- #1
mt42
- 9
- 3
Hi everyone,
I believe this is the right board for this question, but feel free to move the thread if it's not.
How do I go about choosing what to study for the qual? This is something that's been on my mind for a while, and now my advisor wants me to send him some ideas for the next few weeks. To clarify because I know the system is different at different schools, I basically have to conduct some research over the summer, write a paper, and present for a committee.
Anyway, the idea of choosing a topic is giving me some anxiety because it's my first real leap from put-your-head-down-and-do-this to choosing my own research path (which I know is an important skill!).
As of now, especially because of the quarantine, I am doing as much reading as possible. However, I don't really have anything that comes to mind for a qual topic since I still feel so un-knowledgeable about condensed matter physics (for what it's worth, my group focuses on thin films, especially transition metal oxides). My reading has led me to take an interest in frustrated systems and topological systems, but I know these are still quite broad topics.
So I guess my question could be restated as: how do I explore a subject with an eye for producing my own research?
I believe this is the right board for this question, but feel free to move the thread if it's not.
How do I go about choosing what to study for the qual? This is something that's been on my mind for a while, and now my advisor wants me to send him some ideas for the next few weeks. To clarify because I know the system is different at different schools, I basically have to conduct some research over the summer, write a paper, and present for a committee.
Anyway, the idea of choosing a topic is giving me some anxiety because it's my first real leap from put-your-head-down-and-do-this to choosing my own research path (which I know is an important skill!).
As of now, especially because of the quarantine, I am doing as much reading as possible. However, I don't really have anything that comes to mind for a qual topic since I still feel so un-knowledgeable about condensed matter physics (for what it's worth, my group focuses on thin films, especially transition metal oxides). My reading has led me to take an interest in frustrated systems and topological systems, but I know these are still quite broad topics.
So I guess my question could be restated as: how do I explore a subject with an eye for producing my own research?