Grad school Definition and 1000 Threads

Was wondering if anyone could give me some stats about the University of Hawaii. I'm tentatively looking at them for particle astrophysics or neutrino physics. Anyone know what the acceptance rate is/how hard it is to get in? Any reviews of the school? Should ranking concern me? They seem to do...

I have transferred from community college, so I am supposed to finish in two years. However, some people can petition to stay for three years I believe. I'm an undergraduate physics major thinking of staying for three years, where there is guaranteed financial aid during that time frame, to take...

Hi all, I graduated from university with a BSc in Physics (3rd class) in 2000. I was having some issues with depression then in my university years but I managed to graduate with a B average in my basic degree. In 2005, I was warded in a psychiatric hospital and diagnosed with schizophrenia. I...

Hi, I am an undergraduate student from India. Pursuing double major in Physics and Mechanical Engineering. I have completed 4 semesters(2 years) of my college. I had taken a class titled "Quantum information and computing" and it interested me a lot. I really love math and computations...

I've seen a few threads discussing a topic similar to this, and I've been making some serious considerations and thinking about things. I'm currently debating switching over from a Physics major to a Math major and minoring in Physics. There are a few various reasons to do this, one being it...

I'm sorry if this is a bit of a mundane question but we all do impulsive things when we're anxious. I may get a B+ in General Physics II and Calculus II this semester (2nd semester freshman). I know I am capable of much better, and to be honest, I was very bogged down emotionally/psychologically...

I'm happily headed to an astrophysics PhD program in the fall, but without a good idea of who I want to work with. What considerations usually go into choosing? How did you personally go about it? Any good stories? My PhD program involves short research projects with different faculty...

*Edit I currently study Nanotechnology at UNAM's (National Autonomous University of Mexico) CNyN (Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. I have an 8.85 / 10.00, or roughly a 3.54 GPA (when calculated) but I see that for convenience, 3.5GPA is usually equivalent to a 9.00 / 10.00. * Is it...

I want to go to grad school. I also want to do the Fulbright program. Is it possible to apply for these both in the same year, or will I go insane from the amount of work it takes? If I'm accepted to both, I would go on the Fulbright and defer grad school for a year. A little about me: I'm in...

Hi PhysicsForums, I was hoping to get a little guidance on my chances for PhD programs. I am a second-semester junior. I feel like I'm going at this totally blind and am starting to get nervous, I'd mostly like to know how strong my credentials are so far, what kind of GRE score I might need...

So, I want to apply to a graduate program in physics in the fall. I have a decent 3.5 overall gap (3.8 upper level physics), but I feel like my course work is light. I'm graduating this semester and am contemplating coming back for a few more courses (maybe graduate) to strengthen my application...

I'm currently in my third year of undergraduate Physics, and plan to graduate at the end of my fifth year (since I'm doing CO-OP). I'm starting to think about grad schools, one element of which is my faculty recommendations. I worked in a well known scientist's lab in my first year, first...

Hello,i always wanted to be a physicist no matter how hard of a time i may have finding actual research work,i am particularly interested in particle physics so my end goal would be a PhD in particle physics but i am having a hard time deciding whether to major in physics or engineering physics...

I want to apply to graduate school for physics but I'm worried that my cumulative GPA might be too low. My GPA within the physics major is 4.0, but my cumulative GPA is 3.1. I started college in electrical engineering but wasn't happy in the major, and my grades were not very good. I have...

Can you get into a graduate program for biomedical engineering with a computer engineering degree? would you be at a big disadvantage to someone with an electrical engineering degree?

In my current time frame for graduating I will be finishing in the Fall of next year. I'm scared because I know a lot of graduate programs don't take people starting in the Spring, so would it be better if I waited an extra semester, maybe take a graduate course or something?

Hi there, I'm a junior in undergrad, and so far I've had a summer of research experience at an REU, just started research at my current school in December, and am doing another REU this summer. I'm a transfer student and at my previous school there were literally no research opportunities...

This is a topic that has kept me wondering for some months. In grad school one of my friends said that when he was applying to study for his Ph.D, one of the first things one must find out before applying was if funding was available. Where I went to study, many professors were available for...

I have offers from UMass Amherst Physics and Case Western Astronomy for their respective Phd programs. I'm having a tough time deciding between the two. Leaving aside the differences due to astronomy vs physics, what other factors are important to consider while making a decision? UMass Physics...

Hi everyone! I'm brand new to this, but hopefully I'll pick it up quickly... I had a very general question about going to graduate school for physics. I'm a junior undergraduate going for my B.S. in general physics, so naturally I'm thinking about grad schools at this point. I've got a 3.98...

Is taking complex analysis before graduate school apps a "make-or-break" deal if one is looking to apply for theory? I am currently deciding whether to take it junior spring or defer it to senior spring. As it has come up in my research, I have studied some of it, but I'm wondering if it must be...

Hi all, I'm a ME graduate student concentrating in fluids and I'm trying to decide between two electives. The two I'm looking at are Nonlinear Control Systems or Advanced Heat Transfer. Nonlinear controls looks interesting, but I'm not sure how it could tie in with fluids...as opposed to heat...

I'm a Physics Undergrad Junior, and I'm currently studying for the GRE's but I don't even know what I want to get a masters in. I refuse to go for a PhD in anything primarily because I don't want to be used as slave for 4+ years, and I have no direct passion in anything. My ideal requirements...

Hi everyone, Hopefully someone out there has gone through this as well, or can weight in on it in some way. I have a MET degree from 2007 with a cumulative gpa below 3.0. I want to get into the aerospace industry, and I'd really like to get an advanced degree to maximize my career...

Hi i studied for three years in a community college, i had a lot of withdraws(withdrew from one year and three withdraws the following year). Got a 2.995 gpa. I have a letter from my counselor explaining the reason behind the withdraws(they`re legitimate believe it or not). I just got accepted...

I know that this post is going to get me labelled as a whiny baby, and I've embraced this. Throughout my ~4 years of undergrad, I've had a solid stream of roommates; I've lived in houses, dorms, apartments, with anywhere between 1 and 5 roommates. Most of them were fine: clean, nice, respectful...

Hi guys, I've been visiting the forum here for months now and really enjoy some of the discussions that go on here. I'm hoping you can help me out with this issue which is a huge source of nervousness for me. I know most if not all of you have gone through this so I'm hoping to get some advice...

If I graduate with a 3.3 gpa with a markedly better GPA in my last 2 years(3.5<) and suppose a great GRE score(optimistic/naive) what am I looking at when it comes to grad school admissions?(do I even stand a chance?) I'm a ambitious Junior Physics/Econ dual degree/major who let freshman year...

I am currently in a theoretical astrophysics research group. By the end of my undergrad, I plan to have done 3 years there. However, only recently did I consider doing theoretical, not experimental, physics. But I am worried that I won't have completed enough maths to be accepted anywhere. Right...

So I am in my first year of my physics degree at a school that isn't really known for its physics program, (I don't believe it is ranked at all, not that that is a huge deal) and at least right now I am very interested in pursuing a ph.d degree. I had originally intended to do an engineering...

Greetings, In a few days, I'll be in the same city as my #1 choice for graduate schools, and I thought maybe it would do me well to meet with one of the professors there to try and get an "in" when it comes to admissions. This is definitely one of those times where I wish I were an extrovert...

I am interested in applying plasma physics in nuclear fusion program in France or Germany . Both are good in this field , but where i can get good scholarships and i am from electrical engineering background so where i have better chance of getting admitted.

Hi friends , I am an electrical engineering student , interested in applying M.S in physics program in Europe . So i have started preparing for this , when i searched the web how to study for PGRE , most effective and common suggestion is go through the recommended books for each subject and...

Can anyone tell me the level of difficulty (approximately) of getting into QS world ranking top 150 theoretical physics graduate programs in Europe? ex. ETH Zurich, Durham University, University of Amsterdam, Uppsala University, etc.

I am a undergraduate physics major currently researching in a astrophysics lab. My PI is away this summer, so I will be unable to research with him between spring and fall semesters. However, I found an opportunity to do work with an organic chemistry group that I suspect I will enjoy (I enjoyed...

Hello all! I am second year undergrad at a university in US. I planned to major in chemistry and took five chemistry classes (organic and inorganic) and worked at an organic chemistry lab in my first year, but didn't really like it. After searching through all areas in chemistry and physics, I...

Hey guys! I'm a 3rd year student in Mechanical Engineering and I was considering doing a Master. I was wondering what are some of the current hot topics for research in the various fields of mechanical engineering? Thanks,

Thank you for opening this Thread I am kind of new here and this is my first time to post so I apologize if I did something wrong So my question is where can I study/ research Loop Quantum Gravity I have checked fair amount of grad school websites and compared to Super String, I have not yet...

Hello fellow good people. I feel like i am suffering from a delima in my life and for my future, so i am reaching out for any guidence. I'm currently a junior at the University of Texas at austin studying my BS in physics. I transferred recently, and it is going stellar for me to my surprise...

I am an undergrad physics major at a US university. I plan on attending grad school for condensed matter physics, so I've been looking for research opportunities here. There is limited condensed matter research, however, and most of it is done through the materials science/engineering...

I'm in the middle of the stressful process of preparing for the GRE and preparing grad school applications. However, as it stands, I will have been an undergrad for 6 years after next spring when I graduate. I did an REU last summer, which was an amazing experience, but a ton of work. And I took...

This is just a curiosity question for my own sake. I was wondering if it's a smart idea to marry before graduate school. Let's assume Ph.D for a minute. Pros: 1. Extra source of income if the spouse gets a job 2. Stress relief because of their presence 3. It probably wouldn't be any easier to...

Hello! I am new to the forum. Actually, I enrolled in the forum because of this question... It's been eating me for a while now. So I'll give you some background on my (convoluted) educational path. I started college undecided, then switch to a preprofessional chemistry path with hopes of...

I'm looking into some grad schools (electrical engineering in the US) right now that I'll be applying to next year. My research interests are in a sub field that doesn't have researchers at many universities (as opposed to something ubiquitous like, say, control systems or signal processing), so...

Hi, I am a 2nd year international PhD student in a mid-tier US university. When I applied to grad school as an undergrad I intended to do high energy phenomenology and theory. In the past summer I worked on a pheno project, which was my first project in grad school (was taking courses in...

I'm applying to grad schools and my undergrad has a very small Physics department - only 3 professors. I am having at least 2 of them write me letters of reference, but in regards to my third letter, should I ask the other professor, who I've only had a few classes with, or should I ask my...

Will a 155 keep me out of graduate school? I hear the general matters very little and I didn't study. Should I bother taking it again for 160+ or am I wasting my time?

I finished my first year at university, my GPA is a lackluster 3.26 GPA. I'm doing a dual degree in mathematics and physics, but that's not important. My grades in physics/math classes were pretty good, A's and a B, but my gen eds really brought me down. No room for excuses, grad schools won't...

I graduated with a BS in electrical engineering with a 2.8 something GPA (can't remember the rest of the numbers ) I know it's bad. I was wondering if there was any hope for me to go to grad school? I was lucky to find a good paying job related to my degree despite my 2.8 GPA. I agent to school...

Hey all, I'm a math and physics graduate who will be starting math grad school in a little over a month, and, though I know I have time to decide, I'm a bit conflicted about what to concentrate in. I'm broadly interested in the applications of math in physics. Specifically, I've always had...