Grad School Help

[Brian Davidson]

So I'm sorta not sure what to do. I'm graduating in 4weeks with a BS in Business Administration with banking and finance. I'm really getting into meteorology but not sure what to do. I don't want to back to school for another 4 years and retake all the simple classes.

OU takes grad students who don't have a major in Meteorology but its going to be hard for me because I don't have any high level science classes, right?

Really not sure what to do =/

 

[mikegeukes]

Here are some links to check out.

What Does It Take to Get into Graduate School? A Survey of Atmospheric Science Programs
by John W. Nielsen-Gammon, Lourdes B. Aviles and Everett Joseph
http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/2009BAMS2767.1

Academics at the School of Meteorology
http://som.ou.edu/academics.php

OU School of Meteorology Graduate Program
http://som.ou.edu/studiesGrad.php

SoM Graduate Program Frequently Asked Questions
http://som.ou.edu/assets/pdf/GraduateApplicationFAQ.pdf

Knowledge Expectations for Incoming Graduate Students
http://som.ou.edu/knowGrad.php

Mike

 

[Brian Davidson]

Yea, already been looking at OUs site. Looks like I can, I am just not ready for it. I need to talk a lot of math classes before I go.

 

[Logan Karsten]

Brian,

As someone who is about to graduate with a masters degree in meteorology, I can say you definitely want to get some science and math classes under you belt, especially calculus and physics. Some people could jump to meteorology from another major for graduate school, but it's usually majors with the right background (engineering, physics, math, etc). Also, for graduate school, you will need to figure out what kind of research you will be doing. From there you can tailor what kind of classes to take. For example, my research is in hydrology, so you would want to take a couple introductory courses in surface water hydrology.

Hope that helps.

 

[Jeff Duda]

Yea, already been looking at OUs site. Looks like I can, I am just not ready for it. I need to talk a lot of math classes before I go.

Yes, you do.

Brian,

As someone who is about to graduate with a masters degree in meteorology, I can say you definitely want to get some science and math classes under you belt, especially calculus and physics. Some people could jump to meteorology from another major for graduate school, but it's usually majors with the right background (engineering, physics, math, etc). Also, for graduate school, you will need to figure out what kind of research you will be doing. From there you can tailor what kind of classes to take. For example, my research is in hydrology, so you would want to take a couple introductory courses in surface water hydrology.

^What he said.

 

[Karen St John]

Brian...talk to the school's counseling people. First it puts your name in their heads (making an earnest impression, presumably. Second, you can talk at length about the program, and see what prerequisites you'll need. Maybe you can some of those course at a community college, which can still be of high quality, but with less expenditure. Especially with evening classes, the students are often older, and more dedicated.

Then go to OU. The big thing is to find out, put in the work, and keep the lines of communication. That's how I got through grad while working full time (over 5 years, and in a different program of study, but still...)

 

[Dan Hildebrand]

Perhaps try to take some math and physics classes at a community college. That way its not as expensive (hopefully) as going back to college, and then when you are ready you can jump into the meteorology program.

 

[Tim Supinie]

Brian, I honestly think you'd be better off just getting a four-year B.S. degree in Meteorology. I think that by the time it's all said and done, less time and money will have been spent going that route, and it will be more rewarding for you. Graduate school is a whole different animal than undergraduate studies. As you might have realized by reading the previous posts, there usually is a strong research component, though you can get an M.S. degree without writing a thesis. I think in that case they give you an exam that's probably really difficult. Also, depending on how you do it, you won't have to take "simple" classes again as an undergraduate. As Dan suggested above, you could take calculus and physics classes at a community college and then transfer into the B.S. program. Though you might run into issues with credits transferring, I'm not sure how that works. Just make sure you get a strong background in calculus and physics, as it's essential to understanding the material presented in a meteorology class (both graduate-level and undergraduate-level).

I'm a first-year M.S. student in OU's Meteorology program now, and I can say from experience that it's rough, even coming off a four-year B.S. degree in Meteorology at OU. The classes, while incredibly interesting and enlightening, are also very difficult. That's not to say that the undergraduate classes aren't difficult (they are), but they're more manageable for someone just getting into the math and physics.

I'm not trying to discourage you from pursuing some sort of Meteorology degree. In fact, want to encourage you to do so, if you're interested in the subject material. However, you should probably know what you're getting yourself into.

Good luck in whatever course (... heh ...) you decide to take!

 

[Brian Davidson]

Brian, I honestly think you'd be better off just getting a four-year B.S. degree in Meteorology. I think that by the time it's all said and done, less time and money will have been spent going that route, and it will be more rewarding for you. Graduate school is a whole different animal than undergraduate studies. As you might have realized by reading the previous posts, there usually is a strong research component, though you can get an M.S. degree without writing a thesis. I think in that case they give you an exam that's probably really difficult. Also, depending on how you do it, you won't have to take "simple" classes again as an undergraduate. As Dan suggested above, you could take calculus and physics classes at a community college and then transfer into the B.S. program. Though you might run into issues with credits transferring, I'm not sure how that works. Just make sure you get a strong background in calculus and physics, as it's essential to understanding the material presented in a meteorology class (both graduate-level and undergraduate-level).

I'm a first-year M.S. student in OU's Meteorology program now, and I can say from experience that it's rough, even coming off a four-year B.S. degree in Meteorology at OU. The classes, while incredibly interesting and enlightening, are also very difficult. That's not to say that the undergraduate classes aren't difficult (they are), but they're more manageable for someone just getting into the math and physics.

I'm not trying to discourage you from pursuing some sort of Meteorology degree. In fact, want to encourage you to do so, if you're interested in the subject material. However, you should probably know what you're getting yourself into.

Good luck in whatever course (... heh ...) you decide to take!

I really don't want to go back and start all over with another BS degree. I'm about to graduate and I don't want to have to retake all the filler classes that colleges make you take. Also, how much does OU cost?

 

[mikegeukes]

Required Tuition & Fees - Fall 2010/Spring 2011
https://bursar.ou.edu/tuition_fees.cfm

2010 - 2011 Tuition Estimator
https://bursar.ou.edu/tuition_estimator.cfm

 

[Brian Davidson]

Thanks! I'm not sure if I can even afford to go another 4 years. I'm about ready to get done with a 32,000/year school and have a lot of loans to pay.

 

[Jeff Duda]

If you're serious about getting into meteorology, I'd go with what Tim suggested. If money is an issue, then you probably just won't be able to do it. You could always see if some community college nearby offers some sort of intro to meteorology course to get your feet wet, but you will have to get a B.S. in meteorology to go as far as you seem to want to. Also, if you already have a B.A., you won't have to take gen eds all over again, just the pre-reqs and the core classes. When I transferred from the U. of Iowa to Iowa St. U. I had already done my gen eds, but I hadn't taken all of the physics or chemistry. It only took me 3 years to get my B.S. in meteorology, and that was with adding several math courses to get a B.S. in mathematics as well. At your rate, you probably wouldn't even have to be a full-time student. Perhaps then your costs would decrease.