Open Thread, July 1-15, 2013

Vaniver

If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.

Seeking Educational Advice...

I imagine some LW user have these questions, or can answer them. Sorry if this isn’t the right place (but point me to the right place please!).

I’m thinking of returning to university to study evolution/biology, the mind, IT, science-type stuff.

Are there any legitimate way (I mean actually achievable, you have first-hand experience, can point to concrete resources) to attend an adequate university for no or low-cost?

How can I measure my aptitude for various fields (for cheap/free)? (I did an undergrad degree in education which was so easy I don't know if I could make the grades in a demanding field).

My first undergrad degree (education) was non-science, so should I go back for another undergrad degree, or try to fill gaps on my own and do a post-grad in something with science?

I've started investigating free online education (lesswrong, edx, coursera, etc) but I have concerns: don't I need credentials? Don't I need classmates/colleagues/collaborators to help teach me, motivate me, and supply me with equipment? How do I know if I really understand the material? How do I address these concerns?

p.s. – I’m all for “munchkin” style answers/solutions to these problems, so long as they are actually feasible

How can I measure my aptitude for various fields (for cheap/free)? (I did an undergrad degree in education which was so easy I don't know if I could make the grades in a demanding field).

Get a textbook of the appropriate level on the subject that has exercises and the correct answers to them, read the book, then do the exercises and see what you come up with? If it's math or physics, you should be able to tell by yourself whether your solutions resemble the example solutions in the text, seem to make sense and come up with the correct answers.

I don't kn... (read more)

2OrphanWilde13y

Are you wanting a degree, or are you wanting education? If you're just wanting the information, the university in question may permit low-cost auditing

1ChristianKl13y

Of course, I just go to any university in my city and they don't cost anything. [...] Whether or not you need credentials depends on your goals. Yudkowsky started SI/MIRI without any credentials. [...] When it comes to programming questions that I face as part of my university studies I go to StackOverflow. [...] Depends on your ability to self motivate. [...] Depends on whether you want to do something that needs equipment. [...] If you can remember the Anki cards about a topic it's likely that you understand the topic. But more importantly, what's your goal? What do you want to be able to do with your "understanding of the material"?

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