Hobbies and interests
Astronomy
Archery
Volunteering
Tutoring
Animals
Astrophysics
Badminton
Hiking And Backpacking
Math
Computer Science
Coding And Computer Science
Physics
Reading
Science
Stargazing
STEM
Spanish
Soccer
Studying
Reading
Action
Adventure
Christian Fiction
Childrens
Fantasy
Mystery
I read books multiple times per week
FIRST GENERATION STUDENT
No
Sydney Andrews
3,985
Bold Points1x
FinalistSydney Andrews
3,985
Bold Points1x
FinalistBio
Hey! I just recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in applied physics with minors in math, astronomy, and computer science. I am currently pursuing a masters degree in engineering physics with hopes of one day getting a PhD in astrophysics.
Education
Appalachian State University
Master's degree programMajors:
- Engineering, Other
Appalachian State University
Bachelor's degree programMajors:
- Physics and Astronomy
Minors:
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Computer Science
- Mathematics
Miscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
- Physics
Career
Dream career field:
Research
Dream career goals:
Professor
Tutor
Appalachian State University2022 – 2022Intern
REU2023 – 2023Sales Associate
Dollar General2021 – Present3 yearsTA
Appalachian State University2021 – Present3 years
Sports
Archery
Club2017 – 2017
Research
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Appalachian State University — Student Research Assistant2023 – PresentAstronomy and Astrophysics
REU2023 – 2023
Public services
Volunteering
App State STEAM Expo — Demo helper2024 – 2024
Future Interests
Volunteering
Learner Math Lover Scholarship
No school subject is quite like math. People either love it or hate it. Math is not subjective, there is a right answer, but there can be many ways to get to that answer. My junior year of college I took a Classical Mechanics class that taught me a lot about problem-solving with math. I would work out problems on a whiteboard in the library for hours and wonder what I was doing wrong. Working on a problem for hours could be exhausting, but the joy when I finally figured out the problem was worth all of the effort. When I felt stuck, I needed to find a new approach or if an answer didn’t make sense, I would have to scrap some of my previous work and start over, helping me figure out how to come at a problem from different angles to see which approach a problem needed. I fell in love with working through the long problems.
Although hard, math makes sense. When listening to someone describe a concept I get lost very fast, however when looking at math written down, whether it be on the library’s whiteboard or in my textbooks, I can take time and go through it step by step. Unlike concepts I can break the math down into small steps that make sense in my head. While I struggle to learn the concepts of physics, learning the math behind them makes it easier, causing me to love the subject even more. I love math because it makes me want to learn more about the subject I love, even when stuck on a problem and struggling. Math makes hard things make sense.