Gaining an Edge in Engineering: Opinions Wanted

[misskitty]

Hello to everyone,

I was wondering about a field in engineering. Not something EXTREMELY specific, but I was leaning towards either ballistics or music. Yes I know they are worlds apart. Now to get into some of the schools I'm looking at, the SAT scores and expected requirements are pretty steep. Is there any way to potentially give myself an edge?

This is something I really need, being disabled and all. How can I pull up my SAT scores to make them higher than other applicants? Is there any way to give myself an edge in the interviewing process?

Any info or opinions you all have would be appreciated. Lemme know what you think.

Thanks

 

[misogynisticfeminist]

firstly, we would need more details such as what youre disability is and where you come from. That would help quite abit.

 

[misskitty]

I have severe back pain/nerve thing that prevents me from walking, standing, and sitting normally. Walking with crutches is moderatly stressful and very painful, and the only way that I can get around.

I'm from the U.S. and all the colleges I've explored are stateside.

I hope that helps.

 

[Ouabache]

I have severe back pain/nerve thing that prevents me from walking, standing, and sitting normally. Walking with crutches is moderatly stressful and very painful, and the only way that I can get around.

I'm from the U.S. and all the colleges I've explored are stateside.

I hope that helps.

Little segway: you mentioned servere back pain. I remember reading about a medical electronic device that drammatically reduces severe pain.
Jerry Lewis (comedian) lived with chronic back pain for many years, but this
device has helped him tremendously.
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200%257E24079%257E2560338,00.html
I believe this device inhibits the signal of pain to the brain. This may not be useful for all cases, but worthy to check out.

Back to your thread:
I think music engineering may be an interesting area to study. The first real-world application I can think of is "acoustic design". The subwoofer and two satellite speakers on my computer sound fantastic, much better than the older style large rectangular speakers on my home stereo. So music (acoustic) engineering has improved the quality of listening to music.
If you are thinking more, in terms of instruments, changing the composition, thickness and shape of metal, in a brass instrument are all variables that could be manipulated to create a better sounding instrument.
As far as SAT goes, just try to do your best. If you find a practise book on SATs, you can work through their examples. You will then know all the potential formats for each question. This means, on the actual test, you may spend less time reading instructions and more time answering the questions.

 

[misskitty]

That's some good advice. Anybody have some thoughts about ballistics?

Little segway: The device you were talking about, it wasn't a Tens Unit was it?

 

[JasonRox]

Severe back pain is not a learning disability. You will get accomodations for transportation around the campus, which is about it.

You will not get pity marks if that is what you are asking for.

Note: I have a disability myself, which is hearing. Yes, I wear a hearing aid.

 

[misskitty]

I HATE pity marks...I'm sick of them...people think just because I'm partially crippled I can't do anything...well I'm here to tell you other wise.

 

[misskitty]

Does anyone have any thoughts on what college might have a good Ballistics engineering program?

 

[chroot]

misskitty,

"Ballistics" is not a kind of engineering. Your choices generally are:

Mechanical
Chemical
Electrical (or computer)
Aerospace
Industrial
Civil

Also, JasonRox is correct -- any reasonably large school will provide plenty of accomodations for students in wheelchairs, or on crutches. You will probably have an easier time getting around a large college campus than you will getting around your hometown.

As far as raising your SAT scores, there are SAT prep programs that apparently do some good. However, you can only expect to raise your score a hundred points or so. If your goal is to increase it by 200 points or more, your only real option is a thorough, detailed review of the last 12 years of your education.

- Warren

 

[misskitty]

The reason I'm asking is because this nerve issue has kept me out of school. I haven't been able to attend on a regualr basis. I'm not asking for Pity Point like JasonRox is accusing. Merely looking for help in my college search for a school with a good engineering program.

 

[chroot]

If you are having trouble attending classes due to your disability, you might have some trouble in college. The professors will be required to work with you, but it's unlikely that they will put as much effort into individual time with you as they put into their general lectures. You will need to make every effort to attend lectures, and you will likely need to hire a private tutor (e.g. grad student) to help you fill in the gaps.

Almost every state has a university or two known for engineering. MIT, Yale, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State University, Georgia Tech, University of Florida, University of California at Berkeley, University of California at Davis, University, University of Michigan, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the list goes on and on and on.

- Warren

 

[misskitty]

Ok, the info about getting help attending class is helpful. Thank you. I was kinda hoping to stay on the Eastern Seaboard because its easier to get ack and forth to Dartmouth...speaking of which I looked at them adn explored their major options, they didn't have any engineering. That seemed strange to me be the University that they are. What about the Military?

 

[chroot]

Uh...

The Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth: http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/thayer/

- Warren

 

[misskitty]

Thanks for the link. I don't know why I couldn't find it.

 

[chroot]

There's a link to it on their front page.

- Warren

 

[misskitty]

I couldn't find it when I was one their website last. Probably just me beig computer stupid.

 

[misskitty]

Would it be better to go to a tech school before I jump into a four year college for engineering? To maybe get a better handle on computers and math.

 

[chroot]

If you need a little additional preparation, community colleges are a good option; you can often directly transfer your credits to a four-year school, and there are often admission guarantees. In other words, if you do well at a community college, you are essentially guaranteed admission to the state four-year school affiliated with it.

On the other hand, if you are properly prepared, it's better to just go directly to the four-year school. In my opinion, the atmosphere alone is worth it.

- Warren

 

[JasonRox]

I never accused you of trying to get pity marks. I simply stated that if that is what your looking for, then you won't get them.

If I were you, I would tell the school about it. You would be darn surprised what they would do to accommodate you. If you couldn't go to school one day, they would get notes for you from a top student, so the notes are fairly accurate and well-written. They do this for you. There is no need to nag people for them or anything. The student wouldn't even know who you are, but they can figure it out. I had notes taken for me, and I'm totally comfortable with the other knowing who I am considering the hearing aid sticks right out.

I never meant to attack you.

 

[Ouabache]

That's some good advice. Anybody have some thoughts about ballistics?

Little segway: The device you were talking about, it wasn't a Tens Unit was it?

I agree with chroot on ballistics engineering. You might try an introductory course on engineering. This kind of course is designed to give you a clearer appreciation for each engineering discipline out there. If you pursued an education in the military, they may have some curriculum on ballistics.

Pursuing music as applied to engineering, may be done in electrical, mechanical or even biomedical engineering. In Electrical Eng, you could emphasize analysis of complex signal (music) waveforms. Perhaps develop more efficient compression algorithms for storing musical data without losing audible quality and integrity. Or maybe take you into biomedical engineering. For example, in understanding an animal's ear, you would find the tiny hairs lining the cochlea behave as a sequence of overlapping band pass filters, the biological equivalent to a graphic equalizer you might have on your home stereo.

Mechanical Eng applications might entail studying vibrational behavior of materials used in making musical instruments. Perhaps finding a better membrane for a drum head, or composite for the body of stringed instruments, or researching new alloys in making a trombone or french horn.

The medical electronic device I referred to earlier, used for chronic pain therapy, does sound like the TENS unit technology you mention, a Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator. Neurostimulation delivers low voltage electrical stimulation to the spinal cord or peripheral nerve to inhibit or block the sensation of pain. Pretty high-tech medicine! At this rate, it won't be long before we have Triquarter diagnostic devices (ala Star Trek) for medicine, and noninvasive surgery for organ replacements.

 

[misskitty]

Thank you for all your good advice. It is helping me out more than you might realize. JasonRox, I'm sorry I flew off at you...the way you had worded your responce made me feel as though you were attacking me. Now I know that your not, my mistake. As far as the ballistics and music applications for engineering, that's how everyone always referred to them so that's why I though they were actual fields...(even my engineering teahcer at school called them that!) Thanks for setting me straight. I appreciate all your comments. Please keep them coming in!