@rob Can you explain what "there is no spoon" means and why it's significant enough to be quoted in Chow et al.'s chapter on Ricci flow Harnack inequalities?
You're imposing a structure on the world - that of following mathematical laws, of bending to our feeble description of it - that you cannot ever show is actually there.
@0celo7 Oh, science is also flawed - because it's only ever an approximation. But it's a flaw that's both indelible and doesn't actually prevent us from making progress
@SirCumference I don't know what these hippies are trying to tell you, but you owe your parents for the 18 years they paid for you and wiped your butt etc.
It's a very good idea to do an undergrad before med school regardless, as long as you do the med school pre-reqs like biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, you can justify it, buy time, try astronomy and other stuff, and leave the med school door open, doesn't have to deal with blood, could do medical physics, or research, do an md-phd, etc
@0celo7 My parents didn't make an "investment" in me; I am absolutely certain they would both be furious if you ever suggested that to them as anything but a joke.
@0celo7 some questions: Is it more important to raise a child to be (1) respectful or independent? (2) obedient or self-reliant? (3) well-behaved or considerate? (4) well-mannered or curious?
The Doctorate of Medicine and of Philosophy (MD–PhD) is a dual doctoral degree for physician–scientists. The degree is granted by medical schools often through the Medical Scientist Training Program or other non-MSTP MD–PhD programs. The National Institutes of Health currently provides 43 medical schools with Medical Scientist Training Program grants that support the training of students in MD–PhD programs at these institutions through tuition and stipend allowances. These programs are often competitive, with some admitting as few as two students per academic year. The MCAT score and GPA of MD...
I'm a software engineer (a moderately good one). I like programming, mathematics and I love everything about astronomy.
What would be best way to go ahead?
> Get a PhD with a hot professor at a top school and write a killer Dissertation: Many publications, lots of High profile collaborators. Do a couple very productive post docs, and prove you can write fundable grant proposals, by doing so repeatedly. Beat all the other candidates in the academic interview process. Write, and get, big grants. Write highly cited papers in major peer reviewed journals.
> Play department politics at least until they grant you tenure, then repeat the grant, papers, politics thing til age 65. Or, you could stick to doing Astronomy as a dedicated amateur.
@SirCumference That's not really a reason, either. Are you asking us "Should I do medicine?" or are you asking us "Should I do what my parents tell me?"
@SirCumference, I don't know anything about any of this, but here's what I'd say. Do what you love. It's better to not be rich but be happy than to be rich but miserable in your daily job. Whatever you do, you're going to be doing it for the majority of the rest of your life. Make sure it's something you want to do. =)
@ACuriousMind I have very strong views on the duty of children. If SC doesn't care about that fine. But I don't really understand his problem unless it's a "should I do what my parents want me to do" thing
And I don't know how strongly his parents feel about this
If they disown him if he doesn't do medicine, that's different than if they would like him to do medicine
heck, everyone always says that stuff that doesn't pay well as a mistake. for once and for all, it isn't. do what you'll like to do for the rest of your life so you can live a happy one!
@SirCumference Here's my honest experience. I'm the son of a dentist, and a lawyer, both of which were born in farms in Brazil, and none of which know or care for science. My mother as far as I can tell would've liked for me to do something in culture, and my father would like me to be a lawyer. They never quite pressured me to go their way, but I always felt like I was a disappointment to them by becoming a Computer Engineer, also, they both absolutely despise computers. [TBC]
@SirCumference Mostly because of academic reasons my relationship with my parents has greatly deteriorated, to the point where I talk more to @0celo7's older sisters than to any of my parents, and even though I cannot say I regret one bit of it. I just don't think I'd be as useful for the world doing anything else apart from computer engineering.
See the talent you have, take pride in it and dive head in into the field you love, because otherwise I don't think there's much else to live for, apart from superficial stuff
@SirCumference My honest advice is that you need to figure out if you want to do medicine because your QoL will be better if you do it or because your parents want you to do it.
You're arguing the former, but your intense focus on medicine doesn't make sense without the latter.
@SirCumference I think it was Einstein who said "Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile", I try to think of that a lot, would I be doing better to society as a shitty lawyer or as a good engineer? I believe the latter.
@heather Ah, that's bright advice but people change. I'm not saying there's not a ring of truth to it but "the rest of your life" is a very long time. You may well find in 10, or 20, or 30 years that you don't love what you once did. That doesn't mean that was a mistake, but you also need to be wary of doing thing because they once were your dream.
@vzn i freely admit that i don't know what it's all like, but I do know that right now, i'd rather be happy and be poor than be unhappy and rich. that's a proverb in many cultures, it's not just me.
@vzn actually, remember that quote, i think it was.
@0celo7, also, for the record - I had to pay for a not insignificant amount of the books I own, etc. I worked for that by doing odd jobs, and not just around the house. So, while I'm not poor, and I'm not rich, and I don't claim to be knowledgeable about these things, I'd like to think I'm not some rich kid who doesn't know a thing about the world.
@heather ok, further digging, think youre right, apparently it was from a NYT interview. a bit surprised. einstein didnt exactly live his whole life for others it would seem... en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein
@0celo7 There's no mystical threshhold where you become an adult and suddenly have life figured out. Everyone's struggles are different, what works for me need not work for you, and we're all making most of it up as we go along, anyway.
@heather btw there are a bunch of respectable astronomers/ astrophysicists whove visited this room. 0celo7 says hes not even interested in gravity waves, so dont be surprised