<p>Here's that newfangled thread for talking about nerdy stuff while we wait for UT to decide! Yay!</p>
<p>@ WhatevDude</p>
<p>Yeah, my prof is a cool dude and all. He teaches at UT and UC Berkley and studies in Africa. But he’s also super elitist. I told him recently that I was waiting on UT to decide if I’m accepted or not and that I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t give us a decision date, like they do for the freshmen, etc. I basically said that it seemed like they didn’t really want transfer students that much. </p>
<p>His response was basically that transfer students aren’t as smart/good as the ones already at UT, and that transferring from a CC to a University was like “going from high school to college”, as if I’m not already in college. Ugh. So I think his attitude is that everyone needs to know everything about science, and if you don’t, then you’re less of a student or something. So he feels the need to go into crazy detail about everything. </p>
<p>My passion is psychology, though. I think what gets me about it is that humans are the only species on earth intelligent enough to study our own brains. It’s kind of a mind-blowing thought, really. And the fact that I can even have that thought is equally mind-blowing. lol. A lot of people think of space as being the final frontier, but I think the brain is. We really understand less about the brain than we do about space. </p>
<p>My goal is to do research and experimental psychology, not be a therapist. I kind of think about it like biology, but specifically for the human species. People are amazingly complex and interesting. :D</p>
<p>LMAO! I haven’t even read the previous post yet, but I must say - I LOVE this thread already! :)</p>
<p>I figured the title fits. I’m a certified nerd. I have the glasses and everything! Hehe.</p>
<p>Here! </p>
<p>What a jackass.
Sure, if you took the average CC student and the average tier 1 student and subjected them to an IQ test, I’d imagine students at universities would score a little higher. The problem is that transfer students are supposed to represent the people who had the ability but lacked the necessary circumstances, for whatever reason, to attend a tier 1 university from the outset. Some of us grew up poor, attended ****ty high schools (I never went to high school), screwed off, and a number of other things that made it difficult to go straight to college. The transfer process essentially allows students who fell through the cracks to climb out of the hole. The guy sounds like a moron.</p>
<p>Comments from people like him make me that much more eager to dominate once I transfer. I love proving people wrong and beating the odds :D</p>
<p>I got a little excited when you guys were talking about The Magic of Reality and Dawkins. A much better book from him (for people who already understand the basics) is the Greatest Show on Earth. I also enjoy Caleb Scharf, Lawrence Krauss, Sagan, all the other normal good ones.</p>
<p>“Candle in the dark” was a brilliant book. I don’t remember it well, but I remember thinking that it was an amazing book. I’ve always appreciated his understanding of science as a humble endeavor.</p>
<p>Yeah, I grew up poor. I have five siblings, some of whom are mentally ill and/or on drugs. I busted my *** to get where I am, so it was pretty insulting to hear that from one of my professors. </p>
<p>But hey, success is the best revenge, right? I went from dropping out after 10th grade, to a GED, to getting my Associate’s next month! I wasn’t sure if I was going to graduate until yesterday. I took a CLEP test to get the last class I needed (second semester French). Not only did I get my second semester French credit, I freaking clobbered that test. I tested out of four semesters of French in one fell swoop! BOOM!</p>
<p>My march of academic domination will likely continue for the foreseeable future.</p>
<p>That’s interesting. One of my former professors was a former UT professor who said that part of the reason he made the switch to teaching at community college was because, on average, community college students are there strictly because they <em>want</em> to be and not because it’s just the-thing-you-do-next. CC students may be a bit “rusty” on some of the HS-esque habits, but the engagement and motivation found tends to be higher quality. I think there’s probably a lot of truth in this statement, and it’s worth considering alongside comments like the one from your professor. It may be a bit harder to get one’s foot in the door later in life, but once you’re in, your performance speaks for itself. A lot of PIs seem to prefer slightly older students because they generally have higher maturity levels and at least a clue what they want to do with their lives.</p>
<p>@sartis: Have you read “Something from Nothing”?</p>
<p>As for the psychology thing, I couldn’t agree more. The mind is fascinating. It took me years to make the leap, but eventually it seems inevitable that any and all things psych lead straight into neuroscience. The brain is where the magic happens. Have you read anything by Sam Harris? “Free Will” was a pretty mind-blowing book.</p>
<p>@WhatevDude: If you mean A Universe From Nothing, yeah, it’s the only Krauss one I’ve read, but it me made consider attending Arizona State to meet him :)</p>
<p>Did you know Krauss and Dawkins recently finished a movie together? Google it (I don’t wanna stir the pot with posting the name on here).</p>
<p>@ WD:</p>
<p>No, I haven’t read that. I really need to make time to just read books for fun. It’s on my “to do” list for this summer. For once, I don’t need to take summer classes or do anything like that, so I can read and hang out at hipster owned and operated coffee places here in ATX. lol. </p>
<p>I mostly have time to read articles on science and the news, since they’re short. Like this one: <a href=“New Research Suggests Two Rat Brains Can Be Linked - The New York Times”>New Research Suggests Two Rat Brains Can Be Linked - The New York Times. Linking two rat brains across time and space! It’s like some crazy sci-fi stuff. Although it’s in its rudimentary stages, I think it could lead to some amazing advances for people who might be disabled or mobility-impaired. Or it could lead some some Asimov ****. lol. </p>
<p>I think after undergrad, I’ll go to grad school and either focus on biopsych or abnormal psychology. I’m really interested in mental illnesses, etc. I think that understanding what happens when the brain malfunctions can lead to more understanding of normal functioning.</p>
<p>@WhatevDude</p>
<p>I like Sam Harris a lot. I think I’ve read that one, but I’m not sure. I read his book about morality about a year ago. He is an excellent writer. </p>
<p>@deadxpoetics
I also grew up really poor. I feel ya!</p>
<p>Bah!! So much to say and so little time!</p>
<p>1) Love this thread. We should’ve done this AGES ago. </p>
<p>2) @sartis: You just made my day. I cannot believe I hadn’t seen or heard about that film. The talk they did together a while back was great, so I expect this will be phenomenal. Probably a good call not linking trailer here. UT lies deep in the heart of the Bible Belt, some might say quite unfortunately. </p>
<p>And yes, that’s the title I meant. Thanks for the correction there. I always misremember that title because of the lecture/talk mentioned above, which also happens to be the reason I read Krauss’s book in the first place. Good stuff. </p>
<p>3) @deadxpoetics: Awesome article, but I do have one question - did anyone else catch the “reward” offerered to the rats in these “training” sessions? Water. Water! What kind of training is this, GITMO 101? You know that dude was sitting on half a million dollars in grant money for that study, minimum. Can a rat get some CHEESE one time? Water! Pfft. ;-p</p>
<p>More to say but out of time. Until next time~</p>
<p>Haha. Well, I think it’s funny that people think of cheese when they think of rats. Rats are lactose intolerant, like most (all?) mammals after the end of breastfeeding. I still give mine a little piece every now and then because they love it. But they’ll really eat anything. Their favorite thing is chicken bones. </p>
<p>I got pet rats because I really grew to appreciate rats after doing so much reading in my psych classes about how much they’ve contributed to our own species through science, and how smart they were, and the fact that rats can experience empathy. They’re so similar to us!</p>
<p>I have POUNDS of cheese in my fridge right now. POUNDS.</p>
<p>That makes me suspicious. Are you using that cheese for nefarious purposes? Hmmmm?</p>
<p>If gaining unnecessary amounts of weight can be considered nefarious, then you might have a point! lol</p>