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Grad school, life, Massachusetts, hillbillies, the housing market...

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
Well today I am meeting with my advisor to find out WTF I need to do to get this grad school bit rolling or whether to just go to work or what. I know, pretty much for sure, that I can go here at TN Tech for free, and earn a stipend... but Im not so sure that's what I want to do because some other opportunities are popping up all the time...and there's some other neat schools across the land that would most definitely accept me. In places with better riding where the population has > 3.5 average teeth/mouth.
Heading that list right now is the Univeristy of Mass. b/c they have some neat "non-thesis" :busted: Masters' programs that sound interesting as well as many cool research projects...I'd of course take whichever paid more, but hell, if I found some neat Fish Tech job up that way, I'd take that too.
One of the main issues is that the wife hates it out here in the hillbilly sticks, and there's not much riding. Yeah, I just bought a house, but this city is booming and places sell relatively quick, so that doesnt worry me so much.
Anyway, Im visiting Mass. in May, at this point I believe. I PM'd Narlus about the area and he gave me some advice, but I suppose my scope isnt as limited as "should I got to Umass" it's more, WTF should I do? Not that I expect to find an answer here or anything, more looking for personal experiences.
Who here went directly to grad school after graduating?
Who went to the same grad school as undergrad? Is that viewed as a negative?
What if I earn my masters and Ph.D. at the same school, is that a negative?

I'm rambling...
 

laura

DH_Laura
Jul 16, 2002
6,259
15
Glitter Gulch
I went to grad school straight from undergrad. Well, I took a semester off but that was it. And I did undergrad and grad at the same school. Some people say it is frowned upon. It's a different atmosphere if you stay at the same school all the way through. Less "professional". But the U of M had exactly what I wanted in the program, applied research, non-thesis masters, urban and medical focus with a lot of really great professors, so I stayed. It hasn't hurt me in the least except to say that I wish I had left Memphis earlier.

I'm not sure about the Master's/Ph.D. at the same school. I've got a friend who went to University of Michigan and was going to go straight through a master's in math to the Ph.D. program (but settled for her master's because she was so burnt out.)

I don't how happy I am that I went straight through. I was so burnt out by my last year that I really didn't get the most out of it. However, if I had taken time off to work, I may never have gone back.

What are you getting a master's in?
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
Well, my undergrad is in Fisheries Science, so I'm looking at switching it up a little bit for my masters' to be a little more well rounded. Probably something like Watershed management or conservation biology... but still something involving aquatics. Ideally I'd like to work doing stream restorations in degraded areas, so i want to get some landscape architecture in there.

?

Anyway, there's a ton of schools that offer that stuff, and there are jobs to be had, even at a bachelors' level...but Im not in dire need of work right now or anything.
 

Wumpus

makes avatars better
Dec 25, 2003
8,161
153
Six Shooter Junction
I don't how happy I am that I went straight through. I was so burnt out by my last year that I really didn't get the most out of it.

:stupid:

If you are getting paid from the grad department, there are quite a few professors that expect you to spend your life at school doing grunt work. I was on a "grant' the first year and it sucked, paid my own way the second year, and it was much better but I was tired of school and didn't really care by then.

Same school, but I changed from biology to horticulture.
 

MMcG

Ride till you puke!
Dec 10, 2002
15,457
12
Burlington, Connecticut
UMass Amherst has a pretty cool bike scene/community going on for it out that way..........just something to consider along with the programs they may offer for you. You've got UMass Amherst, Hampshire College, Smith etc. etc.

I think that region is the base of "operations" for the new Spooky Bikes as well.

Mark
 

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
UMass Amherst has a pretty cool bike scene/community going on for it out that way..........just something to consider along with the programs they may offer for you. You've got UMass Amherst, Hampshire College, Smith etc. etc.

I think that region is the base of "operations" for the new Spooky Bikes as well.

Mark
Plus they have lots of great burrito shops in town there:drool:
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,029
7,549
Well today I am meeting with my advisor to find out WTF I need to do to get this grad school bit rolling or whether to just go to work or what. I know, pretty much for sure, that I can go here at TN Tech for free, and earn a stipend... but Im not so sure that's what I want to do because some other opportunities are popping up all the time...and there's some other neat schools across the land that would most definitely accept me. In places with better riding where the population has > 3.5 average teeth/mouth.
Heading that list right now is the Univeristy of Mass. b/c they have some neat "non-thesis" :busted: Masters' programs that sound interesting as well as many cool research projects...I'd of course take whichever paid more, but hell, if I found some neat Fish Tech job up that way, I'd take that too.
One of the main issues is that the wife hates it out here in the hillbilly sticks, and there's not much riding. Yeah, I just bought a house, but this city is booming and places sell relatively quick, so that doesnt worry me so much.
Anyway, Im visiting Mass. in May, at this point I believe. I PM'd Narlus about the area and he gave me some advice, but I suppose my scope isnt as limited as "should I got to Umass" it's more, WTF should I do? Not that I expect to find an answer here or anything, more looking for personal experiences.
Who here went directly to grad school after graduating?
Who went to the same grad school as undergrad? Is that viewed as a negative?
What if I earn my masters and Ph.D. at the same school, is that a negative?

I'm rambling...
boston is really, really expensive. but umass is in worcester, no? "woohstah" is cheaper but lacks the cool stuff that draws people to boston. :D

i took a year off between undergrad and grad school, and did not go to the same place for both. going from masters to ph.d. programs at the same school is very common, and would not be a negative imo.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
UMass Amherst has a pretty cool bike scene/community going on for it out that way..........just something to consider along with the programs they may offer for you. You've got UMass Amherst, Hampshire College, Smith etc. etc.

I think that region is the base of "operations" for the new Spooky Bikes as well.

Mark
Yeah, Amherst seems like the most likely destination at this stage, the only thing is, like most of these schools with programs like this, it gets a bit saturated in the work scene, so Id be moving again when I graduated. Of course, that's going to be the case anywhere, so I dont know.
Anyway, Im visiting Amherst in may, like i said, so we'll see how that goes. Riding is definitely a factor, as there is NONE within an hour of me right now. :disgust1:
 

McGRP01

beer and bikes
Feb 6, 2003
7,793
0
Portland, OR
U.Mass is in Amherst (well, one of them is anyway, the biggest one) which is actually a little west of Worcester. Great school, great area, close to Northampton which has great concerts/arts... TONS of riding within an hour or two, both lift assisted and not. Not to mention the riding that is right there. And, it's only like an hour from Boston when you want to go do the city thing....
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
boston is really, really expensive. but umass is in worcester, no? "woohstah" is cheaper but lacks the cool stuff that draws people to boston. :D

i took a year off between undergrad and grad school, and did not go to the same place for both. going from masters to ph.d. programs at the same school is very common, and would not be a negative imo.
Yeah, housing prices are actually comparable to around in here in Amherst as far as I can tell with some quick online searches. That's a big plus because I hate renting. And its good to know that a finishing 2 grad degrees at the same school isnt a negative. If I like it I could potentially stay on a couple years and not have to move right away.
 

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
63
behind the viewfinder
toshi:


amherst
worcester


i think burly would like happy valley...he could like out in the sticks, like montague, where there's plenty of forests and fishing. the deerfield river is excellent for fly-fishing. lots to ride around there, and you've got mt snow, killington, and bromont as DH options 1-2.5 hr away.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
How far away is JohnBryanPeters from there? I dont want him accidentally taking out my house with his mustache or anything.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
If you are moving to a new area and can swing it money-wise, consider taking at least a semester off if not an entire year to get settled, meet new friends, party in the city, figure out the riding spots, etc. You'll be better able to focus once you hit the books. As for Mass, great place but don't forget about winter, that shizz is for real.
 

Jim Mac

MAKE ENDURO GREAT AGAIN
May 21, 2004
6,352
282
the middle east of NY
IMHO, Western MA is the way to go. It will give you plenty of school, ride and potential work options (it seems to be a growing area). And if you want a touch of redneck, I can show you a couple of ORV trails where you can watch people roll jeeps all day long....
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
If you are moving to a new area and can swing it money-wise, consider taking at least a semester off if not an entire year to get settled, meet new friends, party in the city, figure out the riding spots, etc. You'll be better able to focus once you hit the books. As for Mass, great place but don't forget about winter, that shizz is for real.
Man, I got not time to be taking semesters off unless its for an internship or something. My wife works, and I just dont have time like that to waste. The key is to get as much schooling done as I can in as short a time as possible. I got no kids, but I might in a few years. Need to be as qualified as I can to support those little bastards.
 

BadDNA

hophead
Mar 31, 2006
4,257
231
Living the dream.
UMass is in Worcester, Boston, Amherst and Lowell. It all depends on what you're doing.

There is one hell of a riding scene up here, that's for sure and you can live affordably if you're willing to do some traveling, Boston will not be cheap.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
UMass is in Worcester, Boston, Amherst and Lowell. It all depends on what you're doing.

There is one hell of a riding scene up here, that's for sure and you can live affordably if you're willing to do some traveling, Boston will not be cheap.
The program Im interested in is located in Amherst specifically.
 

BadDNA

hophead
Mar 31, 2006
4,257
231
Living the dream.
Well there you go, I think the others have summed it up nicely. Amherst is a nice place and is close to Northampton which is close to our hearts (Mrs. BadDNA is a Smith Alum.) so we make trips out there pretty frequently. Loads of riding, fishing, hiking, skiing or whatever you want to do really. You won't have to live in the city but you'll still be close enough to go to Boston, Hartford or Providence on a whim.

Make sure to let us know when you're up to check the place out, we'll get a ride together and I'm sure we can dig up a bike to loan you so you won't have to drag yours along.
 

MMcG

Ride till you puke!
Dec 10, 2002
15,457
12
Burlington, Connecticut
UMass Amherst has a bike shop co-op right in the Student Union. You might want to PM smelly (or is it Smelly) here on the Monkey to get more information on the campus and the riding scene in and around the campus.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
Sounds good fellas. I cant imagine NOT bringing my bike when I come for a visit. I always bring the bike.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
Cant you find a good school in CO?
Colorado state has a good program for what I'm after, but the wife's company doesnt have a branch there, so... it's a possibility, but not at the top of the list.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
I will see what they got JBP, and if I recall, the wife's company has a place up there.
 

gsweet

Monkey
Dec 20, 2001
733
4
Minnesota
damn, wish i'd seen this thread earlier! i just came out of your situation, burly; i graduated from undergrad in may (out of the twin cities, MN) and, because i had some money, took the better part of a year off to figure out what was next. after some serious thought, i've decided to head to grad school too. this time, 7 hours north of the twin cities. so not exactly amherst...but i did spend the first 18 years of my life in the greater boston area and i can safely say that everyone else has summed up the area quite well; it's got plenty of riding and some severly good food, a rabid sports scene in general, and a lot of very cool people. worcester is similar, although a bit more "industrial" feeling, and amherst is more like a college city. at least that's the feeling i get when i'm out there. but anyways, if you come out here i'm sure you'll enjoy it...though the winters can get pretty long. if you're into the fishery business and water management/acquatic reconstruction, there's plenty of business around here within the boston harbor area (aquarium maybe?)
 

JRogers

talks too much
Mar 19, 2002
3,785
1
Claremont, CA
My guess would be about 45 minutes
Well, if he hasn't moved in the last few years, it's more like 3 hours...still within moustache range, though...

Amherst is a nice area. Not totally in the sticks, but has enough outdoor stuff to keep you busy.

As far as the other questions, I'm in grad school right now at Yale. I took a year to work after undergrad. I think that was a good idea for me, but I think the value of it (as the school sees it, in any case) varies by subject area and program. I don't know what it'd be for natural sciences, but I don't think it would hurt you much. Besides, weren't you in the Marines before you graduated? So it's not like you've never done anything besides school. As others have said, never heard of any problem with getting a masters and PhD from the same school. Same with graduate/undergrad...well, so long as the school was good in the first place.