martha
Blue Crack Supplier
My friend who went to NYU hated it, so add that to the list of evilness.
U.S. colleges + ...
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Screaming Flower
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The Wanderer said:Notre Dame
*gives wanderer a big
whenhiphopdrovethebigcars said:Thanks a lot for your opinions, Khananda Rhodes and U2Bama. (Khananda: I want the "ultra elite" job - what didya think
of course!me, i'm actually transferring from a state university to a local community college. so maybe i'm not a good person to ask.
I had a professor who got his PhD in Berkeley, and his comment to us was that if you are going into biomedical research, it doesn't matter where you did your undergrad or how well you scored on tests. The most important factor in deciding on a grad school is whose laboratory you would be doing your work, because laboratory research is something that can be taught.
well i am presently on the cusp of grad school decision making.
im from canada and presently still am here, but it looks like it will be an equitable decision between canada, the us and the uk.
i feel confident that i will get into MIT for communications studies...in fact im less confident that ill get into my present school, carleton university (a minor player even on the canadian scene) because there is a specific prof. with which i have to be with and he is quite competitive.
first i need to decide if i even want to go or not.
in the end tho...its what martha said.
im from canada and presently still am here, but it looks like it will be an equitable decision between canada, the us and the uk.
i feel confident that i will get into MIT for communications studies...in fact im less confident that ill get into my present school, carleton university (a minor player even on the canadian scene) because there is a specific prof. with which i have to be with and he is quite competitive.
first i need to decide if i even want to go or not.
in the end tho...its what martha said.
Screaming Flower
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i agree with martha too. particularly this part:
martha said:
meegannie
Blue Crack Addict
kobayashi said:
Come to the UK!!!!
What schools are you looking at?
meegannie said:
Come to the UK!!!!
What schools are you looking at?
mostly schools in canada because i know them better and the people there.
in the US: MIT's comparative media studies masters has caught my eye...columbia journo is always on everyones wish list
in the UK i am even more uncertain...one of my profs taught at strathclyde and loved it...basically anything with an interesting media/journalism course would deserve a look.
how easy is it to do school overseas? would it help if i was a british citizen?...i can get citizenship through my father...
meegannie
Blue Crack Addict
kobayashi said:
If you could get citizenship, you might not have to pay overseas tuition (I'm not sure whether or not there's a residency requirement). You're pretty well set, though, being from a Commonwealth country because you can easily get a work permit and qualify for a lot of scholarships/fellowships that non-Commonwealth, non-EU international students don't. Also, most Masters programs in the UK are only one year long (some two) full-time. Doing all the paperwork for studying in the UK is much easier than I thought it would be, and as I said, you have a lot of things working in your favour, so it would be no problem.
pax
ONE love, blood, life
whenhiphopdrovethebigcars said:
Let's see...I'm twenty years old and still don't have a driver's license...so...man, I hope not.
I plan on moving to a major city after I graduate from my *very fine* college, like New York City or Philadelphia, so I won't ever have to be bothered with a car.
OP
OP
hiphop
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Ok, good to know. 
Lilly
Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
ok - i'm breaking my posting vacation to reply to this one cos the first post sorta irked me a bit. (not in a "owow do i hate hiphop" way, more in a "interesting how we're perceived" way)
in keeping with american ideals, universities are what you make of them. no, graduating high school is not the hardest job on earth. but in america, the point of high school is to get people who have some sort of education and know something about the civil war and who can properly construct a sentence. it used to be that only people who really were motivated or really talented went on to college.
i think one thing that foreigners tend not to understand is that there are 3 different types of universities in the u.s:
-the vocational school / technical school: these are 2 year colleges where you specialize in one certain area. example, machining. once a person graduates from college and they know they forever want to be a machinist, they head to a two year college to specialize solely in that skill.
- state colleges and universities: these are school that are supported by the state (so are vocational and tech schools). the misconception about state universities is that they are easy and don't take much intelligence to attend. well, take me for example. i got accepted into both notre dame and the university of south dakota, but i opted for usd. why? oyeah, cos i'm poor and can't afford huge ass loans. but it doesn't mean that i'm not challenged by usd. but like i was saying before, state schools speak more directly back to the american ideal of "you make yourself." state schools tend to be larger because they, yes, are easier to get into and are federally and state funded, so the costs are driven WAY down ( ). but in that larger atmosphere you have to try harder to be recognized academically, so you take the classes that will challenge you, that you will learn from the most.
private universities: these are universities and colleges like yale, harvard, notre dame, etc. they receive no money from the government, because they are in the private sector. their standards are higher than state universities. they offer more liberal arts degrees than state schools (philosophy, history, other theory based degrees). the classes they take (i've got a lot of friends who went to private schools) classes that are....less...*tries to think of ways to say this* fact driven and more theory and discussion. i'm not sure how that helps you once you get a job, but ok. they get paid more when they graduate, but are not hired as readily. (and to give you a comparison of costs, my entire school (dorms, food, books, fees, etc) costs what my friend who goes to a "cheap" private school pays only for her dorms.)
in college there are also more rigorous requirements. to get my bachelor of arts degree i still have to take 6 credits of a math and 6 credits of a natural science. but as long as you're thinking of studying in the states, keep the "you make yourself" ideal in mind, because that really is the key to anything.
by the by, when i'm a junior i'm going to spend a year abroad and i will earn an erasmus degree as well as a degree from the university to which i attend. so i'll have at least 4 degrees when i graduate.
in keeping with american ideals, universities are what you make of them. no, graduating high school is not the hardest job on earth. but in america, the point of high school is to get people who have some sort of education and know something about the civil war and who can properly construct a sentence. it used to be that only people who really were motivated or really talented went on to college.
i think one thing that foreigners tend not to understand is that there are 3 different types of universities in the u.s:
-the vocational school / technical school: these are 2 year colleges where you specialize in one certain area. example, machining. once a person graduates from college and they know they forever want to be a machinist, they head to a two year college to specialize solely in that skill.
- state colleges and universities: these are school that are supported by the state (so are vocational and tech schools). the misconception about state universities is that they are easy and don't take much intelligence to attend. well, take me for example. i got accepted into both notre dame and the university of south dakota, but i opted for usd. why? oyeah, cos i'm poor and can't afford huge ass loans. but it doesn't mean that i'm not challenged by usd. but like i was saying before, state schools speak more directly back to the american ideal of "you make yourself." state schools tend to be larger because they, yes, are easier to get into and are federally and state funded, so the costs are driven WAY down (
). but in that larger atmosphere you have to try harder to be recognized academically, so you take the classes that will challenge you, that you will learn from the most. private universities: these are universities and colleges like yale, harvard, notre dame, etc. they receive no money from the government, because they are in the private sector. their standards are higher than state universities. they offer more liberal arts degrees than state schools (philosophy, history, other theory based degrees). the classes they take (i've got a lot of friends who went to private schools) classes that are....less...*tries to think of ways to say this* fact driven and more theory and discussion. i'm not sure how that helps you once you get a job, but ok. they get paid more when they graduate, but are not hired as readily. (and to give you a comparison of costs, my entire school (dorms, food, books, fees, etc) costs what my friend who goes to a "cheap" private school pays only for her dorms.)
in college there are also more rigorous requirements. to get my bachelor of arts degree i still have to take 6 credits of a math and 6 credits of a natural science. but as long as you're thinking of studying in the states, keep the "you make yourself" ideal in mind, because that really is the key to anything.
by the by, when i'm a junior i'm going to spend a year abroad and i will earn an erasmus degree as well as a degree from the university to which i attend. so i'll have at least 4 degrees when i graduate.
OP
OP
hiphop
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Maybe I should have made the Erasmus stuff, but its a little late now, I?ve nearly finished. Go ahead, do it
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nbcrusader
Blue Crack Addict
whenhiphopdrovethebigcars said:
In the states, I would rank universities in three groups. First are the handful of elite institutions, whose names are recognized and carry weight across the country. Harvard, Yale, MIT, etc. come to mind.
The second tier are excellent universities, whose names carry a significant local impact or an impact in a particular industry. Cornell, for example, is known for its Hotel Management program. University of Southern California's name carries significant weight in California, but less so outside of California. This second tier might include 40-100 institutions.
The third tier would be the rest of the universities.
Name recognition helps - it is an undeniable fact. But the university experience is what you make of it. Is the person who slides through Stanford with an "A" average (and, of course, when you go to Stanford, you deserve an "A") better than someone who challenges themselves at another, less recognized, university with an "A" average? I think not.
I hope this is of some help. Let me know if you have any more specific questions.
OP
OP
hiphop
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Yes, I do. Thank you for your answer.
One of my specific questions:
What would you think if someone who has finished his studies in Europe wants to work as an assistant in a law firm? If that person has the right degree, seems intelligent and able to do the job, would you consider this person just as much valuable as an American with the same kind of degree? Or more valuable, or less valuable for certain reasons?
Sure, the decision would be based on equal chances for everyone. But what would you think?
Another question: do you think that someone who wants a fine career in the States must live "the American way of life"? Does this depend on where you work?
F.e. if a European works in a little town, would people look at him/her like a stranger (without being racist, just because they see sth. different)? Would they see him/her less strange if he/she does some "typically American things", like jogging, driving around in a car, not smoking in the street, not cursing or being angry in public, being politically correct,...
Would the neighbors watch someone who is an artist, always strange music, etc., with more suspicion than someone who leads a very regular life?
Is there a big difference of "being able to feel anonymous" between a small city like, say, Nashville (not that small, I know), and NYC or L.A.?
This all goes down to: how much does a stranger have to adopt - thats not meant offensive, I mean just in order to feel well and accepted by Americans?
How much does one need to adopt in his/her job? Is company policy very important in America?
How often do Americans job-hop actively? Considering that everything is in recession, how many people change the company they work for every year or every two years?
What would make a better impression - if an applicant for a job shows he?s been working for one company for many (four, five) years and therefore shows he can be very loyal, or if an applicant has changed often and therefore shows he can be a shark? What counts more, old values or new values?
How about style rules? Is it important to be dressed in a good suit, to show very classical good manners? Do men still kiss on the hand? Or would that seem snobbish? Instead, would it be more important to go to the right parties, to know the right people, to contact them regularly?
And one more question: how about an accent? Is a European accent considered charming or disconcerting f.e. in making a deal?
Thats a few questions for the start, I?m sure I?ll find some more.
Thank you for your patience
One of my specific questions:
What would you think if someone who has finished his studies in Europe wants to work as an assistant in a law firm? If that person has the right degree, seems intelligent and able to do the job, would you consider this person just as much valuable as an American with the same kind of degree? Or more valuable, or less valuable for certain reasons?
Sure, the decision would be based on equal chances for everyone. But what would you think?
Another question: do you think that someone who wants a fine career in the States must live "the American way of life"? Does this depend on where you work?
F.e. if a European works in a little town, would people look at him/her like a stranger (without being racist, just because they see sth. different)? Would they see him/her less strange if he/she does some "typically American things", like jogging, driving around in a car, not smoking in the street, not cursing or being angry in public, being politically correct,...
Would the neighbors watch someone who is an artist, always strange music, etc., with more suspicion than someone who leads a very regular life?
Is there a big difference of "being able to feel anonymous" between a small city like, say, Nashville (not that small, I know), and NYC or L.A.?
This all goes down to: how much does a stranger have to adopt - thats not meant offensive, I mean just in order to feel well and accepted by Americans?
How much does one need to adopt in his/her job? Is company policy very important in America?
How often do Americans job-hop actively? Considering that everything is in recession, how many people change the company they work for every year or every two years?
What would make a better impression - if an applicant for a job shows he?s been working for one company for many (four, five) years and therefore shows he can be very loyal, or if an applicant has changed often and therefore shows he can be a shark? What counts more, old values or new values?
How about style rules? Is it important to be dressed in a good suit, to show very classical good manners? Do men still kiss on the hand? Or would that seem snobbish? Instead, would it be more important to go to the right parties, to know the right people, to contact them regularly?
And one more question: how about an accent? Is a European accent considered charming or disconcerting f.e. in making a deal?
Thats a few questions for the start, I?m sure I?ll find some more.
Thank you for your patience
Screaming Flower
ONE love, blood, life
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in regards to the small town vs. big city thing - i grew up in a really small town and now live in a big city. i can say with much certainty that it's much easier to blend in in a large city. they're much more diverse and people mind their own business for the most part. where i live we have people from all over the world and of all different lifestyles and i would say most people who live here see that as a positive thing.
martha
Blue Crack Supplier
whenhiphopdrovethebigcars said:
Not snobbish, so much as way too forward for business contacts. I doubt that a woman who was thinking of hiring you would view this in a favorable way. But then, I'm not in business, so what the hell do I know?
As for being the weird European, I think that a more cosmopolitan area would be a better choice. As Flower said, they're more used to different ways.
U2SavesTheWorld
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
HipHop, what can I help you with?
OP
OP
hiphop
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Just tell about your opinion on the above questions.
My studies will be finished in about a year. If I plan to relocate to America, I?ll send you my resume. If you don?t need an assistant at that moment - you?re always the first lady who I?ll offer my talents and my intellect - you could consider to find a job in the music industry for me
Thank you for your help. If I can do anything in return, let me know.
My studies will be finished in about a year. If I plan to relocate to America, I?ll send you my resume. If you don?t need an assistant at that moment - you?re always the first lady who I?ll offer my talents and my intellect - you could consider to find a job in the music industry for me
Thank you for your help. If I can do anything in return, let me know.
meegannie
Blue Crack Addict
Screaming Flower said:
There are also regional differences to be taken into consideration.
As for difficulty getting a job, I think the best bet is either to be working for a corporation/organization that has a US division, or to accept the fact that you may have to do an internship or fellowship first to get your foot in the door. Even on the Hill, there are Americans who have law degrees and are in their late 20's who have to do a fellowship to later get hired on the Hill. Why on earth anyone would do that, I will never know. Anyway, I think as with any job, you have to prove that you have something that other applicants don't. Honestly, unless you're in a job that works closely with your home country or has a strong international staff, an American with the same skills and qualifications will more than likely be hired over you.
U2Bama
Rock n' Roll Doggie
nbcrusader said:
Cornell is also known for DEAD IN CORNELL, one of the greatest concert bootlegs of all times. The high quality rcording of the Grateful Dead's May 8, 1977 on-campus concert was listed by ROLLING STONE magazine as one of the Top 10 albums to have if stranded on a deserted island. It featured the Dead's best line-up and a classic setlist, with "Scarlet Begonias"/"Fire On The Mountain" clocking in at 27 minutes. And all done on an Ivy League campus at that.
nbcrusader said:
The Trojans have a beautiful campus hidden amidst an urban setting. I enjoyed a wonderful "alumni picnic" or tailgate or something there on Labor Day, a few hours before the Auburn game. Plenty of barbecue, fajitas, hot dogs and beer, nice people, and the legendary Trojan rode in on his horse with the marching band (of Fleetwood Mac's TUSK fame). The USC fans were much nicer to us than the UCLA fans when we attended the Alabama game at the Rose Bowl during Labor Day Weekend of 2000. But football and tailgating aside, I would say, from over here in the Southeastern corner of the U.S., that USC (or "S.C." as they call it there) definitely has a good name here.
The oasis-in-an-urban-setting enviromment of USC reminds me, in a much larger way, of my own alma mater, a similarly private campus in urban Birmingham. Definitely "academic," but laid back and enjoyable at the same time. I chose it over the larger state schools despite most of my friends and family going or having gone to the larger schools. Looking back, I have some regret for NOT attending one of the larger schools (not just because the 4 of the closest ones - Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Georgia tend to rank among the top "party schools" annually), but going to a school 10 minutes from home that was smaller in enrollment than my high school left a bit to be desired of the "university experience" that my wife and most of my friends cherish. On the flip side, going to a small school afforded me numerous leadership and "networking" opportunities and even had a hand in the career I have today. I majored in History, which only had 11 "required" courses over a 4 year period. This gave me ample chances to take non-major electives that rounded out other areas of learning, and for that I am thankful.
Oh, and about one part I missed out on with the lack of the "university experience," I go to as many Alabama football and basketball games as I can each year, and occasionally sit in the student section. I may even go there for a graduate degree one of these days.
~U2Alabama
OP
OP
hiphop
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
meegannie said:
There are also regional differences to be taken into consideration.
As for difficulty getting a job, I think the best bet is either to be working for a corporation/organization that has a US division, or to accept the fact that you may have to do an internship or fellowship first to get your foot in the door. Even on the Hill, there are Americans who have law degrees and are in their late 20's who have to do a fellowship to later get hired on the Hill. Why on earth anyone would do that, I will never know. Anyway, I think as with any job, you have to prove that you have something that other applicants don't. Honestly, unless you're in a job that works closely with your home country or has a strong international staff, an American with the same skills and qualifications will more than likely be hired over you.
Thank you for that info, meegannie.
So, given the fact that my country is supersmall, international staff is a key point to focus upon. It might depend on how I sell myself.
meegannie
Blue Crack Addict
I was looking at Princeton for grad school just because F. Scott Fitzgerald went there. Then I was going to drop out and go crazy. 
pax
ONE love, blood, life
Hiphop: I agree with whatever others have told you about going big-city. If you moved to NYC or Philadelphia (my two favorite cities in the world), no one would bat an eye at you for having an accent or listening to "funny music." Same thing, I would venture, with places like San Francisco, Boston, Chicago--possibly even Atlanta or Houston, or smaller "college" towns like Cambridge, MA or Dartmouth, NH. If you go to a town that's small-ish but also has a good college or university, it's likely that the town is more liberal, diverse, and open to new ideas.
OP
OP
hiphop
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Thank you Pax.
U2Bama
Rock n' Roll Doggie
One of my good friends is from Australia and he has one of those accents. He goes to the Bama football games with us.
OP
OP
hiphop
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
I?ll rename this thread "Interference Job Search" soon 
Hope your hand is fine, U2Bama.
Hope your hand is fine, U2Bama.
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