Undergrad Definition and 909 Threads

I want to go to grad school for theoretical physics and I've heard that it's very important to know partial differential equations for theoretical physics. But unfortunately my school doesn't have a course on PDE's. How big of a deal is this? Will I be able to pick it up easily in grad school?

So I will graduate in a few weeks with a B.Sc. in physics and I will begin my phD studies in the fall in mechanical engineering. Paticularly, my research will be in materials. Can anyone shed some light on this transition? I understand that there will be loads of work and some makeup classes...

As it goes in the topic, anyone knows if pursuing physics at WPI is suitable for someone looking to continue on to graduate school immediately after college? Are there any specific strengths in the program that I should look out for? I was thinking that undergraduate research opportunities will...

I go to Queensborough Community College(CUNY), and I plan on transferring to Queens College(CUNY). There are no physics course equivalents between QCC and QC, so I'm not sure what to do. The courses at QCC for Calculus 1-3, linear algebra, discrete mathematics, and differential equations...

Hi, right now I am a High School Student heading to college next year. Because I didn't apply to as many schools as I would have liked to, I only have the options of going to Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Boston University, or UMass Amherst, though I am seriously considering transferring to a...

At this point in my physics career, I'm halfway done with the basic, foundational courses and the caluculus sequence. This is the end of my sophomore year and I've done well in classes so far and I have a high GPA, but I know one doesn't become a stand-out physicists just by going to class and...

I am a high school senior, and I have been accepted into MIT and the University of Rochester for undergrad. I plan to double major in physics and math, and go on to graduate school in one of these fields. I have 2 questions that I would like to ask here: 1) If I go to the University of...

At my school there are 2 basic undergrad plans of study in the physics department - regular physics and honors physics. The main difference is that the honors program is more difficult and each of the E&M, Classical Mechanics, and Quantum Mechanics are covered in 2 semesters. When I first...

Hello everyone, I was wondering if you all could shed some light on a problem I have been having regarding some life decisions. My main dilemma is that I am in my second year of college and am as of now an Aero Major, I have taken some majors courses and I really enjoy Aero. But I am starting...

Just wondering if it people would ever go so far as NOT doing undergraduate at a school doing research they're interested in because they would want to attend grad school there

Yeah, me again, this site has been so much help, so forgive me for always finding ways to come up with a new topic :) Anyway, I was wondering what one's opportunities of earning money while doing an undergraduate Physics degree are? And how much could one reasonably expect to earn in the...

I'm interested in genetic engineering. I'm not entirely certain what major that falls under. I'm looking at molecular genetics now, but I'm not positive that's the right one. Most colleges offer a genetics program, is that the same thing? I'm currently looking for 4-year undergraduate colleges...

I just started the 3rd year of a "licenciatura" which lasts 5 years. The first 2 years covered the basics of physics (except optics), numerical analysis, linear algebra, the calculus sequence (up to vector calculus) and complex analysis. We're still around 20 or 30 people in the class, while...

hi, I'm currently a junior in a very competitive public hs in MA. i want to pursue a degree in physics and eventually a PhD in physics or astronautical engineering (MIT hopefully!) i wasn't a stellar student in HS mostly because i didn't care my freshman year and i had some personal issues...

Hi all! This is my first post. I'm currently in the third year of an arts program. For a while now I've been dissatisfied with the way my education and career have been heading, and I'm realizing that I'm much better suited to the natural sciences. Specifically, I've been teaching myself basic...

My dream is to be successful as a researcher in some area of physics that I haven't decided on yet (I am going to start my Freshman year at the University of Arizona in September, so I don't have the experience to know which area I will find most enjoyable or find the most meaning in). I am...

At what point in your undergrad should you start applying for research programs and talking to your professor's about research opportunities? Right at the beginning of your freshman year? After your first semester? Beginning of sophmore year...?

Here's a little back story, I am currently 21 yrs old and in the US Military, Army to be exact. I will be released from my contract in or round July 2011 and my goal is to enroll at my state university (University of Massachusetts). What I am trying to figure out is, what exactly would be...

I'll look at faculty bio's and notice that not many have done their Grad work at the same University as their Undergrad. Why is this?

I have a bachelors in biochemistry and am currently working as a research technician, doing wet lab work. As of late, I have become more interested in the field of computer science. I would especially like to go into a field that is the mix of biochem and compsci (bioinformatics/computational...

messed up my undergrad, and my chance of?? i'm about to get my BSEE. my gpa as an undergrad is quite low. i was once lazy and unmotivated, but i became a different student in my 3rd and 4th years, and now i am confident of my ability to be successful in grad school. obviously, there is still a...

Okay, this is is going to be a long and hard decision and I really need some advice. Particularly if you have gone to either of these schools for a while, in physics, I'd love it if you could give me some inside information. NOTE: This is long, so if you want to skip the bulk and just throw in...

Basically my question is, next semester I'll be a senior & don't have any undergraduate research, & I'm wondering if I should do research even if I'm not interested in the subject. At the college I go to, they are doing some mathematical research in string theory, & I never particularly cared...

Can grad students take "fun" undergrad courses? Hi, is there any general policy on what undergraduate courses Physics grad students can take? I'm a physics undergrad, but I like mathematics quite a bit and there are a lot of math courses I know I won't be able to take before I graduate. So...

Hello, I am doing my undergraduate in the dept of 'mechanical design of intelligent systems' in Japan. During the fourth year we don't have any lectures and just work on research and our thesis. My field of research for the whole year will be molecular dynamics. Although this field uses...

I'm a 25 year old undergrad, who has just returned to academia after a summer job as an iron worker - which is also the source of my screen name. Now at a community college, I've gotten myself into a "pre-engineering" program which would get me an AA and acceptance into any of Florida's...

Hi, I have done my Under Grad in Electronics Engg from India and my Master's in Telecommunications from US. I wanted to know how difficult will it be for me to get into a Doctorate course in Physics especially Astrophysics? I am working right now and want to pursue this solely for personal...

Hi, I am currently a junior in High school, and am just beginning the long trek of college searching, and am looking for input from all places I can find. I love physics and hope to start a long career in it, and am wondering what the best schools are for physics? If anyone knows any good...

This may have been better to ask before I finished my grad school applications, but I think it will still be useful.. As an undergrad all my research experience has been theoretical/computational related to applied physics,materials, energy..., but in my applications I indicated reasons for...

I think the title pretty much sums up my question. I would like to get into the most prestigious grad school that I can (particularly MIT) but am worried that my choice in undergrad school might not be prestigious enough to get into a higher profile school. Do the ivy league(rs) really just...

I received a crappy undergraduate education and now will be receiving a BA rather than a BS in physics. This was the result of a combination of my laziness over the last two years and the lack of support and complete apathy concerning my academic and career ambitions in physics I received from...

Hi all. I'm an undergrad student of EE with specialization in Telecommunications and I need guidance for doing undergrad research? Here are my questions: 1- What are most important ingredients to carry out a good undergrad research? 2- How can I publish an undergrad research thesis/paper...

I'm sure similar things have been asked before, but this is a little different (I think). (I don't want to go into academia, and I don't think I'm going to go for a PhD. I think I'm going to try to get a master's in some sort of applied math and work in industry.) How competitive are math...

Hiya, I'm currently applying to Canadian universities for an undergrad degree in Mathematics (Combined with Computer Science somehow). My first choice would be University of Toronto, but that costs beyond what I am able and willing to pay for an undergraduate degree as an international...

Hi, I'm a physics and math major looking to do a senior project in math. My advisor (an algebraist) suggested suggested I do something Lie algebras since he said they have plenty of applications in modern physics. What are some of those applications? (outside of particle physics and string...

Hi guys. I'm convinced on studying physics in Canada. What schools provide the best Undergrad courses (and experience)? Should i look at only the Big Boys (UofT, McGill, Western), or am i better off studying at a not-so-large Guelph or Carleton? How're the learning environments in each? Does...

Hey, I was wondering if anyone on this forum has gone to Illinois Tech for Physics, or has visited there. How's the physics program there?

Hey all, I'm a graduating high school student looking to get into a physics program in university. I'm expecting an average of about 95% this year. Math, physics, and computer courses are not a problem for me. I have a great passion for physics especially astronomy/astrophysics. The schools I'm...

I'm currently a sophomore with a major in math/cs (single major, not a double major) and I have a plan of what I'm taking for the rest of my time here apart from my degree. I ran it by the general adviser guy and he said it was good, but we really didn't discuss the pros and cons of it, more...

Does a B.A. vs. B.S. strongly impact your ability to get a masters degree? Especially if it is in an unconnected area? E.g. Physics to C.S./Engineering?

Hello, Im struggling with a pretty horrendous lecturer for this 2nd year course, so am trying to learn a lot of it myself with a decent textbook. I am getting pretty scared for the exam in summer. We have been reccomended Jewett & Serway, but its kinda just a general physics, and doesn't seem...

Hello, I'm currently a junior in high school looking for the best undergrad physics program based off of my grades. Just to give you an idea: GPA: Unweighted: 3.3-3.5 Weighted:Not sure Extracurriculars: Did some research with Physics teacher, and some research with Math teacher...

I am going to graduate soon and am getting my applications ready for graduate school. I know I do not want to continue in pure physics. I want something more "hands on." I also want something in a cutting edge field. I've always liked the idea of nuclear engineering and did well in EM...

The title pretty much says it all. I'm planning on going into astrophysics, and I'm a bit concerned about the costs of studying out of state, not to mention that one of our state universities just opened up an undergraduate physics and astrophysics program. So, will it really make that much...

Hi, I'm a third year undergrad at Oxford, and I really want to find a physics based summer placement, where I can do some research, and possibly attend a lecture course (although research is my main aim). I was lucky enough to spend 7 weeks in the Oxford Astro department last summer, doing a...

I am currently a junior in the chemical engineering program at my school and have now started debating possible paths I can take after I graduate. What I'm interested in are what type of possibilities are out there for engineers who choose to Master in Physics and not in their respective...

Hi guys, right now I am a math major interested in becoming an engineer. I thought about transferring into another school because my school does not offer an engineering degree. But then since I am a sophomore right now I do not think I can graduate on time if I do. So I thought maybe I...

Hey everyone. I'm new to this forum, and I apologize for the lengthy question. I would really appreciate it if anyone could take the time to read through and respond. I've been reading a lot of these posts on here, trying to figure out where to go with my studies, but none specifically address...

Hey all Currently i am in my sophomore year at University A. University B is also close by and has a better reputation for my major. I have been thinking about transferring to University B to finish out my undergrad but University B is one of the schools i have been considering for grad school...

I was thinking about this earlier today: The last 10 years or so has seen a steady increase in undergraduate research activity and the prevalence of undergraduates contributing to published research articles. I think inevitably this will lead to publications being required, at least informally...