WE15

Two weeks ago, Stanford send me to the Society of Women Engineers National Conference 2015 in Nashville, TN (otherwise known as WE15).

Why go to this conference?! Because it's a great time to be Female AND an Engineer.  Here are some highlights from the conference

• Career Paths: 5 Years Out and Where am I Going? During the picture, I was sitting on the floor. Kate Van Dellen had us write down our work tasks, and write them in two categories: 

                 Energizing                                         Draining

Based on this assessment, you could start to figure out whether a technical path or a managerial path is right for you. 

I also learned that work involves 3 things:

The Work Itself       Work Environment      Where I want to Go

Every few months, it's good to rate these three things on a scale of 1-10 to help you determine whether to stay in a job or maybe start thinking about other options (inside or outside the company).

• Unique Challenges for Women of Color in STEM: I really enjoyed this talk, because it taught me two things
• Have a little water with your wine: Don't be afraid to be yourself, but maybe tone it down a little. 
• Your best allies may not look like you. Don't make the assumption that because someone looks like you, it means they'll stand up for you. The vice versa is true.
• Turning Point - Embrace Your Female Self
• Know your pillars - Hers were Finances, Fitness, Family, and Faith.
• Be careful when sharing your dreams with others. They might be jealous. They might be sad. You often can't predict.
• Listen to a book on the drive to work or 10 pages a night. Reading everyday can be the equivalent to a new degree every few years. 
• Can we have it all? Being a Mother and Engineer (boy, I just love panels!)
• You're juggling a lot of balls in the air. You gotta know which ones are crystal.
• Make work work for you - whether want to stay home, work 75%, work full time, not move, etc. - yes, sacrifices will have to be made on both ends - but don't be afraid to ask.

There are a few others that I went to, but these are my biggest take-aways. 

-Serena

2013

I think I've learned more in the last year than in 4.25 years of undergrad.  2013 has been an incredible year. Here's my story.

I graduated in December 2012 with the world ahead of me. I was free. I could pursue anything I wanted.  I spent the next month traveling: LA, New Mexico, Arizona, Las Vegas, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico.  In Alexandria, Virginia, I told my friend Ana, "I haven't exercised at all in the last 4 years, but I love being athletic. You know, I could run a 5K. It's only 3 miles." I traveled to Puerto Rico, laying out of the beach with my NASA friend Denise, and saw my life ahead of me.  I thought, "This is what life is supposed to be like. Peaceful. Exciting, yet peaceful."

The next week I saw myself in an office. A gray, bland, stereotypical office. With computers. And copiers. And everyone shrinking away in their cubical or office.  I saw life at the office as "all work, no play," nervous to do anything that might result in me getting fired.  A higher up came in, and I was shaking all morning that I would get laid off.  Despite reassurances, I thought eyes were on me, and every action was against me.

I also decided to train for the non-existent 5K. I woke up at 5:30, and ran 1.5 miles for 3 days in a row.  On the third day, I fell flat on my face. I limped back home, determined to come up with a different plan.  Instead, I decided to run after work.  Nicki Minaj on Pandora is definitely a savior of mine :-) Thank you, Nicki Minaj. I never thought I would say that, haha. I also discovered TurboKick.  To this day, it kicks my butt. Thank you, Fiesta Dance and Fitness and Denise.

After my fitness routine, I had to keep busy, or else I got super down.  Usually I cooked dinner, watched a show, and went to bed.  If I didn't do that, my thoughts would consist of the following: Where am I going? What am I doing? I don't feel useful at work. I had a 3.8 GPA in college, and now I'm stuck in an office.  I walk down the same aisle...every...day, and use the same bathroom stall...every...day. I could just leave all this and go to Stanford; but what if I'm not good enough. But then where would I go? To another office? Nobody cares about me. I knew in my heart that I needed to continue going to work, despite my brain screaming to run far away...for no reason. Alex helped me through a lot of these terrible nights. Thank you, Alex.

In March, I moved to a new place. Beautiful running trails; great roommates; I bought a CrockPot (my favorite appliance so far!). Work had me really stressed out that I wasn't learning fast enough. Everyday, I left work everyday unable to concentrate and my "brain hurting" due to sitting at a computer and working on problems all day. But when I went home, I was able to conquer the 2.5 mile route I mapped out for myself.I thought I could do everything BUT get help for my depression. I was getting plenty of sleep, eating right, exercising 3-4 days a week, hanging out with friends, yoga, everything!

One week, everyone had it against me; two guys decided that they demanded answers.  The inexperienced-me was unable to answer, and the depressed-me was unable to tell myself that "It wasn't me" let alone  standing up to my aggressors. The same day, I ran on my famous 2.5 mile trail.  About 1.5 miles in, I start crying.  I felt like someone died. People were looking at me like I was crazy. 2 miles in, I was balling. I walked home to lay on the floor and just cry. I have to get help, this isn't working. 

Getting help was WAY harder than I thought.  I could barely muster the energy to actually call.  People weren't returning my calls. It took 3 weeks to even find someone.

In therapy, I've learned so much about other people and myself.  I learned that other people are separate from me.  Usually, it's their problem.  I've also learned that I'm responsible for keeping myself sane and strong.  I don't necessarily have to be happy; I can be sad but still know that I have self-worth and confidence. Finally, I've learned my life's passion: helping others.  It seemed WAY to obvious for me to notice. The engineering world often puts down those who are social and excited- they dismiss it as a "touchy-feely" and not real. I am totally an extrovert.  And for the last couple of years, I've denied it- I thought I was having too much fun. 

I've changed the way I do things at work.  I'm not afraid to be social and help others.  Because I know that will help my self-esteem and self-worth. And I'm excited to do it.  I do my job so much better, too.  I've also joined Girls Who Code as a Volunteer Instructor- and I absolutely LOVE it!

I've started to do projects just for me.  These include decorating my room, sewing a sofa cover, sewing a wallet, painting, making dinner for myself, coding for me, read, and losing fat (I've lost 15 lbs so far). I'm back to the excited, motivated, smart, awesome Serena. I'm completely myself- and I love it.

2013 has been a hard, much needed, year.  I've developed the tools to go out and conquer the world. I'm excited for what this next year brings.  

-Serena

P.S. I'm running the Hot Cocoa 5K in SF next week, exactly 1 year from stating I would.  I guess you could call that my New Year's Resolution :-)

Girl's Guide to Business Trips

So I just got back from tagging along on another trip with my Boss and realized I really need to jot all this down. It has taken me 2 years of random business trips and I still forget things but I’d like to think I’ve mostly got it down to an art at this point. Here is my set of tips when packing and going on business trips. I’ll be adding to this as time goes on as well.

Pack Light

The last thing you want to be doing is carrying fourteen bags to and forth and trying to find things in them. For anything up to a week I try to stick to two bags. A backpack for entertainment/schoolbooks/laptop and a carry-on bag for clothing.

First Aid Kit

Invest in a small first aid kit. Business trips often involve a lot of walking/moving and especially for you ladies in flats/heels it can’t hurt to have band aids always at hand. I bought mine for $3 at target and it fits nicely in luggage/purses. For nights out I just take out what I need and put it in a clutch.

Plan Outfits BEFOREHAND

I cannot stress the importance of this. If you know me you realize that me and limited clothing options don’t go together. I’m the idiot who packs four bags worth before I realize I have to carry it all and reconsider but I’ve found a way around it. Plan outfits in advance. Also plan to mix up outfits so you can take less clothing. For example for a one week trip I would pack 2 pairs of dress pants (for business), 1 pair jeans (for going out for leisure) and a couple nice skirts or dresses (for going out to dinner, I’ve found that business dinners with the people I work tend to be some seriously high scale places). Then I pack a few blouses. A good plan is to get giant zip locks and pack every outfit in advance complete with jewelry/underwear/etc.

As far as shoes go you really only need one pair. I try to always have a pair of shorter heels that can go casual or dressy. For me this is a pair of booties that I can hide under pants or wear with a dress it really goes both ways and I can actually walk in them. I made the mistake a year ago of bringing actual heels (or to be precise stilettos) to a conference. I couldn’t walk correctly the next day, there is little chance to go back and change or if there is there are other things you could be doing. If you really want also bring a pair of comfy shoes for walking around to change into (i.e. converse or something).

Toiletries

Ladies as far as makeup goes you only need 2 small bags of essentials; you don’t have room for an entire cart. I choose one look for the week that I can play up or down and plan for that. For me this is foundation, powder, mascara, 3 eye shadow palettes in nude colors, and eyeliner, the second bag is for my brushes. Both of these aren’t very large. Pick one or 2 hair products you can’t function without, my hair gets crazy frizzy if I’m anywhere near humidity so I bring a frizz/nutrition spray and that’s about it. If you have curly hair include mouse as well. NOTE: if you’re doing carry on put it in a sealed zip lock bag and check the amount you can take. You can get minis of most products at places like Target or Drug Stores. Deodorant. DON’t FORGET IT. There’s nothing worse than going to shake someone’s hand and realizing they have BO. Toothbrush, you can get one from the hotel but they are cheap and you want your teeth all nice and sparkly for smiling at folk.

I always choose one heat styling tool. Either my hair is straight or curly that week and I can do other things with it too but I usually just pick one and bring it.
And last but not least if you even think you may need them bring Tampons/pads. Especially in engineering where there are few females around, it may be hard to find tampons in the middle of a huge conference where you have no idea where the bathrooms may even be. One doesn’t take up much space and u can keep it in your bag.

If you wear contacts get a travel sized container of solution.

Things You Can Leave Behind

Toothpaste, soap, shampoo, hangers you can get from the hotel. Water etc. you can get always get somewhere; it’s too much of a bother to carry. If you’re doing carry on you won’t be able to take it anyways.

Nail polish, etc. Ladies either don’t do your nails or get them French manicured, there is nothing worse than chipped nails and you don’t want to be constantly fixing them. Plus it looks unprofessional, either go with a neutral you can’t notice even if it chips or go au natural.

Always leave room in your bag

Whether this is for souvenirs, swag bags, etc. I always buy my sister a coffee mug from the places I visit so I have to leave room for that and occasionally I get random swag at events I need to store away.

Plane bag

Pack Snacks, entertainment (for me this is a book or magazine for when I can’t have electronics on). IPod/IPhone/headphones, boarding pass, wallet and ID. This is really all you need, don’t weigh yourself down. Oh and sunglasses/glasses.

Everyday Bag

I take with me 2 purses on trips. One is a cross body bag, big enough to fit what’s needed but that can’t be stolen easily off my person. I put all the important things in the clutch I bring and put it inside with everything else around it. That way, when its dinner time and all I really need is my wallet, I pull the clutch out and am ready to go.

For daytime: First Aid Kit or band aids, mints (for after lunch when you need to speak with folk), mirror (smudgy makeup or bits in your teeth not attractive), powder for touchups, snack (I always get hungry when I’m nervous), phone, wallet (NOTE: on trips always carry a bit of cash for emergencies, I rarely carry cash but I’ve found this is super helpful), building map, notepad (or just use your phone although if you’re in seminars this may be seen as rude since it looks like you’re on your phone, I usually just bring my ipad), pain killers (ladies you know why). Do not forget glasses if you wear them.

Night: painkillers, digestive supplements if you need them, wallet (cash for a cab although most take card now, card, ID), etc.

Let me know if I missed anything or if you have any questions.

Cheers!

N. Riazi

Stanford University

A few weeks back, I got an email from the Mechanical Engineering Department at Stanford University.

"Congratulations! You have been admitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford!"

The last few weeks have been so...surreal. My peers have been saying, "I knew you would get in!" "You deserve it!" "Look! You were so worried!"  But life has gone on as before. I'm grounded. I'm here in the moment. For some reason, the admission to my dream school is unreal. 

The department invited me to Visit Day to "get to know me better." So I went. They set me up with a hotel room, reimbursing my gas, and a day full of interviews and lab tours.  

But when did Stanford transform from "surreal" to "real"?  When I started talking to the 60 students around me. 

"Where are you from?" 

"MIT" "Princeton" "UC Berkeley" "Cal Tech" "University of Illinois" "Georgia Tech" "Carnegie Melon" "Cornell"

Me: "UC Davis...."

What-the?! All of these people are from the Top Engineering Schools! Sure, I go to a good school...but not that good! 

The presenters go on to say that basically 10% of applicants are admitted and 5% are invited. Most students that are invited are offered a full-fellowship for their Master's degree.  Now this must be some kind of joke; maybe it was a mistake. 

I cried on the drive home. Why me? I never would have imagined this. 7 years ago, I was talking with a NASA female engineer working on her graduate degree at Stanford. And I'm here. And I wanted to work for NASA. And I was there. And 4 years I was talking to my uncle about his engineering friend who got offered a full ride to MIT for his Masters. And I'm here.

Change

Change is not necessarily a bad thing. People change, goals change, life throws a wrench at you and forces change. The thing is, looking back, I never imagined I would be where I am now. I imagined myself on a completely different career path going a completely different direction. A quote shared with me by a friend recently is live so that twenty years down the road, you won't be where you imagined yourself to be. It's easy to depend on a schedule, to plan every second of the next ten years of your life but a little spontaneity may place you where you need to go.

I recently ran into two boys I had known back in high school. While we were talking I realized that your views of one another were based on what we had known of each other years ago. I thought one was going to be an architect and another a lawyer, but now they were on completely different career paths, as am I. I am no longer the meek, nerdy girl reading books during class. I've grown up into someone who's confident with who she is and not afraid to speak up. I'm not the girl I was years ago, and I won't be the girl I am now several years into the future. I think where I'm trying to go with this is, change isn't necessarily a bad thing, sometimes it just means better things are coming.

Cheers,

N. Riazi

Finding Help

Perhaps this is too personal, but my grandfather passed away this week. It reminded me that we all go through tough times, and you aren't alone if something similar happens to you. What do you do when there is a family emergency?

1. Tell your professors, especially if there are looming deadlines.  Some are nicer than others. Be sure to talk to (or email) them.  See if you can work out an arrangement for turning work in/ exams. Some will allow generous deadlines, others will require you to abide by the syllabus.
2. If a professor is not budging, go to the college. However, this needs  extreme circumstances, and I've heard requirements of death certificates and such. Hopefully a doctor's note will work.
3. On- campus counseling is available and FREE! Don't be ashamed. I've had to go to counseling myself.  For non-urgent matters, go to CAPS's website.  To request an emergency appointment, go here. There is also a number to call for after-hours.

This is often something that people don't discuss, and therefore, don't know how to deal with. Use the resources the university has to offer; your school fees cover the cost.

Grad School Applications (In Progress)

It's that time of year again, Graduate School Applications! It has been very stressful, and while looking over which programs to apply for, I keep thinking, "What did I really want out of grad school?"

I even asked a couple friends, "Should I even apply to grad school? I don't even know what I want yet!'  Many have replied, "I think you should." And I agree with them. However, the uncertainty makes me uneasy and afraid my application won't be strong enough for my lack of direction. (It goes along the lines of never telling an interviewer that you don't know what you want to do).  I've thought about graduate school for 3 years, and in a year, I'm gunna say the same thing. Heck, I've already taken the GRE.  

But I've narrowed down my list of fields like this:

• Nanotechnology
• Materials
• Energy/ Combustion
• Controls...maybe...
• Biotechnology...I've read too many medical ethics books...
• Aerospace

Okay, I could see myself continuing to learn about combustion/ energy. The field is growing pretty quickly, and maybe I could throw some controls in there. 

As my Lil Sis (Nassim) has attempted to remind me, "You have the right to change your mind!", I try to keep this lingering in my frontal cortex before my hypothalamus takes over with my fear response.

So I've been spending my Saturday afternoons/nights working on applications. You'll be so proud of me! Gathering information, writing up my profile, narrowing down schools, narrowing down who should give me a letter of recommendation (which is such a hard decision!), thinking of backups, and finally contacting those people.  Yesterday, I contacted them, and that's another big hurdle that we're all nervous of (What if they say no! You ask someone else, haha). Mission Part I complete.

I was also nervous about who to ask for feedback on my Personal Statement. My mom is a terrible person for this; she'll read it and say, "Yes, that's nice honey." 

BUT I NEED YOU TO GIVE ME FEEDBACK! So....in other words, my mom is ruled out.  Then, I learned that the Student Academic Success Center is willing to read your Personal Statement and give feedback! Thank goodness! Mission Part II complete.

Graduate school applications is such a long process...good thing I know generally what I'm doing...

-Serena

Current Status

It's my last quarter at UC Davis for my undergraduate degree.  About 2 months ago, I was excited to start school again.  Two weeks ago it hit me; it's my time to leave.  I've had a great 4 years.

Do you regret anything?

I tell everyone the same answer. Think back to yourself in that past moment. Would you have made a different decision knowing what you knew then? For me, that answer is, "No." Therefore, I don't regret  myself in the moment. 

Where are you headed? 

Honestly, I haven't worked very hard to "figure out" my future. You could call it depression, or maybe even laziness. I've spent 4 years worrying about things that worked out. Right now, I call it going with the flow.

The real answer: I'm applying for both jobs and master's degree programs. Which one shall I chose? That will be answered when it comes time to answer it. :-)

What are you going to miss?

I'm already sad that I won't be able to do "Science Fridays" with the local elementary school. My passion is outreach (hence, this blog!), and I'm trying to see how to incorporate it into my new life after school.

Will you continue the blog?

Of course! You can still submit questions. Just because I'm graduating doesn't mean I've lost all of my knowledge of the university, haha.

Sorry!

Hey guys,

If you haven't noticed we've been slacking a bit on the blogging front recently. We're both heading into hell week so things have been crazy (like up til 4 am to finish work crazy).

Just wanted to let you guys know we're still here! If you guys have any requests for the blog just remember to email Serena or myself. I'll try to do several blog posts this weekend and just spread them out over the next few weeks that I'll be busy.

Cheers,

N. Riazi

Tech Tuesday! : Wizard of Oz GPS Shoes

So what do I do when i'm extremely bored and my credit card is calling my name? I order shoes. Not them high heeled back breakers, these would be nice nike high tops with .....i'm getting off topic. Well, on my search this week I came across these shoes by Dominic Wilcox:

Not only are these shoes classically stylish, but they're the perfect shoe for direction challenged folk like myself. Inspired by Dorothy's heels in the wizard of Oz, one click of these heels and they'll guide you home; all you have to do is upload your destination and you're off. No more wandering down streets attempting to look more lost than you are, miming looking in different directions hopelessly in hopes some poor local will take pity on  you. 

These are currently on display at the London 2012 Design Festival. You can check out his project HERE.

Cheers,

N. Riazi

Resume

It's that time of year again....updating your resume! All of the large companies (especially oil companies) start their recruitment in early October, and September is a great time to add your summer experience and get someone to critique your current style.

Danielle has already done a previous post, but here are some links that I like to look at:

Career Resource Manual, UC Davis Internship and Career Center
This is a GREAT resource! If you need to format your resume or cover letter, or if you need a list of verbs to look from, be sure to look at this. This is usually where I refer people first.

Ask A Manager
One of my favorite blogs. People submit questions (many including, "Is this legal?"), and she answers them. The first time I found it, I was absorbed for a couple of hours.

        Good thing to note: she always advocates the use of a cover letter...even if it's not required. If I don't have an option, I'll usually upload a resume with the cover letter in the same document....that way, they won't miss it. The only exception: when the application says, "No cover letters, please." I've seen it once.

Look out for resume workshops. Potential places to have your resume looked at:

• Career Center
• Academic Advisor
• Recruiting companies that hold "resume workshops"- I had Chevron look at my resume a few years back. My main tactic: let them meet me and see my qualifications before I apply, hehehe.
• Friends

       Good thing to note: Please, Please, Please, Please, try your best at a resume before you have someone look at it. It's really annoying to see an un-formatted list of jobs without descriptions, dates, and formatting. The reviewer is reviewing your resume, not creating it from scratch.

Good luck with the job search!

Serena

Looking Ahead

As many of you know, I spent a quarter/semester in Washington DC last Fall. I worked for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

I had a friend who wanted to know a good timeline for officially applying for everything. So here's my timeline of events for large "life" events:

Fall 2010: Decision to take a quarter off in Fall 2011 decided (Washington DC or Co-op elsewhere)
Late Fall 2010/ Early Winter 2011: applied for Washington Program
Late Winter 2011: Acceptance into the Washington Program
Spring through Summer 2011: Applying for jobs/internships in the DC area
Fall 2011: Worked in Washington DC

So, you should plan for about a year in advanced. However, there are other programs and events that take longer. If you are interested in a specific program, it doesn't hurt to look ahead of time.

Also, I know many of you are rushing to graduate.  But just a reminder: it isn't a good idea to graduate if you don't have any job experience. If you can, I would recommend two engineering internships before you graduate. If you can't, one engineering internship is good, but two is better. And if you absolutely cannot land an engineering internship, make sure to have a job. I've seen people who don't have any experience whatsoever (no volunteer, no McDonalds, nothing).

In addition, I would be wary of Summer school. Working and attending school is often a good setup, but not always feasible. Use the summer to build your skills, even if it is flipping burgers. You'll be able to market your skills for punctuality, teamwork, handling money (trust), dealing with customers professionally and politely. It's way more than school will ever give you.

Adventures in the CAE, Part I

Last quarter, the subject of high school novels came up. Someone mentioned, "You know what book I loved? To Kill a Mockingbird!" Suddenly, people turned around in their swivel chairs:

"I hated that book!"

"I loved that book!"

"That book was okay...I didn't really get it."

"Poor Atticus..."

"I never really saw the importance of that book..."  

This continued for a few more moments until someone was frustrated enough to say, "To Kill A Mockingbird is about civil rights!"

The CAE got quiet, and everyone put their head down acknowledging that he was right...maybe in that moment, some students finally understood the meaning of the book.

It's moments like these that stick in my head. My combustion homework was no longer important. It was realizing that, again, life goes beyond engineering. Tolerance and civil rights are part of an ideal picture of our world, and we strive for it no matter what our scientific situation looks like... and I think our high school English teachers would be proud.

Times change, people don't.

-Serena

Adventures in the CAE, Intro

The Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Computer Lab at UC Davis is an interesting place where I get my homework done started. The room is called "Computer Aided Engineering," or the CAE. It reminds me of my trip to NASA JPL during my sophomore year in high school. The lab is filled with computers and engineers, and as my mother would say, "has enough brain power to-blow-the-roof-off." There are students in the lab from open to close, some students working in there all day.

Since this room is filled with students from dawn until dusk (and afterward), there are many scenarios that have occurred during my tenure as an undergraduate. This series is devoted to those situations (some serious and some hilarious), but I want to shine a light on the fact that more than engineering occurs in the CAE....actually, we could probably do more engineering....but regardless, the CAE is where one goes to hear people's dreams and aspirations...and college shenanigans. :-D

In the CAE, I've met the following people:

• the future Naval Officer
• the veteran (War in Iraq)
• the comedian
• the rapper
• the pilot
• the person crazy about NASCAR
• the protester (yes, he was sprayed with pepper spray)
• the political activist
• the athlete
• the mid-life crisis
• and of course, the girl.

Over the years, I've tried to show people that engineering is more than just engineering. People don't really understand that. So here I stand write this "Adventures in the CAE" series as a witness to show you that life goes beyond the homework, formulas, projects, and all-nighters.

Be sure to look for future posts regarding the CAE.

-Serena

Tech Tuesday! USB Cuff Links

So at some point or another I think every little boy or girl wants to be James Bond, or Lara Croft, or some other international badass with spy gear. While perusing my very extensive list of geeky gear sites I came across these.

USB cuff links. RIGHT?! Just in case you happen to be dressed up for some fancy shpancy event and decide its time to play James Bond. Not particularly useful, they're only 2 gigs each for a whopping $250, but it would definitely boost the Bond factor. They also can function as a wifi hotspot and could be used in a business meeting to bring along documents I suppose.....personally, I prefer my James Bond suggestion.

Until next week.

Cheers,

N. Riazi

GRE Tips and Tricks!: Quantitative: Numeric Entry

The newest question type to the GRE is the Numeric Entry. You are given NO answer choices and must calculate and enter your answer. Pretty straightforward. I only have have a few basic tips to share with you on this question type.

Tip 1
READ THE QUESTION CAREFULLY. I cannot stress this enough as this is something I have difficulty with as well. Are you answering the question asked?

Tip 2
Estimate. Make a rough estimate just by reading the question as to whether the answer will be large or small.

Tip 3
DO NOT ROUND UNTIL THE END. Do all your calculations using exact answers until the very end. The instructions will sometimes include an instruction for rounding. Did you follow this? If no instruction as to rounding is provided (double check your answer) enter your exact answer.

Tip 4
Check your solution with Tip 2 above. Does the solution seem to "fit" what you expected the answer to be?

Until next time.

Cheers,

N. Riazi

GRE Tips and Tricks!: Quantitative: Quantitative Comparisons

Let's start with the basics of the Quantitative Section: you have thirty five minutes to answer twenty questions. There are four types of questions: Quantitative Comparison, Multiple Choice with one correct answer, Multiple Choice with more than one correct answer, and Numeric Entry. I will be walking you through each question type. Math isn't your forte? That's fine, we'll help you get prepared enough that when the time comes you'll be doing problems like its old hat. I would also like to mention that should you have any questions to feel free to post your question in the comments below and either Serena or I will get to it as soon as we can.

Ready? Take a deep breath, its go time. 

Quantitative Comparisons 

Quantitative comparisons are exactly what they sound like: comparisons using numbers. You are given two mathematical expressions in two columns, A and B. Your job is to compare them and you may be given additional information to help you with this. There are FOUR answer choices and they NEVER CHANGE therefore if will save you a bit of time memorizing them now so don't have to keep rereading them on test day.

The four answer choices are as follows:

A. quantity in Column A is greater

B. quantity in Column B is greater

C. the two quantities are equal

D. the relationship cannot be determined from the info given.

Not only do these answers not change but answer D can give you a hint to your answer. If both columns only have numbers (so no variables) that means that their relationship will not change in which case D will NEVER be correct. If you can show that there is more than one CORRECT relationship between the two columns then D will always be correct. Got it so far? So only numbers, can't be D. More than one answer, can only be D. 

So how do we go about answering these types of questions? I've put together a few tips that will help you answer the question quickly.

Tip 1: Estimate where you can

Often you can do not need to calculate an exact value. Estimate your values and solve from there, it will save you time and often eliminate most or all of the wrong answers. 

Tip 2: Make Column A like Column B

Yes I do realize that's a vague title. What I mean is that if column A is in fractions and B in decimals convert them both to fractions. This will make your math much easier. Same goes for percents and parentheses.

Tip 3: Treat the two columns as an inequality

Treat the two columns as two sides of an inequality and apply math to them to simplify them. For example if Column A says 3x+4 and Column B says 4x+4 subtract 4 from both sides to simplify. This can also help you get rid of fractions/decimals. NOTE: Remember we are treating this as an inequality so do not multiply or divide by a negative number unless you are SURE beyond doubt that both columns are positive. 

Tip 4: Pick Numbers

Easiest trick in the book. Can't figure it out? Pick random numbers (be careful that if given additional information the number you pick qualify) and plug them into the question to solve. Here's the catch, you have to do it AT LEAST TWICE. This is key. Say you plugged in only positive whole numbers the first time but when you use a negative your answer becomes false, you would have missed it if you hadn't checked again. So always for your second Set choose a negative, or an extremely large or small number, or a fraction, etc. The variables can be positive, negative, zero, or fractions.  I'm not saying pick the hardest numbers you can think of; on the contrary I'd suggest you pick easy numbers. Just make sure to be diverse with your choices.

Tip 5: Redo all diagrams if necessary

Unlike the SAT, diagrams on the GRE are NOT DRAWN TO SCALE. What may look like a ninety degree angle may not be one. If the diagram given confuses you in the least then just redraw the diagram to exaggerate the differences so that you have no chance of mistaking angles/sides/etc from one another. 

That's all for today but stay tuned for my next post!

Cheers,

N. Riazi

Being a Girl Comes in Handy

My current internship has me doing all sorts of little projects.  As shown below, you can tell what I do for my job (from the bottom): mechanical engineering, heat transfer, metals, more heat transfer, Microsoft Access, combustion, corrosion, more combustion...As shown, it wouldn't be complete without a graphing calculator!

Anyway, I've been working on creating a database for my internship. Microsoft Access is a program that you can love and hate simultaneously. Since no one in my office knows how to program VBA for Microsoft Access, I was allowed to pick out a book of choice (the large red one above). This book is about 1000 pages long, and I skimmed most of it one day, making notations similar to below.

Several weeks have passed, and I don't know how many comments I've received from my tab assortment. The other engineers will walk by my office, and say, "Holy Moley! I'm impressed! I've never seen so many tabs before!" Now, at first I was confused, because I've seen other instances of this. So I asked my friend, "Why does everything think it is so strange that I have so many tabs?" 

He replied, "I think it's because we're guys...." I'm the only female engineer in the office, and I thought this turn of events was hilarious.  I spoke with one of the secretaries (female) about it, and she laughed, "Well, if we find it once, we're going to make sure we find it again!"

I guess being an organized-female comes in handy sometimes...:-D

-Serena

GRE Tips and Tricks!: Intro

So while most students have been enjoying their summers frolicking in the river and going tubing, I have been wiling away my time in coffee shops attempting to tune out the screams of young children somehow not heard by their ignorant parents. What can I say, summer wouldn't be summer without some ups and downs. I am currently sitting in my favorite coffee shop back home listening to some reggae and drinking a soy hot chocolate and reveling in the fact that while the afore mentioned students are in school, I still have more than two weeks left to enjoy myself.

So what have I been doing in these coffee shops besides drinking fancy drinks and flirting with cute baristas you ask? I have been studying up for the GRE. Standardized testing you see, is one of my strong points. It is not so much a test of knowledge so much as a test of strategy. So what's the best way to study for the GRE? Learn those strategies and practice them until they become second nature.

What I will be doing over the next few weeks is sharing with you the knowledge I've gained over the dozens of GRE books I've looked over narrowed down to the KEY strategies, shortcuts, and tips that will benefit you the most. This does not mean that you should merely skim my notes and assume you're good to go. A good many people tried that in high school and it is no excuse to skirt work (plus it didn't work out so well for them. I have the handwriting of a 6th grade boy). Take those practice tests and put those strategies to use until you begin to do them without having to reference my posts.

Good luck future grad-students and I'll see you in the my post.

Cheers,

N. Riazi

Tech Tuesday! AppTag Laser Blaster

Ok so I finally decided to make my tech days a weekly thing. Tuesday also sounds a whole lot better than Wednesdays; I mean, who doesn't love alliteration. I considered calling it: Random shit I really want Tuesdays but it didn't sound as nice :)

So who likes Laser Tag? Ok how about who doesn't like laser tag? No hands? Fantastic. So I guess some genius somewhere realized that our generation today spends far more time on their iphones than outside in the real world and decided why not make life easier for the couch loving masses! (I apologize for the sarcasm. I honestly think this thing is incredible. I'm just grouchy from packing).

Let me introduce you to the AppTag Laser Blaster. Imagine FPS (that's first person shooter to those of you out there who can live without gaming systems) shooter games meets traditional laser tag all on the convenience of your smart phone (works for iOS and Android). You can switch weapons, pick up health packs, and keep track of scores via wifi. Pretty dang cool.

Until next week!

Cheers,

N. Riazi