Here is the link to the core classes that I have to take to Graduate from UD. There is quite a bit of variety.

http://www.udallas.edu/academics/underg ... curriculum

Most people hate the core, however, I really enjoy it.

agree 100% I know friends who had no interest whatsoever in biology medicine but wanted to be doctors because "Doctors are rich and prestigious" and they failed horribly and had to switch faculties are some miserable years.

There are other types of schools out there that focus on someone getting a job, rather than a more broad education. Go to one of them.

I can say that studying abroad for a year in a student exchange program can be the most wonderful experience in your life. I study political science in unversite de province in Marseilles, I was given the chance to travel abroad to study Arabic language and Middle eastern and Islamic studies for a year and a half in Beirut or Cairo, and since I am half egyptian I chose Cairo, generally my experience with middle eastern countries was very pretty limited as I only visited Egypt a few times with my parents as a Kid. To live in a country so different in traditions and customs than the ones you where raised in while studying is an eye opening experience. You might experience a cultural shock at first, but this cultural shock will really help you later in life if you intend to travel aboard alot. You can make far away freindships that might stay for life. If you are willing to pay extra money you might get to stay in a fancy place since basically every country has its first and third world places depending on the money in your pocket. If you do intend to study abroad for a year then all I can recommend is to choose place which has the most different traditions or customs to widen your experience, Far east asia, Africa, latin america or the middle east or even Russia, avoid most of Europe.

Really starting to wish I'd looked more into becoming a criminalist...

Sorry for the bump guys, but I thought I would maybe help out the computer science wizards here.

Currently, I am interning for a Workforce Planning/HR development company that sells their own HR software. However, the future of technology (At least for the next 20 years I will assume) will be within databases. The next company I am interning for is going to have me do some data analytics on their database due to my math background. However, just like all databases and the company like the one I am working for, they need software engineers to pull out data to use in programs.

So here is a couple of my suggestions that should be on a wishlist/something to work towards.

SAP:
http://www.sap.com/

Here is the link to get to their career portal: http://www.sap.com/about/company/resear ... /index.epx

Just select the link there and search under students. They have some extreme internships. They are based out of Germany and require fluency in English and German. I hope to get the one in Germany either next year or in two years as I will be finishing up my German here soon and I hope to be a German foreign exchange student as well. They do have some in internships in the US as well.

SAP is huge and would probably be hard to get. I don't want to post anything relating to my work, as it could become a conflict of interest. However, here is our partner list where you should be able to find some more internships that will not be as popular.

http://www.accenture.com
http://www.advyso.com
http://www.bcsynergy.com.my
http://www.computersinpersonnelHR.com
http://www.comtecinfo.com
http://www.datatel.com
http://www.epiuse.com
http://www.fusion5.co.nz
http://www.genesysHCM.com
http://www.highlinecorp.com
http://www.hrprocon.de
http://www.hrsercon.de
http://www.humancapitalrealisation.com
http://www.ibs.ru
http://www.malimperformance.com
http://www.netcheck.es
http://www.nexthrgroup.com
http://www.northgatearinso.com

and the list goes on and on.

Any of these places will pretty much have a computer science direction as they must create technological solutions before they can ever consult. The average SAP consultants make well over $100,000 a year. I hope this can help some of you get some ideas as to what you want to do and where you want to go. Most, if not all of these, have some relation to Oracle, SAP, MS, etc. They are the future. So check em out and see if they have any internships coming in the fall or perhaps see something that you could work towards getting.

Also, use your social networking skills. Go to their facebooks, twitters, what have you.

Open your frickin ears. If you are bent over taking notes, copying stuff off the board, fiddling with your laptop, texting friends, you are not absorbing the information. Note taking is seriously over-rated. If you are bright enough, you won't need to take notes for any classes except the ones which are math or science intensive.

Sit and listen. Engage your brain, that's what it is there for.

When reading a text, do not progress past a page until you fully comprehend/understand what you have just read. This one habit of mine alone caused me to blow the curve in every class/course I ever took.


Whoever said to be in class on time is exactly right. 90 percent of success is getting your ass off the couch and showing up. On time. Every day. This habit, when established in your school years, will pay off in the job force big time. If you spent your college years jacking off and partying and sleeping in, you are going to pay the piper come graduation day. Who was it that said they couldn't make a 10:30 class? HOLY SMOKES!!!! That's lunch time, man! You gonna call for a job interview and say, "Can you schedule me in after lunch? I just can't get up earlier than that." Huh? Join the real world.

Some people in the real world are at work by 7 a.m. these days, kiddo.

As for requiring a breadth of knowledge for a degree, there is a very simple reason. Just because you know how to use a computer, or whatever, does not mean you know how to use the proprietary software of the company that is going to hire you. Breadth of learning shows you are trainable and adaptable.

A quarter to one half of what you learn will be obsolete by the time you are six years out of school. The job environment is in an ever increasing state of flux. You need to show you are trainable and adaptable.

I think the number one thing to remember in college, is that your transcript is the most important thing in your life. For the rest of your life, it will reflect your aptitude, so don't screw off and get bad grades, or you'll be explaining them for the rest of your life.

You are correct, sir.

You know, I've never been one of those asshat sticklers for punctuality. I teach early classes and understand well how much can go wrong in drive-time traffic. But my view has been changing this summer as I've had students continually sliding into my classes 30-40 minutes late. Please, stuff happens, and I get that, but this is a chronic problem.

There's a "90-day window of opportunity" on your first post-grad job. You actually do have to be there every day even if your tum-tum hurts or you had a fight with your sig. other or your doggie gave birth. And you have to be there on time.

Today I've been seriously reconsidering my laptop policy. If I were still a student, I'd be using one to take notes, but I have folks on the back row who are playing on theirs. They never make direct eye contact with me--and I am always "engaging" and making eye contact with everybody. My course requires excruciating attention to detail (for legal reasons), and I even send lecture notes by e-mail (which are apparently generally unread, LOL). You aren't "smart" enough to do well in my class if you don't take notes--nobody, and I mean nobody, including me--is.

Let's just say that as we head into finals next week and as I grade documents this weekend that I have a lively intellectual curiosity about those who obviously think they're smarter than the average bear. Really? When I'm even checking the DOI links of the references?

And nope, in the real world, being there every day doesn't count except that just maybe you get to keep your job. "Trying" and "almost" also don't count.

In my defense I hated that class so it wasn't so much "I'm too tired" as "I just don't care." I also never missed my 9 o'clock class on MWF. The 1030 was my first class on Tues/Thurs.

I ainna making no damned 10:30 am class!!!


Oh, but I should add, I work graves.


And, I should add~I'm often found in the labs about 10:00 am anyways. Gawd, I'm sooo freaking tired and just too damned old for this shyt.

NO. I know that nobody listens to me and that I am only a prof, but the transcripts aren't going to matter later. Not at all. They do matter now, and crucially. If you don't have the numbers, you aren't going to get into med school.

But not later. Plenty of us had shockingly low undergrad BPAs, but we did manage to get on in spite of this. Trust me.

Don't think I've ever asked someone I was interviewing what kind of grades they got.

That's not surprising considering that the best architect ever, Howard Roark, was expelled from architect school.

I guess in some cases it doesn't matter, Lumina. Maybe it varies somewhat by field, too. Both of my advisors went to decent universities for their political science PhDs (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor & Boston College), and they constantly impress on me... get over a 3.8 or it doesn't count.