<p>does it matter what you major in ? can I say get a bachelors degree in physics and then get a masters degree in COmputer science?
or does it not work that waY ?</p>
<p>Why wouldn't you be able to get a bachelors in physics and a masters in computer sci. The two degrees do not have to be related, it just should be something you want to do in the future.</p>
<p>IMO, bacherlors isn't all that important if you're going to get postgraduate degree.</p>
<p>Not entirely true, be careful.</p>
<p>From UIUC's graduate Computer Science program admissions page (<a href="http://www.cs.uiuc.edu/graduate/admissions.php%5B/url%5D):">http://www.cs.uiuc.edu/graduate/admissions.php):</a></p>
<p>Applicants to the M.S. or Ph.D. program must hold a bachelor or master degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a related area with a sufficient computer science component.</p>
<p>Applicants with a B.S. or M.S. in other disciplines may apply to the Master of Computer Science (M.C.S.) degree program provided they have sufficient background in computer programming, algorithms and data structures, computer organization, and theory of computation (Comparable to CS 125, CS 225, CS 231/232, and CS 173/273 at UIUC).</p>
<p>Ah, well thanks for the catch undecided. My fault!</p>
<p>It's not a big deal, really. To be honest, it's FAR better to study what you'll enjoy as an undergrad than tailor yourself to fit what some future grad school might want you to be. Just be aware that grad school programs will often require you to show some interest and aptitude in the field you intend to study; in the case of UIUC, they want "applicant with a B.S. or M.S. in other disciplines" to have "sufficient background" in the topics they would require majors to be well versed in.</p>
<p>Being a liberal arts major myself, I still advocate that the bachelor's degree is not important in and of itself, particularly if you're going on to graudate school. But, also as a liberal arts major, realize that your bachelor's degree as a process is an important stepping stone into the world of academia you'll be entering into.</p>
<p>The most extreme case that I know of personally is a friend of mine who did his undergrad in biology at Harvard and is now getting his master's in Civil Engineering at MIT.</p>
<p>I've also read about a surprising number of people who did their undergrad in engineering or natural science, and then their PhD's in economics. For example, Vernon Smith, Nobel in Economics in 2002, doesn't hold a bachelor's degree in economics. Rather his bachelor's is in electrical engineering from Caltech. He then later got his PhD in economics from Harvard. Robert Engle, Econ Nobel 2003, got his bachelor's in physics from Williams, and then his PhD from Cornell. Daniel McFadde, Econ Nobel 2000, also did his undergrad in physics.</p>
<p>Ah yes, I forgot to add my own personal examples. My friend's brother majored in civil engineering at Stanford and is getting his masters in law at Harvard!</p>
<p>My former teacher's nephew earned a B.A. in English and then earned a M.D.</p>
<p>Eiffelguy87, that's actually not that uncommon. I happen to know a number of humanities majors, including Art History majors, who are in or have completed med-school. In fact, I suspect there may be some Leisure Studies majors in med-school (yes, some schools really do offer a Leisure Studies major).</p>
<p>The fact is, all you have to do to be academically eligible for med-school is to complete the premed sequence, which really isn't that many classes. Hence, lots of people get do it. In fact, majoring in humanities may actually give you an advantage, because the fact is, humanities classes tend to be graded easier than science courses, which makes it easier to present the high GPA that med-schools demand. </p>
<p>What I'm more impressed with are people who manage to get into academic grad-school (as opposed to professional grad-school) in a subject that is far removed from their undergrad degree. For example, I have yet to hear of an Film Studies undergrad getting into a Chemical Engineering PhD program. But I'm sure somewhere somebody has managed to pull it off.</p>
<p>Sakky: True (but it seems you're brushing off humanities majors because their "graded easier").</p>
<p>Well, it is a well-known fact that humanities majors are indeed graded easier, and not just at Berkeley, but at most other schools. Now that doesn't mean that every single humanities course is graded easier than every single technical course. But the trend is clear. This is actually a well-understood and documented truism in higher education, with many reports and articles written about it. Some people say that it has to do with the Vietnam War which caused humanities profs to inflate their grades so that their students could continue to stay in school and keep their draft deferments (although interestingly, I wonder why science and engineering profs didn't also choose to inflate their grades for the same reason). But the point is, I'm not saying anything that isn't true. </p>
<p>And the fact is, it is (sadly) an advantage to take easier classes in order to get higher grades if you want to get into med-school. Put another way, for the purposes of med-school admissions, it's better not to take a difficult class at all than to take it and get a bad grade. In other words, med-schools reward academic cowardice. Sad but true.</p>
<p>Medical schools need to take into account the difficulty of a particular major when accepting applicants. It is widely known that medical schools place more emphasis on GPA than the difficulty of the candidate's curriculum.</p>
<p>However, it should be noted that medical school and residency constitute at least another 7 years of additional education.</p>
<p>Someone who was not admitted to medical school but majored and excelled in engineering can still and easily surpass the income of a doctor. The income of doctors are generally capped.</p>
<p>Given that medical school and residency takes at least 7 years to complete someone can obtain...</p>
<p>Two to Three Master's of Engineering Degrees (1 year per each degree)
Combined MBA/JD Program from a top 10 university(4 years)</p>
<p>in the same amount of time it takes to get an MD and residency.</p>
<p>2-3 MSE and MBA/JD > MD.</p>
<p>Why would anybody want to get 3 Master's of Engineering degrees? Isn't one enough?</p>
<p>And the truth is, if you get an MBA or a JD (or both), having previous Master's of Engineering degrees isn't going to matter very much. The truth is, your final degree is really the only one that counts. Few employers are going to care about what degrees you got before that.</p>
<p>As an example, I know a guy who got his PhD in engineering, but then decided that he wanted to be an investment banker, so he decided to go back to school to get his MBA. He did end up getting a banking job, but he ended up with the same salary as his colleagues who didn't have a PhD. The employer did not make him a better-than-normal offer just because he had a Phd. Nor were his chances of getting that offer substantially increased because of his PhD. He basically ended up with his 3rd or 4th choice of employer. His first choice employer did not extend him an offer. Instead, that employer made job offers to other MBA's who had no other degrees besides their bachelor's. The point is, his prior PhD gave him little advantage. </p>
<p>Now, I agree that there are other employers who would care about his prior Phd. Tech companies, for instance. But the truth is, none of these employers will pay the kind of money that a bank will. </p>
<p>Look I said it before, I'll say it again. If all you want is money, don't work as an engineer, and don't work as a doctor. You can still get an engineering degree, but not work as an engineer. Instead, go to Wall Street and become a banker. Bankers make more money than doctors ever could.</p>
<p>sakky: vernon smith went to ku and got an undergraduate degree in economics before going on to harvard</p>
<p>Sakky what is the best way you think one can get into the I-banking field?
It seems that a lot of people are competitive with the recruiters at Cal. So far I have just been trying to get internships. I got rejected for a Morgan Stanley internship. However, I do have an interview with Goldman this month for a summer internship. I would appreciate your suggestions.</p>
<p>Sakky,
I wasn't say that everyone would WANT 3 engineering degrees. My point was that someone could have gotten all that in the same amount of time they would have been in med school and residency. And had they gotten all that, they would surely be making more than a doctor.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Sakky what is the best way you think one can get into the I-banking field?
It seems that a lot of people are competitive with the recruiters at Cal. So far I have just been trying to get internships. I got rejected for a Morgan Stanley internship. However, I do have an interview with Goldman this month for a summer internship. I would appreciate your suggestions.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It's all about networking and about building your personal charisma. You have to learn how to speak well in public, how to look good, how to dress well, how to talk the lingo, and how to shmooze. You should try to attend as many banking events as you can, and get your foot in the door however you can. If that means volunteering part-time in a boutique Ibank in San Francisco for free, so be it. </p>
<p>
[quote]
I wasn't say that everyone would WANT 3 engineering degrees. My point was that someone could have gotten all that in the same amount of time they would have been in med school and residency. And had they gotten all that, they would surely be making more than a doctor.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I understand what you said, but like I said, if you just want to make money, forget about getting all those degrees. Just go get a job as an Ibanker. You only need a bachelor's degree to be an analyst and an MBA to be an associate. You don't need all those other degrees. If you can get in and succeed, you will make far more money than a doctor would.</p>
<p>The problem with Ibanking is that you forgot to mention MOST people will burn out in three years or less. The hours it requires to just be average in an investment banking firm is ridiculous.</p>
<p>If you had two or three Master's degrees in Engineering, you could at least have a job after the three years. In addition, because your technical knowledge is so broad as well as in depth, all you need is an MBA and you will literally OWN everyone in the company.</p>
<p>Even analysts for Ibanks don't make more than pharmacists given the they work the same amount of hours.</p>
<p>Humanities are more subjective as well. With a humanities paper, there are literally an infinite number of possibilities of arguement.</p>
<p>Yes, and your professors and teaching assistants should feel free to shoot down the many within the infinite that are poor and reward the well made. Is science so "objective" that all scientists agree about everything? They are humans interpreting the world subjectively.</p>