A year of liberal arts before Physics BS?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the idea of pursuing a year of liberal arts education before transitioning to a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Physics. Participants explore the motivations behind this plan, including a desire for a change in environment and the integration of interests in literature and writing with STEM fields.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a strong interest in studying higher Mathematics and Physics while maintaining a passion for literature and writing, suggesting a year at a liberal arts college in Germany as a potential path.
  • Others question the necessity of attending a liberal arts college abroad, proposing that the participant could take writing classes alongside a traditional four-year degree at home.
  • Concerns are raised about the affordability of education in the U.S. for international students, with one participant noting the high tuition fees and lack of financial aid options.
  • Some participants highlight the potential for a diverse application to graduate school due to the combination of STEM and humanities interests, while others express skepticism about the quality of local literature programs.
  • One participant mentions the possibility of self-study in literature as an alternative to formal education, emphasizing that one does not need to learn everything in a classroom setting.
  • Another participant references a successful individual with a physics background who pursued a career in writing, suggesting that formal qualifications in literature may not be necessary.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants exhibit a mix of support and skepticism regarding the proposed plan. While some see value in the liberal arts approach, others argue for the feasibility of pursuing writing alongside a traditional degree at home. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing views on the best path forward.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying opinions on the quality of local educational programs in literature and the implications of studying abroad. There is also uncertainty regarding the participant's home country and its educational system, which influences their decision-making process.

Mépris
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After many months of struggling, I've decided that I would like to study higher Mathematics/Physics. However, I initially wanted to be a writer (fiction) and have a strong interest in literature, and the arts, in general. In fact, I will probably always keep on writing as long as time permits. Due to the way in which my country's educational system is designed, I was never able to dedicate enough time to studying literature/classics/etc.

I also feel like a drastic change in my environment would do me a lot of good. I feel somewhat suffocated here and maybe going away for a while would be nice. I know where I can do a 3-year BS program, where I will only be doing the subject specified - there's a few universities I think I have a shot at getting in.

I have a found a liberal arts college in Germany, which seems to fit my exact needs. Frankly, I was not certain how I would do this and stumbling upon this school was a very pleasant surprise. Admissions are need blind and they offer need-based financial aid. They have a one-year program and a four-year BA. I'm not very interested in the four-year BA as I would like to go to grad school in math/physics.

Here is a http://www.ecla.de/academics/academy-year/ to the school. What do you think of this plan? Would it be crazy to even consider this? The way I see it, here's how it's going to work:

One year of arts ---> 3 years of math/physics either here, or at CMI ---> grad school

I also would be able to afford it, assuming that I can get into this ECLA school.
 
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sounds awesome, but why can't you do a normal 4 year degree and take extra writing classes each semester, and possibly do an extra semester or summer?
 
Highway said:
sounds awesome, but why can't you do a normal 4 year degree and take extra writing classes each semester, and possibly do an extra semester or summer?

Tuition fees for out-of-state applicants are preposterous and I'm not a US-resident/citizen, which means I'm not eligible for FAFSA. I still wouldn't be able to afford the 2+2 route, with the initial 2 years being spent at a community college. If I work harder at my math, I can get a very good degree in India for a fraction of the cost ($2-3k) and still go to graduate school in Europe or the USA.

Well, thank you. I can't remember the last time I felt this excited about something!
 
i guess what I am saying is, why can't you stay at your home school or whatever and study? or are you saying that the literature / writing portion of what you want to study needs to take place outside of your home country?
 
Highway said:
i guess what I am saying is, why can't you stay at your home school or whatever and study? or are you saying that the literature / writing portion of what you want to study needs to take place outside of your home country?

your interest in writing, and presumably strong skills, in two very different fields, will make you a very diverse applicant for graduate school in the US/EU. . . so if you are able to take those classes at IIT or something, there is no need to spend all of that money to study in germany or whatever, unless those programs arent offered to you at home.
 
Highway said:
i guess what I am saying is, why can't you stay at your home school or whatever and study? or are you saying that the literature / writing portion of what you want to study needs to take place outside of your home country?

If you start the Physics program, you study Physics and only physics. There are no general education requirements.

The arts/literature department is horrible. Most of teachers in high school studied there or in India, and to be honest, I'm not certain how they managed to get their teaching post, let alone, their degree...
Very few literature/language teachers were actually decent. I had one who had printed pages of SparkNotes stuck between the pages of her book and she pretended it was her own work. University here, especially if I study a humanities subject, is going to be high school all over again. :(

If I am not admitted to the German school, I would rather stay home and study literature on my own than go there. :O

Highway said:
your interest in writing, and presumably strong skills, in two very different fields, will make you a very diverse applicant for graduate school in the US/EU. . . so if you are able to take those classes at IIT or something, there is no need to spend all of that money to study in germany or whatever, unless those programs arent offered to you at home.

Haha, I'm not from India and I'm not very good at Chemistry either. I don't know if you've seen an IIT exam but it's insane. These kids put many hours into cramming for this test and I am not willing to subject myself to such rubbish. But I do appreciate your input and that's why I made this thread. I would like to know what you folks here think about this. There's probably a few things I haven't considered and if there is a huge hole in this plan, maybe I should reconsider.
 
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where are you from? I am completely lost. . .
 
Mepris, just in case you are wondering Mike Judge graduated with a degree in physics and he has made some great productions including movies like Office Space and Extract and series including Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Judge

Again this illustrates the unnecessary need to get formal qualifications in literature/writing and it might give you ideas about how to pursue this route by learning what he did. I'm sure you'll get an idea or two.
 
chiro said:
Mepris, just in case you are wondering Mike Judge graduated with a degree in physics and he has made some great productions including movies like Office Space and Extract and series including Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Judge

Again this illustrates the unnecessary need to get formal qualifications in literature/writing and it might give you ideas about how to pursue this route by learning what he did. I'm sure you'll get an idea or two.

Cheers for that. I'll look into what he did.

It's good you mentioned "formal qualifications". I don't necessarily need a diploma or degree. It just so happens that I found a place that could get me that *and* what looks like a small, yet, great group of people with whom I can discuss literature and philosophy, which is something I don't know where else I could find. If anyone's got any ideas...?
 
  • #10
Mépris said:
Due to the way in which my country's educational system is designed, I was never able to dedicate enough time to studying literature/classics/etc.

You don't have to learn everything in class. If you want to study literature, then buy books and read them.

Also knowing a lot about literature is a completely different set of skills than being a good writer.
 

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