Grad school Definition and 1000 Threads

Hello all, I have a question for those with knowledge of Nuclear Physics career outlook. I am at a point where I need to decide soon. I know I want to go to grad school, I know I want to study Nuclear Physics, but I'm a little torn between which method of study to undergo. I would not mind...

I’m currently a rising senior at a T10 university studying physics and another major. Because of the double major in addition to me starting my physics major later than usual (so I had to stack up on classes) and admittedly, because I was dumb and fooled around for a couple years, my GPA is...

Hey, I got an offer from UCL for physics MSc and from KCL for theoretical physics. I'm still waiting for answers from Edinburgh regarding theoretical physics MSc, but I wanted to ask how big of a difference choosing physics over theoretical physics is. I'm certain I would like to do theoretical...

I'm a junior based in the U.S and my research project is ending in one or two months, so I am writing a report with my results. I am not sure if I will be a first author as there are two other students, but they have graduated so I have been working on it alone for a while now since the summer...

Many sources recommend detailing the social/educational/cultural/economic/etc. obstacles that a student has overcome in their academic journey when filling out a Personal Statement essay to a graduate program. Personally, I don't really have any obstacles that fall into that category. However...

Alright so here's the deal: I graduated recently (spring '23) from Ohio State University with a BS in physics. I graduated with honors and magna cum laude (3.8 ish gpa). I took the general GRE and got 162 verbal, 165 quant, and 4.5 writing. I spent some time in a master program to pursue...

Sorry if this is long, just want this to be as definitive as possible. Hello everyone, I am a first year physics & mathematics specialist (which is kind of analogous to double major here) student in University of Toronto and had several questions on applying to grad school. So, to give some...

I'm currently in the process of applying to grad schools and I'm having second thoughts (and honestly even second guessing) on my odds of admission and opportunities in grad school. I'm a senior at a liberal arts college. Physics-Astronomy combined major and a Math minor. I'm an international...

I am currently an undergrad at TUM and am planning to stay in the academia in the future. My goal is to become a theorist, however I cannot choose a grad school to apply to. I understand that "best" is subjective; my most important criterium is that the degree would allow time to actually learn...

Hello, First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who takes their time to read through my post and make a response, I really appreciate your help that is given for free. Background. I’m a Physics student in his last year, my expected graduation date is June 2024. I study at one of the best...

Hi! I want to apply in Grad schools in USA as an international Student. But my cgpa is around 2.69. Most of the graduate school require at least 3.0. But there are some that do not have any minimum cgpa requirement on their website. But people say it's very difficult to get admission. I've not...

Hello everyone, This is my first time posting here. I'm currently a rising senior double majoring in physics and math at a top 10 (maybe top 15) research institution. I'm quite worried about my admissions prospects and I'm wondering whether my application is competitive or not. More exactly, I...

This is my first time posting here, but not my first time viewing this website over many years. Right now, I am an undergraduate senior in physics (with a minor in math: includes real analysis, linear algebra, complex analysis, abstract algebra), and like many other students, worrying about...

Other than well known institutions such as University of Cambridge and Oxford. What are grad programs that are worth considering for a Phd? I am still narrowing down my niche, but I am interested in Theoretical physics, Mathematical Physics, and high energy physics.

Hello everyone! I have a visit day for a school coming up that they booked my hotel and flight for. I was initially interested in the program, but my partner recently received a dream job offer in Boston. I have been offered a spot at two PhD programs there, so I'll likely pick one of those in...

My background: I live in the US and I graduated last June with my BS in physics. Went to an alright school and was an alright student (3.52 overall GPA, 3.49 major) with minors in math and CS. I did 2 internships, but my first one I basically did nothing, and my second was basically translating...

I’m starting my PhD in Organic Chemistry this Fall. I want to review all of undergraduate Organic Chemistry and I’m trying to develop a plan of attack. I did alright in lectures but not perfectly and did quite well in labs. I don’t want to be bombarded in grad school and want to have a proper...

So I graduated in 2019 from a smaller state university with 2 honors BAs in physics and applied math. 3.83 GPA, all A's in my 400 level classes, few years of computational research and some independent honors projects, and I was involved with tutoring, TA'ing, led the SPS chapter, etc. Didn't do...

In 2017 I graduated with a B.S. in physics and went on to a physics Ph.D. program in the fall. After six months, though, because of mental health problems I left grad school on a "medical leave of absence" from which I chose not to return in fall 2018. After job-searching for a while, I settled...

Hi, I am a senior at a large research public university in the US (UC Davis). I really want to go to grad school but I am not sure if I should apply this year. I am only 19 years old (I graduated high school with an associates in physics) so this is only my second real year of college and I...

So I’m a 3rd year mechatronics engineering student, I wanted to get into grad school for engineering or maybe even physics. But after this semester I don’t know if I can actually get in or if I’m even smart enough to. I purposely split my 3rd year up and I’m only taking 3 courses this semester...

Hello, I was going back to university for Grad school (Master's degree) this fall in Electrical Engineering, but since my application and admission, the uni created a brand new program in computational neurosciences, and I am heavily considering to follow this path instead. Thrilling! However...

Hi my name is Idan. I plan to study for a physics Bachelor at Israel, my homeland. although is way too early I'd like to proceed towards higher education as well, particularly in the US. The problem is that in Israel there is no physics internships and research projects offered for students at...

Let me begin by stating the obvious: I do not mean lying about anything that can be factually checked, like grades, honors, or experiences. I am currently a junior majoring in physics, and my immediate post-graduation plans are to attend graduate school in physics. On paper, I seem to be on...

Grad school courses are hard, but how to maintain at least a 3.7 GPA? That's it, I'm sick of caring about GPA, and consider in grad school this is my last time doing tests, I want to let myself go a bit and not get a perfect GPA. I don't want more burnouts in grad school. I'd rather focus on...

I was in graduate school for an Applied Physics PhD program for 3 years, where I got my Master's and took all the required classes for the PhD. I left because I wanted to try my hand at teaching, and I LOVED it. Now I am 34 years old, and I am wondering if there is any possibility of going back...

Hello! I am wondering which grad schools to apply to because I honestly don't understand the grad school admission process. It involves a lot more than undergrad admissions- now I need to apply for TA or research positions etc. Also, I have been told that the school choice is more important for...

Hey everyone, I'm coming to the end of my Mechanical Engineering B.S. degree and I've been in the process of applying to mechanical and aerospace PhD programs. I want to do research in fluid mechanics; I have some expereience in hypersonics from a Research Expereince for Undergraduates NSF...

Hello everyone, [I underline portions of the text that are most essential to my enquiry ( 2 questions at the bottom). I immensely appreciate the generous act of reading everything otherwise.] Background Info: North African, female-identifying, 16, below average ECs, no awards, no notable...

Hello, I hold a BS in mathematics and want to pursue a career in physics. Is there any way where I can directly join a physics grad program from my current background? What are the options available? And would it be better to pursue an MS in applied math and then switch to physics? Would a good...

Hi everyone, This may (or may not) be a silly question to ask but I figured I would throw it up on here and see where it takes me. I'm a senior ME major and I am currently looking into and applying to MAE (ME/Aerospace) PhD programs and I was wondering if it would be possible/realistic to take...

Hi all, I graduated in 2017 with a B.A. in Mathematics and a Computer Science Minor, but I always wish I had been able to squeeze in more physics classes (I've only taken a very basic intro course at a community college right after high school). I'm currently working in IT and am pretty...

Let’s start things off straight: I LOVE physics. I love the opportunity to understand the world more in depth and mathematically and have had good experiences with all my professors in all of my classes. I have loved the teaching experience I have had as a several-time TA, as well as the deeper...

[Mentor Note -- thread moved to the Academic Guidance forum] Oy vey! Is this allowed? I didn't post this on academic advising because this is more of a lament and honestly I don't think there's anything new that that can be said. I'd rather have internet bots read this as opposed to crying on...

Hello, First I would like to say thank you to anyone who contributes to this feed. I recently received an offer from a Graduate School for a Masters in Physics. I am very excited to continue my education, however, I am not sure if I am ready. I am wondering if anyone would like to share...

Hello All! I wanted to reach out for perspectives and advice on this "old-timer" wanting to do physics. At one point I was on that track, but quickly stumbled and lost my way for personal reasons. Now, I'm 35 years old and want to finally pursue a lifelong goal of a PhD in physics. My age at...

I got a B- in two physics courses. I'm a senior and it is my last semester. What do you think my chances are of getting in? One of these was a problem solving course from a few years ago and I got a B- in quantum because I didn't study angular momentum operators (The last thing we did in class)...

Hello, I know there are countless threads asking if you can go to grad school in Physics with an Engineering degree, and I know that the answer depends on my score on the GRE. I am not asking this. What I want to ask is: supposing I have a good GRE score but am coming from Engineering, can I...

Due to not having any money after financial aid this semester (also covid, no job, etc.) I don't have money to afford to take the physics GRE. I do however work in a lab as a research assistant and have research experience. I'd like to get into a school for astrophysics potentially. Any...

Hello everyone! So I've been accepted into a Physics Ph.D for Cosmology at UC Davis and I am waiting to hear back from A&M, Minnesota and 3 others where I am currently waitlisted: Hawaii, Ohio State and Illinois. My university, I believe, will offer its students a choice to either get a letter...

Greetings everyone. I am an undergrad currently majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Physics. I entered college as a physics student because I wanted to pursue astrophysics as a career. After my first 1.5 years of courses and a summer research experience, I concluded that a career in...

Hello Forumgoers, I know there are probably a million 'what are my chances?' posts on here, so I apologize if I'm missing an obvious source, I'm new to the forum. I am applying to grad schools, and understand that I have no chance at top schools, but I was wondering if anyone could name safety...

Hello everyone! I'm an international student applying for Ph.D programs for fall 2020 (mostly Astronomy, specifically Cosmology; but some are in Neutrino Physics). My qualifications: Undergrad institution: US univ ranked 100+ by US News with very good neutrino Physics program Cumulative GPA...

Hi all. I am an international student. I am considering applying for physics grad program in North America. I had very low GPA in my first two years in university (around 2.00) and later dropped out of school voluntarily. I managed to get into a university few years ago and ended up with...

I'm a 2nd year physics student (Thailand) and in the freshman year I was goofing around the campus because I thought the freshman courses were easy resulting in a C+ and a B in Biology. (The exams were far more demanding than I thought) . However,I did quite well on the other courses. -I'm...

Hi Folks, I am finishing up my last year in undergrad (physics with a math minor) and am searching for potential grad schools. My areas of interest are pretty much exclusively in Gravitation (specially theoretical study of general relativity) and Physics Education Research, with a bit of...

Hello! I'm a senior in high school and I plan on getting a bachelors in computer engineering. I want to minor is astronomy (or double major although I heard engineering is very demanding so I would prefer to minor astronomy). When I complete the four years, and if I realize that I want to be an...

Hello am currently an undergraduate student. My major is CSE. But I am very much interested to do my masters and then PhD in theoretical physics/mathematical physics. Is there any university that admits CS graduates for these courses? I have looked up some universities that offer these courses...

Hello everyone, I currently have a 2.8 GPA after my sophomore year. I am working towards getting my BS in Physics with two minors, Computer Science and Mathematics. I know that my GPA is low to get into Grad school at this moment but I believe that I will be able to pull the GPA up to a 3.3 by...

Hello! Fellowships: I'm going to be applying to grad schools by the end of this year and hope to start one beginning fall 2020. I've heard from people that having a fellowship prior to entering grad school not only is looked upon positively in your application, but also broadens the area in...