Category Archives: Co-op

The End Arrived

Finals finished last Wednesday and I’m still in shock that I’m not loaded with schoolwork right now. I will be starting an awesome co-op studying axolotl regeneration at Northeastern, researching under two professors with a great reputation. I’ll send pictures once I meet them and get permission. My co-op does not start until May 27^th, so I have a month of time that’s not committed. It’s not exactly a vacation, but I’m glad for the chance to hang out with my parents and my siblings that have not gone off to college yet.

Image result for axolotl

There’s always a to-do list. This is prime-time for building scholarship applications. I’m applying for the Wentworth Endowment Scholarship and a Google scholarship for attending conferences. The only conference I could go to without taking too much time off work is a Diversity in Computing event in Georgia. I’ve never been to Georgia, an ACM conference, or a diversity celebration event, so I expect the conference to be enlightening, assuming I get the funds.

Co-op Payout

Last Thursday was the Wentworth career fair. All the students were doing their best to look appealing and professional. Many still had haircuts from over break, because apparently that’s what people do during breaks. Nearly every one of my peers had donned ties or skirts for the occasion, and it was a treat to see so many of them dressed up.

I went with the intent of talking to employers and scouting their departments. The Friday previous, I had committed to work for the summer doing biological research at Northeastern. I found a host of great companies, but most of them did not know they needed applied math majors yet. Of a gym full of employers, only 4 marked that they were looking for applied math majors. Lincoln Labs was the one that looked most enticing. I had a diverting and semi-fruitful job convincing the employers that they were indeed in need of math majors.

Also during this week, I have been accepted to two more co-ops in California and in Wisconsin as well as the Select Scholars program I was talking about before. I guess my trick is to apply broadly ask Lauren from Coops and Careers to make sure my application materials are hire-worthy. The more difficult task is keeping school priorities straight, but most students know how to prioritize academics.

Second Year Undergrad -> Grad school

Later today, my first graduate school application will be complete and submitted. Perhaps students halfway through their second year of an undergraduate degree do not apply for a Master’s, but circumstances are just too perfect.

There are a couple programs out there that accept applications from students prior to their senior year, like Boston University’s School of Public Health Select Scholars Program. Undergraduates in their junior year can gain early acceptance to the graduate program and complete their senior year at Wentworth. The program is a unique opportunity for undergraduates with an interest in public health to enroll in a top graduate public health program and join a cohort of peers through accelerated placement and subsequent graduate training in public health. The program provides early immersion in public health, giving students the opportunity to explore different options that are available in this field and connecting them with faculty mentors for academic and career advising. Image result for public health from https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi39tH0uezRAhXK2SYKHez-CrUQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcaregeorgia.org%2Ffocus-areas%2Fpublic-health.cfm&psig=AFQjCNHB3EJGOd5DxCE_yQj6Ri7t-fRZgg&ust=1485954458954683

Our Applied Math Department invites speakers every week to talk about things someone can do in a mathematics-related field. Late last semester, two representatives from BU were here to talk about public health opportunities and Travis DiJoseph, associate director of academic affairs, came to speak too and mention their Select Scholars Program. There’s a lot of work in statistics and computation to be done in the public health field, and especially interesting to me are the bioinformatics and biostatistics applications.

I was filling out my CV to apply to the program and realizing how much more qualified I am now than I was than last year. Thank you Wentworth!
You can expect more details about building a CV in a later post.