Registration part 1

<p>Another thing, if you are engineering, I highly suggest filling out your registration worksheet long before registration can begin (this is all on webstac, by the way).</p>

<p>That way you can immediately use that to sign up for certain classes right away (ie a lab section of physics, chem, etc), and it will also let you know what your theoretical schedule will look like- so that you don’t accidentally try to overlap some things.</p>

<p>j181 - I have another question for you. I didn’t quite get what you meant about Chem lab for engineers. Son is planning on Mech Eng with possible minor in aerospace, robotics, or physics. Should he plan to take the Chem lab or try to get out of it? I know he wants to free up as much space as possible in his schedule so he can get the minors. He just took the Calc BC AP, Physics AP, Stats AP and Psych AP (which doesn’t count for anything) and won’t know his scores until July, but last year he got 5s on AP Chem and AP Computer Science and placed into 3rd semester calc on Wash U’s test. Any advice would be appreciated - including favorite/least favorite profs, etc. You can PM me if you’d rather. We really appreciate your help!</p>

<p>Thanks! I’ve found this info really helpful!</p>

<p>Does anybody know if engineers can take freshman seminars? I sent an email to someone in the engineering school but haven’t heard back yet.</p>

<p>What do you mean by freshmen seminars? FOCUS’s, no. However, I know things like the bio seminar and the psych seminar are open to anyone (psych so long as you’re enrolled in psych 100).</p>

<p>Does WashU sends out mailing registration forms?</p>

<p>Will directions on setting up an email address come with the ID number? </p>

<p>Also, I found that WashU licenses some Microsoft products for their students:
[Washington</a> University in St. Louis](<a href=“http://msdn06.e-academy.com/elms/Storefront/Home.aspx?campus=washu_csce]Washington”>http://msdn06.e-academy.com/elms/Storefront/Home.aspx?campus=washu_csce)
I assume that this means that, for those with macs, you could get a free (aka no cost to student) license of Vista or XP to use with bootcamp. Does anyone know if the university provides Microsoft Office? I’m surprised that they don’t provide that with the operating systems on that site. Also, various licenses of Visual Basic are provided.
(I found the software link on this part of WashU’s site under links: [url=<a href=“http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/]wuarchive.wustl.edu[/url”>http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/]wuarchive.wustl.edu[/url</a>] )</p>

<p>Philip- you’ll get directions when the schools send them out. I think engineering sends out a separate letter for email passwords separate from id #'s, but my memory isn’t crystal on that.</p>

<p>The licensing isn’t free- you have to pay for those, although it is fairly cheap. You can also get office for macs for a greatly reduced price through the bookstore (since they do those licensing programs).</p>

<p>Thanks, Johnson181, for your info. Are you sure that the licensing isn’t free for the products on that page? It gives registration instructions, and direct downloading for most of the products is listed as free (e.g. Vista Business). However, they list a price for shipping the DVDs. Who assesses the charges to which your refer- the website or the school?</p>

<p>Sorry if my last post wasn’t clear- everything through that link is free (so long as you don’t want a cd copy).</p>

<p>The charges are just for things like office that you would have to buy through the bookstore (things the school licenses but aren’t up through that link)- the chargers are just collected at the register.</p>

<p>Just to plug, I would strongly recommend applying to a first-year program. Comments on a few that I’m familiar with:</p>

<p>1) MedSoc - pretty standard for a lot of pre-med folks. Friends who were in that program recommend it.
2) ILP - has been recommended to me.
3) MBB - good one to look at if you are interested in PNP major, neuroscience. Mixed reviews.
4) China - I personally love Professor Hegel and Chinese Civ. But I’ve heard horror stories about Mu Laosi.
5) Focus Cuba - highly recommended.
6) Focus Irish lit - I also really love Dean Killen. And awesome spring break trip to Ireland.</p>

<p>7) Focus Phage - HANDS DOWN THE BEST!! Ok, full disclosure, I may be biased because I was the TA for this class all last year. A great group of highly motivated students. A lot of hands on learning experience, and a lot of one-on-one interaction with faculty (avg student-faculty ratio during class was 4:1). Even if you think phage are boring, this is a great introduction to microbiology, molecular, cell, bioinformatics, genomics, evolution and scientific reasoning. Got 3 posters out of the work students did, and one student will be presenting at Janelia Farms. GREAT program! Do message me if you have any questions are want to learn more :)</p>

<p>Phage is my first FOCUS choice but FOCUS was my second overall choice. MBB was my first choice because I’m interested in PNP and Bio/neuro, and I also know that in second year you can do research with a professor for a whole semester/year. </p>

<p>Xiv, phage hunters sounds really awesome and I wish I could do both that and MBB!!!
Do you know if the research you do in Phage Hunters can count on a resume? Does everyone participate equally? What about the research in PNP second year (same questions)? And how do most students interested in research start off? I’d like to get started ASAP, hopefully by second semester (is first semester too early?) Do most kids ask professors after class? Do they go through SFS? I’ve heard SFS can hook students up with volunteering groups and research positions as an assistant.</p>

<p>Everyone does participate equally in the research. During the first semester, work is done in pairs, and each pair isolates one phage species. During second semester, work was split into groups of 6, where each group annotated and analyzed an entire phage genome. So in all, 3 genomes were completed. Work that is done during this course may get published (at which time you should certainly put it on your resume!)</p>

<p>As for other research projects, you should list it on your resume under research experience. And of course, if you get published, that’s a big deal, and it should be featured in your resume.</p>

<p>Finding a research lab is fairly easy. The bio department has a list of faculty who have mentored undergraduates before. In addition, you can look through the wustl dbbs faculty list to find even more. Most researchers that you’ll be interested in will probably never teach a course that you will take. My advice is to wait until at least the summer after your freshman year to start research. Often, students may start research fresh out of the gate, but find themselves overburdened. If you want a worthwhile experience, then you’ll be in lab at least 10-12 hrs a week, which on top of coursework, can be a lot. Also, give yourself a little time to refine your interests.</p>

<p>When you are looking into a lab, email the PI about a semester ahead of time (ie. in January if you want to start in the following May) briefly explaining your experience, qualifications and why you are interested in his/her lab. Ask for an interview if they have spots available. You may find that more than half of the PIs you contact will have full labs and will be unable to take on another student. After you’ve interviewed at some places, you will probably get offered a few spots. Remember, the interview is not only for the PI to evaluate you, but for you to evaluate the lab. Is the PI involved on a day to day basis, or is the PI very hands off? How much interaction is there among lab members? Do the grad students and post-docs seem happy? Picking a good lab to work in is not just about the research, but the environment. Find one that fits both your intellectual interests and your personality.</p>

<p>Also, unless you have some kind of fellowship (IE. SURF), I would not expect to get paid during the first semester you work there. Labs generally don’t like to fund students without some kind of track record. If they offer to pay, then awesome, but don’t be offended if they don’t.</p>

<p>wow thanks for your advice!
do you have any experience or info on the research done during the second year of MBB students?</p>