Grad school Definition and 1000 Threads

Preface: I have a B.S. in Applied Physics and minors in Biomedical Engineering and Mathematics. At this point my intention is to go into industry rather then academia. The project I am working on now, and might be able to turn into a M.S. thesis, is in bioinformatics, more specifically using...

Hi Everyone, I am a high school Physics Teacher. I have a B.S. in Chemistry and a B. ChemE from a Big 10 University. I did a Post-Bacc. certification program to get my teaching certification in Wisconsin. I live and teach in southeastern Wisconsin. I have small children. I'm looking for a grad...

So I have decided on my first choice of school and program for my master's degree, (Medical Physics at University of Calgary if anyone is interested in knowing) and I am wondering how to go about emailing a professor. The program says you are not required to find a supervisor before applying...

< Mentor Note -- two similar threads by the OP merged into one > Senior. Thermal Physics, Nuclear Physics, Lab class = 10 credits. Debating to take either: PDEs, Vector Analysis, Mathematica class, but I hear Thermal is hard and I want to ace all my upper level courses. I'm also working 20 hrs...

Hello all, For any of you current or ex grad students out there in physics, what was your overall experience like in graduate school? Extremely stressful, working 80 hours a week for 6 years and hating life or more along the lines of 40-50 hours a week and enjoying life while being on the...

Background: I am an international student doing Mathematical tripos at Cambridge and I have just completed my first year with a 2.i. I did 'Maths with Physics' for my first year. The following paragraph is taken from the department's course website. "The Mathematics with Physics option consists...

Hello, I have just graduated from university with a decent (but not outstanding) result: 2:1, not far off of a first, with good references. I did my final year project on accelerator physics and I am currently working at the same university over the summer doing similar work on an accelerator...

Core being Thermal, Mechanics, E&M, Quantum? Say I graduate with a average 3.4 gap, but ace these courses, would Grad admissions care about a rough first year including Cs in Calc I and II and Bs in General Physics?

I want to study either solid state or relativity. I have taken CalcI-III + odes. I find most of the math I remember is taught to me in physics classes, e.g. Linear algebra in Classical Mechanics, Vectors analysis in EM. Would it hurt me if I didn't take Calc 4 - Vector analysis or PDEs which are...

Hello, I'm currently a philosophy major and I'm going to start my sophomore year this fall, but I've considered changing my major to astronomy. The problem with this is that I've always wanted to graduate in just 4 years, and the only way this could happen is if I filled up the next two summers...

Well to start, I am graduating next spring and I plan on attending graduate school immediately after for some concentration in atmospheric physics. I am slightly unknowing of how the whole 'money' situation works in graduate school. For example you get accepted into a grad program as a PhD...

Greetings fellow PFers, I am a rising senior in undergrad (physics) and am preparing to apply for graduate school for next year. My undergrad institution does not have many graduates that go on to graduate school so I'm in a bit of a pickle as far as advice on this matter goes. I've read some...

I am a rising senior at a small liberal arts college, with an incredibly small (and therefore unrecognized) physics program. I am seeking advice regarding which Ph.D programs are within my reach. I plan on applying to AMO (Atomic, Molecular, and Optics) Ph.D programs with the intention of...

I'll give you my questions first, so you don't have to read the rest of the mess if you don't feel like it. are (non-thesis) master's programs typically less picky than a PhD program? are master's programs typically a good place where I could bolster my GPA with some mathematics courses that I...

Greetings PFers, I didn't see a need to spam the forum with three topics, but I have three questions about graduate school. First question: Do most graduate schools (physics) have a summer "bridging" program? Maybe to prepare for the prelims, or to take some supplementary classes or...

Fall internships for undergraduates? I have myself in quite the pickle. I'm entering my senior year of college pursuing a BS in Physics and a minor in Math. I go to a small university near LA. I was just offered a paid internship across the country by NASA for this upcoming fall. Of course I...

Hey everyone! So, I am in a dilemma. I have a mathematics bachelors degree with a minor in physics, but many more course than just a minor, really it is like 2-3 courses away from being a second major. Anyways, after I received my math degree and physics minor I got cold feet about going to...

Greetings all, I found some similar threads to this but none that answered my exact question. I am doing an REU at a school I would like to attend for graduate school, and some students there have said that in graduate school admissions, I am going to be judged relative to my peers from the...

Greetings all, I'll be applying to grad school in the fall, and I am uncertain on how to proceed. By the time I graduate, I will have done research with an AMO theory group for four years and will have four publications. However, all of these publications are on numerical work/methods, not pure...

I feel like most of my fellow students throughout my undergrad have already figured out what they enjoy most, they have their favorite classes based on the content, and the area of physics which seems most interesting to them. I haven't taken a course yet where the content wasn't interesting to...

I'm an astrophysics major. I want to go to grad school. Whether it's physics, astrophysics, or astronomy I'd enjoy anything. My GPA is not good and realistically I was wondering what are my options if I had a 2.8 GPA (hypothetically, I still have two years left but my gpa is 2.4 now). I am at a...

I go to a university that operates on a three quarter per year system, with 10 weeks per quarter. This quarter started out fine, but my dad's condition suddenly deteriorated and he passed away (I was led to believe he had at least 2 years left from doctor expectations about the development of...

PF Family, I love my undergraduate institution. However, our physics department is very small and has a very small faculty. Also, although many are listed on the webpage, we only have one physics elective, "Intro to Astronomy", which I am not very interested in. I've been thinking about...

Hello, I'm new to the Physics Forums website. I am in my 5th (and last) year of undergraduate Electrical Engineering, and am planning on applying for a PhD in some computational field. I'm not sure, however, what specific field I want to go into, and I was hoping someone could give me some...

I've thrown around this possibility before, but I've developed such a respect for this forum and the people interested in physics that I feel comfortable enough to listen to others input and experience. I'm attending a local University free of charge, but they only offer a minor in physics. I...

Just finished sophomore year of undergrad at a severely grade-inflated institution, and have been receiving relatively "low" grades for all but one semester. Since I first discovered my intense interest in physics freshman year, I've really been pushing myself to take more challenging courses. I...

I just finished second year physics and I passed everything but not by a lot. My cum GPA is ~1.7 and program GPA is ~1.8. I've done the math and I would need at least a A+ on every single course for the next 2 years to get my GPA up to only a 3. First year didn't treat me too well and and 2nd...

OK so I currently attend The University of North Texas, which is by no means a prestigious school for physics. I am a physics major with 72 hours of coursework under my belt. I plan to attend graduate school and would like to get into a good school for something in the realm of theoretical...

Hi guys, Im Daniel, I am currently an undergraduate astrophysics student at CU Boulder. Just coming into my junior year now and I've begun thinking about grad school. My current career goal is to join the upcoming private space industry. I was hoping to get some advice about what to do after...

I am supposed to graduate next year but I just realized I have left Electricity and Magnetism off of my schedule. I'm afraid to add it because I feel like I am already taking enough and I am wondering if instead it is common or likely to just take the undergrad elective in graduate school. I...

Alright so I know that I am thinking far into the future here but I think it is necessary. I am a freshman in college and I am a physics major but my grades are poor. My first semester I got 2 C's(physics and math) because I did not study a lot. This semester I'm doing better, I'll get an A in...

Hi everyone, :) Now I am sure many of you are grad students or have experience being a grad student. I would like to start this thread as a discussion about grad school and your experiences as a grad student. From my conversations with numerous grad students I gained many life experiences, how...

Hey folks, I'm a junior in high school, and I was wondering some things (and I don't have lots of knowledge in how this all works, so please point out any false ideas I have about anything in the whole college process): First, how critical is the prestige of the undergraduate if I want to get...

It's almost April 15 and I am currently choosing between schools that seem to have a perfect inverse correlation between a) correlation between my research interests and the schools (though I am still somewhat undecided at the moment) and b) niceness of location. I can see how a potential...

Hello everyone, I am starting my third year in Mechanical Engineering. I wish to get a degree in physics after my bachelors, theoretical physics, to be precise. So what extra courses should I take now in order to be ready for grad. school ? Please note that my college does not offer minors.

I'm a third year biochemistry major, minoring in mathematics and physics. When I finish this degree I'm going a cheaper public university to finish either an astronomy or physics degree because I think I want to do something solar-system related in terms of industry and/or research. But there...

Hello all, just a quick question. In terms of gaining research experience for applying to physics grad school, does the research experience necessarily have to be in a lab? Would only independent research (but supervised) be worse than actually lab experience? Thanks for your input, Brian

Hey there, I'm a junior in undergrad and I'll be applying to grad school next fall. I have a 4.0 and very good letters of recommendation, but other than a sub-par GRE score, my main dilemma is research experience. Here is the research experience I have: 3 years, 3 papers in AMO/QFT (pair...

Hi all, I'm going to ask my boss to pay for some percentage of my graduate school. He has hinted before that this might be a possibility. It won't be totally out of the blue. So, I have a few questions for you. 1) Have any of you had a similar arrangement? 2) If so, how much did your...

Hi PF! Just as the title says, I'm wondering how you gained work after finishing grad school? While any STEM field is relatable, I will have completed my Master of Science in mechanical engineering this December and am wondering what some of you have done to gain employment? Do you just apply...

Hello all, I'm going into my senior year of applied mathematics this coming Fall semester. My adviser recommended that I take the GRE before Fall semester starts so that I can have my Grad school applications in by the December deadline. My question is as follows: Would it be better to study...

Does anyone here have any experience with going to grad school in Electrical Engineering with a minor in physics? It's something I've planned on doing for a while, and I'll start taking my extra physics courses to fulfill the minor next semester, but I was wondering exactly how much it'll help...

So, during my second year, I took a course known as Physics Problem Solving which was an elective for me. I did very well in the course initially, but my girlfriend broke up with me which led me to a downward spiral of depression. I realized that the emotional stress along with the coursework...

I am a new member to Physics Forums, actually I browse the site quite often, so I thought it was time I officially joined. I am a former high school AP/IB physics teacher, now a 2nd year physics graduate student finishing my classes and prepping for qualifiers. I'm currently taking Classical...

I'm planning to apply to grad schools in December 2015 and I thought I'd start thinking about it now. I'm quite unsure of my chances so I'd like your opinion. Undergrad institution: Top university in SE Asia, probably not too well known in the US Undergrad GPA: 3.75/4.00 (was Valedictorian of...

Hello, I am currently studying astrophysics in my undergrad. I am concerned with the fact that I do not know what field I want to explore during grad school yet. I am in my junior year and will probably finish my undergrad in five years due to double majoring in math as well. I realize I have...

I am not attending grad school yet, but I am working and saving cash. One investment I was considering is a Duplex. Ideally, I'd live in one half and rent out the other and make a few hundred extra a month (I've read at least $200 is a reasonable expectation). I am going to be applying to...

Hello, I've recently applied for 2 Medical Physics graduate schools (MS). Shortly thereafter I realized a few minor problems with my application. I've noticed 2 one-letter typos in my essay, both were caused by changing the noun from singular to plural and not removing the -s after the verbs...

I am an electrical engineering undergrad student just finishing my first year. I have a love of physics and I was starting to wonder if it would be possible for me to stay in EE undergrad but change to physics for grad school. Is there enough physics in EE that I could make the switch?

I am currently a senior physics student looking at a number of medical physics graduate programs - I'm hoping to get an M.S., as I'm really more interested in the clinical side of things. I've had a couple offers already, but I'm having a difficult time nailing down which program I should...