Grad school Definition and 1000 Threads

I have a GRE score of 6.0 writing, 170 reading, and 168 quantitative, and a 4.0 GPA. I also have 4 semesters of soft matter theory research and 1 summer of particle physics theory research. I'm applying to do theory to many schools, including MIT, SUNY Stony Brook, Stanford, Harvard, UMass...

I had two questions regarding grad school stipends. For starters, about how many hours per week do you have to typically spend working to earn your stipend? Second, I have heard that the amount of grad students receiving stipends is extremely high in most colleges, where actually not getting...

I posted a question a while back on medical physics and got great feedback so I'm back again in with another dilemma... I spent the summer doing med physics research and I liked the radiation physics and computational aspects of it quite a bit. I'd like to apply for grad school in nuclear...

I recently did an internship at my university in which I worked more closely with the engineer in charge of the lab rather than the professor. Would it be okay to ask the engineer in charge to write a letter of recommendation for grad. school since he is more capable of detailing my performance...

Hi guys and gals, first post here, but I've lurked here before but just now registering and posting I'm getting ready to apply for my graduate schools. I'm not sure what exactly I'm seeking, so I want to provide a little background. I've always been a tinkerer, ever since I was young I've...

I was just wondering if this is a common thing that people do. I am a junior in college and I had a software engineering internship and enjoyed it very much and I think it'd a career i'd enjoy. However I've always wanted to get a phd in computer science and do research in computer graphics. At...

Hi there, If any people who have sat on grad school admissions committees are lurking out there, I would love to hear your opinion on this: I'm reapplying to grad school for next fall after I took my Masters and left at another institution. I made a right mess of things there; was going...

Hi, I'm starting off grad school this fall. My adviser mailed me some published papers that have been written by our group. I've been through them, and although I understand the basic idea, I don't understand many of the formulas and theories used. Is this normal? Usually, how do people start...

I would like to apply to grad schools next Fall. If the school requires 3 recommendations, is it ever a good idea to include more? Also, what do you guys think about including a CV?

Hello MHB, I'll soon be applying for Masters and PhD programmes in mathematics to universities in the US. I need help with my statement of purpose. I am not sure what I should put in it since I am largely self taught (in math) and have little formal research experience. (Formal research...

I'm a junior doing a physics major. I've almost finished the physics major and I've taken more than the required electives, and as I'm not 100% sure whether I want to go to graduate school, I'm considering double majoring in economics. I know that a double major in economics will open more...

Hey guys and gals, I am at a bit of a stand still right now. I am a third year P.h.D. student and I have an advisor, but I am not exactly sure what area I want to research in. I went to talk to him yesterday and I said that I wanted to study General relativity, but he says that is not specific...

Hey, I know there's a sticky on top of the page kind of about this but I read through the thread and I have a pretty particular case that which isn't really addressed. I just finished my undergrad studies, received a B.A. a few months ago in May, and I was thinking about going to school...

Hey everyone, I was hoping to get some general career advice. I am currently working on my Physics BS and am almost done with all of the physics requirements. However, since I was a transfer student I have been able to take a lot of courses in fields I also enjoy. I'll end up graduating with the...

Hey PF! So I just finished my undergrad degree in Astrophysics, and I'm interested in going back to get my PhD. I really love physics, and I don't mind the kind of grind and time that it would take to be a successful PhD student. I'm not looking to get higher paying jobs after I get my PhD, I...

I am a rising junior physics major and math minor at a small liberal arts school. I'm interested in possibly pursuing materials science for grad school (hoping to complete a PhD). However, I haven't yet taken intro-level chemistry. Originally I was planning to complete the intro sequence...

Hello, I am currently beginning my Junior year of college, and the time is coming far too soon for me to choose grad schools to apply to. My goal in life is to study all kinds of foundational physics, such as quantum foundations, quantum gravity, and string theory in order to complete...

Hello all, First, to tell you a little about my background, I have just finished my undergraduate degree in geology and geophysics. I also attained two minors in astronomy and mathematics. Thus, my physics and math background includes a year of freshman physics (mechanics & E&M) plus a...

Hi, I am going to list the various courses I plan on taking as part of my physics major (though not all the courses are contained in the physics major). I would simply like to know if the following will sufficiently prepare me for graduate school in theoretical physics (focusing on high-energy...

Advisor I am applying to graduate school and there is a professor I want to work with. According to the university, he is an active faculty. I checked his profile and all I could find was his name, the university's address and his research which tersely states: "geometry". So I looked him...

Here goes another wild stab in the dark: As a quick refresher, I will be graduating with a bachelors in physics in a month. I was not successful in getting into grad school this year (I got waitlisted at UMN but was ultimately turned down, I also should have applied to more schools/bigger...

Hi everyone, So I'm starting grad school in ME in the fall, but my bachelor's degree is in physics. I went to a school with no engineering college, but I think my knowledge on anything related to physics in engineering is sound, with the exception of fluid and solid mechanics (I know the...

"Electives" in grad school? Hello PF, I am an undergrad student majoring in one of the STEM field. I have a strong interest in particle physics, but I am not really interested in any other discipline of physics. For this reason, I don't think going to grad school in physics is not a...

Hello PF community, I've used this site for quite a while for references on self learning and just plain entertainment. I figured it was time for me to make my own cliche "Can I make it?" thread. Thanks in advance for any responses. I'm going to skip the long part about my history with...

Hello guys, I just want to share my situation, to see if I can still get into a really good grad school. For the most part of my 3 years in college I have gotten straight A's however in fall of 2011 my grandfather and one of my best friend died suddenly. I was mentally broken, and...

I'm an undergraduate who finished up my junior year this past Spring. I've been looking around at grad schools for physics. However, I find myself about as unwilling to study physics in grad school and leave pure math behind, as I am unwilling to do things the other way around. Math so far has...

I'm mostly looking into fusion but also traditional fission power systems. Good schools seem to be Michigan, Illinois, Cal, MIT maybe a few others. I go to the University of Maryland. Right now I have a 3.71 GPA, downward trending though 4.00 -> 3.55 -> 3.53 over the first three years. I got my...

Hi everyone, I am a biology major (doing premed) as undergraduate right now. I was doing premed, however I volunteered at hospitals and such, and I am strongly starting to believe it is not for me at all. I loved physics in high school, took AP Physics and actively participated in Physics...

Okay, for financial reasons I am just a tad late to the party on where I will be attending school for my Freshman year in college this fall. I have been accepted to several schools in state (I do live in Alabama though, so nothing special) but I feel like saving an incredible load of money at a...

I'll be starting The latter half of my math degree this upcoming Fall term, and while checking some prerequisites for my degree, I realized that I can turn my BS into a BS/MS by adding one more year and a few graduate courses. Now, I've been a bit confused about PhD programs and their...

How much does your GPA during grad school matter? I understand that research is the main thing here but still I wonder. I just recently ended a semester with a B and a B+ and I am not very happy about it. I feel like I worked a lot for both classes and I expected higher grades. I am also pissed...

I will be starting a Mechanical Engineering PhD program at a highly ranked university this upcoming fall. When I first made my decision where to attend, things were fairly turbulent and I was still very unsure what I wanted to accomplish with my research. The entire application and decision...

I have the option of transferring to either a top 5 school in my field or a school ranked about 100, but I could attend the latter with a full tuition scholarship. My question then is, assuming that I am only an average student maintaining about a 3.5 at whichever I attend, does it matter which...

Hi, I got a C+ in my EM theory (3rd year with Griffiths book) course. I have A+'s in everything else this semester, though (including quantum mechanics II). Is this something that would hurt my grad school chances severely? My GPA is 3.48 and my physics major GPA is 3.6, for reference...

Hello everyone, I am wondering what your opinions are on going to graduate school if a job search isn't working out. While I would like to get a PhD, and always have, the fact of the matter is that I need money and cannot fund that type of commitment. The main problem with my resume is that it...

I have a MSc in astrophysics and I'm a last year PhD student. My project is not going anywhere, I haven't published any paper and I'm far from finishing. My advisor is very picky and won't let me publish anything and I'm terrified the last years have been a huge waste of time. What do you think...

I was wondering how much graduate admissions look at your research experience. I have worked with two projects with a professor, and I am going to be working with him on another project this summer. Two of these things were not "new" physics, but they were either new for our department, or were...

At my university, they calculate gpa without the +- system. So if i got 90s (A-) in all of my classes i would have a 4.0. In general, when applying to grad school, will they look at the gpa my university says i have or will some of them calculate it to be a 3.6?

1. Do grad schools consider 5.5 years too long to finish undergrad (considering I am doing a double major and a long term internship)? 2. Will research in a different major contribute to my chances of being accepted into a program in the other major? 3. Does volunteering as a tutor look good...

I can't decide if I want to pursue a PhD in math or not. I like the idea because it would let me keep studying math (interesting), and the challenge would help show me what I am capable of (intellectual potential). But I can't help but wonder if I would be happier if I changed my major to...

The best instate college in my state for mathematics is Georgia Tech. However, it does not have a pure mathematics degree. Can I still go to grad school for pure mathematics as an applied math major? Will it prepare me for pure mathematics?

Hi, is there anyone here who started working on their Ph.D. after 30? I will be 31 when I start later this year, and I'm wondering how atypical this is. Any advice? Thanks!

Hello, I'm in something of a unique situation. I was a Cell & Molecular Biology major, but I have since realized that I'm really more passionate about Chemistry. I am deeply considering changing my major to Biochemistry (the degrees have significant overlap at my university but are offered by...

My undergraduate degree will be in mathematics and my GPA will be 2.7x when I graduate in May. I only applied to one graduate school and got rejected (only applied to one because its not a top tier school and my living situation is really good for my wife). Not a terrible shocker considering I...

Hi, I am a recently-graduated physics and math major, looking to go back to grad school after a couple years off. I am having trouble choosing a graduate school to attend, because I am uncertain of my research interests. I took a couple graduate-level classes (QM and Particle Physics), and...

Is it possible to go to grad school and just study nuclear physics and Quantum mechanics?

The "Should I go to grad school" thread So my second year of university is coming to a close, with so far so good grades (hopefully straight A's both semesters), work in two labs (particle physics and computational biophysics) and rounding it out with maybe a summer research position at an REU...

Hello! I currently do research for the physics department and also the chemical engineering department of my university (ranked within top 100, if I remember correctly, for context). I should be publishing at least three or more papers through this research during my time here, though I'm...

Is a "W" bad? I recently switched majors from EE to physics. At the moment i am enrolled in an intro to EE class. Now i want to drop this class, one because i don't need it anymore, and two, i could be working and making money instead of being there. Will the W on my transcript be bad for grad...

I was wondering what are the main types of "applied math" I could choose to study in grad school and how I can know which one I would enjoy most? Math Classes I loved were: linear algebra, number theory, intro to real analysis, discrete math, intro to abstract alg Classes I disliked...