How hard are the academics at Ivy league schools? Do Ivy classes get curved more?
on Cornell Engineering:I have heard that the average GPA for engineering is a 3, which is very believable since the curves tend to give a large large majority of the class a B. So yes there is a curve, but it is used to normalize the class rather than bump grades up (We've had classes exam averages in the 50's or 60's many many times). Even "making it by" at Cornell is by no means easy - in my junior year, I would be stressed every night to finish up problem sets due the next morning (yes... most classes had solutions manuals, but we still try to learn the material).But honestly it's not the academics that stresses you out, it is finding the balance and learning to prioritize your work with your extracurriculars. By junior year, I started saying I'll just take a B in this class and spent my time working with asian culture organizations, case competitions and my dance team - because I prioritized those over my academics (in hindsight, I probably should have taken my education more seriously). So toughness is a combination of both academics and extracurriculars. If we were to judge all universities by academic rigor then obviously Cornell would be #1 (just kidding! don't get defensive), but academic workload itself won't necessarily make your college career tough.
Why do people pursue academic research even though it pays less than industrial research?
Many of my Professors were former hotshots who made their name in industry. Then they decided that academia was a better place for them. This is rather common even in engineering where the industry payout is very good for people with their skillset.My advisor, James Swartz, made his name at Genentech and was more or less on the path to being inducted into the National Academy of Engineering when he decided to join Stanford. By that point, he had already played a huge role in building Genentech's fermentation department and was one of the key figures in getting Herceptin approved. If you want to know of an example of a guy who has already had it made, it would be him.But he fell into a really interesting niche with Cell-Free Biology and one of his postdocs was able to solve a key puzzle in Cell-Free protein synthesis. Thus, his options essentially came down to: do you continue with developing other technologies with Genentech or do you leave for academia where you can do the basic science to see this project through? Jim decided to leave Genentech for Stanford and has been doing pretty well since.Academia gives you the freedom to do whatever science project you want without too many questions. It also allows you to teach and mentor students which was a major thing on his wish list. He is also allowed to work on tech development for his own startups without worrying about a larger company taking the project out of his control. Jim was able to start Sutro Biopharma, GreenLight Bioscience, and Bullet Biotechnology while at Stanford. The nice thing about co-founding startups? Like grad students, you get them growing and moving and then send them on your way as they learn how to become independent.At Stanford there is also Peter Kim, aka the former PRESIDENT of Merck. Peter Kim essentially took a multimillion dollar paycut to become a Professor again. Why you ask? Probably to finally finish what he started at Merck: developing an HIV vaccine.Also having the extra time to hang out with your kids is pretty nice.
Does depression necessarily have to affect your studies/academics?
Although not a professional, I speak from my experience. Depression does not have to affect you academically. Working with a psychiatrist and a therapist will really help. Being on a medication or medications that are right for you can help immensely. One hard and fast rule I try to follow, or I can send myself into depression is to eat and sleep on time. When these things are interrupted, they can make the depression worse. They used to take people off of anti-depressants as soon as they started feeling good again when I was young. Of course, we now know that it is a cycle. It was that cycle that caused me to fail in academics. However, I was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder, given the right meds for me, and graduated with my bachelor’s degree and am almost done with my master’s degree. However, as I discovered through work and after I stopped working, the reason I was able to make it was because I did it online. I was able to take breaks when I needed to, not sit through an hour-long class. I also have an emotional support animal, my cat. When she sits on my lap and starts purring, it relaxes me, and I can stop for a few minutes, lean back and close my eyes, and just be in the moment. When she gets up, I get back to work.Now, this is what works for me, not necessarily for you. If you have access to a therapy group, I encourage you to join. But, you can find ways to cope and make it through school. Do things to reduce your stress. But, always, always, take your meds and at the same times every day!Good luck to you. Had I known what I do now, I probably would have made it through a brick-and-mortar school, as well.
When writting a poem is it ok to mix rhyme schemes?
Please don't use the word "flow" when talking about poetry. It is utterly meaningless. There are real words to describe different aspects of poetry, but "flow" isn't one of them. Sure, you can do this. It's going to distract the reader, though, unless there's a good reason for it. Do you want the reader to pay attention to the poem, or do you want him sitting there wondering "why did this rhyme scheme change?" Poems often change their rhyme scheme or meter or something else right at the end, to signal that the poem is reaching closure, but just random change-ups like the one you described usually don't serve any good purpose.