Graduate school Definition and 517 Threads

Not sure how to disable BB-code here - please feel free to edit. ______________________________________________ Undergrad Institution: (School or type of school, such as big state, lib arts, ivy, technical, foreign (what country?)... Overall Reputation in Physics?) Major(s): Minor(s): GPA in...

Hi everyone, I am currently a Junior Chemistry Undergraduate at UofA. I already made my decision that I want to apply for chemistry graduate school after I graduate from my undergraduate study. Based on several good discussions with other graduate students at my school, they all told me to take...

I know it's possible to get an engineering graduate degree with an undergrad degree in physics. However, I'm not sure about specifics. Is it possible to go into different fields (Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, etc.)? Also, do people typically have more luck getting into MS or PhD programs...

I am currently enrolled in a community college and I am a chemical engineering major. I plan on transferring to the local uni next fall (University of Utah if you are wondering). I would like to go to graduate school some day or at least keep the option open. The minimum gpa for the grad program...

Hello, I wanted to get a feel for if I'm wasting my time here in applying to graduate school and wanted some opinions from people on here. So I want to get into a ucla or a ucsd and I want to do experimental condensed matter. My physics gpa is approximately 3.4. I got an 830 on my...

Helloo, So I've spent some time drafting an admissions essay and I've had a professor read it over and he's said that he likes it. However, I'm still not convinced. I sent it to a couple of my graduate school friends who are studying English and they say it's so drab and boring, but I'm...

Hello, I am beginning to apply for graduate schools. Normally I wouldn't have thought to email the professors I am interested in working with on research. However, I heard from a professor that when they were applying to graduate schools they were only accepted to those programs that they...

I'm currently applying for various graduate schools in both physical chemistry and condensed matter physics. My undergraduate degree is a double major in both fields. I'm curious about what the differences between the departments (and, to an extent, fields) might be. In terms of research...

3.11 GPA BSME 1230 GRE (740 Q 490 V) 3.3 last 2 years 1 year paid research, NSF funded research project. Acknowledge on a state report as a result of some of the research. Working with 2 professors currently with research. 1 deals with energy, the other is a project that is giving me...

I got kicked out for failing classes (I passed my quals though). This happened last year. Since then I tried to find a job as a programmer or engineer (I'm was a physics graduate) but ended up at the lab I was working for at the time because I just couldn't find anything. It's a year later now...

I looked back a few months but could find no posts that explicitly covered both these so my question to y'all is: From your personal experience, if you had to compose a list of undergraduate math/physics courses that are necessary/extremely beneficial to success in physics graduate school...

A little background first. I'm a Senior at a small state university and will graduate in May with a BS in CS. Last Spring I finally decided that I really do want to further my education and continue on to graduate school. I'd love to attend Texas A&M for a Master of engineering in CE, but I feel...

Hi guys, It seems like a lifetime ago that I started my undergraduate journey (which actually began here: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=222143 if anyone's interested). I'm just now beginning my 4th year of an Honours B.Sc. in mathematics with a minor in physics, and I'm...

I know that getting into graduate programs, in any field, without first having an undergraduate degree is extremely rare. But it's not unheard of. I dropped out of school well over a year ago and going back is absolutely not an option. I don't have the money but even if I did, there aren't...

I have a 3.94 GPA (got one stupid B my freshman year). I am a junior now. I have been doing undergrad research since the start of my sophomore year. This past summer I did an REU that was 10 weeks of full time research. I know I am going to have great letters of recommendation. I am also...

Hi So I am currently in Grade 12 and I will be starting to apply for unversities soon. I am planning to apply for BSc in math but I just wanted to open graduate school option in engineering (especially in mechanical engineering). Is it possible to go master's program in mechanical engineering...

Graduate school applications are steadily approaching, and I am begging to investigate different institutions to apply to for math. Right now, I am performing a coarse inspection of schools, based on a few criterion. One of the more important of which is how strong they are in different...

Hi everyone (hopefully I posted this in the right section), I know very little about graduate schools since I was pre-med for a long time, but only a few months ago realized I'd rather go to graduate school. I was hoping someone could help me figure out which programs in graduate schools to...

Hi! I am a final year bachelor's student majoring in Math. I live in India, but I would like to go the the States or Europe for master's degree. I'd eventually like to do applied mathematics (I'm open to doing pure math at this stage). Can someone tell me which schools offer decent math...

So I graduated in undergrad in May 2008 with a BS in EE. I went directly into a PhD program with full funding. I put in a year and did decent in my classes and my research. But I didn't enjoy my research and I wasn't doing as well in my classes as I had hoped. I decided to take a leave of...

(title continued and if/how this will effect my graduate school acceptance) I currently attend a small, private undergraduate college. By small, I mean ~ 2000 students for all four grades with me being the only physics major for my year (there are a few engineering students). This fall marks...

This is perhaps not a conundrum and me thinking about things too much. The story: I'm about to start my second year in my Master's program. I've taken the following two course sequences: Real Analysis/Functional Analysis, Complex Analysis/Variables, and Analysis I&II. I also have taken a...

Chris McKay told me that they do take grad students, but I can't find any more information on the Internet (the Ames page points to a dead link for the "Graduate Student Researchers Program") - see http://hr.arc.nasa.gov/student/gradfaculty.html

Heyyy So, here's my story: - Went to state school - Majored in a quantitative subject - Got a GPA in the range of 2.6 - 2.7 (literally never went to class, literally just scanned texts before exams =( god i was a ****ing idiot.) - Noooooooooooooooooooo OK, so, when I went to undergrad, I was...

Hi, I'm a concerned college student (aren't we all :0 ), who is intending to major in physics in one of the bigger universities in US. However, it seems that my inclination lately lies more towards engineering graduate school (if I go). So if I apply for an engineering grad school with physics...

So, I'm from Romania, entering my third and final year as an undergraduate. I was considering going to graduate school in the US but I can't afford to spend to much money on applying to many programs. I have an average grade of 10 out of 10 (I guess that would be a 4.0 GPA?) at the moment and...

So only few universities offer BME programme in Bachelor Level. If I want to pursue this career, I need to go to graduate school. Then what Bachelor's degree should I get? Is it better to have BSc in Biology or BASc in Mechanical Engineering?

I am beginning graduate school preparations, I am looking for an online database of physics graduate programs that would list things like number of faculty in specific fields, number of graduate students admitted each year, etc... I have seen a book like this, specifically for physics...

So I am just finishing my undergraduate degree in physics (actually physics and math) and now must choose a graduate school to attend. I am most interested in pursuing high energy physics (theoretical) and was wondering what schools in Canada would you recommend for that area. I heard McGill is...

My Background: I am some what of an atypical math phd program applicant. I graduated from a top liberal arts school with a 3.8 gpa (4.0 math) and have spent the last two years working as an actuary. Those two years in the insurance industry earned me my actuarial designation as well as an...

Like most other people here once I am done with my undergraduate, I'd like to continue on to graduate school. I have a couple questions that I can't really find in ZapperZ's thread or anywhere else. Since my situation seems to be uncommon (at least half of it). My questions arose after...

I'm currently a sophomore at NYU. This semester I've been taking some pretty hard classes (Functional Analysis being the hardest). I'm probably not going to do so well grade-wise - probably a few B's. Basically, I want to understand as much mathematics as I can before I start graduate school...

Hi, I'm going to UCI next year as a Computer Science major, and I was wondering about some stuff regarding graduate school. I know its kinda early, but I learned from high school that I should definitely plan things earlier :] So, just cause I'm going to UCI, does that mean I can't get...

I'll be concentrating in/researching aerodynamics and CFD. Will I be doing the programming/mesh generation/code execution (or any other intensive computing) on my own computer or the department's super computer/workstations? I had a powerful desktop in ME undergrad and frankly it wasn't really...

This is something I've been wondering about for a while. When I tell people I'm going to graduate school, they inevitably ask me where I'm considering going. The thing is, I have no idea what my list of schools to consider should even look like at this point. I'm a junior majoring in physics at...

I'm facing the question of choosing the right supervisor for my PhD in theoretical physics. On one hand, there are professors who are well-known and have done great work in their youth, but whose publication records in recent years are not great. On the other hand, there are young faculty...

I have a question regarding how you choose courses to take in graduate school, and the amount of freedom you have in choosing courses. I'm tentatively planning on applying for admissions to PhD programs for 2012, and I'm planning on applying to a mix of biophysics, medical physics, and high...

Hello, I am currently getting out of the army after six years as an officer in the infantry. I would like to go back to graduate school for my Ph.D. in CSE. I have a BSEE with heavy coursework in CSE from the University of Washington. I am just wondering how difficult admissions will be to...

When applying to graduate school in physics, how much weight does your undergrad institution carry in your application? I ask because I currently attend a school in the lower rungs of the top 50 and the graduate schools I am interested in attending are highly regarded as being much, much better...

Hello, I'm currently going to the University of Alberta taking a double major in Mathematics & Physics (although I can still switch to an Honours Astrophysics degree, which I really want to do... but I think it would be specializing too quickly). I'm essentially wondering how intertwined...

I am an undergraduate mathematics major considering two different options that would lead me to complete a PhD degree in mathematics. I would like advice on my considerations. Option 1) Complete a MS degree, then apply for a PhD program at a better school. (I understand that by not applying...

Right now, I am working towards a BS in physics and applied math, and I have been planning on applying for physics PhD programs next year. However, I would really like to have some time away from academia. I think employment would help secure my finances, better allow me to develop my personal...

Does anyone know where to study for Master program in Econophysics? As i know from wikipedia, University of Houston is the one open for Master program. I have been searching for European University, but unfortunately i did not find one of it offer Econophysics course for Master Program. Any...

I am getting to where I am really trying to get myself in shape for the future. I plan on graduating next Spring, so I don't have much time left. The thing I am worried most about is my GPA--it's not the greatest. After finishing my second year, my cumulative was something around 3.0. Since then...

Hello, I have a pretty quick question. So, I am studying mathematics/computer science, double major. However, I think I want to go to graduate school for photonics. With a degree in math/cs, will this be possible to apply into a graduate photonics program? I am also minoring in physics if...

I wanted to ask the many experienced members of PF what they feel the role is. My interest is in math, but I am sure many physics students want to know. As in, are they primarily there to alert us to things we should be thinking about in relation to our research problems? Help us with actual...

Okay so my primary interest is to pursue cosmology. My question now is what are my chances of getting excepted on a horrendous PGRE score. I just received my scores and it was HORRIBLE like failing, think single percentage. I don't even know how I did so badly I didn't think I did that badly...

Alright, a little background on me first; i attended a nationally accredited college and due to various circumstances, fell into major depression. I wasted about ~3 years of my life doing very little and ended up dropping/failing many of my classes for extremely stupid reasons (not showing up...

I'm aspiring to Math Grad School at Harvard, and I had a couple of questions. Is it absolutely necessary to have a 4.0 overall GPA to get in or would they allow maybe one or two B+'s? Which school has a better math grad school, UC Berkeley or Harvard?

Please read the essay it is relevant. I just finished high school.. I am going to start Electrical and Electronics Engineering course in a crap university, I neither like the university nor the subject, but this is the best I can get as there is no other option in my country and I don't have...