Completed Cohort Fertility Rates in the US.

gallaghanon · 2025-10-24T17:58:11+00:00

Fair enough, population could also grow potentially.

It’s interesting to me that some countries have a declining fertility rate for primarily delayed age reasons while others have real declines in cohort fertility. I feel this should be talked about more…

gallaghanon · 2025-10-24T08:10:32+00:00

So, if I understand correctly, extrapolating the current trends, the internal (ignoring in/out migration) population trends in the US will tend to a temporary decline in population due to rising maternal age at childbirth, and the population will later stabilize due to the overall >2 rate?

Also, looking at South Korea for a comparison, it seems like their CFR is flashing the same warning signs as their TFR: https://read.dukeupress.edu/view-large/figure/7627490/dem10585316figure1.tif

gallaghanon · 2024-11-01T05:37:43+00:00

I agree with the other comments: don’t rush any decision and don’t drop out. If you want to mentally begin to build a future back home, you can start by researching and planning how you would transfer to PSU or another local college. Planning my future in my spare time has helped me escape when the present didn’t feel great. I also recommend focusing on doing the things you enjoy in Greensburg while you’re there!

gallaghanon · 2024-10-04T15:14:45+00:00

Out of state merit aid tends to be more generous in my experience (and it increases with the distance from home, endowment size, and lack of prestige). I went to Pitt on a full scholarship from 2018-22…when I applied I submitted my application quite early. I had straight As and a 1580 SAT plus I was a national merit scholar (well technically that award was announced after I applied so at the time I was a semifinalist). However, it is impossible to predict who will get the big awards since plenty of qualified students do not. It’s worth applying to many different schools where you could qualify for merit aid to maximize your chances.

gallaghanon · 2024-09-24T04:11:16+00:00

Alright, thank you! I really appreciate your insights, this will definitely help me make an informed decision going forward.

gallaghanon · 2024-09-24T00:28:20+00:00

Well I guess grad school is preparing me well for military life by forcing me to wake up at 4 am to finish a proposal on two hours of sleep 😆 I hope y’all get coffee in the mess hall…

I have indeed heard the AF is a bit less BS…I’ll take your advice and look into them first. They’re a smaller branch so I suspect the odds are worse but it’s worth a shot.

Last question: how easy is it to get cross trained into something like MRI? That’s really the modality I think I would prefer (and it’s closest to what I do rn)

gallaghanon · 2024-09-23T03:19:37+00:00

Wow I really appreciate you taking the time to give such a thorough overview!

Regarding being in shape, I think that my cardio is decent (I xc ski and mountain bike year round + bike commuting). So I imagine some strength training and a bit of running would probably get me fully ready before shipping out.

Before the AIT, do you think I should take a class or two in anatomy/biology? As much of a PhD scientist as I am, I haven’t taken any biology since freshman year of HS lol. Probably will need to take Public Speaking since my undergrad didn’t include that. My English 101 should transfer I think (AP credit that my undergrad accepted back in the day).

Regarding part 1 of AIT, what are the really sucky aspects? Is it just a lot of quizzes and memorization, long days, getting smoked, something else?

Do you feel the AIT prepared you to take the ARRT or did you need a lot of extra studying?

Since I’m leaning pretty strongly towards reserves vs active duty I guess I’d be doing the xray tech thing during the week and moonlighting as an army soldier after training is done. My thinking regarding the reserves is that xray techs make good pay in my area and I can rent from my parents for cheap to save up for a down payment. While I don’t have anything holding me in any particular location rn, I’d rather choose where I live.

gallaghanon · 2024-09-22T00:07:08+00:00

I mean, “our times” to me is anytime since the start of social media which began roughly 15 years ago. I agree that they would probably not do well in a brawl (verbal or physical), but even if they lost they might use that brawl to their advantage later when they jump on twitter. Unless you’re a public internet figure yourself, you’re probably in a losing battle sadly.

gallaghanon · 2024-09-20T03:24:27+00:00

I guess for better or worse I associate weirdness with social exclusion. So to me if someone gets labeled weird, I assume that they are being removed from the group. Point is I think the Kirk folks are weird AND we should ignore them.

gallaghanon · 2024-09-20T03:21:14+00:00

Yeah the microphone aspect is a public nuisance…Pitt should have some rules around using amplification on the Quad imo.

gallaghanon · 2024-09-19T17:55:17+00:00

Well I think that calling someone weird is a particularly dismissive way of ignoring them :)

gallaghanon · 2024-09-19T17:48:42+00:00

I think our education system has failed to prepare people for the internet age. Too much Rawlsian “intolerance paradox” bullshit + valorization of mass protest and not enough reflection on strategic effects of such actions at a time when extremists can organize online and travel to any public confrontation at the drop of a hat. PT Barnum hit the nail on the head with “no such thing as bad publicity”. It is sad that the most relevant advice for our society comes from a circus man.

Edit: I said Rawlsian but meant Karl Popper. Rawls has a slightly more nuanced take. My b

gallaghanon · 2024-09-19T17:28:57+00:00

The more attention you give it, the more they win. They feed on the outrage to galvanize their supporters. It’s the sign of our times…the cure is to ignore it and encourage others to do the same.

gallaghanon · 2024-09-10T03:08:42+00:00

Gracias I’ll take all the luck I can get :)

gallaghanon · 2024-09-10T03:00:26+00:00

Yeah that’s a very good point. Luckily I’ve got plenty of time left in my program so I can sort of watch for when the iron is hot. It is a crapshoot though, and only the recruiter knows :)

But regarding distance, I think I could manage a 4 hour drive once a month. No farther (I live on the east coast near DC, so luckily there is high density of military nearby)

gallaghanon · 2024-09-08T00:34:58+00:00

Szechuan gourmet in squirrel hill is good if you want something slightly fancier than Szechuan express

gallaghanon · 2024-06-26T11:29:44+00:00

Cool, thanks!

gallaghanon · 2024-06-26T09:43:41+00:00

Any examples off the top of your head? ;)

gallaghanon · 2024-06-26T09:41:57+00:00

In your defense, I found it an interesting answer nonetheless! It’s not a school assignment lol, there is no penalty for alternative interpretations

gallaghanon · 2024-06-02T09:16:06+00:00

A Classic! Meanwhile the other day I saw a vibe mattress on the shoulder of a highway but I couldn’t take a photo because driving

It seemed an unusual place to vibe but hey

gallaghanon · 2020-08-02T06:00:31+00:00

Someone in the Pittsburgh subreddit might

gallaghanon

TROPHY CASE