Grad school Definition and 1000 Threads

Hi All, I just completed a degree in physics and (pure) math and I am planning on applying to grad school in the fall. I'm mostly interested in applying to physics graduate programs, but I was wondering if my background was strong enough to the following applied math programs: Stony Brook...

Hi everyone. In 2017, I received a bachelors degree in physics. I liked the subject and wanted to go to graduate school for something more practical, so I did. A year ago, I failed out of a PhD program in engineering. I was the worst student at that point. I was too shy to ask questions in...

I would like to ask if anyone has been admitted to a graduate school(US) straight to 2nd year after a theoretical masters MSc degree in the UK. I am asking because I would really like to study in the US, preferably on top universities but I don't want to waste another year taking essentially...

Hey Everyone. So basically I'm having tonnes of anxiety about my future and would like a bit of a reality check on where I stand and what I will be able to achieve. I go to one of the best universities in the US for undergrad Physics, yet my GPA is on the lower side (3.1). This university was...

It's been 3 months so I'm sure this is still very early to "give up" on the job search, but I was wondering how other people did after their BS/BA in physics from college! The job search is for sure hard and I realized a little too late that I lacked some experience in CS. I wasn't planning on...

Hi, so some background. I am an undergrad just now finishing my second year in my biophysics degree. I wanted to go into biomedical engineering, I understand that this is an insanely competitive field. My GPA is embarrassingly low. There are some reasons behind it, but everyone has their reasons...

I’m at the point in my career where I’ve been accepted to a few grad schools and am currently deciding where to go. My top priority is advisor fit, since I plan to stay in my field. Talking to multiple professors/scientists at different institutions, it seems that my success in grad school is...

I've always wanted to be a Physicist and become a researcher. I'm particularly interested in particle physics and quantum computing. I have BS Computer Engineering and MS Computer Science degrees and have been working as a programmer for more than 5 years. How should I go towards a Physics...

So here’s the deal. I recently discovered about a semester I “took” nearly 10 years ago. I forgot that I even enrolled for classes because I decided college wasn’t for me at the time (I was just out of high school) and it was my first semester. I wasn’t aware of “officially dropping” your...

I'm currently almost done my first semester at University here in Canada. I want to go to a good graduate school in the US to study astrophysics in the future. Here in my University, and a lot of Universities in Canada have a 4.33 GPA scale. My GPA here is around a 3.3, that's roughly a B+ and a...

Just looking for extra critique here: I'm a 2nd year math and physics student at a good uni in Canada. My average is in the 70s (B range, hoping to bring up to an 80/A- by the end of second year). The good thing is that Canadian unis will only look at my most recent 4 semesters or so (though I'd...

Hi, I'm a junior at a Ivy League (H/Y/P/C - going to remain anonymous for privacy reasons) and I wanted your honest opinion on what my chances are for graduate school in computational astrophysics and where I should look for the best chances. GPA: 3.5/4 (working to raise this, had a bad...

I'm looking for suggestions on ways to: a) Make some money b) Get valuable experience that looks good on my grad school application My timeline: Right now it is September 2018. I will be taking the Physics GRE in September 2019/Oct. 2019. I'll be applying for Physics Grad Schools soon after...

Hi, I am a grad student and share an office with 4 other grad students. I have a question about one of the students. We have been in the same office for 2 yrs. The student mostly sleeps while they are here. Every day this week, the student has slept from almost the moment they get in. I...

Hi to whoever reads this, Some back ground info: I am a current undergrad student halfway through their degree, and I'm starting to think about what I'd like to do after I receive my diploma. I know I want to continue studying, and possibly move to a different country to do that. I know I can...

Hi, I have one year of undergraduate classes left. I am trying to figure out how best to prepare for my applications to an AMO physics program (hopefully highly competitive). My first question is: how much importance can one class have? Maybe I am stressing too much about trying to make myself...

Hello all, I am going to college this fall and I will be studying physics with a concentration on astrophysics, I am a pretty good student and afterwards I will serve 5 years in the Navy as an officer. My question is, will the 5 years I spend in the Navy hinder my chances of getting into top...

If one is considering graduate school later (say, in 5 years) after starting a job, is it considered dishonest to not tell the an interviewer who asks where you see yourself in 5-10 years? Most people I've asked have said: "Hell no. It's none of their business. And they'll never hire you if...

Has anyone ever became a non degree student/special status student at university to get better grades in undergraduate courses so you can apply to a PH.D program? What was this like? Did you receive financial aid? What classes did you take? How many semester did you do? Did you get into graduate...

I am trying to figure out which direction I should head towards in terms of employment/gradschool. I am aware jobs doing "actual physics" are few and far between, but as an undergrad, I am naively opportunistic. I have a few extra slots in my university course schedule, so I want to slide in...

Hi, I am a junior astrophysics undergraduate student and enjoy physics, but after researching astrophysics PhD's, I am having second thoughts about graduate school. My impression of physics graduate school right now is that you are paid what amounts to minimum wage to work 60 hours a week for...

I consider myself premed, i.e. taking org chem,bio etc and only want to go to med school... but i'll be done with those prereqs at the end of this year, and i consider majoring in math. i.e. the last 2 years of undergrad i could do any major i want. and i wanted to know what courses are...

Feel free to skip to bottom to read the questions. Below is some relevant background. I'm currently an undergraduate freshman in EE. I find physics exciting (not sure if I like it because I'm good at it, or I'm good at it because I like it), so I'll be taking most of the courses that a physics...

Hi, I'm currently a math major, but I'm realizing it's probably not for me. Last semester I didn't get credit for either of my math classes (I got an A- in all my other classes though), so I'm at a loss as to do what to do right now. I'm concurrently minoring in statistics, and I always do...

I am currently applying to grad school and have submitted all of my applications. None of my applications have my fall grades, just my schedule. I took 3 graduate courses (the only ones I've ever taken). I got an A in 2 of them, however I withdrew from the last one because I was too busy this...

A bit of background: I have a somewhat unusual academic history, having taken 2 years of math and physics at a nearby university while in high school (intro mechanics / EM / quantum sequence + GR in physics, analysis + ODEs + differential geometry + abstract algebra in math)--all this with a...

I'm applying to grad school (PhD) in EE. My degree is in engineering physics so I want to work on the parts of EE that would also be called applied physics. So things like quantum electronics, nanotech and electromagnetics. I have already started applying to: UIUC, Cornell, USC, BU, GTECH...

Hey guys, just after some advice on the perceived importance of finding a top notch college to attend post-graduate studies. They field I have a passion for is Astrophysics (yes crazy hard to get a job I know) and I was wondering if anyone has any advice on choosing graduate schools and how that...

Undergrad with about a year and a half of school left here! The looming spectre of the real world has come with the realization that I do not know anywhere near enough of physics and math to satisfy me. I love math, I want more than anything to understand and do work that involves computers at...

Hello, I am an Aerospace Engineering major looking to get accepted to a Physics Ph.D. program. I aced the Physics GRE (990), but my GPA is 3.05 following an uphill trend - early semesters as low as 1.3 to recent 4.0 (top 10 Aero school if it matters). Research experience is limited - I've...

I have been studying for the physics gre for a couple months now and can't seem to do better then getting 40/100; I have taken all but the 2008 physics gre test. I am taking a gap year so would it be a bad idea to move my test date to April instead of doing poorly in October and taking the test...

I'm in desperate need of someone with experience in getting accepted to graduate school. I have questions that my local advisors can't answer and was hoping someone on here could help?

I am a senior in a 5-year physics program (B.S. in Physics, Astrophysics concentration and minor in Mathematics) with a 3.65 GPA (3.72 in my Physics major) at a not-so-well-known private institution with fifteen months of full-time relevant (to astro) research experience, eighteen months of...

My undergraduate degrees are in math and physics, but I decided to apply for graduate school in engineering (specifically environmental engineering). I was lucky enough to be accepted to almost all of the programs I applied to, but I only received one research position offer (that would pay for...

Hello Everyone! I am Sharvari from India, interested in quantum and non linear optics and wish to pursue PhD in this domain. I am looking forward to active discussion on the grad school discussion forum as I will be applying for grad schools this year.

I am heading into my senior year at the University of Michigan studying nuclear engineering with a focus on health physics. I would like to go to grad school to pursue a master in medical physics at a CAMPEP accredited school. My GPA is a tad low, so I am afraid that I won't even have a shot at...

I'm a domestic student planning on applying to PhD programs in physics this fall but I am concerned with my lack of research experience. I realize this is an odd position to be in but I'm deeply interested in physics and think I'm an otherwise good candidate for graduate study. I'm interested in...

Hello there, I am currently a senior undergraduate Astronomy and Astrophysics major at Villanova University. With the GRE and graduate school applications coming up I have been wondering if it would be beneficial for me to either take a gap year or to possibly take a 5th year of undergraduate...

Hi all, I'm currently a freshman studying mechanical engineering. My interest is 100% in energy production of all methods. However, I've wanted to work nuclear since I was 7 years old and intend to pursue higher degrees in it. I have chosen not to get my bachelor's in it as I feel a B.S. in nuke...

Assume student has taken around 8 upper division math courses including abstract algebra 1 and abstract algebra 2.

I am a rising junior and have 0 extracurriculars related to my school. I am planning on applying to a medical physics graduate program but I work in a research lab (BME) and am working on co authoring and authoring two papers total and am actively involved with my religious organization. However...

I'm looking to compile a list of skills that people have used on their grad school applications that looked good, such as programming and research experience

HI everyone, I am currently a senior at a big university who will be finishing up my BS in physics in either Fall of 2018 or Spring of 2019. I would like to go to graduate school after undergrad, but as of this moment there is no way I would get accepted to any school at all. To give you some...

http://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2017/06/gres-dont-predict-grad-school-success-what-does To me these results are in no way surprising; although I do wonder if you would see a difference if you compared theory vs experimental PhDs; I''ve come across some students that were clearly very clever...

Good day. I wish to purse an M.S degree in the science field (aerospace, satellite). Do you need to be in a graduate program to get NSF or NASA fellowships/grants? I would hate to go to school and one have to anticipate/pray to get a grant/fellowship. Are most TA positions are usually given to...

Hey everyone, I'm new to this community, and I came here hoping to find some advice on applying to graduate schools. A bit of educational background about me: Biology BS & Applied Mathematics BS Double Major Neuroscience & Chemistry Minor (declared neuroscience officially, but earned the...

Hi all, I'm an undergrad Physics and Mech. Engineering major (possible astrophysics as well). This past semester I've been dealing with some personal issues and I ended up with sub par grades as a result. I now officially have a C and a C+ on my transcript (along with a few B/B+). I'm a rising...

I am a undergraduate student of engineering and I'm planning to go for Master's in physics department. I've watched some websites of research faculty or groups and I think (correct me if I'm wrong ;) there are main theoretical and experimental fields of these: - Elementary particles - Condensed...

So here's the deal: I have nearly all As in my physics courses (this includes As in the following graduate courses: mechanics, em w/ jackson, quantum 1, quantum 2, Biophysics, Stat Mech, and Adv Stat Mech. I go to an Ivy league school with a what most would consider to be a competitive undergrad...

I had a pretty tough schedule this semester, so I'm getting my first B. I otherwise wouldn't be too sad, but I hear Linear is pretty important in upper-level physics and astronomy. So, will this hurt my chances of getting into grad school? I am (was? rising sophomore) only a first-year, and I do...