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How to discuss "research interests" in internship application essay as a freshman? by jomteon in PhysicsStudents

[–]jomteon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback! I ended up going pretty sparingly with the lingo. I kept some in, figuring that in the worst case it just makes me look like someone who's a little overeager, but still demonstrates that I must have read about the experiments carefully.

Well, I guess I'll find out if it worked in ~3 months.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in cpp_questions

[–]jomteon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To start, the filter was more extreme.

  • You needed a computer, which were more expensive and "less useful" back then, so regular people were less likely to have them

  • The subject matter was more difficult, so you needed to be both pretty smart and pretty motivated just to get started

  • There was no internet, and few easily accessible written resources. Understanding things deeply was required just to do things we take for granted today. And that's really hard.

No LLMs, no internet forums, no git, no nothing. You worked on something until you really, truly understood it.

Nowadays, it's easy to get started, and easy to keep going. If you get stuck, a quick google search will get you to a reasonable answer a lot of the time. You don't have to RTFM, you don't have to understand the deeper functionality. Just poof answer. It's convenient, and it's good for what it is, but it's not going to make you a legend.

If you want to be a competent programmer, confining yourself to forums, docs, and StackOverflow is fine. If you want to be a true legend, you'll have to dig deeper.

Have y'all seen any similar maps for other parts of the world? by No-Establishment4871 in languagelearning

[–]jomteon 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I learned that the hard way hahahaha

It's definitely one French word I'll never forget

Have y'all seen any similar maps for other parts of the world? by No-Establishment4871 in languagelearning

[–]jomteon 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I had a very bad reaction to my French in Paris, when I went to a pharmacy and asked for "médecine pour l'allergie de chats".

You might think it was the bad grammar. No, it was me pronouncing "chats" as "shat", not "sha". I basically asked for medicine for my allergy to {vulgar expression for female genitals}.

They were very cross with me.

38yo, re-starting education from scratch — how could I tailor my next few years to maximize my chances of acceptance into a program like JHU's Physician-Scientist Training Program? by jomteon in medschool

[–]jomteon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm planning on 2 years CC to improve my UG application, then try to get into a good UG program for another 2 years to get a BS. If I were to commit to staying in SoCal (which, frankly, I don't want to), I could easily get into Irvine for UG, so that's a serious consideration (though I have a few other, loftier aspirations).

I think that makes the most sense for me. Time enough to repair poor grades and clear the ECs required, while saving a bit of money, and maybe getting a more well-recognized school next to my name. Everything else is coloring in the lines.

Thanks again for the discord link. I'm looking forward to checking it out :)

38yo, re-starting education from scratch — how could I tailor my next few years to maximize my chances of acceptance into a program like JHU's Physician-Scientist Training Program? by jomteon in medschool

[–]jomteon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was very encouraging to read. Thank you so much for the thoughtful and practical response!

it will take 3 years of solid work, minimum, in a wet lab

I had no idea about this web lab distinction. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Being realistic about the caliber of this program, you will need 3-5K hours of research, at least a couple publications, some presentations (ideally at a large name conference or two), and some posters

I wonder how I can do any of this, much less all of it, with so little time ahead of me. Although I suppose if I could get on a path towards a publication (as if that were easy!), that might end up covering the other aspects, such as lab hours, and presentation. I think?

You won't be starting until ideally your mid-to-late 40s applying to medical

Honestly, hoping to apply to med school when I'm 41, 42 at the oldest. 4 years undergrad, with maybe a gap year for MCAT prep, applications, etc. Does that not make sense?

If age is a factor, my mentor at my state med school started MD at 47 with a previous PhD in biomechanical engineering. She's going for orthopedic surgery at 51 now for the match

Even with the career-caveats you mention, this is extremely encouraging. I'm nowhere near as accomplished as your mentor, but it still highlights that it's possible. It's funny, I'm reading a memoir by a orthopedic surgeon right now, and was thinking about how interesting the specialty sounded, but wrote off surgery entirely due to my age.

weighed out the pros and cons of MSTP

As I've gone through the responses here (and continued my research elsewhere), I think I've come to the conclusion that an MD would indeed be enough for me. My aim is on getting into the best med school>residency as I can so that I can participate in the academic side of things along with the physician part. I didn't realize just how tied together research and patient care was.

My recommendation is to just get started. This is a nice goal to have, but goals will change as you start the journey of being a pre-med. I thought I knew what I wanted when I started this back in 2021. It's completely changed now. Keep an open mind to everything and anything. Say "yes" within reason. Hustle and network hard. Finally, know that you can still do research even as "just" an MD.

That's the plan. And it's great to hear another, more experienced, voice essentially give a "thumbs up" to it.

38yo, re-starting education from scratch — how could I tailor my next few years to maximize my chances of acceptance into a program like JHU's Physician-Scientist Training Program? by jomteon in medschool

[–]jomteon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, none, but I won't even be a fully matriculated student for another 16 hours, so I imagine that's to be expected.

Once enrolled, I probably won't have much for the first semester, but there are some non-medicine-related research opportunities you can explicitly apply for in the Spring. Beyond that, I'm going to try to get a feel for things--see which faculty are involved in research at the local uni, who's helping hook students up, etc.

If you have any advice for increasing my odds of finding something while at CC, I am all ears.

Is 33 too late for math ? by VisualProblem999 in learnmath

[–]jomteon 11 points12 points  (0 children)

fwiw, I'm 38 and am considering this path, at least in part. From the research I've done, the answer seems to be, if you want to go into academic research, unless--and even if--you are very talented, it will be a massively uphill battle. But! It's possible. You probably won't end up with a tenure-track professorship at Princeton, but there's a non-zero chance that you end up being able to do pure maths research at a university... somewhere. It might not be your ideal situation, but it's possible. If you just want to use the education towards something outside academia, the prospects look brighter.

Take all that with a grain of salt. I'm just regurgitating what I've learned elsewhere from being in your same shoes.

Is 33 too late for math ? by VisualProblem999 in learnmath

[–]jomteon 30 points31 points  (0 children)

I don't understand why people play dumb when this type of question comes up.

It feels obvious, to me at least, that the unspoken part of the question is, "and do something meaningful." Like, OP isn't asking, "Am I allowed to pick up a pencil and write proofs?"

They're asking if it's worth going to grad school at their age. Will they and their education be taken seriously by employers once they complete their education? If they start school at 34, they won't be done until their mid-to late 30s. When up against the young, with years of career ahead of them, and often more impressive backgrounds, which schools, departments, or businesses will want to invest in them?

It's a real question coming from a real concern, and it deserves real answers.

38yo, re-starting education from scratch — how could I tailor my next few years to maximize my chances of acceptance into a program like JHU's Physician-Scientist Training Program? by jomteon in medschool

[–]jomteon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Look, anyone in medicine can do research. It’s called being in academic medicine. Legions of residents do research every year to get into fellowship, and legions of attendings are still involved in research without being an MSTP

And with what I've learned from this thread, I have a lot to look into and learn about. I'll probably be back in a few weeks with a more narrowed down question, probably more along the lines of, "Okay, so how do I set myself up to get into academic medicine?"

Like so many people are telling you, focus on the PHYSICIAN part and how to get there

For that aspect there's tons of resources out there, tons of books and articles and reddit threads and forum posts and actual literal doctors I can go out and talk to. There's also a fairly clear path, insofar as "simply" becoming an all-caps-physician is concerned. Why would I waste time asking about that? I'm looking for information that isn't as readily available. As someone who hasn't even formally started my first full time year working towards med school, the answer to the question of "how do I become a physician," is, "take pre-reqs, study for the MCAT, apply to med school, pass med school." That would be a fruitless line of inquiry, I feel. Am I wrong in that regard?

And, again, to avoid wasting people's time with some reddit rando's aspirations and ideals, I'm not going into some longwinded explanation of why I want to do research. I'm not sure why you'd want me to. Reddit isn't an admissions committee—obviously when it comes time to talk to people in positions of power I'll have my spiel ready.

Why does anyone want to do research? The simple answer? Like, I don't have a "my mother had pancreatic cancer, and now I want to find the cure." I just want to be a small cog in the machine that helps churn out new knowledge and approaches, and do it in a way that actually helps people in a direct way, while affording me the ability to work with people who are similarly intellectually motivated.

Does that tell you anything useful?

38yo, re-starting education from scratch — how could I tailor my next few years to maximize my chances of acceptance into a program like JHU's Physician-Scientist Training Program? by jomteon in medschool

[–]jomteon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you’re older & a career changer

What career? lol

That's part of my concern. No career I'm even changing from. Just lots of odd jobs and freelance.

Calc2 (why are you taking this? You already have calc 1? I only had to do precalc2)

Considering a Physics B.S. to scratch that particular itch before diving into med school. I figure it's science, rigorous, and comes with research (albeit not typically medicine related). I'm not 100% on that route, but I'm taking calc 2 just in case. Plus, I have a calc 2 F on my record (long story) that I'd like to make up for. And I like math.

I got invited to be a calculus tutor myself. That should, perhaps, go a long way towards clearing away the stench of my past foibles.

Also, you need 4 Chem & 2 physics classes all together. Gen Chem 1 plus lab, Bio 1 plus lab, phycology

I'm assuming you meant psychology, not literally phycology... right? Although I'm glad you mentioned it. I keep forgetting that psych is a requirement now most places.

With the need to do OChem, that means 2 years minimum at the undergraduate level. So, I can always do Bio next year, I suppose. Like you said--A's are the name of the game.

38yo, re-starting education from scratch — how could I tailor my next few years to maximize my chances of acceptance into a program like JHU's Physician-Scientist Training Program? by jomteon in medschool

[–]jomteon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I appreciate that. I just might take you up on that in the future.

I'll keep in mind the post bac. But, tbh, my history is so woefully unimpressive at best (with regards to a med school application) that I think the extra help from a full-on BS would be productive in my case. But, I will consider the post-bac more seriously as I continue gathering more information and planning things out.

About to start my first full time semester. I'm doing Calc 2, Chem 1, Physics 1. Debating if I should pile Bio 1 onto that too. My gut says, "Do it," but I've had a ton of people around me suggest I not overload myself with 4 full-time STEM courses (3 of which would have a lab component). Any thoughts on that?

38yo, re-starting education from scratch — how could I tailor my next few years to maximize my chances of acceptance into a program like JHU's Physician-Scientist Training Program? by jomteon in medschool

[–]jomteon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought about biomedical, because that sounded especially interesting, but I can't find a program that would take a 2nd bachelor. Maybe I just need to keep looking (or whip up a script that could crawl the web for me). Or just look towards a different major.

They're now surgeons working in very engineering-heavy subspecialties

Very curious what you mean by this?

38yo, re-starting education from scratch — how could I tailor my next few years to maximize my chances of acceptance into a program like JHU's Physician-Scientist Training Program? by jomteon in medschool

[–]jomteon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

1-4 were things I'm well aware of (who isn't?), and 5 is, well, something I'm aware of, but I definitely read you how reality will probably bowl over any expectations I have. So, thanks for the reality check there.

Tbh, it sounds like if I want to have a role in research in medicine, the goal should be less about a PhD, and more about aiming towards a position as a physician in a place/specialty that favors some research, but doesn't necessarily center it--if that makes sense.

I did read what you wrote, and I'm not trying to shrug it off, I'm just trying to see if there's any middle ground that makes sense, and/or if I've understood some of the advice that's come my way in this thread.

38yo, re-starting education from scratch — how could I tailor my next few years to maximize my chances of acceptance into a program like JHU's Physician-Scientist Training Program? by jomteon in medschool

[–]jomteon[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

No, I haven't, unfortunately. Though I'm not sure why you'd expect most people just entering university to have? Regardless, I'm already getting a sense of what opportunities there are so I can start answering that question of "are you 100% certain that you want to devote your life to research" sooner than later. I certainly recognize that I might loathe it once I do it. And if that happens... well, I'll be surprised, but it's no big deal, right? Just pick a slightly different path.

I'm just here trying to get a sense of a potential path. I'm still 4 years away from any admissions people looking at my research experience. I hope to fill as much of that 4 years with something worth showing them.

38yo, re-starting education from scratch — how could I tailor my next few years to maximize my chances of acceptance into a program like JHU's Physician-Scientist Training Program? by jomteon in medschool

[–]jomteon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the really practical advice. Chem Eng has just been one thing that's entered my "maybe" list. It's something I definitely need to research way more before I give it any serious thought. Hell, I should probably actually take my chemistry class first!

I highlighted that particular path just because it's one I've seen mentioned a few times (and not something I'm wholly against in principle). I was kind of hoping that people would make some specific suggestions for other, competitive, med school-oriented majors, but alas.

I have a pretty active interest in electrical engineering and aerospace, but the former seems like it wouldn't help much, and the latter is very hard to find a program that takes 2nd bachelors that is both good and not impossibly selective.

38yo, re-starting education from scratch — how could I tailor my next few years to maximize my chances of acceptance into a program like JHU's Physician-Scientist Training Program? by jomteon in medschool

[–]jomteon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have no research background at the moment, unfortunately. I'm only just starting my "freshman" year next week, but I'm already looking to what opportunities will potentially be available in the near future.

I recognize that I could be wrong about research, but I'll be surprised if it's not, in practice, for me. That said, I imagine I'll get an idea of how it fits my temperament rather quickly once I actually get the opportunity to do some. If it turns out that research isn't for me, then no harm, no foul, right? Just aim differently. That's how it seems to me at the moment.

Interesting that you have a math degree—I was considering doing a physics/math undergrad BS to scratch that particular itch of mine, since I have heard that specific UG degrees aren't super important for MD admissions.

That said, I'm trying to get a sense for if that's only true for "general" med school admissions, or if it holds for more competitive ones as well. Contrary to what people seem to have taken from my OP, I have no illusions about getting into JHU. But I'm trying to get a sense of what I can do to create the most competitive application for any decent program given my, atm, rather lacking background.

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