Procrastinating by Learning to Speak French

Cet automne, je serai un étudiant diplômé. Je recherche géobiologie, mais, dans la première année, je vais devoir prendre des cours en sciences de l'environnement et l'ingénierie.

Switching Focus?

Ugh, Politics is so stressful. I can't bring myself to post on the political goings on much anymore. Most stressful development recently: The supreme court's decision to overturn campaign finance regulations.

On another note, I have been applying to graduate schools and was admitted to CalTech yesterday. Now the question is, can I live in Pasadena/LA for 5 years at a school with a serious diversity problem? Despite CalTech's reputation, its ranking as one of the best schools in my field, I think I'm going to the University of Oregon (assuming I get in).

UOregon

Pros:
Supportive Faculty
2-3 Faculty who I want to work with
It's in Oregon
Faculty collaboration
Affordable Housing
Research I am already familiar with

Cons:
Lack of Diversity

CalTech

Pros:
Top Ranking/Reputation

Cons:
Lack of Diversity
Lack of affordable housing?
Research that I am far less familiar with (steep learning curve)

I'm also waiting to hear from UC San Diego and UC Irvine.

Massachusetts Resident? Get out and Vote for Martha on Tuesday!

I am returning to my blog today to ask all MA residents to please vote for Martha Coakley on Tuesday... Let us not allow Scott Brown destroy all the work that Ted Kennedy accomplished towards finally passing health care reform. Teddy wanted to make sure the children of this country have healthcare and accomplishing this was both his dying wish and just the right thing to do...And most of us don't need anyone to tell us that children deserve to be protected, that they deserve to have healthcare. But Scott Brown says on his website, "...I am opposed to the health care legislation that is under consideration in Congress and will vote against it. It will raise taxes, increase government spending and lower the quality of care, especially for elders on Medicare." What he doesn't say is that Medicare passed in 1965 despite staunch Republican opposition to that program too. That it is Republicans who dramatically increased government spending for most of the past decade. That you cannot lower the quality of care for the 86.7 million people who have no healthcare. To allow this senate seat to go to a person who is not willing to make healthcare reform a priority in the US today would be wrong...for all of us. Please make phone calls, vote on Tuesday, and remind others to do the same.