[geeks] I want this....

[Jonathan C. Patschke]

On Wed, 22 May 2002, Joshua D Boyd wrote:

> What degree?  CS?

Yeah.  I've been contemplating the hop to EE.  EE's more marketable, but I
like the fact that CS usually only deals with discrete math.  I'm not one
of those high-level math geeks, even though I'd like to be.

> It's not like you can't transfer to someplace cheaper (both school
> wise and living wise).

That's debatable.  Besides that, I love Rice.  The mentality of the school
has changed a bit in the last few years (becoming more politically-
correct, ugh!), but, back in 1998, it fit me perfectly.  The CS department
could lay off the Java and Scheme crackpipes, but I -love- the teaching
style.

Here's the Rice way of teaching, for example, low-level software:
  1) Introduce topic (say, avoiding the thrashing of a TLB), with
     background information/problem to show importance.
  2) Illustrate topic in C.
  3) Let the students, as a group, translate the C code into MIPS assembly
     in the lecture.
  4) Give assignment using that the same topic, to be done in SPARC
     assembly.
  5) Ask students to check their work using a SPARC assembler they wrote
     themselves in C, for an earlier assignment.

In short, in any of the reasonably-advanced courses, what's taught in the
classrom differs in most of the details from the homework.  The topic is
the same, but students are expected to make the logical leap.  I should
point out that SPARC assembly is not taught as part of this particular
class.  MIPS is.  Students are expected to read the SPARC documentation
and figure out the differences (which are mostly semantic) for themselves.

I -love- the lack of the "preach, cram, spew" cycle.  I don't know how
different that is from most universities, but I really hated that about
high school.

> For instance, if you have a tolerance for annoyance, this school ain't
> too bad, and the area if pretty stinking cheap.

I'm a pretty bitchy person.  Just ask Bill or Kirby (not Kris, the other
one).  My tolerance for annoyance is very low, and I'm fairly outspoken.

> Pittsburg also isn't too bad.  Philly is extremely expensive, but it
> is easy to commute from more affordable areas.

There's also the benefit that PA is much closer to MIT (which my fiancee
attends) than TX is.  I could feasibly take a train or a short, cheap
flight instead of the five hour wallet-emptier that she and I each
currently take about 3-4 times a year.

> There are good schools there, but I don't know how the tuition
> compares to yours.

Tuition at Rice isn't bad at all.  Living on-campus with all fees comes to
about $22k/year.  Since I'll be living off-campus, that figure will
probably be appreciably lower.  I looked at Teresa's bill from MIT and
screamed in horror.

> Not that I'm trying to push PA.  It just the only place where I know anything
> about living expenses.

Living expenses where I am are -cheap-.  A two bedroom, one bathroom
duplex-style apartment is about $400, utilities included.  But I'm a hour
away from Austin, and three hours away from Houston.  Living expenses in
Houston don't look to be -that- horrible.  Certainly a hell of a lot
better than Austin.  As much as I love Austin, I plan to never live there.

>From what I'm seeing, upon seizing a decent job in the Houston area, I can
afford to live quite comfortably, since I don't need a -lot- of room, I
cook for myself, and I spend less than $80/month on entertainment.
Really, I'm just bitching about the lack of having gotten accepted
anywhere there.  I mean, hell, $previousEmployer is quite a resume stain
in Austin, but I'd hoped they were an unknown in Houston. :(

--Jonathan