Ask Dr. Lopez

What should I put on my resume?

2008-11-08T22:25:00.000-08:00

Q: What should I put on my resume?

A: As a recruiter in science and engineering, my advice is put three things on your resume.

Relevant information. By relevant, I mean that you should list education and jobs where you learned skills that will make you an attractive employee. If the job seems out of context, be sure to highlight the relevant experiences and skills you learned on the job. A chemical engineer who served as an assistant manager at a restaurant might not think to include the experience on his resume. She should because she probably learned basic business accounting and how to lead teams while on the job. These are critical skills for almost any position.

Eligibility for clearance. If you are looking for a federal or government contractor job that may require a security clearance, you will help your chances by listing any security clearances you have held in the past. If you have not held one, state whether or not you are eligible. Presently, only U.S. citizens can obtain security clearances. If you are a U.S. citizen, say so on your resume.

Your personal philosophy. I’ve got a list of things I look for in potential candidates. Most recruiters do. While I will tell students what they should be studying in hopes that they naturally build themselves into the perfect employee, I don’t tell resume writers how to write a resume that artificially builds a nice, but false, picture. What you write must be true to you. Your resume should communicate what you can do to make your potential employer successful. If your potential employer doesn’t think what you can do will help them, the job is a bad fit. Keep looking. When you meet with an employer that resonates with your abilities, you have a good match. Remember that you are a customer, too. No job is worth sacrificing your own values, so don’t take one that will.

I want to be a millionaire. How can I make a million dollars?

2008-11-08T22:24:00.000-08:00

Q: I want to be a millionaire. How can I make a million dollars?

Why do you want to be a millionaire? If you want to be a millionaire so that you can spend money freely, I can’t help you. People who like to spend money have a hard time becoming millionaires. Many people believe that becoming a doctor or a lawyer is a one-way ticket to riches. I’m sorry to disappoint, but that is not the case. Becoming a millionaire is not just about making a bunch of money. Once made, you have to save and invest that money so that it makes more of itself for your benefit. This means learning and understanding the difference between an asset and a liability. The easy definition is that an asset becomes more valuable over time and a liability loses value over time. Many people think cars are assets, but in reality they are our biggest liabilities. Not only do they lose value over time, they cost money to use and maintain. In general, real estate is considered to be a great asset. Although we may be going through a national real estate slump in 2007, real estate usually appreciates in value over time. The key to becoming a millionaire is investing your money into assets and avoiding liabilities. If you research the spending habits of people around you, you will see that most people routinely waste their money on liabilities. To increase your wealth, you need to limit expenditures in things like Starbucks, cars, clothing, movies, and other commodities that get consumed or lose value. I’m not saying that we should not clothe ourselves, but if we want to be millionaires, paying $6.00 for Starbucks versus $1.00 at the gas station can be classified as flushing money down the toilet. Did you know that the average millionaire buys his suits at J.C. Penny’s? The company sells great suits that last for years and are extremely affordable ($200 on sale). Millionaires rarely buy new cars. They buy 3-year old cars and either drive them into the ground or sell them 3-years later for almost the same amount. This saves them thousands of dollars that they dump into real estate, stocks, bonds, retirement accounts, and businesses. If you want to be a millionaire, learn more about how the average millionaire lives by reading The Millionaire Next Door by Dr. Thomas J. Stanley and Dr. William D. Danko.

How can I get a patent?

2008-11-08T22:23:00.000-08:00

Q: How can I get a patent?

A: Individuals and companies obtain patents to protect new inventions. A patent allows the holder to control the use of the technology for a set period of time. After the patent expires, anyone is free to copy and use the same technology without paying the original patent holder. Patents are used to reward the inventor for inventing something new and useful. The patent holder can exclusively manufacture and sell the patented product or the patent holder can license the technology to another company in exchange for
payment. Individuals with little interest in creating a factory and sales company will often try to find a licensee for their patented technology.

If you have created a new invention, you can patent it, but beware. Patents are expensive for two reasons. First, it costs money to obtain a patent. Most people pay thousands and thousands of dollars to legal firms to navigate patent law and appropriately format their patents for submission. Some people can avoid legal firms, but they have to research patent law and carefully understand the government regulations for patent filing. For those who try to file a patent themselves, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office collects fees that can range from the hundreds to over a thousand dollars. The fees can be investigated at www.uspto.gov. Once your patent is awarded, you now have to maintain and defend it. This is where the real expense of a patent comes into play. Although you may control the patent of a key technology, if another company infringes your patent, you may have to pay incredible sums to defend it in court. The upside is that if you win, then you will see a huge payday. If you do not win or if you run out of money, the loss could ruin your financial life.

To read more about patents, check out the resources at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, www.uspto.gov. Alternatively, www.wikipedia.org has a lot of information about patents.

I’m getting a BS in engineering and would like to continue on to graduate school. I am not sure if I should pursue a Masters in Engineering or a MBA?

2008-10-04T15:45:00.000-07:00

Q. I’m getting a BS in engineering and would like to continue on to graduate school. I am not sure if I should pursue a Masters in Engineering or a Masters in Business Administration?

A. It depends on what you want to do with your education. If you want to do engineering, go for the Masters in Engineering. If you want to be a manager with a technical background, get the MBA. The fact that you are weighing the pros and cons of both options suggests that you may be looking to make significant technical contributions while managing people or projects. If that is the case, you might want to get both a MS in Engineering and MBA. Do yourself a favor and go for the Masters in Engineering first. Engineering is hard and the longer you are away from the advanced math and rigorous courses, the harder it will be to get back in the swing of things. If you are presently an engineering student, consider continuing on as a full time student until your Masters is complete. Once complete, you should be able to get a job that pays better than those available to BS college graduates. Begin making your technical contributions and start preparing for your MBA course of study.

I’m about to graduate and I have a choice of two jobs and a girlfriend.

2008-10-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

Q. I’m about to graduate and I have a choice of two jobs. Job 1 is my dream job, but it is located out of state. Job 2 is a decent job located in town. I also have a girlfriend. She has a year left in school and I think there is a future for us. If I take Job 1, I know it won’t be good for our relationship. If I take Job 2, it won’t be good for my career. I really like this girl. What should I do?

A. I think this is the first time Dr. MAES will ever give relationship advice. You are facing a common dilemma. Many people consider sacrificing their careers for a relationship. Before I entered to graduate school, I considered postponing my education to move near a girl I had fancied. I wanted to see if there was a future for us. In the end, I entered graduate school as plan and broke up with the girl. I have no regrets. Two years later, my girlfriend of a few months took an awesome out of state job with one of the best companies in the United States. For a couple years, we took turns driving 3 hours every weekend to see each other. When we got engaged, she sacrificed her career, moving back to our college town, where we were married and had our first child. Now on child number three, we’re still married and she has no regrets. I have two pieces of advice for you:

1) Don’t think either/or. Taking Job 1 may not be good for your relationship, but who says you have to sacrifice your career for it? How can you maintain your relationship and still pursue a rewarding career?
2) Choose what is right for you and don’t look back. Many people like to dwell on the past. Do yourself a favor and move on. There is no point to regretting past decisions. Maybe they were dumb, but they are over. Don’t do the same dumb thing twice. That’s about all you have to remember. Whatever you choose, go for it with all you’ve got.

Which major is the best one to pursue in college?

2007-11-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

Q: Which major is the best one to pursue in college?

A: It depends on what you want. Do you want to make a lot of money? Do you want to do something you love? Do you want to be a business owner? Do you want to always be employed? Do you want to be a medical doctor or dentist? Do you want to be a senior scientist or senior engineer? Do you want to be a professor? It all depends, but I can give you a few rules of thumb. If you want to be a medical doctor, the major that has the highest chance of admission into medical school is physics. Physics is also a great major if you love science and want to go to grad school. Physics majors can take their degrees and use them to enter into any technical graduate program or professional school. Everyone thinks physics is hard, so majors get a lot of respect. If you love science and want to be a PhD researcher, but you’re not sure in which field, physics is a great place to start. The same is also true for chemistry majors. In my experience, biology is usually chosen by students wanting to go to med school, but if you look at the statistics, physics majors have the best shot. What if you want to get a job easily right out of undergrad? If you want to get a job right out of college, consider science or engineering. Only 5% of all bachelors degrees are in the engineering versus 22% in business. That amounts to 60,000 new engineers each year versus 290,000 new business graduates. Corporations have been complaining that there are not enough engineers being educated in the United States, so which population do you think is in higher demand? New engineers with decent GPAs can demand high starting salaries. So, if you love science and engineering, spending four years sweating through it can really payoff when you are looking for a job. The top five highest paying college majors are all engineering degrees paying starting salaries over $50,000 a year according to a July 12, 2007 article in Money magazine.

I know I think like an engineer, but I really love sports medicine. Is there any way to really combine the two of them?

2007-11-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

Q: I’m a senior in high school and I am on the fence about pursuing engineering or sports medicine. I know I think like an engineer, but I really love sports medicine. Is there any way to really combine the two of them?

Thanks,
Juliana

A: First of all, the answer is yes. You can do both engineering and sports medicine. Before we get into the how, I’d like to ask you a few questions. Do you love engineering as much as you love sports medicine? If not, why try to combine them? Thinking like an engineer is a gift that you can apply to any major you choose to pursue. Thinking like an engineer will make it easier for you to be an engineer, but it doesn’t mean you have to be one. On the other hand, if you love engineering as much as you love sports medicine, there are some incredible opportunities for you. Many engineers enjoy applying their gifts to the field of medicine. Some do it as doctors or trainers who research and use the latest technology to create advanced training routines for athletes. Others create ways to speed the healing process, putting athletes back on the field faster than ever before. Some engineers work on the technology side, making revolutionary prosthetics that can allow amputees to run again. Many engineers work on devices that enhance player’s performance from arm braces that prevent hyperextension to precise mass distribution and shape in golf club design. You can also work on engineering tissue. Some scientists have been able to grow human ears on the backs of lab mice. To find out more, try researching the following topics: biomedical engineering, prosthetics, tissue engineering, and sports medicine technology. If you want to get into the engineering side of sports medicine, I would recommend that you go through a good physics or engineering program. An engineer can get into sports medicine easier than a sports medicine major can get into engineering. You might consider a double major or minor in sports medicine, but don’t feel that it is a requirement.

How does MAES support students pursuing graduate studies?

2007-11-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

Q: How does MAES support students pursuing graduate studies?

A: MAES supports students in graduate school through several means. The GRE Waiver Program supports students financially by covering the fee to take the Graduate Record Exam. At the annual MAES symposium and career fair, graduate and undergraduate students are able to present research and compete for $10,000 in scholarships that are distributed to the students with the best papers and posters. During the symposium, a graduate school fair helps potential graduate students meet with recruiters from top science and engineering graduate schools across the nation. Also during the symposium, a graduate school panel discussion invites students to pose questions for immediate feedback. The panel discussion is a live version of the Ask Dr. MAES forum. Students who are unable to attend the panel discussion at the symposium are welcome to send questions to Ask Dr. MAES. MAES also maintains a list of potential coaches and mentors for undergraduate and graduate students. Students may request a connection at any time by writing to a member of the MAES Outreach Committee.

Ask Dr. MAES Challenge - Win $50

2007-09-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

Here is a challenge to all Ask Dr. MAES readers. To answer the challenge, use the email Dr. MAES link on the right. The winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com. The top responses will be posted in a future edition of the MAES magazine.

What do you do with a problem employee? You have several employees. 20% of them are A+ top performers. Everything they do is more than you expected. 75% of them are average performers. They do their jobs. No more. No less. The final person is the problem employee. This person consistently turns in sub-par work and he never meets your deadlines. When they do turn work in, it is usually full of errors and must be redone for the customer. On the one hand, you want this person to be successful. You can coach the person and get them to improve their work habits. Some would say that this person lacks nothing that can’t be taught. On the other hand, the 80/20 rule says that if you spend 80% of your time on the bottom 20%, you will only get average performance out of them. If you spend 80% of your time on the top 20%, you will get 200% out of them. What do you do in this situation?

Send your response through the email Dr. MAES link on the right. Please include your name, phone number, address, and company/school affiliation.

What is the most important thing to learn in school?

2007-09-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

Q: What is the most important thing to learn in school?

A: Learn to love the process of learning. Unfortunately, somewhere between elementary school and college, most students are turned off from school and learning becomes a chore. This is sad because learning is the most natural part of life. It is also the most critical skill needed to survive the workplace. While in school, learn how to make learning fun. Find ways to keep it exciting and challenging. You will use this skill throughout your life. While others choose to avoid learning new things, you will be constantly improving your knowledge and skills. While others fear being made obsolete by new graduates with state of the art skills in your field, you will be the person who has kept up with the latest technology and gathered the experience to use it wisely. People who love to learn become the architects of progress within their companies. Through them, new ideas and practices enter the organization. Their managers look to them as oracles of the future. What a wonderful position to be in. Do yourself a favor and cultivate a lifelong love of learning. Be like an explorer discovering long lost artifacts, the cure for cancer, or the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Develop a passion for the unknown.

How many times are you allowed to take the GRE?

2007-08-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

Q: How many times are you allowed to take the GRE? And if you can retake it do they replace your score if you score higher than the first time you took the test?

A: You can take the GRE as many times as you want. Unfortunately, a higher test score will not replace a lower one. What they do is report all your GRE test scores to the schools. So, if you take it twice, they will report both scores. Schools vary in how they treat this data. Some of them will only count the highest score. Some average all your scores. Call the admissions office to find out how the school treats multiple GRE scores. If you think you did badly, you have the option of canceling the test, but you can only do this right after you take the test before it is scored.

Fellowships

2007-08-10T19:19:00.000-07:00

The following fellowships are opening to applicants very soon:

1. The National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program
The 2007-2008 Competition will open for applications in early August 2007. This fellowship program provides students with three years of financial support including a $30,000 annual stipend and $10,500 cost-of-education allowance. U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents at or near the beginning of research-based graduate studies in the Chemistry, Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Engineering, Geosciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, Psychology, and Social Sciences fields are eligible to apply. For additional information and deadlines, please go to https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/

2. The National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program (NDSEG)
Sponsored by the Department of Defense, this fellowship program is intended for U.S. citizens at or near the beginning of their graduate studies in science and/or engineering programs. The fellowships are for three year tenures and provide an annual stipend of over $30,000. Full tuition and fees and a health insurance allowance are included as part of the program. For additional information, please go to http://www.asee.org/ndseg

3. Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Defense Scholarship for Service Program
This Department of Defense Program is open to undergraduate and graduate students studying in the Science, Mathematics and Engineering fields and provides an annual salary, full tuition, and other normal educational expenses including health insurance and a book allowance. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or nationals, and at least 18 years of age. There is an employment obligation to Department of Defense with this education program. For additional information, please go to http://www.asee.org/smart

With graduate school comes an additional level of freedom as well as an additional level of self discipline needed to stay on task and finish....

2007-01-29T14:52:00.000-08:00

Q: With graduate school comes an additional level of freedom as well as an additional level of self discipline needed to stay on task and finish what must be done. Would you agree? And if so, can you speak to any ideas/techniques/habits that would help with this.

A: Yes, I agree that graduate school demands a high degree of self discipline. All I can say is that it is good training for the real world. I would like to think that one of the reasons I have so much freedom in my job is because of the self discipline I acquired in graduate school. When there is no one around to keep you on task, it is easy to blow things off. Indeed, the need to be internally dedicated to your work is one of the primary weed out mechanisms in graduate school. If you love bacteria cells, molecules, or physical laws so much that you're willing to forego a real paycheck for five to eight years so that you can study even harder and do even more work than you did in undergraduate school, then you have what it takes to be a doctor. You don't have to pay money for graduate school, but you do pay with blood, sweat, and tears. In some ways, I think of it like the priesthood. Scientists and engineers are called to graduate school like some men are called to the priesthood. Few are called and even fewer have the courage to answer the call. That is why it is so important to support those who are presently in the process of becoming masters and doctors in science and engineering.

When I was in graduate school, just three years ago, the concept of time management was a big concern for me. I experienced the most stress when my daughter was born. Her birth really tested my ability to deal with the demands of home and work. The first thing I have to say is that the demands of life will never subside. This is how life goes: Get married, have children, graduate, get a job, get promoted, have more kids, go to school plays, go to soccer games, get promoted, get a staff, get a budget, go to twice as many plays, go to soccer games, recitals, more kids, business trips, recruiting trips, family gatherings, plays, teacher meetings, games, shopping, promoted, budget, budget, first dates, graduations. You get the picture. All you will be able to do is adapt to the ever growing demands of life. It will never ever get easier and once you accept that, life is a whole lot of fun. Rather than coping until it stops, you must learn to adapt to the new reality. That is my first piece of advice. Never tolerate or cope. Either act to change or adapt to the new reality.

In order to meet the demands of life, you will need to keep up with new productivity ideas and new technology. Both will help you adapt. One of the best things you can do is regularly read business books and magazines. The business world is constantly trying to find new ways to do more with less. I read Business Week and Business 2.0. Business Week is great for the time conscious manager within. Business 2.0 is a great magazine for entrepreneurs. Perhaps the best productivity book I've read is David Allen's Getting Things Done. He has a really cool system for processing all the work that comes at you and organizing it for action. You can read more about it at www.43folders.com/about. Recently, I got a new software program that allows me to create advanced To-Do lists. Check it out at www.mylifeorganized.com. It also has templates to help you follow the Getting Things Done system. Another system out there is the Printable CEO at www.davidsheah.com. Try to learn as much as possible about as many different methods. Mix and match and use whatever works for you.

What sorts of jobs do entry level employees perform?

2007-01-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

Q: What sorts of jobs do entry level employees perform?

A: Your job is what you make of it. You may be hired to do one thing, but don't let that stop you from developing experience in many areas. I was hired to do physics, but I have always enjoyed quality and business. I attended corporate training in Lean Six Sigma and now I am one of the technical staff leading the Lean Six Sigma effort in my organization. After showing some interest in manufacturing, I am helping to manage our scientific hardware supply chain. Just because you were hired to do one thing, doesn't mean you can't do other things. If that is where your passion lies, your company will only benefit from your aptitude and energy in the other areas.

What is the lowest GPA one can have in engineering undergrad and still get in?

2007-01-29T14:49:00.000-08:00

Q: What is the lowest GPA one can have in engineering undergrad and still get in?

A: Admissions criteria differ wildly among schools. Your best bet is to check U.S. News and World Report's America's Best Engineering Graduate School rankings at www.usnews.com.

U. S News maintains an extensive list of engineering graduate schools. The information includes lists of top ranking schools in specialties such as Industrial Engineering, Civil Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, and many others. For each school listed, they share the average GRE scores and overall acceptance rates for the class admitted in Fall 2005. To help facilitate your application, they also link to the school's website, admission's email address, and electronic admission application.

Once you have accessed the U.S. News site, identify 10 schools that you are interested in attending. Visit the schools' websites and navigate to the academic departments that interest you. Find the contact information of the department chair and send him (or her) a message explaining your desire to study at the school. Request information about admissions criteria.

The lower your GPA, the more important it will be for you to establish that you really want to study in graduate school. One thing you will learn is that in graduate school, determination and tenacity are more important than raw smarts. You don't have to be a genius, but you do have to be dedicated. The sooner you communicate this quality to the school, the more lenient they will be with their admissions criteria.

Is MAES affiliated with GEM?

2007-01-29T14:48:00.000-08:00

Q: Is MAES affiliated with GEM? And if so, are there any current programs to help MAES members be selected to obtain a fellowship from GEM?

A: MAES is not affiliated with GEM, but we do have a memorandum of understanding with the GEM. This formal partnership seeks to increase the representation of Latinos in the GEM program and most importantly, doctoral education programs. Currently, Latinos are underrepresented in this program. GEM offers doctoral fellowships in engineering and in science and masters fellowships in engineering. MAES as an organization couldn't get members selected to obtain a fellowship from GEM.

I applied for a GEM fellowship as an undergraduate. I encourage you to apply to as many fellowships as you can, but know that even if you don't get a single one, you will still succeed. I didn't get a single fellowship, but I was still fully funded by the university and my professor for my entire graduate school education.

The great thing about engineering graduate school is that it is free. In fact, you will receive a living stipend to go to graduate school. As a graduate student, my tuition was fully paid and I received a $20,000 annual living stipend. There is so much money in the sciences and engineering that students are paid to go to science and engineering graduate school. If you enjoy school and want to keep learning, go right ahead. Don't worry about the finances. Identify a program and a professor that wants you. Depending on your undergraduate academic record and graduate advisor’s funding, you will receive a fellowship, research assistantship, or teaching assistantship. Fellowships go to the best students. Research assistantships go to students with professors that have good funding. Underfunded professors will usually support their students through teaching assistantships. Either way, you won’t have to worry about paying for school.

I want to know if there is a minimum GPA to be eligible for a fellowship in a masters program.

2007-01-29T14:47:00.000-08:00

Q: I want to know if there is a minimum GPA to be eligible for a fellowship in a masters program. I have a 3.2 GPA (overall) in the Mechanical Engineering Department and have participated on design projects, such as the Mini Baja Project. I would like to go to graduate school for a masters in engineering. I am not a resident of this country, which makes it impossible to fund my own tuition. I am planning to do research this quarter and find areas of interest within the engineering field. Thanks for your time.

A: A 3.2 in Mechanical Engineering is good. Getting fellowships is hard though, especially for Masters program students. Professors prefer to support PhD students. If you are interested in getting a PhD, apply directly to the PhD program. If you are really only interested in a Masters, take a two pronged approach. First, apply to as many Masters fellowships as you can. Your school should have an office that will help you find fellowships. You can also try a Google search. Second, it will be important for you establish relationships with some professors. The good news is that if you can establish that you are a hard worker, some professors might be willing to support you even though you are not a Ph.D. student. If you get accepted, you will most likely get support, so don't worry too much about funding your own tuition. That said, you should still make sure the school will support you before you accept their offer of admission.

I just graduated with a Biomedical Engineering Degree and I am having trouble finding a job.

2007-01-29T14:46:00.000-08:00

Q: I just graduated with a Biomedical Engineering Degree and I am having trouble finding a job. I have considered going to graduate school but I am unsure what to go into. I really like to do research and want to pursue that, do you have any suggestions about which area I should possibly study next and which schools are the best to apply to?

A: An obvious choice is to continue in a biomedical engineering degree program. According to U.S. News, the top three graduate schools in Biomedical Engineering are 1) Johns Hopkins University, 2) University of California-San Diego, and 3) Georgia Institute of Technology. You can check the department websites at each of these schools to see if any of their research interests you.

Sit back and ask yourself what you would like to do when you are done with school. If you really like research and want to be responsible for leading research, you sound like Ph.D. material. If you are interested in deep knowledge and enhanced problem solving skills, but not interested in applying your skills to research, a Masters degree should do.

I have some questions about post-college life. In my engineering career, will I confront problems that are much harder?

2007-01-29T14:44:00.000-08:00

Q: I have some questions about post-college life. In my engineering career, will I confront problems that are much harder than those I have done in my classes? Thank you for any info.

A: This is a hard question, but I think the answer has to yes. The cure for Cancer. Alternative fuel sources. Travel to Mars. All of these are very hard problems. In your engineering career, you will confront problems that have never been solved before. You will create value for your employer by solving these problems in creative and novel ways that will lead to products, sales, and scientific breakthroughs. In school, the problems you solve have already been done a thousand times before by other students. I think it all depends on how you define hard. I define hard as something that is excruciatingly boring to do. To me, working on alternative fuel sources that will save our planet is the most exciting thing in the world. I will work that problem everyday for the rest of my life because I believe in the benefit to humanity and the world. It is super easy for me to work on stuff like that.

I like to say that science is the explorer's paradise. As a scientist or engineer, it is your job to explore uncharted territory. It is your job to passionately apply your skills to creating engineering marvels. It is hard to explore and hard to create, but these are the hard problems that are so easy to do. Yes, I believe that you will find problems that are infinitely harder, if not impossible, to solve. Remember though that the world was flat, air flight used to be physically impossible, and the Star Trek communicator used to be science fiction until someone invented the cell phone.

I have a few questions. Just recently I decided to change my major and I will now be working on getting a BA not a BS.

2007-01-29T14:39:00.000-08:00

Q: I have a few questions. Just recently I decided to change my major and I will now be working on getting a BA not a BS. Could I still participate in MAES? Do I still qualify for scholarships? I am also worried on job options through MAES for my new career, which is Political Science with a concentration in Policy making and Administration. I love being in MAES and I hope to be involved with MAES for many more years to come.

A: Good questions. I certainly hope that you continue to be an active MAES member. MAES membership is open to all and all are welcome to become MAES members. Whether or not you qualify for scholarships depends on the scholarship for which you are applying. Every scholarship has its own criteria. As long as you meet the criteria, you will qualify for that particular scholarship.

Regarding your job options, I think MAES can offer you a wonderful opportunity to practice your political science and policy making skills. MAES badly needs your help. Being a bunch of engineers, we know how to identify problems and attack them with our technical aptitude. The problem is that some of these problems are not solvable with Newtonian mechanics or Maxwell's equations. We need political science majors to help us work with Washington DC. We need accountants to handle our money. We also need marketers to help us get the word out about wonderful it is to be a MAES member. We need business majors to help us run the organization and strategically plan for its future.

I'm very happy that you are a political scientist that cares for the people and mission of MAES. Like I said, MAES can offer you a wonderful opportunity to practice political science. We need help in Washington. We need someone with passion for the cause to take that passion and apply it to networking with our government officials and educating them about the benefits of MAES. I hope you see the enormous benefit you can provide the organization by making contributions in this area.

How much does graduate school cost?

2007-01-29T14:36:00.000-08:00

Q: How much does graduate school cost?

A: One of the biggest misconceptions shared among undergraduate science and engineering students is that graduate school is expensive. Welcome to the greatest secret in higher education. While others rack up bills going to medical, dental, business, or law school, an engineering or science graduate student just might be depositing money into an IRA. Professional schools can charge huge tuition because there are far more pre-med students than there are places for them to study. It is a classic supply and demand problem. Liberal arts graduate programs have no money. Companies spend money on things that make them money and most things that make money come out of science and engineering. Right now, there are not enough students in science and engineering to use up all the money that the government and industry want to spend solving technical problems. The result is that graduate programs in science and engineering fully support graduate students with full tuition and living stipend. If you want to go to graduate school, all it takes is desire and dedication. Leave your checkbook behind.