tomme

• tomme 22 Sep 2012 20:33 UTC

  2 points

  in reply to: Risto_Saarelma’s comment on: Life-chang­ing de­ci­sions per­tain­ing to ed­u­ca­tion. Help.

  No, I’m not interested in computer science.

• tomme 22 Sep 2012 20:29 UTC

  3 points

  in reply to: Xachariah’s comment on: Life-chang­ing de­ci­sions per­tain­ing to ed­u­ca­tion. Help.

  No, I am not an American citizen. Every single college that I am applying to is private. Private colleges that claim to offer full-need financial aid to international students usually do that. I also keep in touch with a handful of international students studying in the USA and they all receive the financial aid they needed, from private colleges of course.

  What specific factors make you believe that you will receive US financial aid and not UK financial aid?

  Except for a tuition fee loan, there is no other financial aid I can receive in the UK, either from the government or from the university.

  I can’t understand how you got the impression that I am applying to public institutions, given that I wrote what colleges I am applying to above. (Bowdoin is a private college, for example.)

• tomme 22 Sep 2012 14:53 UTC

  0 points

  in reply to: Xachariah’s comment on: Life-chang­ing de­ci­sions per­tain­ing to ed­u­ca­tion. Help.

  Thanks for the heads-up.

  In the USA I’ll receive full-need financial aid, hopefully, which means that I’ll only pay what I can afford, without going into insurmountable debt In the UK I’ll take a loan to pay for the tuition, which can be paid back after I start earning a certain salary.

• tomme 22 Sep 2012 10:14 UTC

  1 point

  in reply to: mapnoterritory’s comment on: Life-chang­ing de­ci­sions per­tain­ing to ed­u­ca­tion. Help.

  This is what I was contemplating! Could you create an article with this proposal?

• tomme 22 Sep 2012 10:12 UTC

  1 point

  in reply to: jimrandomh’s comment on: Life-chang­ing de­ci­sions per­tain­ing to ed­u­ca­tion. Help.

  The crux of my confusion is not what school to pick, but what to study and in which country.

  Anyhow, in the USA I’m thinking some liberal arts colleges: Berea, Bowdoin, Bates, Carleton, Harvey Mudd. England—I got an offer at Durham for Biology.

• tomme 21 Sep 2012 17:39 UTC

  −1 points

  in reply to: drethelin’s comment on: Life-chang­ing de­ci­sions per­tain­ing to ed­u­ca­tion. Help.

  1: The precise schools’ names are irrelevant, for they’re all on par academically, whether they’re in England or the USA.

  2: True, but in the USA, for instance, I have more means to educate myself in school, as opposed to Hungary. Also, consider the learning environment!

• tomme 21 Sep 2012 16:48 UTC

  0 points

  in reply to: [deleted]’s comment on: Life-chang­ing de­ci­sions per­tain­ing to ed­u­ca­tion. Help.

  The ones from Hungary are no-name. In regards to England, think slightly below Oxford-Cambridge. The USA—liberal arts colleges, such as Bates and Bowdoin.

• tomme 21 Sep 2012 16:47 UTC

  2 points

  in reply to: Dallas’s comment on: Life-chang­ing de­ci­sions per­tain­ing to ed­u­ca­tion. Help.

  Hungary. Why Biology? My mom always laments that I should become a doctor because of financial and career security. :(

• tomme 21 Sep 2012 16:45 UTC

  0 points

  in reply to: Raemon’s comment on: Life-chang­ing de­ci­sions per­tain­ing to ed­u­ca­tion. Help.

  Only in England. I’ve started working on my college application and university admissions in Hungary at undergrad level is more of a formality.

• tomme 13 Apr 2012 4:42 UTC

  0 points

  in reply to: John_Maxwell’s comment on: Help me teach Bayes’

  Nice one, I like it!

  But there’s something I fail to understand: where’s the 9.6% rendered?

  “9.6% of the area outside of event A.”—wait, doesn’t that little area outside A represent the women with cancer?

• tomme 13 Apr 2012 4:30 UTC

  0 points

  in reply to: Peacewise’s comment on: Wel­come to Less Wrong! (2010-2011)

  I suggest you reconsider your position on fiction

  I now believe that fiction could be useful because it conveys experience. For example, The Walking Dead, the Tv series I am watching at the moment, has a complex interplay characters, as it shows how humans interact in a plethora of situations.

  Most people don’t have that in mind when they bump into fiction. But, as I said, if you don’t have enough experience, and you need a quick dose, sometimes fiction can help you.

• tomme 12 Apr 2012 14:14 UTC

  1 point

  in reply to: beoShaffer’s comment on: Help me teach Bayes’

  I’m guessing 6th or 7h grade, average flock.

• tomme 31 Mar 2012 14:15 UTC

  1 point

  in reply to: Morendil’s comment on: Learn­ing the ba­sics of prob­a­bil­ity & beliefs

  Thanks for writing this explanation.

  I have tested my belief using the built-in “sky-detector”(my eyes) and I can tell that it’s false, for the sky is clearly blue with a tint of white. Still, there are some instances where my “sky-detector” could be faulty(e.g., eye disorders, neurological conditions), but since other people’s “sky-detectors” and machines have confirmed my belief, I guess it’s true.

  But how true? Is there, say, an algorithm I can use to assign numerical values to the probability of my belief? Assuming that there is such an ‘algorithm’, how can I use it to compare my initial belief to the belief I now have(i.e., the sky is blue with a tint of white)?

• tomme 31 Mar 2012 10:34 UTC

  0 points

  in reply to: Morendil’s comment on: Learn­ing the ba­sics of prob­a­bil­ity & beliefs

  While you make an interesting case for testing my belief, I do not know how to build a “sky-detector”. So I still am oblivious as to whether my belief is true or not.

• tomme 17 Mar 2012 7:51 UTC

  0 points

  in reply to: Bugmaster’s comment on: Wel­come to Less Wrong! (2010-2011)

  I assign an util to each possible outcome.

  what made you decide to begin spending time on writing posts on Less Wrong, as opposed to spending that time on reading quantum physics books, or lifting weights, or something ?

  I do read quantum physics and lift weights and whatnot! :) As to why I decided to spend time here, see my original post.

• tomme 16 Mar 2012 19:10 UTC

  0 points

  in reply to: Bugmaster’s comment on: Wel­come to Less Wrong! (2010-2011)

  Pros&Cons and projected outcomes.

• tomme 16 Mar 2012 10:26 UTC

  2 points

  in reply to: Bugmaster’s comment on: Wel­come to Less Wrong! (2010-2011)

  What about pieces that blend truth and fiction, such as historical novels or most newspaper articles ?

  I don’t usually read those kinds of pieces.

  Do you participate in any activities that you find enjoyable, but ultimately not very useful in the long term ?

  No, I only take part in activities that have some long-term benefit.

• tomme 15 Mar 2012 13:01 UTC

  0 points

  in reply to: Bugmaster’s comment on: Wel­come to Less Wrong! (2010-2011)

  In this case, how do you know what is fiction (and therefore you shouldn’t read it) and what is not (and therefore you should read it) ?

  I look for background info on the piece I consider reading and read its abstract.

  Can you elaborate ?

  See the reply below. I’m not good at explaining this stuff.

  Horace wrote that the purpose of literature is “to delight and instruct”. It delights precisely because it’s instructive and it’s up to you to decide whether you only need precise information(nonfiction) or embedded information(fiction).

• tomme 15 Mar 2012 12:46 UTC

  0 points

  in reply to: CasioTheSane’s comment on: De­cid­ing what to study at un­der­grad­u­ate level

  Bioengineering looks like the right choice but, unfortunately, my only available options are either General Engineering or Biomedical Science. To illustrate how these courses are organized at undergraduate level, see this for Biomedical Science and this for General Engineering.

  I guess I should go with General Engineering.

• tomme 14 Mar 2012 20:38 UTC

  4 points

  in reply to: Bugmaster’s comment on: Wel­come to Less Wrong! (2010-2011)

  Nonfiction because: my faulty brain sometimes mistakes fiction for reality(e.g., I used to believe that Santa is real) and cognitive economy—there is a finite amount of knowledge I can store, so I would rather make sure it’s accurate, truthful, useful knowledge.