What is School: Definition and 1000 Discussions

A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students (or "pupils") under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools. The names for these schools vary by country (discussed in the Regional section below) but generally include primary school for young children and secondary school for teenagers who have completed primary education. An institution where higher education is taught, is commonly called a university college or university.
In addition to these core schools, students in a given country may also attend schools before and after primary (Elementary in the US) and secondary (Middle school in the US) education. Kindergarten or preschool provide some schooling to very young children (typically ages 3–5). University, vocational school, college or seminary may be available after secondary school. A school may be dedicated to one particular field, such as a school of economics or a school of dance. Alternative schools may provide nontraditional curriculum and methods.
Non-government schools, also known as private schools may be required when the government does not supply adequate, or specific educational needs. Other private schools can also be religious, such as Christian schools, gurukula (Hindu School), madrasa (Arabic schools), hawzas (Shi'i Muslim schools), yeshivas (Jewish schools), and others; or schools that have a higher standard of education or seek to foster other personal achievements. Schools for adults include institutions of corporate training, military education and training and business schools.
In homeschooling and distance education, teaching and learning take place independent from the institution of school or in a virtual school outside a traditional school building respectively. Schools are commonly organized in several different organizational models, including departmental, small learning communities, academies, integrated, and schools-within-a-school.

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  1. T

    Schools GPA, grades, C's, grad school (typical post probably)

    I am a junior physics and cognitive science major with hopes of going into grad school for physics. I have to stay 3-4 extra semesters to finish school- not enough time to do everything. The attached file shows my grades. PHY is physics, CSC is computer science, MAT is math- the rest are not...
  2. E

    Schools Becoming a Physicist/Graduate School

    Hello! I just recently signed up and had a question I was wondering if anyone could help with. I am currently in undergrad studying Music Industry. I started my schooling career in Physics but after a few bad decisions found myself where I am now. That being said I was wondering if anyone could...
  3. teroenza

    Grad School Resume - Include Poster Sessions?

    Hello, I am applying to graduate schools in physics, applied physics, and engineering. On my resume, I would like to know if people feel I should include summer research (REU,SULI) presentations, and poster sessions I have attended. The most important poster session would be one for the...
  4. N

    Schools The Difference Between Sub 3.0 and 3.0 GPA for Grad School

    Since I am posting this on behalf of a friend (who's in a slight slump and could use some advice), I am probably lacking some information. However, hopefully you guys can get the idea. While my friend did well his first semester at the regional campus at his 50-60 ranked university, his...
  5. A

    Schools Exploring the Pessimism of Grad School in Physics: A Personal Perspective

    So I'm currently an undergrad physics major, and looking to pursue a Ph.D in physics. I was recently talking to one of my friends, who is a grad plasma physics student, about his research. He seems to like physics a lot, but when I talked to him he said his research is boring. I replied with...
  6. L

    Schools Grad school apps: attaching proof of scholarships/awards?

    When applying to grad programs in the US, is it be a good idea to attach documented proof of having received scholarships/financial awards if they were on both sustained academic performance and need-based grounds? In my country, the grants I got throughout my undergrad are kind of a big deal...
  7. A

    Schools Should I drop out of graduate school?

    I'm a first year graduate student working toward a Physics PhD at a large, top 50, private university in the US. I have weekly (increasingly frequent) panic attacks and I cannot motivate myself to study or do homework. Because of this, I have intense feelings of guilt nearly constantly. I wake...
  8. Last chance U

    Why Do My Vector Addition Calculations Differ from the Textbook's Answers?

    Homework Statement Hi, for some reason I can't post my homework question (Grade 12 math) How do i fix this? Here's my homework question Homework Statement In Exercises 15-30, add the given vectors by using the trigonometric functions and the Pythagorean theorem...
  9. D

    Schools Want to go to eng grad school, will a bad lab grade affect this?

    I am currently a senior at a no name liberal arts college studying math and physics. I am unsure about want I want to do in the future, but I am considering engineering for graduate school in the far future. Field yet to be determined. Last year I took an advance physics lab course and...
  10. C

    Stirling Engine School Project Help

    I need to generate electricity from this, how would I do so? I was thinking about placing magnets on the flywheel and using silver wiring as a conductor. This needs to power an RC cars electric motor so I can drive the thing and I have little to no experience with anything electrical. Any...
  11. B

    Schools What did physicists study in grad school in the early 1900's?

    Before quantum mechanics and relativity were incorporated into the physics curriculum, what did physicists go to grad school for? It seems like classical mechanics, thermodynamics (I believe stat mech was not well developed at the time), and electromagnetism were the only things that were...
  12. P

    Does School Name Really Matter for Joe Student?

    School names matter!? I need help bad. I'm stuck in the college mentality and I'm hoping someone can snap me out of it. I'm so stressed about which school i should get into that it's eating my time up studying physics. Here's my situation. I'm ready to transfer to San Francisco State...
  13. H

    Schools How does one pay for graduate school?

    I currently have my math degree, and I am working in the actuarial world. However, I'm considering returning to school to study quantitative finance, because I like economics and it will give me exposure (without requiring ph. D for a job). Unfortunately, I'm in mostly financial constraints...
  14. I

    Schools Submit grad school applications earlier or wait for higher PGRE score?

    I have a GRE score of 6.0 writing, 170 reading, and 168 quantitative, and a 4.0 GPA. I also have 4 semesters of soft matter theory research and 1 summer of particle physics theory research. I'm applying to do theory to many schools, including MIT, SUNY Stony Brook, Stanford, Harvard, UMass...
  15. P

    Studying Is My High School Math Education Complete with These Books?

    I am a high school student and I want to get the most rigorous math education available in algebra and geometry. I was thinking the SMSG books from yale univ, but that may be outdated (they use stuff like "truth sets"). How about this plan: Starting of with basic math by lang Algebra by...
  16. J

    School Projectile Motion Problem

    If a point of the parabolic path the velocity be u and the inclination to the horizon be θ, at what time the particle is moving at right angle to its former direction. I was trying to solve it using vectors. My friend gave me a clue of applying some geometry to the parabolic path given below:-...
  17. O

    Just out of curiosity - school material used in your job?

    Hello Physics Forum, I just wanted to hear from some experienced Electrical Engineers on how much of the material covered in school are actually used in a real job. I am currently a junior in EE and have heard mixed responses from my professors pertaining to the issue. To make it less broad...
  18. Ascendant78

    Schools Grad school stipend questions?

    I had two questions regarding grad school stipends. For starters, about how many hours per week do you have to typically spend working to earn your stipend? Second, I have heard that the amount of grad students receiving stipends is extremely high in most colleges, where actually not getting...
  19. Y

    Is GPA the Only Measure of Success in Engineering School?

    Hi what would you think about an engineering school where many students are getting high GPA like 3.5 and above?? and the major is Electrical Engineering ! (which is sometimes considered as one of the hardest majors). a student in the school I am talking about got 4.0 GPA >>his major is...
  20. T

    Advice on an extra year or two in school.

    Heya, I've been asking around at job fairs, along with classmates/faculty, and the consensus seems to be that lots of people want physics majors who know about programming, handling data, and modeling. The problem is.. I don't know much about those subjects. What's the best way to fix...
  21. K

    Schools Graduate school letters of recommendation?

    I am currently applying to PhD physics programs across the US and so far my letters of recommendation are from the following: 2 astrophysics professors who I have taken astrophysics classes from, and 1 professor with a physics PhD but taught an upper division scientific writing class to me...
  22. marcus

    Quantum geometry school at Erlangen: what can it tell us?

    The school takes place this week, October 7 through 11, hosted by Thomas Thiemann's group. The school is explicitly quantum geometry. Increasingly that is what QG means-- microscopic/high energy geometry of space-time. Focusing on quantizing shape relations rather than on quantum "gravity...
  23. P

    Schools Research and Nuclear Engineering Grad School?

    I posted a question a while back on medical physics and got great feedback so I'm back again in with another dilemma... I spent the summer doing med physics research and I liked the radiation physics and computational aspects of it quite a bit. I'd like to apply for grad school in nuclear...
  24. B

    Schools Grad School Letters of Recommendation: Professors only?

    I recently did an internship at my university in which I worked more closely with the engineer in charge of the lab rather than the professor. Would it be okay to ask the engineer in charge to write a letter of recommendation for grad. school since he is more capable of detailing my performance...
  25. jbrussell93

    Grade Inflation: Is a 4.0 GPA from a State School Suspect?

    I've heard people say that a 4.0 GPA can look a bit suspicious to admissions committees for grad school. I'm wondering how true this actually is... I assume it depends greatly on whether the 4.0 is coming from a well known university. Let's say that the 4.0 is just coming from a large state...
  26. R

    High School Physics Competition: Change in Entropy

    During a physics competition, I came across this question. My work was \begin{align*}\Delta S &= \frac{Q}{T} \\ \Delta S &= \frac{1.25 \times 10^3 \, \mathrm{J}}{348 \, \mathrm{K}} \\ \Delta S &= 3.59 \,\,\mathrm{\left( J/K\right )} \end{align*} but I was stuck in between two answer choices...
  27. M

    Managing Mental Health at University: Coping with Stress and Overwhelm

    Hello.. So for the past month I transferred to UC Berkeley, and I've been miserable ever since. My roommates are animals and can't clean anything that they use, even my utensils that I said they could use at the beginning they don't clean up properly and never put away and ruin my stuff. I mean...
  28. M

    Schools Grad school for the PGRE challenged: How to make my research count?

    Hi guys and gals, first post here, but I've lurked here before but just now registering and posting I'm getting ready to apply for my graduate schools. I'm not sure what exactly I'm seeking, so I want to provide a little background. I've always been a tinkerer, ever since I was young I've...
  29. P

    Self-Studying Physics for High School Seniors: Textbook Suggestions

    I'm a senior in high school and dislike the way physics is taught. I find the textbooks to be too watered down and lacking in mathematical rigor. My plan is to major in physics when I go to college, so I've decided to self study physics in my spare time. I've browsed around the forums here...
  30. B

    What are some international winter schools for physics and mathematics in 2014?

    Hi, Do you have any experience with an US / international winter school or research in physics or mathematics? Thank you PS:I would be ready to travel anywhere in the world to get those courses (between 1.02.2014 to 1.03.2014).
  31. M

    Need Help With a Fallback School

    So, I'm a hopeful physics and/or applied physics/engineering physics major. Maybe Materials Science. I have my main list of colleges to apply to, and my record looks pretty good, but the least selective of them is Georgia Tech, at 41.5% admitted last year. I'm going to need good financial aid...
  32. I

    Schools Going to grad school after a few years of working?

    I was just wondering if this is a common thing that people do. I am a junior in college and I had a software engineering internship and enjoyed it very much and I think it'd a career i'd enjoy. However I've always wanted to get a phd in computer science and do research in computer graphics. At...
  33. P

    Schools Retake PGRE for 2nd time admission to grad school?

    Hi there, If any people who have sat on grad school admissions committees are lurking out there, I would love to hear your opinion on this: I'm reapplying to grad school for next fall after I took my Masters and left at another institution. I made a right mess of things there; was going...
  34. B

    Am I just being lazy about school?

    I'm currently a senior in high school. I'm in Calc I right now and I'm sure by the end of the year ill be proficient enough in it. So what I want to do is take the CLEP test and get credit for it in college instead of having to repeat a semester of it. But all of the schools I want to go to...
  35. U

    Schools Starting off research in grad school

    Hi, I'm starting off grad school this fall. My adviser mailed me some published papers that have been written by our group. I've been through them, and although I understand the basic idea, I don't understand many of the formulas and theories used. Is this normal? Usually, how do people start...
  36. lonewolf219

    Schools Grad school application and sending more than they ask for

    I would like to apply to grad schools next Fall. If the school requires 3 recommendations, is it ever a good idea to include more? Also, what do you guys think about including a CV?
  37. N

    Schools Ways for a high school student to geek out at home?

    Hey, weird post but I am interested in science and building things and I wanted to ask any good ways to learn and have fun at home with science (preferably physics) and also some ideas of stuff I can use physics knowledge to build. THANKS!
  38. I

    Schools Coolest middle/high school ever

    This is just in the late planning stage, but it sure looks like the coolest high school ever: Proof School. It looks like they have some serious, high-powered folks involved. Starts up for students in September, 2015 in San Francisco. Why wasn't there one of these when I was going to school?
  39. Greg Bernhardt

    School: when is your first day back?

    Curious what date is everyone's first day back to school?
  40. S

    High School Student looking for insight regarding engineering

    High School Student looking for insight regarding engineering! Hi, I'm a junior in high school who is looking to focus on some type of engineering. I have researched a lot on the web and at interesting questions on this forum about the different types of engineers and what they do. What most...
  41. caffeinemachine

    MHB Grad school Applications help.

    Hello MHB, I'll soon be applying for Masters and PhD programmes in mathematics to universities in the US. I need help with my statement of purpose. I am not sure what I should put in it since I am largely self taught (in math) and have little formal research experience. (Formal research...
  42. T

    Returning to School After a 7-Year Hiatus

    Hello everyone. I've been on this forum for a little while, but haven't posted much, so here's a little about me. I'm 26 and a college dropout. I went for a year and a half after high school and discovered that I was no where near mature enough to be out on my own. Jump forward seven years and I...
  43. R

    Schools Senior in High School looking ahead for Colleges.

    Hello, first off, I want to say hello, I am new here! I am also a senior in high school looking for colleges, as well as what the road of physics has to offer after college. Secondly, I enjoy astrophysics with a passion, as well as quantum, and particle physics. But more on the quantum and...
  44. L

    Schools Will double majoring in economics diminish grad school chances?

    I'm a junior doing a physics major. I've almost finished the physics major and I've taken more than the required electives, and as I'm not 100% sure whether I want to go to graduate school, I'm considering double majoring in economics. I know that a double major in economics will open more...
  45. karush

    MHB -aux07.Venn diagram -about 120 students in a school

    (a) since $n(U)=120$ and the intersections showing $8,7$ and $4$ added is $19$ then $\displaystyle\frac{19}{120}$ is the probability of studying exactly $2$ languages (b) since $n(J)=35$ then subtracting $8,5,7$ would be $15$ so $\displaystyle\frac{15}{120}=\frac{1}{8}$ would be probability of...
  46. E

    Schools Grad School Question: Finding Research Topics in General Relativity

    Hey guys and gals, I am at a bit of a stand still right now. I am a third year P.h.D. student and I have an advisor, but I am not exactly sure what area I want to research in. I went to talk to him yesterday and I said that I wanted to study General relativity, but he says that is not specific...
  47. teroenza

    Schools Graduate School Research Expenditures by Sub-Field

    I am looking for a central source of physics graduate school research expenditures, broken down by sub-field (nuclear, condensed matter, AMO, HEP, etc.). I can find the total amount spent here http://www.petersons.com/graduate-schools but I am not sure where to go for this kind of...
  48. X

    Being good at school translate into being good on the job?

    I've always been able to study into the night and do pretty well in school. But I'm doing an engineering internship now and I don't feel like I'm doing my best work. Part of it is because I'm EE and working on ME topics, which I'm not very familiar with, but also because I'm wondering if it's...
  49. L

    Undergrad at a large state school?

    I'm facing the possibility of going to UC Berkeley for undergraduate. I will be majoring in physics and possibly double majoring in math. I have a few questions: 1. How can I stand out in a class of 100 students and find an opportunity to coauthor a research paper or two before I graduate...
  50. O

    Am I behind? How to get the most out of a small school.

    I go to a small liberal arts school. I always wanted to go to the best school I could, but I grew up in a small town with almost zero resources and had to deal with some pretty scary abusive family stuff for most of my life. I got kind of screwed up for awhile and barely scraped my way into...
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