Graduate school Definition and 517 Threads

I've always wondered, do graduate schools really admit students from other disciplines by having them take defiency courses? or do they just say that as a "formality"?

Hi guys. I'm a junior Phyics/Math major at University of Iowa. Last summer, I did an REU in biophysics and fell in love. I'm looking into graduate schools in this area, specifically top schools like University of Chicago, MIT, Harvard, etc. There's a plethora of sites showing admission...

I am hoping to apply to graduate schools in mathematics this fall, and I was wondering if anyone would know what types of schools will accept me. I have a 3.7 GPA, 3.9 in math. The upper level math classes I have taken include a geometry class, two semester of real analysis, a topology...

Im planning on applying to math graduate school and taking the GRE subject test for math this weekend. However I don't think I am going to do well, but the small glimmer of hope that I have is that the schools I am applying to, either don't require it at all or "strongly recommend" it, so I am...

I have a couple of questions about graduate school: -Does focusing on a subject in graduate school require a major in the subject? (my major will stick with what I'll be focusing on...I'm just curious) - If it doesn't, then what are the necessities for entering graduate school for that...

Hi, I'm a senior in Aerospace Engineering at University of Illinois. I wasn't able to get an internship over the summer and am having a hard time finding a job. I have a 2.9/4.00GPA and most companies won't even call me back for an interview. I've already had my resume reviewed by my the...

Im a junior physics major, I've been researching the web about physics grad programs. Honestly, they're not too informative. I was hoping people could post some info about graduate school here. If people could, I am curious about what type of GPA, GRE, research, and internships they had and what...

Hello, I was curious what it would take to get into Biomedical Engineering graduate school, I would like to get my Master's. Right now I am a junior, B.S. Biomedical Physics (Honors) & B.A. Mathematics. What schools have good Biomedical Engineering graduate programs? What kind of standardized...

When someone is accepted to graduate school is it possible for them to acquire financial aid from FAFSA the same way as they did for undergrad?

I'm a final year computer engineering student in India. I want to pursue a master's degree in the USA in the same or a related field. I just took the GRE (today). I scored 1600. I haven't got my analytical writing scores yet, of course, but I expect they'll be reasonably decent. I'll alse be...

So before I begin the main topic I just wanted to say that I'm looking at graduate schools for astronomy and astrophysics. I'll make a full fledged topic about it when the time comes, because the amount of material and questions I have there will dwarf this current one. Plus I want to gather all...

Hi all. I'm a Physics/Math major at the University of Iowa and have a few questions about getting into graduate school. What does it take to get into schools like Harvard, MIT, University of Chicago, or UIUC? I've looked though the information on gradschoolshopper.com, and from that I can get...

Hey everyone, I'm entering my second undergraduate year as an astronomy and physics double major. I've always had an interest in black holes, high energy astrophysics, and cosmology; consequentially, I've planned to study one of these in graduate school. However, over the summer I've been...

Hi PFers! I'm physics major in a big state school and I plan to go to graduate school. Due to some financial difficulties, I'm seriously considering graduating in three years. I can finish the classes required in three years pretty easily, but I won't have chance to take some more...

Hi, I was wondering if a graduate program exists for product design and development? I have searched google, but haven't found the results I wanted. Would there be another name for a program like this or does it not exist at all?

Hello, I am interested in attending a graduate program in the UK after completion of my BS in physics but am unsure of the lay of the land. A few questions I have are: 1. Is it possible to get into the Ph.D. program in the UK w/o a masters? If it is difficult is it possible to do the masters...

Hi, I'm going to be entering my senior year of undergrad and I'm pursuing a math and physics degree. I've got a good, high GPA, and really enjoy all of the math classes I've been in. Physics, however (especially particle physics and classical mechanics) were not so enjoyable. With respect to...

I am now a senior and SUNY buffalo and a physics major, and my question is this. What are my chances of getting into a school such as Chicago or Colombia, maybe NYU or one of the UC schools. My scores are as follows GPA: 3.3 GRE Verbal: 620 GRE Quant: 780 GRE essay: don't have yet GRE...

Having recently finished grad school, I've put together a guide for new and prospective graduate students on picking a prof and a project, as well as pitfalls to watch out for: http://subversiveguidetoeng.blogspot.com/2009/05/guide-to-graduate-school.html" I thought it would be useful...

Hi, I'm a student from the UK about to embark on a PhD in the area of String theory/QG. I have a couple of options in front of me and I am struggling to decide which would be the best path. 1) University of Southern California (USC). The PhD would be much more "stringy" here, and I get the...

Hi everyone, I am currently a junior in mechanical engineering. After I graduate I plan on going to graduate school to obtain my PhD, I hope to eventually get a career in research probably at a university because I also enjoy teaching. As a mechanical engineer my interests have been...

Hey guys, I was curious as to whether or not anyone here knows anything about the admission standards for GIT. I checked out their undergraduate requirements but I am not quite sure how that relates to their grad admissions. I was looking at their aerospace engineering program and from what...

Hi, I read online and people say that if you want to get into graduate school, pick UC over Cal Poly. Why is that? What is missing in Cal Poly that doesn't prepare students to transfer to graduate school after undergrad?

How does the "system" work for graduate school? Hello, I am currently an undergrad working on a long term research project with a professor at my university. My question is, as far as recommendations go, will his recs carry more weight at the university he graduated from? He is a Harvard PhD...

I got into graduate school! yay! I'll have a "Dr" in front of my name. Here's the problem: there is no funding associated with the offer. Thus, no TA/RA in return for tuition and a stipend,or any such thing. Does anyone know of any options or funding possibilites? or rather, how did everyone...

I'm wondering how difficult it is to gain admission to PhD programs in physics. On Duke's website, they show that the average GPA of admitted students was 3.7 last year. Keeping that in mind, I looked at the NRC rankings in physics, and Duke is ranked like 42. At my school, the average GPA of...

Recently I switched into physics from biochemistry after taking first semester of junior EM. Anyway I am graduating next year and fully plan on continuing physics in graduate school. In short I want to be a physicist and get my PhD. I have vague ideas of what I am interested in but I don't...

I was wondering what kind of graduate programs a math graduate can get into? Is it required that for example, programs in applied math or statistics need a large amount of applied math and statistics courses in the undergrad? Does having a pure math degree limit what you can do for...

I'm currently a junior pursuing my BS in Mechanical Engineering. The workload is difficult but the material I'm studying is interesting, albeit some more than others. I am currently taking an introduction to materials science course and feel like I've found something I would possibly like to...

I am applying to graduate schools for next fall and one of the chairman of one of the programs is visiting my campus on next friday for academic reasons. He directs the program at a school across the country, so this turns out to be a very good chance to meet him. I have worked out an...

My GPA isn't all that great, it's a 2.507. I have another semester left to bring it up some, but it won't be much. But I still will like to take what I have left and bring as much into my favor as possible. My plan is to do good in my GRE and PGRE and apply for graduate school at my current...

I need help with my Statement of Purpose. I have been doing research on experimental high energy particle physics for the past two years of my undergraduate career. However, I have discovered that there is no way I want to continue work in this field in grad school. In my personal statement...

Hi all, first time poster, been registered for a while though. so i just finished the 3 semester introductory courses that my school requires of all physics major (so I'm a sophomore). i am a bit worried though because in physics 3 the class average was 73 and even though my average was...

Greetings from Ca. brothers and sisters of the scientific ilk. I seek your guidance out of the fog that is the many choices of life. First, the bio: I am a 30 year old math teacher that hates teaching high school. I've decided to go to graduate school to pursue my calling--what ever it is. I am...

I have a small dilemma about my applications to Mathematics Ph.D. programs. I would greatly appreciate any advice. My dilemma relates to the Math Subject GRE. I took the test in early November, and was not feeling especially well so my scores suffered. I scored a 630 (48th percentile). A...

Soon I will be applying to graduate schools. In general, my interests lie in the domain of cosmology/astrophysics--don't know if theoretical or experimental, but I probably don't have the mathematical background for theoretical yet. However, most physics graduate programs do not start until...

I'm a second year undergraduate at UChicago, and I plan on doing graduate work in theoretical physics. So when the time comes, to which graduate program should I apply: mathematics, applied mathematics, or physics? From my research, it seems that the answer differs by institution. For example...

I'm a senior planning on going to graduate school for math. I'll take a year off and apply next year. I decided all of this kind of at the last minute, and as a result, my application is looking a little weak: Projected GPA: ~3.7 Projected Math GPA: ~3.62 (not including Calc 1,2,3 and Diff...

I am trying to get some feedback on my possibilities of attending Graduate School for a Ph.D in Pure Mathematics. Specifically, if it is possible... which universities can I expect to receive acceptance from. Which types? In specific, my highest goal is UVA, (University of Virginia). I have...

I am divided in a choice I need to make... I am employed in a program that requires graduate school. My employer will outright pay, with no cap for any school. Since there is no cap, I'm thinking I should shoot for some really good schools. What are your opinions on, 1) Trying to get into...

What are the main differences between personal statements ( / statements of purpose) written to support a graduate school application versus one for an REU? I have now written two successful REU personal statements, so one might assume that I was doing something right when writing them. In...

Graduate School Advice Needed: Where to Apply with my stats & "backup" schools As an undergraduate I've studied engineering physics. It seems in general that graduate students in engineering have a lower gpa than those in physics or math. I have since decided I would like to do physics...

I'm glad that I'm already in graduate school. Thousands of wall street employees are going to be laid off this year as all these companies go under. I bet most of them will be fairly recent college graduates from prestigious undergraduate institutions. Probably, many of them are going to be...

Graduate School -- DSP, Signal Processing What are the top graduate schools for signal processing? I am currently looking at Georgia Tech. Any other recommendations? I would like (if possible) courses in radar.

Can anyone here would be able to extract some hope from the following scenario? I began my undergraduate coursework in physics in 2000 at a top-20 school at the age of sixteen, and did quite well--earning four fellowships, TAing an upper-division particle physics lab course before reaching...

Wasn't sure what forum would be best for this question, but this seemed good since it was sort of more career related than homework. This August I'm going into grad school for chemistry at University of Southern Mississippi. When I arrive there, I have to take five ACS exams covering the...

I want to go to Graduate School and get my Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering. I am an Engineering Physics Major and I have only one more year until I finish my Undergraduate degree. I will be applying to graduate schools in December 2008. I would love to go to University of Michigan...

I want to go to a graduate school in Europe for an M.Sc in Mathematics, but I don't know my chances. I have an honors B.Sc in pure and applied math from a Canadian university and not one of the best ones. My GPA is very high, almost all A+s (they give them here), I speak five languages, was...

How does it work? I'm kind of interested in schools outside of the US (I mean, why not?) and I've started looking at websites because I'm graduating this coming year and was told to start applying early. What I see (from Oxford and Cambridge at least) are a 1st Honours and High 2nd Honours...

URGENT Graduate school help Hi guys, I've been getting a few offers from professors at University of Calgary and Manitoba (both in Canada), and I'm unsure which one I should accept. I have a strong interest in cancer pathology, unfortunately, most of the profs involved in this area do not...