Undergrad Definition and 909 Threads

I'll be starting my final year of college next fall and am looking at going to graduate school for Material Science Engineering. My school doesn't off a Material Science undergrad program, and it was not what I initially wanted to go into when I started school, so I'm currently studying...

Hello I'm new here I'm currently deciding where should I go for undergrad, I got both offers from Waterloo （matratronics), UToronto(engsci) and withdraw from US university because my sat marks didn't reach them in time for consideration. My original goal was to get into top us...

Hello, I apologize if this topic has been beaten to death but I think my situation is a bit unique as I'm a bit of a non-traditional student. I'm 31 and I'm still working towards my degree. I actually made a post on here a couple of years back; one of those "am I too old"? posts. Well, slowly...

Hello everyone, This is my second year as a physics, math double major, and I am an international student (not in the US). For 2012 fall and 2013 spring (or maybe just fall, I don't exactly know the policies, but I know I can do it multiple times), I plan to go to UCB as an exchange student...

For those of you who are currently in, or have finished, grad school, how important would you say it is to attend a school that is MUCH different than your undergrad? I ask this because I've always heard one should attend a school different from your undergrad. But I got into a school that is...

Hi all, I'm a graduating senior next semester and I need to choose my senior project topic by the end of May. The problem is that I have NO idea where to even start looking. Anyone have any ideas? I am interested in number theory, and some differential equations but NOT linear or abstract...

Hi guys, I'm a high school senior, and am currently weighing my options for undergraduate study in electrical/computer engineering. I've received offers of admission from- Georgia Tech University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign (+ James honor program) Carnegie Mellon University of Texas -...

So college admissions decisions week has come and passed, and it left a pool of disappointment. I wasn't admitted to my first five choices, and only got into my safety, Rutgers, and into University of Richmond (a LAC in Richmond, Va). I was, however, waitlisted at BU and NYU. I'm a bit torn...

If you don't want to read all the background stuff, here are my three main questions: 1. For chemical, civil, and mechanical engineering, would attending a lower-ranked state flagship like U Nebraska significantly impact my future opportunities? I want to work in engineering, not finance...

So I've been accepted to a total of 9 schools and I've narrowed my decision down to UMD-college park, UIUC, and Umass Amherst. UMD and UIUC are top rated physics schools with great reputations but on the other hand Umass Amherst is a lot cheaper and i got into there honors program which will...

How much of a publication is based on luck? What details/advice should one be aware of when pursuing a publication? (read a lot of already published papers? spend a lot of time in the lab? etc.) What differentiates the first author from everyone else who made a contribution? What exactly does...

I'm studying for a Theoretical Physics degree in the UK, and I have to decide this year if I should stick with that or switch over to a Joint Degree in Maths/Physics. So far, in Maths, I've done calculus up to multivariable and vector calculus, linear algebra, intro do real analysis, intro to...

I'm an international student who has been in the US for a long time. I go to a state college that excels in engineering, but it's mainly focused on industry. My major is chem e, and I'm still trying to decide between industry and grad school. My gut tells me I'm a better fit for grad school, but...

I see more and more that any professor or REU program wants one of three skills: programming (which I am in the process of obtaining), fabrication/machining/welding(which I know very well), or electronics knowledge, the latter which I do not have and have no idea even where to start. I know...

Hello. I'd like to be thoroughly prepared for academic work before I return to college. From what I understand, a thorough preparation in algebra, geometry, and trigonometry is required to perform well in Physics or Engineering; I bought an algebra and trigonometry textbook by a person named...

Advise --choosing final year undergrad courses I need to pick my module choices for my 3rd and final year, and I am stuck on the final few modules I should choose. For my final year, I already plan to do courses in complex analysis, functional analysis, stochastic processes, and advanced...

I was notified that these are all the proof-based pure math classes offered at my university for the undergrad pure math degree: Linear Algebra Advanced Calculus Foundations of Geometry Elementary Number Theory Complex Analysis Abstract Algebra Since the essence of pure math is...

Hello everyone, I was wondering if anyone with more experience than I could give some advice about choosing a topic for my undergrad thesis. I'm currently a Junior in an Applied Math program, and I am interested in going to graduate school for a Ph.D after I complete my undergrad. I am aware...

Not sure if this is the right forum but i'll ask here anyway. I'm a student going into a mathematics program in the fall but I'm wondering if i can still do a hobby. But here's the thing. To understand math, i literallly have to do all the homework my teacher assigns each class. This is roughly...

Hello there, I'm currently an undergrad working towards a B.S. in Mathematics. I'm not too far along; I've completed the Calculus sequence and a couple classes after that. I'm currently in the equivalent of an "Intro to Proofs" class, required by my school. I work full-time, so during...

I thought I knew how to solve this, but I'm stuck a block slides down an incline. As it moves from point A to point B, which are 5.0 m apart, a force F acts on the block, with magnitude 2.4 N and directed down the incline. The magnitude of the frictional force acting on the block is 10 N. If...

Hi guys, This summer I am looking to get involved in research at my university. I am eager to go and meet with a professor to see if I can hold a position for him, but I am very intimidated and I sometimes feel like I don't know enough to contribute to a research team. I have been told...

I'm a freshman chemE major, and I want to begin researching as soon as possible. I am only in introductory chemistry and physics classes (quantitative and E&M), but I've heard that one can learn a lot in the lab regardless of what he or she is learning in the classroom. What is the first...

If you aren't sure what a co-op program is, it's a program where you go to a university to take classes and to work for a company while you complete your undergraduate work. I am thinking of going to Kettering University which, (according to their website) is one of the more premier...

Hello, I am an undergraduate student looking to get into research. My school offers many opportunities for undergraduate research, however I do not know which field to go into. I've been told I can get into virtually whatever I want to, however my goal is to get a paper published to...

So, it's getting to be deadline time for college admissions. I'm an aerospace engineering major, and I'm wanting to transfer to an engineering school in Texas; and yes, I know I've made several topics already, but I'd like PF's opinion on this. The problem I'm facing is which one to apply for...

Hi there, I'm Rafid and I'm a highshool student from Bangladesh. I would like to pursue a physics major in my bachelors studies. I have searched some universities in Sweden, all of which are great, but the language of instruction for all of them is Swedish. Are there any good universities...

Hello, I am an undergrad planning on transferring to UW-Madison for nuclear engineering and will also likely pick up a secondary major in physics. The physics major is more of a safety, because I don't know what I am really interested in at this point... Having both leaves options open...

Hi everyone. I'm in my last semester of my BSEE degree. I want to get a decent job when I graduate in May. On paper I have a lot of things going for me, but my head is a total mess right now when I start thinking about it. I'm really scared I won't find anything, or if I do, something I...

I'm nearing the end of high school and am looking for a college/university for my undergraduate studies. I am planning to major in Mathematics with a concentraion in secondary education. I only have two schools on my list to consider/apply, they are EIU and UIC (because good teachers I know...

I am almost done with applying to graduate schools in mathematics. My new question now is whether to apply my undergraduate institution's graduate program. First of all, all the professors that I have talked to told me that I should go somewhere else for graduate school. And I strongly agree...

Hello! I will soon be starting my final semester in my undergrad career, studying Aerospace Engineering with a focus on air-breathing propulsion. I would highly like to pursue a career in the propulsion field (as well as find a place that will pay for masters), so I'm looking to make myself as...

I can graduate a semester early or stay and take some grad classes. In the later scenario I want to transfer them to a PHD program (in statistics). However some PHD programs say transfer credits must be taken with graduate status; or they don't accept transfer credits period. In that case...

As a student, I constantly think about the program I'm in. I'm an undergrad right now attending a school that's, while private and well funded, not much in rank. It is big, though. I'm also enrolled in a pretty competitive liberal arts college. I'm actually matric there, but not...

Hi everyone, I finally saved up enough to not have to work this semester, so I'm looking to try to get involved in undergrad research, and have a few questions: How do you get started in it? Do you have to apply through the school or do you just keep asking professors until you find one...

Hello there, Physics forum. I'm in second year of Mechanical Engineering undergrad and I would like to do research. I have been offered a position in Robotics lab, but I am not sure if I should accept. Thing is: there are two fields I'm interested right now: Robotics and Thermophysics...

I'm in the process of getting my application to grad school completed and have a number of "5000" level classes that I'm not exactly sure how to classify on my my applications. Is it appropriate/acceptable to list ALL of them as "graduate" classes that I've taken as an undergraduate...even...

Hello. I am currently a physics major attending a university where there is no true engineering degree. I was wondering if one who is pursuing a degree in physics would even have a chance of getting into a program involved with chemical engineering. To me, it seems the further along, physics and...

Are there any brick and mortar universities offering a bachelor's degree in math or statistics? I am interested in one with a decent program of study. Preferably the best one out there.

Hi, I'm a grade 12 student at a Canadian High School, and I am interested in pursuing a career in theoretical physics (research/prof). I'm just not sure how to go about it. The problem is that the teachers/faculty at my school are useless, and university websites aren't really informative...

Can you guys suggest me some universities/colleges (preferably in the US) that have great physics undergrad programs. By great I mean places where there is a lot of faculty-student interaction, small class size, rigorous curriculum and some undergrad research opportunities. In short, places...

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...

if i were to get my BS in mechanical engineering, would that make it difficult for me to go to grad school for aerospace engineering? obviously it would be preferable to major in aerospace but since there arent too many schools offering the major and even fewer allowing transfers (im in junior...

Since I got credit in calc I and II before going to college (along with getting many of my geneds out of the way), I'm going to have a lot of room for extra math courses. What's required by my college's physics program is Calc I, II, III Diff eq Applied Linear Algebra After, that I'm...

Does anyone know of a good undergrad textbook for Thermal Physics. We are using Thermal Physics by Kittel & Kroemer in my class, but for me it doesn't have enough problems to practice. Does anyone know of any other textbook that covers the same material with more practice problems? Any help...

Hello, I am currently half way through my forth year of undergraduate electrical engineering at the University of Waterloo (Canada) and am considering going to graduate school for control engineering. Unfortunately, mostly due to poor work ethic on my part, my GPA is only about 3.3/4.0...

Hello, As mentioned in my title, I am currrently a freshman studying Chemical Engineering. I chose chemical engineering because I am a thinker, someone who wishes to attempt to solve some of the world's most critical problems through the use of my acquired knowledge in engineering and...

As an undergrad involved in physics research, what all can you really do? I can think of three things: -Programming -Experimental measurement -Building things in the machine shop What else should be added to this list, and what other useful skills are there to have as an undergrad for...

Dear Sirs, I would like to ask you one question. Reply greatly appreciated. Do you know how many (European) ECTS credits does an undergraduate education in physics, in US entail?? or maybe you have some documents regarding this? thanks for attention.

I have been on the fence between computer science, chemistry, and physics as my planned area of study for quite some time now. I am fairly certain I am ready to narrow it down to physics, but now I'm wondering how I'm doing in terms of the likelihood I can get into top-notch school such as...