- #1
qntm_spntrnc
- 2
- 0
Sorry if this is something of a re-post.
Let’s start out with a little background information, shall we? ?
I attended an out-of-state university and did piss poor (1.1 gpa with over 60 credits) for two years before being kicked to the curb. During my stay I switched majors about three times trying to find a direction for my life and was generally out of sorts with reality. The only classes that I could claim to have any type of passion for were math and physics. I finished Calc I and II with a C and took Statistical Thermodynamics, getting a D, while attending less than half the lectures and only studying a few hours before each exam. After getting kicked out I moved home for a while and have been doing odd job since the economy went bust (I’m currently working as a farm hand). Over the last few months I’ve been seriously thinking about how I want to spend my future, realizing that working on a farm isn’t what I dream of every night or think about when I wake up. I don’t want to half-*** it this time and I took a long time to decide that physics, specifically materials science and nano-technology, is what I want get into. The local community college here offers math up to Linear Algebra and Differential Equations, and I’ll be able to get my Associates in Mathematics within the year (including credits I already have). There is also a feed-in program for my in-state University (University of Maryland, College Park, which is pretty kick-butt for physics from what I hear) that I’m eligible for if I get all A’s. My acceptance to College Park isn’t guaranteed because of my bad grades, but advisors there have told me that I’ll likely pass muster if I do well at the community college.
What I’d really like to know is:
Is it even worth it to try for a physics degree after f-ing up so bad?
Whether 23 is too old to go back for an under-grad degree in such an intense field knowing that I need to follow up with a graduate degree for it to be worth anything.
Will I even get into a graduate program given my history, assuming that I’m able to finish my under-grad?
What will future employers think of my gap in education? Will I only find jobs in podunk nowhere for dirt pay?
How hard will it be to get back into the swing of things after a 2 year hiatus?
Any advice if I do decide to go back?
Let’s start out with a little background information, shall we? ?
I attended an out-of-state university and did piss poor (1.1 gpa with over 60 credits) for two years before being kicked to the curb. During my stay I switched majors about three times trying to find a direction for my life and was generally out of sorts with reality. The only classes that I could claim to have any type of passion for were math and physics. I finished Calc I and II with a C and took Statistical Thermodynamics, getting a D, while attending less than half the lectures and only studying a few hours before each exam. After getting kicked out I moved home for a while and have been doing odd job since the economy went bust (I’m currently working as a farm hand). Over the last few months I’ve been seriously thinking about how I want to spend my future, realizing that working on a farm isn’t what I dream of every night or think about when I wake up. I don’t want to half-*** it this time and I took a long time to decide that physics, specifically materials science and nano-technology, is what I want get into. The local community college here offers math up to Linear Algebra and Differential Equations, and I’ll be able to get my Associates in Mathematics within the year (including credits I already have). There is also a feed-in program for my in-state University (University of Maryland, College Park, which is pretty kick-butt for physics from what I hear) that I’m eligible for if I get all A’s. My acceptance to College Park isn’t guaranteed because of my bad grades, but advisors there have told me that I’ll likely pass muster if I do well at the community college.
What I’d really like to know is:
Is it even worth it to try for a physics degree after f-ing up so bad?
Whether 23 is too old to go back for an under-grad degree in such an intense field knowing that I need to follow up with a graduate degree for it to be worth anything.
Will I even get into a graduate program given my history, assuming that I’m able to finish my under-grad?
What will future employers think of my gap in education? Will I only find jobs in podunk nowhere for dirt pay?
How hard will it be to get back into the swing of things after a 2 year hiatus?
Any advice if I do decide to go back?