Research/Creative Help

[Hemiola]

Maybe it's just me, but I can't see classifying the use of magic as "improper" if it is being used to escape a physically and pyschologically abusive environment.

[Trom DeGrey]

*big shrug* I dunno. Lying is lying and I just found it out of character for Tara as well as slightly offensive as a former Wiccan. Don’t misunderstand, it wasn’t the story idea that I found offensive. Offensive is probably too strong a word for me to use here. The use of the word Wicca and Wiccan and the use of magick in the show always bothered me, so I’m quick to grimace over it anyway. All that having been said, the ends do not justify the means. It isn’t even necessary for Tara to wave her magick wand and fudge the papers. She can get the funding without the hocus pocus. It just depends on how much time you want to spend on it cosmic dancer.

[cosmic dancer]

Thanks for the support guys!

Trom De Grey: I used the terms SAT reasoning (I think this is the maths and verbal bit you describe) and SAT subject tests as that’s what they’re called on the UC Irvine website (and others too). A while back Verdant suggested using UC Irvine or UC Davis as models for UC Sunnydale, so I have.

I suspect from what you’ve said that the term SAT in general usage refers to the reasoning test that lots of people probably take at some point. It seems likely that the subject tests are done by far less people mainly to aid admission to a specific college if it seems necessary. If far less people do them, they would be less well known and hence not really discussed.

The following link is one place which shows SATs described as I have. It is third on the list of things they look at though; proving what has been said previously that SATs are not all important in terms of college application.

http://www.admissions.uci.edu/fr_adm.html

However that is just for California residents (I think). This link shows that non-California residents (as Tara undoubtedly is) have two paths for application.

http://www.admissions.uci.edu/fr_uc_elig.html

The first route appears to be mainly based on GPA, and the second purely on exam scores (either SAT or ACT).

The following quote comes form FAQ on the UC Irvine website:

Does UCI require the SAT II tests? If so, which ones?

Yes. Freshman applicants who graduated from high school in spring 2005 or earlier are required to have taken the SAT I: Reasoning Test (or ACT) and three SAT II: Subjects Tests prior to high school graduation. Freshman applicants who graduate high school after spring 2005 are required to take the ACT Assessment plus Writing or the SAT Reasoning Test and two SAT Subject Tests. If you are applying for admission for fall 2006, you must take the tests no later than December 3, 2005 for the SAT Reasoning and SAT Subject Tests and December 10, 2005 for the ACT Assessment plus Writing.

This, I hope, justifies my decision to focus on these areas. It does prove, as you’ve said though, that the system is changing.

The term personal statement is also used on the UC Irvine website. See link below:

http://www.admissions.uci.edu/personal_statement.html

They say applicants should answer 3 short answer questions (given on the site), rather than write a single essay. It could be that other colleges may just require an essay of some kind, and do not use the term personal statement. As you can see, it isn’t linked to funding, but applicant selection for courses. It shows it is both compulsory and important for applicants to any colleges in California, so I’ve assumed it would matter for UC Sunnydale too. I plan to use her Art portfolio more as prove of talent as required for a scholarship application. As to whether Tara would sit any SAT’s in her junior year, I guess only a current high school pupil or teacher could answer that one, no website I’ve yet found has helped there. I hope this helps make more sense of what I’ve pieced together with regards college application.

I’m sorry that you think Tara using magick in this way is unacceptable, and I can assure you that I have no intention of upsetting or offending Wiccan’s in anyway. If I do use it in the end, I don’t intend the idea to come from Tara, and she may not initially like it. It would come from an adult Wicca who has seen how much both Tara and her Mum have suffered and wants to help her escape using any means available to them. Since they are both Wiccans, use of some kind of magick is an option they have that most other people don’t.

Use of magick here does serve two purposes for me though. Not only does it potentially solve a possible financial problem, but it also clearly demonstrates Tara’s power as Wicca before she attends UC Sunnydale. This is important to me too. That said I do like the idea of using a work study program. I had read about it, but I’ve never fully researched it. I did plan for her to have a job (Expresso pump currently being my favoured option), but I could easily rework that to being a book store job (which would probably suit Tara better) as part of a work study program.

I agree that a guidance counsellor could help her, certainly with identifying work study programs, but I’m not sure they would help her fill out a form (like the FAFSA) with lies. As far as I’m aware Tara would have to complete it to be eligible for the scholarship I’d like her to get, and it may also be a requirement for work study programs, I’ll try and look into that one.

I know students without parents can apply as individuals, but since her Dad is still alive, she couldn’t do this (not in a conventional way anyway). There are other criteria too, but Tara doesn’t fit any of them. I don’t think establishing another address would suffice.

If you are interested they can be found through the following link. Go to the table of contents and ‘How We Determine the Student's Dependency Status’ is one of the options.

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/help.htm

Although I like the idea of contacting a college directly with regards how Tara could get funded as an individual, I’m not sure I should. I’m not sure even a small university would want to answer questions for a fanfic writer, and I would be uncomfortable lying and claiming to be a potential student, as this sort of thing isn’t really in my nature either.

Sn0wflak3: : I’m glad you agree with me regarding use of magic. I suspect Tara would feel guilty about it though. If she does use magic, may be I should think of someway in which she could get round her guilt after she gets to college, maybe helping with community work in someway (a community art project?), something that justifies her presence at UC Sunnydale beyond just escape and obtaining a degree, both of which could seem selfish to someone as sensitive as Tara. If she feels her presence there is helping others not just herself, she may feel less guilty.

Hemiola I agree with you, this is part of my logic. It would be virtually impossible for Tara to go to any college (and hence escape her abusive home) without sufficient funding & without her dads support she might have to consider ‘cheating’ the system in someway to get that. As a witch, use of magic seems a plausible route.

I will look into the work study program option as suggested by Trom De Grey as a possible alternative though. Although both you and sn0wflak3 agree with my idea, others may feel the same way as Trom De Grey and I don’t want to risk upsetting people.

I think that’s all for now!

Thanks again

~Sez

[Trom DeGrey]

Again, I just have to chuckle. Sweetie, if you want Tara to abracadabra her financial aid paperwork, go for it! The show used magick as supernatural fantasy and I see no reason for it not to be used in fic that way as well. Especially if that fic is running in the BuffyVerse or along lines of canon. My reaction to your question was purely from a religious standpoint which was never represented in the show anyway and I should have just kept it to myself. The show offended more of us than any fic writer ever could! LOL!!! It’s your story, write it exactly how you want. I’m considering the same thing at the moment. An idea I posted in the Initial Ideas thread as an example before this was opened up drew such a firestorm from mods that I deleted it and posted the African story instead. Does that mean I won’t write it? No, I even have a beta for it. It just won’t be posted here. It’s your story, cosmic. Swing away!

[Trom DeGrey]

[center]HELP!!!!![/center]


I have searched far and wide, checked websites, books, magazines, journals and online groups.

Can anyone tell me what is the standard issue sidearm for American Drug Enforcement Administration field agents? The pics I've seen look like 9mm Glocks, but those were photos from range training. DEA agents are trained in a variety of firearms, so that could have been a training weapon and not what they usually carry.

I'm at my wits end here.

[binky]

I only have a casual interest in this, so, grain of salt time, but... is there even a standard issue? I thought it was a matter of personal preference. From what I recall collecting miniature military models (a hobby I no longer actively pursue) I think the Sig P228 is a popular choice. My brother is a gun/history nut. I can ask him.

edit:
I spoke to my brother over the weekend. Apparently, he's more interested in the military than law enforcement so he didn't have anything to add specific to the DEA, sorry. Good luck with your research.

[Trom DeGrey]

Rats. Thanks for trying though. My best friend is a park ranger. She didn't have to have any certain make, but they did require her to carry a 9mm, which pissed her off since she already had a .45. I'll keep looking. Thanks again!

[kindagay]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone could give me any info about the gifted program (is that what it's called?) in the american education system? How do you get on it? What is it? What kind of methods etc are used to aid gifted students? Basically, ANY info that you can pass on to a clueless brit kitten would be VERY much appreciated.

Thank you to anyone who can help me with this.

Hugs
Jeanne

[binky]

Keep in mind that the American educational system is nowhere near a unified thing and there are differences between institutes even on the city/town level--things like public versus private institutions, high school, university, post-graduate, not to mention home schooling and non-traditional and non-acredited alternatives. I.e., nothing seems to be standardized, and there's plenty of debate even about attempts to provide a uniform standard of education (the SATs, ACTs, etc). I'm afraid any information you get on the subject will tend to the anecdotal.

Okay, disclaimers now done, here are my thoughts on the subject:

Each institute can follow its own honors/accelerated programs for advanced students. This can begin (again, depending on the institution) from the grade school (K-8) level in traditional types of schools. Basically, it depends on when the administration feels they can reliably start separating students within the same age group according to different abilities. One way to look at it practically is by way of schedule. 25 years ago when I was in grade school (both public and private), K-8 students within the same age-defined class would have pretty much identical schedules. If there's any advancement, it tends to be into the next age/class--i.e., "smart kids" would skip whole grades, so the real over-achievers could start high school as pre-teens. I'm not sure if that's as wide-spread a practice now as it used to be. I remember there was some controversy about it even back then because of the emotional-age issue. As a result, it seems the process of individuating a student's curriculum (and therefore schedule) is beginning earlier nowadays than when I was a young'un. I've got a nephew and niece in a non-traditional grade school where the boy (2 years older than his sister) in fact shares a class with his sister on a subject she excels at but he lags in. But there is a boy in the year "ahead" of his in the same class. Crazy stuff. But it just goes to show you--or me, rather--how unmappable the topic is on the grade school level.

Of course, this is still anecdotal, but I suspect there's less chaos on the high school level, while conversely, schedules become more individuated. I have never heard of anyone skipping a 9-12 unless they were really super-geniuses who could only be challenged with a university-level curriculum, so advancement for skilled students tends to be on a course-by-course or perhaps more accurately discipline-by-discipline basis. My own experience (in a private Catholic high school) were "AP" courses - advanced placement courses. To get placed into these, which were basically the standard classes but more intensive and in some cases specialized (e.g., American 20th century lit rather than a survey across 3 centuries), I would typically score well on the individual school's own standardized test and be recommended by the instructor of the first-year class (everyone took the same basic level course first year, and hell, most of us were pretty grateful not to be singled out as freshmen). Again, by sophomore year, the process of weeding out the potentials had begun, and smart kids would find themselves in classes with upperclassmen or in AP courses. Aside from AP courses, the high school level is also where private and also national scholarship programs begin that offer incentives--stuff like cash/tuition scholarships, internships, seminars, etc. Besides the obvious perks, these can also look good on university applications.

Come graduation time, AP students could take standardized tests (nationally, the APs) with reportable scores that could be applied toward course credits for university freshman or first-year level courses at universities that acknowledged them (again, not every university does, or provides the same weight to a good AP score). For example, I placed on 3 AP topics, which were sufficient for 3 semester-course credits at my university. Now 5 courses per semester were standard at my university (Rutgers, a state university similar in a few respects to the UC system), so only by taking a summer session or 2 extra courses could I graduate a semester early. It did also allow me to take sophomore level courses in those disciplines during my first year. Of course, because everyone's coming from a different high school going into college, I doubt any two freshmen would have the same schedule beyond their first semester, if that.

By the time you get to the post-graduate level, the whole idea of being gifted and earning acceleration through the educational system has petered out since you're now entering the professional field you'll be stuck in the rest of your life. Everyone in the post-graduate level seems to be similarly esteemed (i.e., you had to be studious and hopefully good in your field to get into graduate school, unless you're just using higher ed as an excuse not to get a job in the "real world" in which case, good luck living off the miserly stipend--at least it's not taxable), and from this point, no one gives a damn that you skipped the third grade when you were 7, because they did, too.

Anyway, like I said, this is all anecdotal on my part. I don't believe there is a true standardized system across all institutions of learning, across all levels. If you're working a fiction on this topic, there's quite a bit of latitude. You might want to pose a hypothetical scenario to the group, and ask for responses as to its specific plausibility.

HTH

binky

[Emms]

Hi Jea. I just thought I'd add my two cents on this subject.

When I was in middle school, there was a boy who really excelled in math. he was in the 7th grade, but every day the school would bus him over to the high school during the scheduled time he was to take math so that he could take a more advanced course.

Here's something else... My nephew is very smart...like scary smart, and starting when he was 4 he began taking college courses during the summer, but attending regular school during the school year.

Um....also, most elementary schools have gifted programs/classes that students can attend in place of one or more of their "normal" classes. These classes take place in a classroom during school hours and basically focus on more advanced concepts and in-depth projects examining a variety of subjects from math and science all the way through to the arts.

Most schools have students take placement tests which helps to determine if they can meet the standards set for them in a normal class environment. Children who score very high on this test are more likely to be offered placement in the "gifted" programs. Also, I think teacher referral has a lot to do with it.

And to answer something binky said. Yes they still skip children up a grade or two if need be. One of the children I nanny for was just skipped from the 6th to the 7th grade, because he wasn't being challenged with the 6th grade curriculum his school offered. It was a very drawn out process though and schools do seem to lean toward keeping children with their peers (age-wise) Schools these days are careful to examine what's really best for the child's needs in order to place them appropriately.

Okay....I hope any of that helped.

xoxo
Emms

[kindagay]

Thank you lots to binky & Emms for the info.
I know that was kind of, a very general & vague enquirey & the info you both gave was very helpful.

To be more specific, I guess I wanted to know if it would be realistic for a particularly smart student (ie. Willow) to be taking extra, more indepth courses (accelerated course - is that the correct term?) with a group of intellectual equals? & more specifically, within that group, is it likely that Willow would perhaps be 'paired up' with a kind of study buddy?

Considering this is only gonna take up a maximum of about 3 sentences in one of my fics, I'm probably agonising way too much about it. Ah well, it doesn't hurt to get the details right.

Thanks to anyone who can help.

Hugs
Jeanne

[FineyMcFine]

Hey Jeanne - yes, in most American public schools there is some sort of "accelerated" course for gifted students. Here's how it was for me:

In 6th grade (this was 1983) our school system was deciding how to deal with gifted kids and created a program called "Extended Total Curriculum", or ETC, which was a special class we went to during part of the day. We did a variety of things like advanced math, learning Latin, computers, and other things that seemed like fun.

In junior high (7th and 8th grades) there were two "tracks" for English - regular, and advanced. Also, depending on how you did in math class they would bump you up to pre-algebra in 8th grade so you could take algebra as a freshman in high school.

In high school (9th-12th) the math track you were on was pretty much the one you were on - sometimes they offered placement tests to figure out where you should be, if you didn't have pre-algebra. It went like this:

9th grade - algebra
10th - geometry
11th - trigonometry
12th - calculus

Some of the really smart math kids would go to the university to take calculus there - I stayed in the high school calc class and quickly learned what a joke our high school calc curriculum was when I went off to college.

For English in high school, they also had a gifted track. Generally it was one step ahead of the other kids (what we took junior year, they took senior year, etc.) and the classes were harder for us with a lot more writing.

I understand that these days in the 2005 school system there is a new sort of gifted program where kids can take "AP" (Advanced Placement) courses which are specialized, harder, and give you a higher grade point average (if your school does it that way) and can allow you to skip out on some of the basic courses in college - you can use AP credits to fulfill some of the college requirements. Again, this depends on the college or university. AP was also around in the 1990's in the U.S. but our public school system didn't offer it at the time.

It seems to be pretty universally accepted that really smart high school students can be excused to take higher-level courses at universities. Usually this is during the senior year but prodigies, which Willow probably is, might be at universities earlier on.

[binky]

To be more specific, I guess I wanted to know if it would be realistic for a particularly smart student (ie. Willow) to be taking extra, more indepth courses (accelerated course - is that the correct term?) with a group of intellectual equals? & more specifically, within that group, is it likely that Willow would perhaps be 'paired up' with a kind of study buddy?

I'd say this is very plausible, in a number of different permutations (e.g., in grade school (grade 7 or 8) or high school, within the same school or across several within the city/county in a program accredited across institutions, in partnership with a next-level educational institution (grade school students in high school; high school students in a local college), etc.)

As for buddying, again, that seems very plausible, especially if the physical area the program covers isn't too widespread to make buddying impractical.

Really, I don't think there's a lot that would be far-fetched when it comes to how an accelerated education program would work. As far as nomenclature, I don't hear "gifted" used too often. Generally speaking, I think it's fair to say the US has for some time been obsessed with child development and psychology. "Gifted" has too much baggage, I think. "Accelerated," "advanced" or "fast-track" seem less controversial euphemisms.

b

[FineyMcFine]

Okay, all y'all people who know these things...does canon ever say when Anya's birthday is? Did the Scoobs ever celebrate it?

[Tiggrscorpio]

In "Checkpoint", Anya herself states that she was born on the fourth of July. The scene is where she is being grilled by the Watcher's Council.

[FineyMcFine]

Oh, that's right. I figure she was trying to sound patriotic, right, with being an ex-demon and all? However, if there's no other birthdate for her, it might actually be kind of fun to have that be her birthday. Hmmmmm...

[JustSkipIt]

Sally - I've always assumed that Anya's answer to the watcher's council is bs. That she made it up on the spur of the moment. Nonetheless, sounds as good as any.

Legal question - Ok, my fic involves teenaged W/T. Tara's mother will die when T is about 16. Here's my question: could her mother leave money to her in trust to be used for her college education (to recieve the balance upon graduating or turning 25). I think yes to that. Could she also do this in such a way that Tara's father has no knowledge nor power over the $ even though he is Tara's legal guardian? And... Could she appoint Ira (who in this fic is a well-respected lawyer) as trustee? trustor? guardian of the trust fund? And what do you call that position?

Ok, that's a lot of questions so any help any one can pass on is appreciated. Thanks.

Debra

[Candleshoe]

Hi JustSkipIt,

Although I am a UK lawyer, I understand that the system is the same in the US. You can indeed leave money in a will to set up a trust fund which benefits a specific person (or several people, or a charity, institution etc. They are called beneficiaries). The person who manages the money and administers the trust on a day-to-day level is called a trustee. Tara's mother can appoint anyone she likes to be a trustee, and can appoint more than one person (or a corporation, instiutution etc) if she wants. They will have to agree on a course of action before they can carry it out. Tara's father is likely to know about the existance of the trust, as he will probably have been involved with the miles of red tape and paperwork when her mother died, but he would not have any control over the trust, as only the trustees have that. Depending how the trust was set up, it could end when Tara reaches a certain age, or a specific event happens, and she could get all the money then. There are rules about how to be a trustee and trustees can be sued by the co-trustees or the beneficiary(ies) if they haven't properly administered the trust.

Hope this helps...if you need more information, just shout and I'll do my best!

[binky]

Add a bit of stuff about trusts:

If the purpose of the trust is to by-pass probate after the death of the grantor (Tara's mother) to ensure the administration and distribution of assets to designated beneficiaries (Tara), it may be set up a couple of different ways.

The grantor can designate the creation of the trust with herself as trustee and beneficiary of her assets up until she herself dies, at which time the successor trustee, who can be anyone designated by the grantor (Ira, for example) would take over and distribute the trust assets according to the trust agreement. That type of trust is a Revocable Living Trust (Revocable because the grantor can revoke it at any time or move the property in their capacity as trustee, living because the trust agreement is created while the grantor is living). Upon the death of the grantor, the trust becomes an Irrevocable trust and obviously can no longer be altered and must be administered as specified in the trust agreement.

Another type of trust is a Testamentary trust, which is basically a trust agreement that is embedded into the grantor's last will and testament. The potential problem of this type of trust is that because it is part of a will, it may be contested by other heirs during the probate procedure. Thus, it's not really a problem that Tara's father is Tara's legal guardian. It's more the fact that under most state laws, the surviving spouse is normally legally entitled to the lion's share of their spouse's estate. This type of trust is normally set up under the pretense of administering assets for a minor when both parents are deceased.

Of course, Tara's mother can also set up a separate trust specifically for administering funds/property on Tara's behalf up until she is a certain age while she is still living (something like a custodial trust). Again, the trustee can be anyone or any organization (one of the main functions of a trust company is to act as trustee or custodian to a trust or account). In that situation, the grantor would transfer the property to the trust itself, then have nothing more to do with it. Or, as is common enough, she can set up herself as the trustee, with Ira as her successor.

Any trust agreement will be drafted by an attorney, who if s/he is competent, will take consideration of the fact that the idea of the trust is to make sure the property is delivered to Tara rather than to her father and create trust provisions accordingly.

b

[binky]

One other thing about trusts - with the RLT or the custodial trust, it's important to make sure the property is owned by the trust. That means transferring title of the relevant property. In that light I would think Tara's father would need to be very dense indeed not to be aware of the existence of these types of trusts.

[Katharyn]

Wow! Who knew you could get college trust financial advice on the Kitten? *S*

I have a query for our American friends that hopefully would require rather less typing. Just very quickly, can anyone tell me what would be the month by month structure of someone coming up for graduation from an American college working on a modular course/exam system?

Really I just want to know what a month you'd kick into a revision period, exams, results and ceremony. I could look it/make it up... but you guys are much cooler and some of you have probably been through it recently, or will do this year.

Oh, and how might applying for a post-grad course work with that? When would applications be due/confirmed (subject to results.)

Hey I'll even save you a typing job - just quote and edit in below *S*. I'm just looking for the months, nothing precise.

Final Semester Commences:
End of Courses/Start of Revision:
Module Exams:
Application for post-grad in by:
Post-grad acceptance around:
Exams finished by:
Results notified by:
Graduation ceremony:

Oh... and do you guys party at Graduation? Or at the end of exams? Or both!?

My thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

Katharyn.

[JustSkipIt]

Candleshoe and binky. Thanks so much for the advice. That will definitely work and provide me with more than enough information for my fic. I really appreciate it.

Katharyn,
Unfortunately, I'm not sure that the answers are going to be as straightforward as you'd hope regarding the timing. For most 4-year degree programs, your degrees is not so much comprised of a mastery of a subject (requiring an overall exam or anything) as passing a series of courses until you have achieved the degree requirements. For example, my degree (B.A. in English Literature) required 125 total semester credit hours (generally 17-20 is a full load per semester), 36+ of those had to be in English, 18+ had to be in my minor (Latin), 30+ had to be "upper division" (3rd or 4th year courses). Those could overlap. In other words, a 3rd year course in English would count toward both English and 3rd year. In addition I had to have 8 hours of fine arts, 6 hours of government, 6 hours of history, 8 hours of math, 6 hours of psychology/sociology, and probably a few more. So the student has great leeway to set up their courses. Once those are done, she gets the degree without an exam or anything.

This varies greatly by your major. Some majors require that the student do an internship or student teaching that may be 40 hours a week for the final semester. Or a fine arts student may take 75 hours in his/her major and have to have a portfolio passed to recieve the degree.

As far as your post-grad. You would need to take your post-grad boards probably by the end of Summer before your Senior year. You may take them again in the Fall to improve your score, but I'd definitely want one in the bag before that. When I was in school, the scores took 4 weeks to come but I'd imagine it's much faster now. Again depending onthe program to which you are applying, they might have a due date for application ranging from 12/1 to 4/1 or even 4/15. In general, the earlier the due date for applying, the better the school/program. I would hope to hear from the school in 3 months or by graduation. Some schools you would find out quickly that you didn't get in but slowly that you did. I'm talking mainly liberal arts and from my experience (BA in 1989) so I don't know about law/medical school.

Re: Partying. Lol. We partied all the time in spite of exams or anything else. I'd say it would be reasonable to assume partying for any reason or any milestone.

Hope this helps and I'm sure some others can add their impressions/experiences.

PS: In Texas you'd be looking at
Finish exams 5/10, Graduate 5/15 approximately.

[Katharyn]

Thanks Justskipit. That's very useful.

I kind of meant that kind of course layout when I said modular, but everyone calls the same thing something different! Definitely had the same thing in mind that you described and I was interested not so much in their "Final Exams" but in the last exams they'd be taking. Sorry I wasn't more obvious, it would have saved you some typing!

Dates will be very useful thanks - though I already know I need to bake some fudge to cover up one I already missed. LOL.

And wow... fast graduation! I finished my last set of exams in about first week of June, got results in July and had a ceremony in August! Naturally I had to go out and got a crappy fulltime job I could walk out on in the meantime! Faster, in this instance, seems better.

Thanks again.

Katharyn

[JustSkipIt]

And wow... fast graduation! I finished my last set of exams in about first week of June, got results in July and had a ceremony in August! Naturally I had to go out and got a crappy fulltime job I could walk out on in the meantime! Faster, in this instance, seems better.

The fast graduation is basically so that people can plan to have a ceremony for their family to attend. The fact that you "walk" doesn't necessarily mean that you passed your courses and earned your degree. When you walk they hand you a blank piece of paper or an advertisement for a tea later or something like that. You don't actually get your degree for 8-12 weeks from most universities. Of course, you can get your transcript within a week or so to use it to apply for jobs, etc. You can even opt to walk before you've finished your coursework in some cases. Let's say you need 4 more hours, some schools will let you walk in May even though you won't really be done until August. So the graduation is largely ceremonial.

[GayNow]

Sometimes the fast graduation isn't really as fast as it seems. When I was a "graduating senior" for my undergrad degree, I took my final exams about a week to week and a half before everyone else. The professors also had a shortened period of time to get our grades in so that the registrar could determine whether we walked in the ceremony or not. So, when I walked across the stage, I actually received my degree -- I made a point of saying, "Thanks, Billy!" to the Chancellor and then pulling my degree out and holding it up for my family to see. Then I went back to my seat.

I basically spent the rest of the semester (when everyone else was taking their exams) tutoring (those football players hated that I wouldn't just do their homework for them), preparing for the arrival of my family, and looking for a place to live come fall (since I would be attending grad school at the same university).

Really, it all depends on how the university operates.

Carleen

[Katharyn]

More good info thanks.

I especially like the "it depends" but - sounds good for a fudge.

Katharyn

[Katharyn]

Another one from me, I hope it's an quick one. It's definitely all about viewpoints though!

In anyone's opinion (who cares to give it) What are the best regarded couple of schools in the US for postgrad studies in IS/Computer related courses etc?

Just the names will be fine - otherwise I'll make it up!

Thanks in advance,

Katharyn.

[GayNow]

I would think M.I.T. would have to be toward the top of the list.

Stanford
Dartmouth
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (go figure)
The University of the Pacific School of Engineering & Computer Science
Depaul University has a good program, I believe
University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
I think Carnegie Mellon would be on the list

Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

Anyone else? Those are just the schools that are standing out in my memory. I'm sure there are others that would probably be higher on the list than some I've mentioned.

Carleen

[Katharyn]

That's great thankyou - your opinion and memory is good enough for me!

Funnily enough I'd already gone with MIT as it has an international reputation, as well as Stanford (which I think I read about its program in a novel or something) so they were right up there.

The Uni of Cal SD is handy since we can easily translate that into UC Sunnydale without too much of a fudge. Still not decided just where the character will go to since it's after the end of my fic, but I want them to be able to plan ahead. Thanks so much!

Katharyn

[justin]

I think the University of California at Berkeley is another good IS school, or at least it was at one time, since that's where the BSD version of Unix was written.