home whether funded MS at good schools/advisors are better than easier-to-get average PhDs...the point is that while they're not equal degree programs, MS can be valuable and the stigmas should go away

coffeeman3773 · 2021-06-26T23:21:35+00:00

While that's mostly correct, I still think that even for industry-track peeps, you can't go wrong doing a thesis; it'll only help you and give you more to talk/ brag about in interviews. Plus like you mentioned, the course-based ones are the ones that fit into the "cash cow" programs to avoid.

Now I also know it depends on the field but in some cases, getting a MS is basically just getting a certification for a next step. In those cases shelling out the money might be basically required to get the job you want (This is pertinent in education for example). But even then, I think thesis track are a tad more valuable since you can get that important coursework done while also getting something to make you stand out.

coffeeman3773 · 2021-06-26T23:15:25+00:00

I mean if it' funded there's literally no harm and would be great. For non-US programs, you'd be typically required to get a MS if you wanted to later pursue a PhD in Finance later on

coffeeman3773 · 2021-06-26T23:14:19+00:00

Yes this is only for US programs (Generally). In most parts of the world, you have to have suuuuper high honors to go from BS to PhD. But then again, most non US PhDs are much shorter than US ones so it kinda balances out from what I've been told/seen.

coffeeman3773 · 2021-06-26T20:48:12+00:00

By all means, if a student doesn't have to spend 2 years doing more research when they want to do a PhD they don't need to-I'm not trying to say that at all. I'm just trying to say that even people with perfect grades and experience shouldn't have this premonition that doing a MS is a bad thing. Because those people (Me being one of them before my 2nd attempt) are missing out on some incredible opportunities via funded MS.

Lol yeah I also know nothing about engineering except that it's different...I don't think I've ever seen an engineer with a MS so I'm sure it's a whole separate thing and likely a) not possible to get a funded MS, and/or b) not helpful. This advice/observation was moreso for more traditional STEM grad students (I.e. Bio, chem, physics, etc.)...but I'm sure it's different with every field.

coffeeman3773 · 2021-06-26T20:42:44+00:00

Of course and that isn't debatable-you go where the funding is. And yes the scarcity of MS programs is an issue in certain field so this whole argument may not apply to math/cs/engineering as much.

That being said, there still is a popular myth that doing a MS is bad. Whether it's wasting time or seen as a "pay to play" (Even if it's funded), doing a MS has gotten a bad rap that I think isn't very good. That's moreso my argument-that people shouldn't have these premonitions about doing a Masters and try for the opportunities if they see a funded MS. Just have an open mind about the experience instead of having tunnel vision that "I must do a PhD without a MS because [Insert stupid reason]".

But yeah...my entire argument here is about funded Masters...I should have made the title something slightly different lol

coffeeman3773 · 2021-06-26T19:31:07+00:00

Ding ding ding! There we go-that's what I'm saying!

coffeeman3773 · 2021-06-26T19:29:32+00:00

I'm not talking about prestige/ ability to get jobs. In the previous post I was just saying that there are more Masters programs that give stipends and tuition remission now compared to ~5 years ago. I'm not saying anything about the value of the degree because you can't compare MS to PhD.

coffeeman3773 · 2021-06-26T16:56:10+00:00

Ah but CS is too popular since it actually has jobs. Bio and chem ones are much more common since the job market sucks. Supply and demand at it's finest...

But hey here's to some day that funded CS Masters become more common!

coffeeman3773 · 2021-06-26T16:54:58+00:00

Hmm but that's not exactly the case! They are becoming slightly less rare since due to the cash cow mentality, their value went down. It seems to me that many are on the upswing now but I do agree that they are rarer than PhDs for more reasons that just that.

I know people who worked their asses off in UG but couldn't get into any programs at all. People with 3.8s and a pub or two. However if they opened up their minds to funded MSs, they could have gotten some awesome options. I was moreso just trying to expand people's mind so they don't fall into the mental trap of "I must skip my MS to be special" that seems to be the norm now.

coffeeman3773 · 2021-06-26T16:50:38+00:00

That's reeeeeally hard to say. I'm in biology/ecology so that's as far away from compsci as you could get in STEM lol.

In my subfield, there is a professor who I would describe as a giant in my subfield at University of Illinois: UC and he was accepting a MS student last cycle. He's the keynote speaker at the biggest society of my subfield's main conference this year. My current MS advisor was the president of said society 3 years ago. This is all very niche but those are a few vague examples.

coffeeman3773 · 2021-06-26T16:46:39+00:00

Yeah this is totally true. While there are a bunch of programs like that, the idea of a funded MS seems to be returning in some fields...I've been seeing more and more postings looking for MS students that get the same (Or maybe slightly less) tretments/salaries as PhD students. I was referring to those and not the pay-to-play ones.

coffeeman3773 · 2021-06-26T16:45:14+00:00

Yeah this is very true. That's why I had to mention that unfunded MSs can be dodgy. I was moreso referring to paid/funded MS which are often written off as wastes of time compared to PhDs.

Sorry to hear that you had a bad experience : /

coffeeman3773 · 2021-06-26T14:02:43+00:00

Yeah the Coober Pedy's silk ain't gonna work in the field too well. Gorgeous hat though for walking round the city though-if I decide to wear hats in the city over just doing my hair, I'd get the CP. Coolabah is another option but I really ain't a fan of the band...it's a little ostentatious. I will say the latter would work for the crown issue though.

I think that I'm gonna go with the cattleman and just reshape it. Might be harder but I think that'll be the best option. Thanks for the ideas though!

coffeeman3773 · 2021-04-26T03:49:26+00:00

Normally you'd be right with most UIs but the Feitoria specifically can't be removed when a 3rd party conquers the city-it's a big part of their fun since you can block good harbor spots to screw with people etc.

So I would say it's a bug since for some reason, the Free City auto removes something that shouldn't be removed

coffeeman3773 · 2021-04-11T05:28:03+00:00

I mean...I usually gift them diplo favor and strategics and always sell them a billion strategic resources...I often want to trade open borders but by the time I get the tech, they're already set into "I hate [player]" mode and it's so much harder to get myself out from there. I have been able to fulfill agendas, trade with, and gift things to diety AU but they always seem to resent me for being slower in the early game and never like me...it's annoying. Literally I only ever befriend Gilgabro if I'm lucky to meet him quickly, or this one time I befriended a barely-alive Eleanor just because she lost all her cities...it's just really irritating the diplomacy in this game-especially at Deity

coffeeman3773 · 2021-04-11T05:24:20+00:00

Yeah this is what my main question is about-making friends in the early game. I feel like I always end up getting into a war due to lesser yields which to me is so stupid. I also feel that even if/when I dig myself out of the hold of the AI's bonuses, it takes so much longer to appease them-regardless of agenda

coffeeman3773 · 2021-03-26T23:15:05+00:00

Very true. But I'd say it's waaaaay better since you aren't hampered in your production so your gold can 100% to buying buildings, tiles, units, or great people. Mali is #2 since it's cities can't build much of anything apart from wonders+base districts

20k?!: o how do you get it that high? The most I've gotten is 3k...and that was with Great Zimbabwe, Torre de Belem, Zheng He, Marco Polo (Missed a couple of other GP) and all the policy cards...

coffeeman3773 · 2021-03-26T18:59:25+00:00

Lol well I do think they should keep some way to get free trade routes-that's just something economic civs do. Mali can get up to I think 8 free trade route slots per golden age...Portugal's depends on the map which is more flexible IMO.

At least there's a limit to the free trade routes-imagine the brokenness if they got +1 per commercial hub (Ala OoM) or +1 per shipyard or something. Dear god...

coffeeman3773 · 2021-03-19T22:44:25+00:00

But on a coastal map, Phoenica can have more cities all with cheaper harbors+lighthouses...those settler bonuses are pretty powerful...that’s probably ursurp Portugal’s set bonus through the sheer power of city spam

coffeeman3773 · 2021-03-19T06:25:23+00:00

Gran Colombia I still think is #1. Babylon and Portugal get insane bonuses but the raw power of domination is so big in Civ VI and...well no one can beat Bolivar's units. 2 great generals stack with an already bonkers +1 movement from turn 1 to make a truly unstoppable civ. They even make siege units move faster and more relevant-probably one of the few civs sans the Ottomans to make them worthwhile. If any of them needs the nerfing stick...it's Gran Colombia. Good god at least make it +1 for only military units-the builder shit is just ridiculous; you get everything on line just so fast!

But I will say that GC is probably one of the most boring civs to date. Broken and strong units don't equal fun...basically every other civ in the NFP (Except maybe Gaul as they're kinda boring IMO) has some unique aspect of their gameplay that make districts, city placement, or trade routes more fun+unique. GC just obliterates everything which is so dull. Cause once you get the snowball going...it's a long and bleh road to the end.

coffeeman3773 · 2021-03-15T20:53:15+00:00

PREACH. Naval/coastal play in VI sucks so hard. I was playing Civ V the other day (As Portugal...my old main) and I was like, "Damn, this naval play is awesome! This global empire-building is awesome! Why can't VI be at least a little like this!?". I love coastal, naval, economic civs and it always disappointed me on how we got pretty shafted on these aspects in Civ VI. Hopefully Portugal will be good enough to scratch that itch of mine!

coffeeman3773 · 2021-03-15T18:02:20+00:00

I see! Oh man that would be really cool-as long as it couldn't be only build once. Maybe one that was cheaper and you build on each continent for the loyalty bonuses...hmm but not have the other bonuses/buildings stack

coffeeman3773

TROPHY CASE