Grad school Definition and 1000 Threads

I want to end up in theoretical physics but would rather do a maths major. I'm just starting second year undergrad at the moment. If I did a maths major, the courses I'd have under my belt would include: ODEs/PDEs differential geometry general relativity a lot of linear algebra and...

Hi, I am currently a Mechanical Engineering major (freshman) looking to eventually go into Nuclear Engineering, specifically fission or fusion power production. My school only offers a Nuclear Engineering minor so only a few classes. So is this necesarily a bad thing? If I want to head into...

I'm trying to figure out how hard it would be for me to get into grad school. I graduated with a 2.79 and a BA in physics, two and a half years ago. I did publish 3 papers in apj, won 4 research awards, one campus-wide calculus competition, 4 grants (not including the ones I won more than...

This is essentially a poll question. Here's the deal. I love math, physics, computers... essentially, if it's quantitative and involves puzzling over problems, I love it. However, I'm pretty concerned about getting a well-paying job--or even a mediocre job that involves using what I know...

Hello, I'm currently a junior undergraduate majoring in Physics/Math at a well ranked university. I've recently decided that I'm way more excited by the new commercial space industry than I am by pretty much anything in frontier physics (although I find many topics in frontier physics really...

I am currently a third year student in Scotland, originally from America. I will most likely graduate in 2012 with a joint honours degree in mathematics and physics. I am strongly considering returning to the US for grad school. If I graduate in 2012, I'll have a BSc. As I understand, most...

I'm trying to decide between the undergrad physics and EE route. My main interests are obviously mathematics and physics. By the way I'm from Quebec and we have a required 2 year of "Cegep" we must take before applying to a university, I think it's the equivalent of colleges everywhere else...

Hi all, The first few paragraphs are background about me. If you don’t want to read this, please skip it and answer my questions at the bottom. I’m a nanotechnology engineering student at the University of Waterloo. Over the past two years of my studies (I’ve finished 2B,) I’ve found that...

If you aren't sure what a co-op program is, it's a program where you go to a university to take classes and to work for a company while you complete your undergraduate work. I am thinking of going to Kettering University which, (according to their website) is one of the more premier...

So, I'm currently a third year undergrad physics major. I've always had health anxiety issues, since I was a child. However, very recently they've begun to worsen, and I've been going through a lot of depression/paranoia states. I've seen a psychologist and therapist. My therapist said I had...

Physics Grad School with "Historical Method" Pedagogy? Are there graduate schools in physics that teach physics with a history and philosophy (HPS) emphasis? http://sites.huji.ac.il/science/stc/staff_h/galili_h.htm" and optics that adopted this approach remain to be valuable and interesting...

Hello everybody, I applied to eight graduate schools in mathematics and so far I have received two acceptances. Out of those eight, there are really only four that I'm truly interested in, with the other four being safety schools. Of the two acceptances that I've received so far, one of them...

Because I'm transferring programs (Engineering -> CompSci), I may have three withdrawls this term. If I explain that the withdrawls are because of this program transfer, the admissions committee will most-likely understand right? I don't enjoy these courses and the courses will not be program...

I'm trying to figure a way to get into a physics program, from a less-than-ideal position. I've seen a lot of advice on this forum aimed at college students, which is perfectly reasonable, but unfortunately I don't have a blank slate. Anyway, here's a brief summary of my rotten little CV: I went...

Can one apply to the US grad school and skip masters level courses to start working on PhD in the first year? Because in Europe, masters degree is usually obtained instantly after undergrad, whereas PhD level studies are separated. One really wouldn't want after obtaining masters and getting...

I'm currently double majoring in ChemE and physics with the intent of going to grad school. This semester I'm taking 6 courses this semester totaling 19 hours, with about 10-15 hours per week spent in a research lab. I was considering dropping one course and taking it another semester, but I...

Last semester really killed my GPA (went from a 3.7 to a 3.35). I'm deathly afraid that this screwed me over for graduate school, so I'm trying to find ideas for something I can fall back on if this doesn't work out. I'm a math major with a very heavy concentration in physics (in fact, I would...

So it's often said that the prestige of the grad school does matter when it comes to getting a postdoc at a prestigious institution (and that the prestige of the postdoc matters the most when it comes to getting an assistant professorship). One thing I've noticed though - a lot of foreign...

Info to consider I will be taking more than enough physics courses to satisfy a physics major at the Univeristy of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma State University. SWOSU does not offer a physics major, but offers an engineering physics major. Thus, I will only be able to satisfy a physics minor. I...

Usually my professors emphasize to students that they should be concerned more about understanding the material, and then good grades will follow. But for some reason that doesn't seem to be happening to me, and I'm concerned because grad schools will only see the letter grade. For instance, I...

I'm in my 3rd year and I just switched my major over to computer science from physics, as this allows me to keep my career options much more open. This means I've already taken the required lower division math/physics classes for a physics major. Now, I know it'd be hard to get accepted to a...

A little background: I'm finally going back to school to finish my degree. I'm a sophomore and need to decide which path will be the most valuable. I'm a practical person with a Physics/Math envy. I understand the material most when I get to the experiment. Endless book learning will make me...

What do people know about this? I want to leave the US for various reasons as soon as a finish my undergrad degree, what opportunities are there for a funded Ph.D. program abroad? I plan on applying to most non-US schools, I'm mostly interested in the other Anglo-phone countries but have...

I'm planning to study physics for grad school, but my parents didn't let me take a BSc in Physics. I'm currently on my second year in mechanical engineering (5 yrs). As of now, I have no interest in engineering--no plans on working in that field. I'm thinking whether I should switch majors to...

I did my undergrad in math and physics (in the US) and would like to go on to graduate school. However, I am having a little trouble deciding on a program and was wondering if anyone could recommend any schools. My motivation for going to grad school is really just that I want to thoroughly...

So, I asked for recommendations from 1) a professor with whom I do research, 2) a professor whose algebra class I took, and 3) a professor with whom I do research and whose topology class I took. I notified them all before Thanksgiving, and finished my applications in early December. But one...

First of all, I apologize you guys for posting another thread like this; I know there are millions of threads that ask something like this already, but it would be great if you can read and respond to another one. I am applying to 11 graduate schools in mathematics. I have enjoyed studying...

"Normal" Grad School Grades I'm just finished my first semester of graduate school and I had a question about grades. I did ok this semester, not as good as I'd like but above 3.0. However, I'm a little confused about grades in grad school. As a an undergraduate I had around 3.8, but didn't...

Hey Guys. I'm coming up on my senior year and I am looking to apply to grad school, to receive a Ph.D. in physics. I've been doing a bit of online research, comparing schools and getting an idea of the ranges of gpas/scores for admitted students. After reviewing places that have struck my...

Hello There! I am currently an undergraduate student at a state university in Pennsylvania. I went originally to study secondary education mathematics, however after meeting other education majors, and everything that encompassed the 'education major' I learned I was far more intelligent...

Anxiety about ME grad school from a BS in Physics. Help greatly appreciated! Hey all, so it is that time of the year to apply to grad schools and I am having some serious anxiety about it. I am applying to Phd programs in ME from a BS in physics and am very unsure about where to apply. I have...

Is it possible to get into a physics grad program without a bachelor's?

Hey everyone! I am finishing my very first semester of grad school in physics and I'm just trying to get a feel if my emotions and thoughts are normal for a beginning grad student in physics. I'm taking beginning grad courses in classical, quantum, and EM. After this semester, I know I find...

Hello everyone, I'm currently a senior in high school. Due to financial circumstances and other reasons, there is a good chance that I might be headed to a community college next fall. I'm planning to go there for the usual 2 years, and transfer to a state school and major in math, hopefully...

Unusual Background-->math grad school? Hey guys, I have a bit of a weird background but wanted to get your take on what I should be doing to give myself a chance at grad school (if I decide to go back). I'm working next year at a well-known investment bank (think Citi, JPMorgan, etc) but...

I have been back and forth between math and physics for grad school, they are both such beautiful subjects and I know I would love research in either one for the rest of my life. However, I was doing some thinking, if I like both of them, why just do one of them? So I started thinking about the...

The book we're using for mechanics is "Theoretical Mechanics of Particles and Continua" by Fetter and Walecka. I've never had as much trouble understanding physics as I am now. I am absolutely confounded when it comes to Lagrange multipliers, Euler angles (and other rigid body stuff) and...

Since I got credit in calc I and II before going to college (along with getting many of my geneds out of the way), I'm going to have a lot of room for extra math courses. What's required by my college's physics program is Calc I, II, III Diff eq Applied Linear Algebra After, that I'm...

So I'm applying to mostly tier 1 grad schools for bioorganic chemistry (UCLA, Princeton, Texas A&M, University of Texas, Purdue, UNC, and University of Arizona) and I'm worried about my GRE scores. I got a 470 verbal 670 quantitative and 4.0 in analytical writing. I'm retaking them but I'm a...

Hey all, I basically am at a crossroads. I recently received my undergraduate degree in physics, and now I'm looking at either attending graduate school or some other unknown. To me graduate school is the preference, but my GPA is quite low at 2.759. I will apply to two different medical...

Hi Physics Forum, lurked around a bit and need some advice. I've never particularly liked any branch of my academics, however I excelled in my English classes and I thought the most natural thing to do was declare it my major. I absolutely hate academic reading though, as I see it mostly as a...

What are some decent grad schools for mechanical engineers without a perfect GPA? I would like to start researching my options but I really have no idea where to start

I have a decent GPA (3.6) but have taken no classes in Chemistry and advanced Computer Science (can only code python!). The Physics GRE is incredibly intimidating to me and many topics that it covers are not offered at the liberal arts college I attended. I predict a receiving a poor score and...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/business/04research.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=print It looks fairly likely that cuts will happen. Now, the stimulus did manage to shield universities from the recession (although some physics grad students did tell me that the recession still managed...

Hello all, I would like some advice on a issue. I'm a senior undergrad determined to go to grad school for physics. Now my GPA is ok, and hopefully I won't completely bomb the GRE's - that's not what I'm worried about. My problem is this: I'm an international student from a country that...

I am (hopefully!) going to be entering grad school in the fall. I will be going for a PhD in applied mathematics. Many grad schools recommend that you take a course in probability before entering (it is strongly hinted that doing so will improve your odds of admission). Here's where the...

I am a junior at Gonzaga University, I have a 3.25 gpa as a Mechanical Engineer. I switched majors from business to mechanical engineering 2nd semester freshman year without having taken any calculus courses in HS or really any idea what I was getting into. I am still on track to graduate in 4...

I am going into physics next year, and I am incredibly excited! I love astronomy, and I love math and physics, and i do very well in both, so astrophysics seems like the perfect fit. However, I wanted to get a broader degree than an undergrad in astrophysics to start off with. My final goal is...

I graduated from a top undergraduate program in applied mathematics with a general GPA of 2.91, subject GPA of 3.13 from a T1, or T2 applied math program in the nation. I found that my GPA don `t reflect my true capacity, and that i chosen the wrong subject to get a degree in. My low GPA might...

Basically I have most of my classes required to graduate, but due to the lack of availability of some classes it will still take me about 3 more semesters after the current semester. So I was considering double majoring with math, so it would be physics + math major. Since I was already a...