Grad school Definition and 1000 Threads

Alot of people ask what people should know. However I think it would be interesting to here what people's preparation for grad school really was. Math/Physics/Engineering are all fine. If you are entering in the fall I would also like to here from you.

Hi, I am currently an undergrad. Now, I have some student loans to pay off and I also don't feel like going to grad school right after my undergrad. I thought it would be a good idea to work as a research assistant in my physics department after I graduate. During these RA years, if I do...

I have done some research to find out how much it would cost to go to grad school and I am a bit confused about my findings. I have seen from multiple sources that by being a TA or an RA I will actually make money in grad school. (enough to live on while I study) I have also seen that I can...

Do they have grad programs that blend pure math and physics. where you learn math and physics at the same time.

I'm a sophomore in college. I have just finished all my general education requirements and have been thinking about double majoring in physics and EE but I would much rather focus on just physics for the time being. I would still like to be able to pursue EE after I earn a bachelors in physics...

Hi, I am a sophomore undergraduate and I have a question about the importance of research experience for grad school applications (from senior year to masters or phd). I have read that research experience and letters of recommendation are the two main factors for top 10 grad school...

Hi, all. This is my first post. Although my question isn't directly physics related, I hope I will be able to get some feedback, as I haven't had much luck finding career advice forums for math & stats. I recently obtained a BSc with a major in Mathematics. This is not an honours or...

For the longest time I've wanted to go to graduate school but this summer, I keep having panic attacks and emotional meltdowns in the middle of the night and now that's all changed. Earlier this spring, I accepted a TA/tuition reimbursement award to begin this fall for a PhD program; but now I...

Hello, I wanted to simply post all my current stats and get some recommendations on physics grad schools or how I can improve in the time I have left before I apply. Any help is greatly appreciated. Junior->Senior ~3.5 gpa physics 630 PGre retaking but we'll see 2 publishings and...

I've been procrastinating heavily today and realizing that maybe I should consider applying to grad schools in the US indeed. (Currently, I'm a Masters student at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.) Although I've probably been watching too many skateboard and surfing videos during the last few weeks, I...

Hey guys, I was wondering if someone on the forums would be able to give me some advice on graduate school? I go to Berkeley and will be finishing up an undergraduate degree in Engineering Physics with a minor in Electrical Engineering. I was hoping to go to graduate school in Electrical...

I'm considering applying to get into a master's program in physics, and I'm under the impression that I will be able to get into such a program. My question is should I bother? Will I be able to land a career, or will I just eventually end up with a nice looking PhD on the wall in my cardboard...

Grad school for phd in NANOTECH?? I am planning for a Phd in Nanotechnology, particularly related to Molecular robotics/NEMS/MEMS/ and even nano-composites may do..though its not my first choice currently i am pursuing B.Tech in Mech engg...and have Cumulative gpa (till 6th sem) of 8.7/10...

I'm a rising junior and will very likely apply to physics graduate school during senior year, but I'm also thinking about applying for a Fulbright Scholarship or other programs that would be a year long and not necessarily involve physics. Everything I found when I searched this forum said...

I'm curious as to where I should apply for grad school in that I don't want to waste my time on colleges out of my league. I'm looking to study density functional theory or alike so I guess physical chemistry or soft matter physics(can anyone really draw the line?). I should be graduating with a...

I’m a math undergrad at Caltech. I’m applying to grad school soon and since I’m a Canadian citizen I’ll be applying to grad school in Canada. I’ll also be applying to some top programs in the United States, but I’m very unsure of my chances. The thing is, due to a combination of personal...

I got kicked out of my University. Should I still invest farther time and money to get a college education? Do I still have a shot at Graduate school? I got dismissed from the University of California, Davis due to my unsatisfactory grades I got there during my freshmen year. I admit I didn't...

Can you go to math grad school and study applied math that focuses on physics. And also study regular math?

Hi. I am hoping to pursue high energy physics in graduate school. I have a few extra math electives I need to take for my math degree(majoring in math and physics). I was wondering if these classes would be of any real relevance Abstract Algebra Algebraic Geometry Lie AlgebrasDifferential...

I recently got back my final marks for the first half of my courses (3rd year physics in Spain) and am getting a little frustrated at the fact that my marks don't reflect the work I've put into them. Grades in my country's system work as follows: "Aprobado" (5.0-6.9/10) "Notable"...

Hello everyone, I have been a reader of this forum for quite some time and so I've read plenty on this topic. I have a question though... When applying to graduate schools most people first think about rankings (and then all other factors come in - research specialities, location, atmosphere...

So I'm graduating in a little under two weeks with a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The thing is, having looked at my transcript, I did way way better in my Chem (3.66 GPA) and Physics courses (3.4 GPA, though we were only required to take the introductory level Physics courses)...

I am board certified Dosimetrist (CMD) and have been accepted to a Medical Physics Graduate Program but it is NOT Campep approved. If I attend and graduate will I be able to get into a Campep approved medical physics residency? Will I be dramatically less competitive vs. Phd applicants. I have a...

I am entering the final year of my undergraduate studies. From what I understand, it is fairly common for students to apply to grad school halfway through their final year. However, I am thinking of working for a couple of years before applying to grad school. Would that hamper my chances of...

I am currently majoring in Applied Physics and have an interest in electronic devices and material properties. I am applying to grad school in the fall and having trouble deciding between Material Science, Physics, and EE. I am currently leaning towards EE but was wondering if anyone here had...

Hello all, This is very long and I apologize! I tend to be somewhat thorough, haha. I have a couple of things that have been weighing on my mind that I hope someone may have some insight on. Mainly, I am concerned with my preparation for grad school. Specifically I am worried about my...

I aspire to getting into a reputable US physics grad school. As I'm aware of so far (correct me if I'm wrong), there are 4 main things grad schools look at: (in no particular order) 1. Your GPA 2. Your research experience 3. Recommendation letters 4. Your physics GRE score Do any of...

I should begin by stating that I'm going to be a college Freshman this upcoming fall, and I plan on majoring in Physics. I took Multivariable Calculus at my local community college, and I did not receive too good of a grade in the class because I couldn't attend the lectures (they were at the...

Which of these mathematical courses are useful for theoretical/mathematical physics? Topology/Geometry-related set of courses Topology Integral geometry Topology of Lagrangian manifolds Riemannian geometry Differential forms on Riemannian manifolds Algebra-related set of courses...

Greetings. I plan to apply for the PhD program in physics at the the University of Miami. I want to go there because it is in my home town. Its physics department, it seems, is not stellar. My real disappoinment is the apparent lack of courses: they teach statistical mechanics, quantum...

Hi, I am a rising sophomore at Lehigh University. Currently, I am a Mech E major with an Aerospace Engr minor. My main interest is Aerospace Engineering, and so i plan on going to grad school(the best ones, obviously) in Aerospace Eng. research. However, I need some advice regarding choosing...

I feel very comfortable doing this because I've taken numerical analysis and written a short term paper on numerical approximations for PDEs. I am very strong in linear algebra and have calc I/II. The reason I ask for advice is because I have just graduated from undergrad with a degree in...

I will be starting my first year as a phd physics student in the fall. I'm trying to get everything I need to start my first year of grad school. The one thing I'm not sure of is whether I should get a laptop or a desktop for graduate school. I am going into theorectical amo. Also I plan to...

Greetings! Maybe a silly little question but here goes. Suppose that a couple that are both in the same department and are about to finish their studies at about the same time and both want to apply for some postgraduate program at the same department (or at least the same town/city). Is...

Hi Guys (and Gals), I hope no one minds that I posted this in "Academic Guidance", but I figured this is something you all have dealt with... I'm starting graduate school in the fall and I'm looking to buy a new laptop. I will be traveling on the train/bus with it daily so I want something on...

Before I begin, I am still a year removed from applying to grad schools. However, it never hurts to read up on some information beforehand. How binding and obligatory is the initial declaration of area of interest on the application? In other words, once you get into grad school, can you...

Hello, I am a student currently in my junior year that is starting to narrow down his graduate school search. I am primarily looking at Canadian schools for grad school at the moment, and I was just looking for some advice as to which schools would be the best ones for me to apply to. The...

I am a 28 year old community college student who is about to finish his last semester before "transferring". I put that in quotes because I was actually denied acceptance to all of the schools that I applied to. I have a bachelor's in computing arts, and it seems to be the worst time ever to...

Hello, I'll be graduating in one year with a BS in Physics and a BS in Applied Mathematics. I've done research in Astrophysics and Photovoltaics, and I'm considering pursuing a graduate degree (either MS or PhD) in Material Science Engineering. I've looked at various school websites and it...

I am a first year student (canadian citizen) at the University of Toronto in Canada- It's a pretty big university so hopefully someone will know their policies and what not. I'll get straight to the point- I totally flunked first year. I failed 2 courses and received a very low gpa. I'm...

I wonder if this is a good schedule to take in the Spring for my M.S? I've been taking 4 classes + doing research in the last 2 quarters of my undergrad, and even though it's pretty stressful, I've been surviving. I am doing no research year 1. I may be TAing however. Spring would be this...

Hi everyone. I am a EU national that did a large part of his education in the US. Upon graduating from a US high school, I got into a big IT school of my choice and had a good future ahead of of me. However, due number of reasons including a lack of emotional maturity, wrong choice of major, bad...

Hey, So I was hoping to get anyones opinion on a situation I'm in. I'm currently planning on graduating in 4 years with a honors in mathematics and physics (it would entail a thesis in math and some research credit in physics). I'm on track to complete that, however, I'm currently thinking of...

I understand the importance of letters of recommendation for grad school applications. My question is: ideally, how much should my recommender know about me? I ask this because I study in a top, big research school in which the interaction between the undergrad researcher and the PI is very...

How important is your GPA for grad school admissions? I study in a very competitive college (top 3 in physics) and, for most classes, even though grade inflation exists, getting an A+ can be extremely hard (top 5%) and require substantially more work than getting an A (which isn't that hard). Do...

Hi all, I just got into NYU-POLY for graduate school in electrical engineering. I didn't really know much about the school before applying, I just thought NYU sounded good so I applied there. I applied to three other schools but I haven't heard back from them, and I may not as I might have...

Hey Guys. I was wondering if having a minor would be important for applying to graduate school in pure math. I realized about 2 months ago that if I want to keep a minor in my degree either: 1. I have to take six courses in the winter semester (2 upper math, 2upper physics, 1 2nd year stats...

So, I'll be going to grad school in condensed matter physics in a couple years, and since my current laptop is on it's last legs I'll need a new computer. However, I do still have a nice monitor which still works. As I see it, I have two options: 1. Get a new laptop, and hook it up to the...

Hi. I've been lurking the forums for quite some time now, but I haven't found an answer to what I wanted to know. I'm currently an undergrad double majoring in Applied Physics and "Computer Systems" (a.k.a., Computer Engineering, they just changed the name) from a "not-that-bad"...

I will be entering my third year of undergrad this fall in the process of earning my Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. My current stats for school such as GPA is 3.74 (no research experience, already taking upper-level undergrad mathematics courses, maybe a few grad courses). However, I am...