MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Physical Oceanography: An Update

Wow, it has been a very long time since I posted anything here. I suppose that's not surprising, though, because I am in my first year of graduate school. I'll just give a short update.


I have learned an amazing amount of new information, mostly about the ocean, but also about fluid dynamics, mathematical ecology, and plain old math. In the fall I took 4 courses: Observational Physical Oceanography, Fluid Dynamics, Computational Ocean Modeling, and Partial Differential Equations for Mathematical Ecology. This semester I am taking 3 courses: General Circulation of the Ocean, Waves, and Modeling the Biology and Physics of the Ocean. I have become co-chair of 2 committees: the 2013 Programs in Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate Retreat Committee, and the WHOI Summer Math Review Course Improvement Committee.

I love the departments I am in, both at MIT (EAPS- Earth, Atmosphere, and Planetary Science) and at WHOI (Physical Oceanography). Both are very supportive, and the scientists are very warm (and brilliant). EAPS is also very generous with free food, which most people know is the quickest way to improving a student's day. There are only 2 problems. My first is the undefined nature of my program- there are no set-in-stone rules, other than that after 2 years you must take the general exam, that funding is only guaranteed for 5 years, and that there must be 2 presentations of your thesis research, the second of which is followed by a closed defense. Most information is through word-of-mouth from older students. Admittedly, this has worked for the last dozen years (at least), so I'm sure I'll figure everything out and work through it. The other problem I've been having is that scientists are not, by default, good teachers. About half of my classes have seemed ill-organized or had bad lecturers, something I have discovered is common in large universities, but have never before experienced. Nonetheless, if I can get any of my instructors one on one, they are very dedicated to answering questions and taking their time to explain things. So all in all, my problems are not large, and I generally am enjoying myself.