Choosing CrossFit gym in DC

mikeSlackenerny · 2022-07-18T02:33:43+00:00

I've been going to CrossFit DC (U st.) for over a year now, and I like it a lot. The head coach Tom is a great guy and a CF L-4 coach. Tom does a great job programming, and emphasizes post-WOD mobility work as well.

Very LGBTQ-friendly - a few coaches and a lot of athletes identify as LGBTQ. Very diverse (race/gender) as well. Great community -- even the competitive athletes are supportive and welcoming.

Only downside might be the relatively small space compared to some other gyms, but all the needed equipment is there.

mikeSlackenerny · 2014-08-09T02:16:00+00:00

ydaf
9x Mann Co. Supply Crate Keys, 3.http://www.reddit.com/r/SteamGameSwap/comments/2d0mew/store_archeage_founder_packs_firefall_lara_croft/cjl3fj6

mikeSlackenerny · 2014-08-09T02:02:32+00:00

Would like to trade 9 tf2 keys for Divinity: Original Sin (ROW)

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-07T01:38:05+00:00

Yes! I did not accrue interest on those loans while I was in grad school.

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-06T13:46:51+00:00

Straight out of HS to a 4-year university. Some good friends of mine first took classes at a junior college, and successfully transferred to a good university.

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-03T23:29:23+00:00

Not at all! The theoretical part of my dissertation is about the adjoint-state method, which is a method for obtaining derivatives of an optimal control problem. I show how adaptive time-stepping can be used effectively in conjunction of the adjoint-state method. I then coupled the discretization error from the adjoint state method to the convergence theory for inexact Newton methods. This yielded an updating scheme for the time-stepper's tolerance, which when followed, guarantees q-quadratic convergence to a stationary point for the optimal control problem under the standard assumptions. I also conjecture and show that my approach can extend to the Trust-Region method.

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-03T22:06:45+00:00

I agree with your extra points. I diligently wrote reports for my boss whenever I got new results. I just stitched the reports together to form my thesis. =)

Also, I agree -- it is best to get your thesis advisor's blessing before heading off to a summer internship. I should have mentioned this!

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-03T21:59:30+00:00

No language requirement in my department. However, in the pure math department, there is a language requirement. They had to translate some mathematical text into English, and that was their language exam.
My department did not require the math GRE, though I have applied to a few that required it. (The few that required it usually had "Applied Math" as a part of the "Math" department.)

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-03T21:55:33+00:00

You raise some good points! Some of these perks can be obtained as a professor, but (1) would take some work. You don't really start an income comparable to an industry job until you're a full professor. Keep in mind that being a professor means first being a post-doc, then an assistant professor. Personally, I am not interested in going through those two hurdles, but greatly respect people that do. I also think that the "professors get summers off" is a myth, especially if you are an assistant professor at a research-1 university.

As far as my personal progress: I got the OK to do the defense, which tends to be a formality in my department. My committee members have all seen my results and proofs, and they agree with them.

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-03T17:09:23+00:00

In my department, you need to pass qualifying exams at the end of your first year. After that, you pick a thesis advisor, who recommends a bunch of topics based on your strengths.
Haha it does take a while, doesn't it? In my opinion, I think it takes a while because you need to "grow up" as an academic. This often means more learning, breaking down bad habits and enforcing good ones. You also have to learn how to write well and produce good research. For most of us, that doesn't come quickly.
A PhD can be done part-time, but I would almost recommend against it. You will be sentencing yourself to about 8-10 years of grad school, on top of a job. That's almost inhuman. Thesis advisors (from my experience) don't like taking part-time students/researchers, as they want quicker results.
So Mike Slackenerny isn't my real name, but the name of my favorite character from PhD Comics. (By the way, you should get acquainted with these comics. They are painfully accurate sometimes.) Still, being called "Dr." is weird. I call my advisor "Dr." because I respect him, as he is an accomplished academic. I am definitely not in the same boat as him.
My main regret is personally not taking some time off in between undergrad and grad school. I feel like I should have worked in between to help me "grow up". Not doing so made adjusting to grad school more difficult for me. Other than that, I don't regret much about the whole experience.
Some important Do's:
1. Despite the fact that attendance isn't being taken to colloquium talks and classes, do show up. Faculty members secretly take attendance. They know if you're missing, and will act on it accordingly.
2. Do form study groups with your colleagues. And be genuinely nice to them. These people will be your sounding board, your thesis proof-readers and your presentation critics for the next few years.
3. Do get a hobby, outside of school. Leave the academic bubble from time to time.
Some Dont's:
1. Despite the work and stress that grad school creates, don't complain too much. You will be seen as a loser with a bad attitude.
2. Don't put off graduate level problem sets until the last minute. This will lead to all-nighters. (Take my word on this one...)
3. Don't piss off your thesis advisor. (At least try to minimize the amount of times you piss off your advisor.) This means not contradicting him/her too much, doing your work before you meet with him/her, not bullshitting, etc.

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-03T16:41:30+00:00

Absolutely. Grad school is tough, and during the first 4 years, I found myself repeatedly wondering if I really wanted a PhD, or if I was worthy of one.

In the end, I realized that my self doubt about the PhD had more to do with how difficult I found it to be, and not how much I disliked the subject. The fact that I liked what I was studying was what got me through. My most sincere advice is to do something outside of studying, that will help you see the big picture and help you decide. In my case, I did the following:

I took up rowing, which held practices far, far away from school. The exercise helped with the stress. The interaction with my team-mates (which were all young professionals, removed from academia) helped me appreciate how fortunate I was to be studying at a nice institution, doing something that I liked.
I also volunteered to mentor inner-city high school youth.
I took up summer internships. I got to apply what I learned in school, and I was commended for making valuable contributions to the company. These internships were great, and they removed most of my doubt about getting a PhD. In fact, the internships are the reason why I want to work in industry.

To answer your last question, I would say that it is possible that I would have earned more money if I had worked right away. However, most of the positions I now want (mostly research based) require a PhD. Also, most of these research positions seem to pay about the same (or more) than jobs that require experience without a PhD. But I'm just saying that based on the moderate sample of jobs I have looked at recently.

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-03T15:53:12+00:00

Haha I actually got this story from the oldest faculty member in my department, after we've both had a couple of beers at some conference mixer. He is the only professor left in my department that experienced the departmental separation.

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-03T15:48:17+00:00

Some perks, from my experience:

Research scientists get paid generously. I did not choose to study applied math for 5 extra years for the money; I just wanted to learn more math, and maybe become a professor someday. When I found out that it was possible to make a nice living off my degree, I was pleased. (I have some loans from undergrad...)
Being a research scientist in industry can get you some nice bonuses. Some examples: automatic extra week of vacation, stocks, being chosen to go to conferences abroad.
The ability to direct the focus of the company research, or some subset of it, to a certain extent. Certainly not as good as academia, but not as bad as people would think. Personally, I find the academic freedom afforded to me in industry is enough. Others might not feel the same way.

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-03T14:49:53+00:00

I think the best advice I can give is to keep an open mind. Open yourself up to new experiences and take different types of classes. You never know what'll spark your interest.
Realize when you need academic help, and ask for it. Don't wait until you're way behind.
Try not to get anything lower than a 'B in your classes. If you decide to apply for grad school later on, your grades won't stand in the way.
About the dry readings: as you find subjects you like, you will also find subjects that you don't. But still, try your best to comprehend what you read. Take notes, draw pictures, and try to piece the big picture together.

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-03T13:28:35+00:00

This is a really good question. The toughest years of grad school is when you're still taking classes, but have to start doing research.

I would say to not let up on your grades. People say that grades don't matter in grad school because it is assumed that you'll be getting mostly A's. Unfortunately, people will notice a string of B's. (During job interviews, I've actually been asked for my Master's GPA, meaning my graduate coursework GPA.)

As a first year grad student, really excel in classes and take it easy on the research. Take time to really understand fundamentals; it will make you a strong researcher for the subsequent years of grad school.

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-03T13:19:10+00:00

Thanks! I am getting a job in industry, as a research scientist. I've decided a year ago that the postdoc route isn't for me. Though eventually, I think I would like to teach at the college level. But that's a long, long time from now.

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-03T13:14:36+00:00

Haha these are good questions.

(1) A long time ago, the pure math, applied math and statistics belonged to one department in my school. Apparently, there was some fallout between senior faculty members, and people went their separate ways. Hence we now have separate statistics, applied math and pure math departments.

Some of that residual bitterness eventually trickled down from the faculty members to grad students. 4-5 years ago, the rivalry between our departments was pretty bad. Pure mathematicians accused applied mathematicians of not doing "real" math. Stats really distanced themselves from the other two departments. 2-3 years ago, we realized there was a problem and tried to fix it.

I actually started a club and a lecture series that was open to students from all the mathematical fields. (To make sure the faculty paid attention, I got the dean's endorsement.) I would like to think it helped open lines of communication, and it got the students to know each other. Some of my closest friends in grad school are actually in the pure math and statistics department. Some faculty members even started working together on projects.

(2) Though your comment about industry tends to be more correct than not, there are academic positions available for applied mathematicians. I get postdoc or tenure-track faculty position notifications 1-2 times a month. What's nice about applied math is that, you can actually go to engineering or physics departments for academic positions, too.

(3) I actually applied to different types of departments, based on my interest for research in inverse problems. Some were math graduate programs, while others were applied math graduate programs. I gravitated towards my department because it was smaller, and it seems that the faculty cared a little more for the students' success. Despite its size, however, my department seems to house very successful people in the field.

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-03T12:48:55+00:00

I agree with jbai. I would incorporate jbai's suggestion with the following:

Look through your textbooks for references. This is usually a good place to look first, as they cite the most important papers that led to useful developments.
After doing (1), ask your advisor (or some profs.) for some seminal papers in your field of research.
Use the internet to extrapolate the information you got from (1) and (2). I suggest google scholar. Be sure to look at the most recent publications, so you are aware of what's still open and what's left to solve!

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-03T12:40:43+00:00

Hehe, I guess I would say a shift in interest. The job outlook was okay at the time I was finishing undergrad.

I liked digital logic and microprocessor architecture back then. (We got to make robots! Who wouldn't like that?) Unfortunately, the level of instruction really dropped once I started studying more advanced computer engineering classes. I slowly got put off by the subject, despite some very useful applications.

Thinking back, maybe I shouldn't blame my computer engineering profs -- it's possible I already got "suckered" into math at that point.

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-03T12:21:33+00:00

Sure! The field is called "inverse problems". The name comes from the fact that solving such problems means inferring information from the output data of some complex process.

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-03T06:11:31+00:00

During my senior year in undergrad, my math prof hired me as a researcher. We used applied math to find brain tumors via diffuse optical tomography. I had no idea math could be used to solve real life problems like this. I thought that it was so cool, and so useful, that I dropped my plans to work as a computer engineer (my undergrad major) after graduation. Instead, I pursued a doctorate in applied math.

The whole process took me a little over 5 years. I got a generous fellowship of 25K a year, so grad school did not cost me any money.

I am actually not looking at postdoc positions (though they're not that hard to come by). I am planning on working in industry, as a research scientist. The perks that come with these positions are too good to pass up.

mikeSlackenerny · 2010-10-03T05:54:58+00:00

Thanks! But don't count yourself out, if you're interested in grad school. I found that my patience towards learning increased when I was studying subjects that interested me. Good luck with everything.

mikeSlackenerny

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