Graduate school Definition and 517 Threads

I've seen a lot of helpful advice on this forum, and I'm at a soon-to-be crossroads as to what I do academically. For those who want the short version, skip to the end of the quote. Short story: senior undergrad EE, 3.1 GPA, should have good GRE and letters of recommendation. Want to get PHD...

I was hoping some of you could help with some advice on my current career path. I am enrolled at Suny Geneseo, New York currently working on a BA in physics. Originally i chose Geneseo based on the reputation of its physics and education programs, but i decided early on that i wanted to advance...

I am currently an undergrad in an applied mathematics program. I am afraid that my degree is a jack-of-all-trades master of none type of degree, and was wondering what different types of subjects I could pursue in graduate school. I am not interested in obtaining a PhD. I am primarily...

Well, I had always thought that it's nicer to have multiple degrees and stuff to get into grad school, but the more I lurk around here, the more I see people recommending additional mathematics courses and in-depth physics courses beyond the normal curriculum. Currently, I think I'll be...

I need honest advice. My academic history has been tenuous at best. While in my pre-pubescent days I exhibited a strong interest in physics I quickly lost my intellectual curiosity in high school and barely ended up in college. I went to a pretty poor state college and dropped out in three...

I would like some advice/comments on my next chapter in my life. I've been interested in nuclear engineering for the last two years, I will be graduating with my BS in applied physics this December and I have already applied to Texas A&M and University of Texas' nuclear engineering graduate...

Hey all, I'm currently facing a difficult decision about the next step in my academic career and I was wondering if anyone here might be able share any insights or perhaps explain how they got through a similar situation. Sorry in advance for a long post, no need to read the whole thing...

Hello fellow forumers. I've been digging around but to no avail in my search for guidelines to being successful with graduate school admissions. I'm hoping that those who have undergone this process can shed some light on this topic. I am planning to pursue a masters degree in electrical...

I'm interested in applying to grad school (pure mathematics), however would i be able to do so, with just 10 courses in mathematics (major: Biology, Minor: Math) ? If so what courses should i take? (topology, analysis, logic,ect.. ??)

So... I know nobody will be able to give me a very clear answer to this question, but I was hoping someone out there might be able to give me an idea of how likely I am to get into a top tier physics graduate school (UChicago is my first choice). Anyway, here's all the relevant info about me...

is graduate school for me?? Hi guys, I'm a senior undergraduate currently at a large state university. In the spring I will be graduating with 2 bachelors, one in economics minor in business and another in statistics with a minor in mathematics. I have been planning for a while now to attend...

I am a senior about to finish my undergraduate degree in physics (with a minor in CS). Lately though I have been really debating whether or not I should continue in physics and get a PhD. I like physics, but I'm not sure if I want to spend 6-7 years getting a degree. I'm also not sure which...

i have 10 months till graduate school, what's the best way to prepare?? I graduated about one & a half years ago(physics), and I'm going to graduate school September next year(HEP/Cosmology), i have holes in my undergraduate knowledge in addition to what's lost in memory. I don't know what...

Hello, I've read that typical yearly stipends for physics graduate students go at around $15k - $23k. I've also read that this is good enough to make ones living, but not much more. I would appreciate it if past graduate students shared their experiences on living by your uni's stipends...

My questions are rather unfocused... I don't really know if they're really questions yet, but chime in as much as possible. I'm just tossing ideas around here. 1. I think all physics programs offer an advance lab class. they offer a range of experiments and you pick some to repeat. Is this...

Hello there. I'm studying for graduate school entrance exam (nagoya university), and analysis is part of it. I've learned calculus on my undergraduate course but since I didn't get differential equations, I'm kinda learning it by myself right now. The questions are from past problems which are...

Hi, I'm an undergraduate senior majoring in physics who plans to eventually obtain a PhD in a physics related field. For a little background on my academics, I have a 3.7 GPA (with a 4.0 from my fourth semester on), and research experience in granular physics at my university (since...

I'm debating whether I want to pursue graduate education in ME. Seems like a B.S. nowadays is like the new high-school diploma and you can't really "make" (or design) anything unless you have graduate education. With B.S. it seems like all you can do is be someone's robot and do all the boring...

Hi :) i can finish my application by mid September but i will not have enough time to prepare for the verbal section of the GRE, how important is it? should i take an extra month to prepare for it ? how important is finishing an application early for graduate schools? some schools don't look...

Hello, I'm interested in spin transport and spintronics and I was wondering if anyone knew what the best graduate programs are for these? I will be applying for grad schools soon and would really like your input. Thanks!

I plan to graduate after this year from an undergraduate program in Electrical Engineering. I was torn between nuclear engineering and electrical for undergrad, but I opted for EE with the plan to do NE for graduate school. I learn best in lab settings/hands on, so I am only considering...

Hi, My final year of my undergraduate career in Engineering Physics (essentially a physics degree with a few engineering-specific courses thrown in in the first two years) begins in the Fall and I'm now looking ahead to graduate school. Based on my work experience thus far, my ultimate goal...

I'm currently double majoring in physics and math at a state university and I plan on going to graduate school to pursue astronomy/astrophysics. I've heard that graduate committees value undergraduate research highly in selecting applicants, but I'm unsure of what is expected. My school requires...

Okay so I know I don't have much to work with but here we go: My goal is to apply to Graduate school in Astrophysics more or less Cosmology. I should mention that I transferred from IU after my first semester, which I aced my courses at while I was there for a semester. Okay so my current GPA...

Hello all, particularly graduate students and PhDs, I'm planning on learning a foreign language, mostly for fun, but I would like to learn a language used by many of my colleagues in mathematics programs. I've not yet entered graduate school (for mathematics, of course), so I was wondering...

I am hoping to apply to graduate schools in mathematics this fall, and I am in the process of deciding where I'm going to apply. I have a 3.95 GPA (overall and in math). I go to a top 30 math school. I've taken upper division in pretty much every topic (about 15 undergraduate) and have taken...

Hi everyone, I'm currently a 4th year applied math major who goes to a top 40 school and due to stupidity and poor class scheduling in my lower division years, has to stay an extra semester to fulfill graduation requirements. Here's the story: During my first two and a half years of college...

Assume a student such as myself (3rd year PhD) has an RA stipend for graduate school (tuition is paid + some stipend). The stipend is rather small, but technically survivable. Unfortunately I have some debt acquired while an undergraduate, mainly credit card. I have no student loans and have...

Currently, I am a in the undergraduate engineering program at NCSU, pursuing a degree in Aerospace Engineering. I just completed my sophomore year. I was wondering what sort of things are expected of undergraduates who are applying to graduate school. Of course, I would love to be able to...

I have a question about grad school prospectus after earning a B.A. in Mathematics (for prospective 5-12 teachers). The B.A. curriculum consists of Calculus I-III (standard three semester sequence), Linear Algebra, College Geometry, Abstract Algebra, Probability and Statistics I-II (two semester...

E.g. around a 2.7 GPA? Can one still go in the future? Or is one doomed.

Hi PF, I've always been raised on the model that superior schools produce superior humans, and I should sacrifice the moment to get into the "best" possible schools. Personally, I still believe that those best schools could be highly influential career-wise. Stats don't lie, the majority...

Hello, I am an undergraduate currently studying at MIT, and I have read zapper's thread on the path of the academic physicist. I was wondering, however, what it REALLY takes to get accepted into a top institution for theoretical physics OR experimental physics. Reference to specific...

If I go to Arizona State University to major in Physics w/ an Astronomy minor, get good grades (GPA ~3.0 to 3.3), do some research, and get good letters of recommendations, do graduate schools look at what school you went to for the admissions process? In other words, do astronomy graduate...

Hi, My situtation is as follows, I plan next year to start graduate school in math, though I would like to pursue a career as a mathematical physicist in academia, the odds are against me, so I need somehow to have a backup plan. Iv'e noticed in my school a few graduate students who also learn...

I hope some of you can provide me different opinions regarding the dilemma I face now. I am about to begin life as a graduate student majoring in Electrical Engineering; my goal is a PhD. Of the schools that I have been accepted into there are two schools I am trying to decide between...

hey, so I am going to be done with all the requirements of a math major by the end of this term and have another year left. I can't graduate cause I don't have enough credits. I don't think I want to go to graduate school for math and am considering going to graduate school for engineering...

Hi PF, As I'm reading more about graduate school, its becoming clear to me that ranking graduate schools as "good" or "bad" is too broad and naive- that its much more fruitful to evaluate grad schools by specific sub departments within the Physics departments. But I have no idea how to do...

Hey so I am a passionate math major and am pretty good at it. But I have been told several times that if I don't want to teach then I probably shouldn't go to graduate school for math. I am good with computers but hate programing. love physics but hate lab work. so with my skills what...

Now I am a Canadian entering a Canadian Undergrad, it is a 4-year to receive a Bachelor. If I go directly into a Ph.D program in either Canada or USA, how long will it take? Is it 5 years or 2 years? If assuming that I give up Breaks, that means no summer holidays or winter vacation, spring...

I am planning on completing a B.Sc. Applied Mathematics. Initially I probably plan on working in the software industry, hopefully in something with more of a scientific bent. I fully intend on returning to school with in a decade or so to pursue a graduate degree in Physics or Astronomy...

Hello, Im looking for some advice. I have been accepted to REUs at Penn State, UPenn, and Notre Dame. I have been waitlisted at Northwestern and UC-Santa Barbara (all for Mat Sci/physics). My question is if doing an REU at a school helps in going to graduate school there. I am thinking about...

I am an international physics PhD applicant, and my intended field is experimental condensed matter, and have interest in nanomaterials and devices, electronic materials and devices, and semiconductors. I have received two offers from OSU and UFl, and other programs that are still reviewing...

I'm currently an undergraduate and was wondering what options are out there for graduate school. I have a 3.7 GPA (in math/science/computer science courses) and have done numerous research projects with my advisor in theoretical astrophysics (two minor publications). I have also attended two...

As a high school senior who hopes to pursue a career in physics, I am learning more about how I want to continue my education every day. Originally, I had hoped to get in the very highest ranked universities (with respect to the physical sciences) as an undergraduate, but I've come to realize...

It may be tough to speak for such a thing, but does anyone know what the profile of students who get the chance to attend the likes of great math schools like Chicago, Michigan, Princeton, Harvard, and so on actually are like on average? Is a significant factor the fact they were able to learn...

I want to know what kind of schools i can to expect to get into for physics graduate school. I am currently a sophomore attending the university of reno. I am majoring in both biochemistry and physics. I currently work at the National Terawatt Facility working as a core diagnostic technician...

I've recently finished applying to a few doctoral programs in chemistry for next fall, but I am now thinking that maybe I should have looked into chemical engineering instead. I'm just getting a feeling that chemical engineering would be a bit more interesting and that there might be more job...

Realistically speaking, what league of schools does a hardworking, smart but not brilliant math major have a shot at for a PhD in pure math? Let's say I might apply with 8 graduate courses at a "lower Ivy", coauthored 1-2 papers, solid recommendations. I am not getting my hopes up for Stanford...

I'm a 1st semester sophomore math major right now and I'm taking an Intro Topology course this semester. It ended up being harder than I expected it to be and I'm fairly certain that I will end up with a B/B+ (most likely a B+) in the course due to one bad exam. How bad will this look when I'm...