OT: Any PitE, Chem, Geosci, or EEB majors out there?
So a very long story short, I just finished freshman year as a dual enrolled A&D and LS&A candidate. However, I've decided to drop A&D after much personal deliberation, and was hoping for a little advice from some mgobloggers on deciding between concentrations. I am almost 100% positive I want to major in chem, but I was also thinking of adding either PitE, Geosci, or EEB as a second major. I was wondering if anyone who had gone through any of these programs (or is currently enrolled) could shed a little light on what the course work is like, scheduling, concentration requirements....the usual. I am currently trying to figure out what my next three years would look like in these programs, and what would be the best combination.
Thanks!
can't help you much since when I was there we were still trying to convert lead into gold.
First of all, congratulations on making that decision, I'm sure it was a difficult one.
I know that advice from people who have experience with those concentrations will be super helpful, but it may make sense for you to look up the LSA requirements along with the requirements of the concentrations you're considering and put them into a spreadsheet of sorts. You can then highlight what LSA requirements you've already completed and which of those (if any) will also count toward the concentrations you're considering.
I know it sounds rudimentary but it may be helpful to have a visual representation of what lies ahead.
Thanks! It was quite a hard decision... but between working a commercial art job and seeing the efffects of the oil spill I decided my life would be better served doing something more than superficial.
I do have a (few) spreadsheets going with my LSA requirements along with the reqs for my mix-and-match concentrations. I was hoping for more of a feel and overall impression of these concentrations than the actual list of the required courses, and see how they compare. (This is also directed at the comment below, just thought I'd knock em out in one post).
... it's not easy to change majors, I went from IE to LS&A.
Seeing pictures of an oil spill can make an impact, not sure that would be my reason to change a major. What if you were watching a cop show?
Hell, stay in Chem and develop a way to turn algae into fuel. What seems superficial now might turn out to be way more meaningful later.
That said, from what I can tell, PitE or EEB sound like good places to meet chicks, but not sure about employment prospects. It's your call.
I'm a big fan of the liberal arts since who the hell knows what things will be like 25 years down the road....
Hopefully, the idiots at BP will figure a way out to stop the leak before you graduate.
I didn't mean specifically trying to tackle the oil spill (though it is a possibility). Just made me realize, more generally, that there are things out there that I could have an impact on that would mean a lot more than just making pretty things.
If you want to look at degree requirements, you can just go to the LSA bulletin website. The LSA degree requirements are all here:
One of the best minors you can get to accompany any hard science major is a Math minor. As a Chem major you're going to have to take through Differential Equations anyways. At that point it's only one or two more classes for a Math minor. That's pretty much the course I took, although with Biochem instead of pure Chem, and I actually ended up going from a Math minor to a second major because I enjoyed the courses.
I picked up a geology minor. I would recommend geology mostly because the profs are a boatload of fun. The only department I know of at Michigan that has beer for it's department seminars.
I was in the Geosci program back in the early 90s, and there are definitely some plusses and minuses if you're considering it as a second major. The biggest thing to understand is that there are two distinct degree tracks. The one I ended up with, an "Earth Sciences" degree, differs from the main "Geological Sciences" degree primarily in one requirement -- the Field Camp in Jackson Hole, WY. If you can't commit to spending a summer at Camp Davis, you can't get a GeoSci degree. On the GeoSci concentration page, this is listed as the "Field Experience Requirement."
That said, David's comment above is 100% true. The field trips the Geology department takes are legendary, and among the most fun experiences I had on campus.
Good luck to you!
I would have been a geology major if I knew I had to spend a summer in Jackson Hole. Go geology (if they still have field experience reqs) and chem or chemE if you want to clean up the environment. My vote would be ChemE but I'm biased.
They actually just changed the system for the coming year, so I would specialize in environmental geology under the arch of geological science. It's just a little bit confusing
I just finished my PhD in geophysical oceanography, and field work (on land or sea) is pretty much an excuse to get shitfaced (well, not at sea; ships are dry for a reason -- because people fall off and disappear in the middle of the night.) I've been to other conferences with booze, but not other conferences where every single person is double fisting Sierra Nevada at 3pm, served free. In fact, the AGU meeting at the Moscone center in San Francisco each December is the busiest convention for drinking they see all year. Employees at the local bars aren't allowed to request time off because it is when they make the most money, even though other conferences have more people.
Of course, we have to drink that much, because our women are ugly.
I love AGU. It's nothing but a week of In-N-Out burger, beer and garlic. Oh yeah, maybe some research talks too.
Bioinformatics is a pretty good field to go into for jobs. And as far as I know, no one has declared it. So if you want to be the first Bioinformatics grad from Michigan...you should consider it.
To ask the obvious question - do you like chemistry? I was a ChemE and took a fair number of chemistry courses, most of which I didn't like. In particular, organic chemistry was poorly taught and analytical chemistry lab consumed a ridiculous amount of time relative to the credits awarded (I think 10-11 hours/week for 2 credits). Organic chemistry is one of those classes where you get lectures and no means of evaluating whether you know the material until the exams, which are of course the entire grade for the class. When you do take it, I'd recommend one of the study sessions that you can sign up for in the chemistry library.
Anyways, chemistry is a lot of work, so you should make sure that you like it, or at least don't dislike it before you pick it.
I took AP Chem in HS and absolutely loved it, so I'm not worried about that. I know orgo will be tough, so we'll see how that goes...
I graduated from Michigan with a degree in Chemistry. I thought it was a great program. When you get into upper level classes, you form real good relationships with professors, and the classes are more enjoyable. I absolutely love chemistry.
If you are majoring in Chemistry, you have to be 100% on board for getting a Ph.D. As I have found out, the job opportunities for someone with a bachelors in pure Chemistry are quite limited. In fact, I am going back to get a masters in Chemical Engineering just so I can find a decent paying job. To be completely honest, you get enough chemistry to do nothing. You can't go into biochemistry jobs at Pfizer or Novartis because you don't have enough biochemistry. You don't have enough instrumentation experience to get a job an analytical. You don't have enough organic chemistry to go into materials research. These are all things that I have found out while applying to jobs. My co-worker from Texas A&M has found a similar experience.
My advice is to go into chemical engineering. The common perception in industry is that a chemical engineer can do anything that a chemist can do, but a chemist can't do what a chemical engineer does. You will start out at more money, and you will have a lot better job opportunities. If I could've done it over again, I would've not made the mistake to major in chemistry, and I would've just majored in chemical engineering.
Thanks for the advice! Unfortunately I have too many credits to transfer cross-campus to ChemE.
In a recent student survey U-M conducted, I recall several Geosci majors write about their department like it was a well-kept secret of awesomeness.