Phd Definition and 1000 Threads

Anyone willing to offer any advice? I have a PhD interview soon and wanted to know what I should ask/do in it? I have a reasonable comprehension of what the project is about - I have some relevant work experience in the area. I would usually wear a suit but I've never seen a lecturer in one so...

Within one year I will be graduating in electrical engineering (mainly optics) and have no idea of what to do afterwards. I always thought of doing an academic career but during my phd I will probably publish two or three papers overall. Seeing the struggle postdocs go through to find an...

I am a physics PhD at a globally top 10 UK institution. I'm interested in moving to California for two reasons: - The weather. - I believe the US economy is higher growth than the rest of the modernised world. My subject area is not 'hot' so I doubt I'd be able to get a good postdoc. Are the...

Hi! I want to (eventually) do PhD in theoretical physics, and although universities like MIT, Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, etc. are incredibly competitive, I was wondering if being self-funded student makes things any easier? My current situation is following: I am nearly 29 years-old student...

Hi Before closing, I apologize for too long passage calling for the advise. I thought I need to give the potential advisors as precise information as I can. I graduated from a university in South Korea with major in Electrical engineering and minor in physics. I decided to change my major to...

Hi All, Happy 2017! I am a first year PhD student at a well respected research university for Fluid Dynamics research in England. My PhD research is in the field of Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics. I am interested in gaining some writing, and publishing experience and I thought...

I am doing a Masters in theoretical physics. It's been half a year since I've begun my Masters. Recently, I find myself intrigued by machine learning and would like to do a PhD in machine learning after I finish my Masters in theoretical physics. I am rather afraid to break it to my supervisor...

Among some MIT professors, we find Alan Rickman has a PhD in Astrophysics, and he is a professor of Humanities, without even having a degree on it! Jeffrey A. Hoffman too, and he is a professor of Aerospace engineering. Curious, isn't? Then it is Brian May, the guitarist of Queen (and I think...

Hi, I'm about to start my MSc in Computer Science studying "Combinatorial Optimization", which was already the theme of my undergraduation thesis. I like the field and the research, but I'd rather prefer working with numerical methods and techniques. The problem is my current university has a...

I managed to get a bunch of interviews. I'm nervous. What kinds of question should I expect? Are they going to try to quiz me on things? If I don't know who's interviewing me and I can't read their papers, what do I do if I'm unfamiliar with their field/specific project? What kinds of...

I was on the grad cafe looking at admission statistics. It looks like it is much more competitive to get into an engineering PhD program than it is a physics PhD program. Is this true? Most of the GPA's of people who got into the engineering PhD programs had a gpa in the mid to high 3's while...

Hi all. I am looking for a book in Quantum Field Theory, not for the first read. I have already studied it for university purpose, but now i would like to study the subject again from a book to cover holes and have a deeper understanding before starting a possible PhD. I heard about Srednicki...

I'm a Nuclear Physics student and I'm finishing the university in this period. I was searching for a PhD in Particle Physics but I don't know where to go, anyone knows some interesting school to make an application? Thanks

Can you help me what can be the science contribution in mechanical engineering in the Research field robotics and automation?

I'm in the first year of HEP PhD program and currently learning QFT. The reason why I'm still learning QFT as a grad student even though it has been almost 9 months since I started PhD is because I started physics lately - I changed major when I was junior. I haven't studied SUSY, Supergravity...

I have completed my graduate in physics from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. Now I am finding difficult to pursue PhD. I think the primary reason behind this is, people find the profile of students from the universities of underdeveloped country unattractive. But individuals passion and enthusiasm...

Hi I'm 27 years old, and planning to return to university as a mature student to study physics/astrophysics as major. I have gone through websites, reading materials, articles, and I have not found any satisfactory answers for the job descriptions of an astrophysicist. So what to expect to be...

Greetings to everybody. I'm currently in my 3rd year of pursuing a physics undergrad, and I'm considering where I might want to focus, what field I might want to enter. As the title suggests I'm seriously considering something with regards to nuclear physics. My primary interests lie in space...

I currently live in Seattle and am stably employed with a tech company. I've been thinking about going back for my phd, but the issue is a little complicated. I'm a US citizen and did my MSc in astrophysics at University College London. I've been in touch with my old adviser who would be happy...

How does one fund their PhD research? Do you live very poor? I want to study to be a physicist but I kind of a have a time frame to make some money within 4-5 years (I'm currently doing undergraduate studies). How does it all work? I just want insight from personal experiences. Thanks

Hi. I'm an international student from a pretty good italian university and I'm applying for a PhD in the US. Here's my profile: 930 (89%) PGRE 159v, 164q, 3.5w GRE Still waiting for the TOEFL, but should be good 4.0 GPA 3 letters, hopefully good but how can I know? One is a decently known HEP...

Hey all, I'm a final year MEng student in engineering physics (a very broad degree) at a recognized Scandinavian technical university. I'm deciding what to do with my life, and my personal dream is to get into business in the long term, preferably in something high-tech that's growing...

I'm planning to get double honours in CS and Pure Math. But I'm very confused about getting a PhD? Will it help me as a startup founder? (Link to my post on academia stackexchange, but I'm still confused) The only thing that is stopping me from getting a PhD is time. I have excellent...

I'm from the US and am currently doing undergrad at a US university but I studied at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology this summer and it convinced me that I would really prefer to get my PhD abroad. However, I have concerns about how credible that degree will be to US companies...

Hello everyone, To start, I found this forum incredibly helpful throughout my college education thus far. This forum has helped me pick my major in undergrad back in 2011, helped me narrow down which graduate program to gravitate toward upon graduation in 2015, and now I have a continued...

How detailed should the research experience be? For example, are things like "I developed a C algorithm to help the process of XXX?" worth mentioning? Or should this go to the Curriculum Vitae? Thank you!:woot:

Hi. So, I took the general GRE the other day and did crappy on the Quant. This worries me. I'm applying to Materials Engineering PhD programs soon. I'd like to get some opinions of how deep of a ditch I've dug for grad school, or how much this retracts from the rest of my credentials. Do I stand...

I'm a Physics student currently ending the bachelor degree. Since I study in Europe (Italy) there are quite big differences in the degrees system between Europe, UK and USA. Start from the assumption that I would like in the future to do a PhD in the UK or in USA. My main question is: do a MSc...

I'm a Physics student ending the bachelor degree in Physics. I'm strongly interested in Condensed Matter Physics (both theoretical and experimental), especially the quantum mechanical aspects that are linked to this field of studies. I'm trying to choose where to study for a MSc in Physics...

So I'm currently a senior undergraduate nuclear engineer at a respected university and I've been considering getting my Ph.D for a while now. I'm having difficulty deciding on a specific research area, however. I'd like my research, optimally, to be applicable outside the nuclear sector as well...

I spoke with a professor I'm working with about my personal statement for graduate school. She took issue with my beginning paragraph: "My interest in plant science grew out of my desire to create peace between humanity and their environment. Anxiety over doomsday scares of global warming drove...

I have a ton of things I want to do in my life before I'm young. The problem is that I won't be so young for long! Ideally, if I get my PhD in about 2 years I will be on track with the things I want to do. Has this been done before? Why exactly is the average time needed 4 years? Why that number?

I am not sure if I can write the ps in the form of a story-telling of how I became interested in the graduate field of study, which naturally talks about my research/other experience in the chronological order, or directly jump straight into chunks of paragraphs (of course with transitioning...

Hello, My question is probably geared towards the professors or postdocs reading this forum and concerns the recruitment aspect of the professors in the US. I am a European physics student currently visiting a "top" Californian university. During this short visit (8 months) I have come to...

This summer I did some research and had positive results but my part contributed to a small portion of the big grant. My PI told me we could submit to some "side" journals to get publications but I am not sure if this is necessary because the admission committees will see my poster I created...

Hey everyone, I am wondering if anyone can give me an idea of which physics PhD programs I should be looking at. I am a bit confused about which programs I would be competitive for. I have read things about how ranking and "minimum gpa" requirements are misleading when it comes to admissions...

General Tips on What to focus on, what to avoid? :woot: 3 Specific questions: Should I keep it in ONE page? I have been helping on a grant which has been approved by NIH, how much details of the project should I include in the resume: the detailed goal of the grant, grant number, etc? Should I...

Undergrad degree 2:1. I'm about to commence a masters, if I get a merit only, what are my chances of getting phd funding? In the UK. The university in the UK is a strong one if it makes any difference. Thank you.

Hello, this year I am getting my Bachelor in Physics. Do you know if it's possible to apply for a PhD, without getting a Master, in Europe? The field I am interested in is General Relativity and compact object binary systems, my thesis is on the same topic. Thanks

Hi, I am a PhD student studying fluid dynamics, and have a heavy interest in numerical programming and simulations. I come from a background in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. I have an ubuntu system set up and I have the typical software I plan to be using regularly, ie MATLAB...

I will be graduating with a bachelors degree in physics in the next year. Most of my professors have advised me that if I am considering graduate school (which I am), to just go straight for a PhD instead of stopping at a MA. Unfortunately, my family is currently in a terrible place...

Firstly I'd like to apologise as I know this is a pretty common topic to post questions on! Basically I recently graduated with a first class (72% average) from the University of Southampton (Russell group, but obviously not Oxbridge level) and am planning to spend a year out applying to PhD's...

So I know some school out their will gladly take my money from me, but my question is can you pursue a phd in engineering while working full time, by just taking one class at a time? That is what I'm currently doing for my masters degree, and wondering if it's even possible for a phd. I know...

Hi, I am starting my PhD in a few weeks, I am in desperate need of an upgrade. My laptop has finally died after 5 years of service. I will be dual booting Linux and Windows, so a Thinkpad seems a solid option regarding my budget. I really can't afford to spend a whole lot. I will be reading...

Schools I am looking at only require one semester of inorganic for their BS program. Is this enough if one wants to go to grad school down the road?

I am a junior in college studying physics, math, and computer science who has been heavily involved in research, year round, for the past 2 years and have already started taking graduate classes. I feel like before I start a phd program I would really like a year or two off. How do professors...

Hi everyone, I have a master degree in Computer Architecture with my bachelor's in Electronics and Communications engineering. I am starting out to pursue my passion of doing research in Physics (Its about time). However, given my masters background, I know it is kind of tough for my admits...

Hi, I am a 27 year old Physics Masters student and I have completed one year of my Masters degree in theoretical high-energy/cosmology from one of the top universities in Canada. I would like to apply for PhD admission to the top 20 universities in the US for a phd in theoretical...

Hello every body, I am very excited to be now part of your community. Me in a few words : I am french PhD student, working in the field of physical oceanography for 2 years now., more specifically on the wonderful topic of ocean surface waves. I am particularly interested in asking you some...

Hello, I could use some objective feedback on what tier/rank of graduate schools that I should apply to. I am looking to do a PhD in Physics. About me: I have worked in 3 research labs, obtained a 3.0 GPA at a top 30 school, and published a paper. Thank you for the help. :)