Research experience for physics grad school application

[Idan9988]

Hi my name is Idan. I plan to study for a physics Bachelor at Israel, my homeland.
although is way too early I'd like to proceed towards higher education as well, particularly in the US. The problem is that in Israel there is no physics internships and research projects offered for students at their first degree nor after graduation. That's because in order to apply for grad school in Israel the only requirements are the grades and maybe an interview. As far as I understand, research experience plays a key role for increasing the acceptance rate at US grad school. The closest is lab courses but I don't know how relevant is going to be for theoretical physics. What should I do? Any suggestions?

 

[Joshy]

I am in the US so I don't have the same barrier as you, but during one of my internships I met other students who only did... like... programming or data science for a physics application. I think the name of the group they were in or working with is called KIPAC. I just Googled it but my memory is wobbly. Maybe you can find something similar? It might not be perfect but it's something that can be hands on without having to be physically in the same location, and so that might help you with your circumstances if there are little to no opportunities nearby you. Do you think it is possible you can find some type of programming or data science work that is related to your interest?

 

[Idan9988]

I am in the US so I don't have the same barrier as you, but during one of my internships I met other students who only did... like... programming or data science for a physics application. I think the name of the group they were in or working with is called KIPAC. I just Googled it but my memory is wobbly. Maybe you can find something similar? It might not be perfect but it's something that can be hands on without having to be physically in the same location, and so that might help you with your circumstances if there are little to no opportunities nearby you. Do you think it is possible you can find some type of programming or data science work that is related to your interest?

I'll consider it. thanks. do you know about international students who participate in physics internship in the US? if it possible maybe I'll check out for some opportunities during the summer like summer school of some sort. my only concern is that it might be very expensive. what do you think about that?

 

[Joshy]

Gosh I was thinking I haven’t met too many international students during my internships I was in, but now that i’m reflecting it is quite a big list although none I can recall came from Israel. Most of these internships I’m reflecting on though were mostly nanomaterial or material sciences and so I’m not sure if different fields have… erm… I don’t know if to call it requirement or some type of demand for students including international students. It could be a lot more difficult for physics I wouldn’t know.

While I was studying in the UK a huge amount of students including myself were from abroad. The physics department was so incredible there that I participated mostly in physics programs including their physics society although I studied electronics engineering. Maybe if the US is quite a stretch and too strict on internationals it might be worth considering other countries too. I should probably disclose that my time there was just at the beginnings of Brexit discussions wasn’t clear to me how it impacted students all that I knew was the GBP was taking a dive compared to my dollar and I was living like a King out there (just a phrase).

 

[Choppy]

The problem is that in Israel there is no physics internships and research projects offered for students at their first degree nor after graduation.

I was skeptical about this statement. It doesn't really make sense to me that a physics department offering undergraduate degrees in physics would not have any opportunities for undergraduates to get involved in research.

I googled undergraduate physics programs in Israel. The first three hits I got mentioned research opportunities for undergraduates. So I worry that you may be operating off of an assumption and would encourage you to investigate further. (That said I don't personally have any experience with physics programs in Israel.)

Talk to your professors and or your academic advisor about possible opportunities. While there may not be formal "internships," anywhere research is happening there tends to be a need for "labor." It's surprising the opportunities that you can dig up when you start asking around. In my experience, it's not unheard of for professors to be too busy to write up an undergraduate project and actively recruit, but when faced with a keen student interested in their work, they'll put something together and help the student seek funding.

Often one cornerstone of an undergraduate physics degree is a senior thesis project. This counts as research experience in grad school applications.

Other things you can look for are involvement in undergraduate clubs and competitions. Look for robotics teams, or programming teams, those groups where you build solar powered race cars, or even just "maker" spaces where the university provides space, tools and materials for students to work on projects of their own interest.

 

[CrysPhys]

Hi my name is Idan. I plan to study for a physics Bachelor at Israel, my homeland.
although is way too early I'd like to proceed towards higher education as well, particularly in the US. The problem is that in Israel there is no physics internships and research projects offered for students at their first degree nor after graduation. That's because in order to apply for grad school in Israel the only requirements are the grades and maybe an interview. As far as I understand, research experience plays a key role for increasing the acceptance rate at US grad school. The closest is lab courses but I don't know how relevant is going to be for theoretical physics. What should I do? Any suggestions?

Even if there is no formal program at your university, why don't you approach your professors to see whether they can arrange for an informal program? A lot may depend on whether you need to be paid for your work. Also, even if you plan to pursue theoretical physics, you should leave open the opportunity to participate in experimental work, which typically requires a lot of supporting effort that an undergrad can handle and contribute to (sample preparation, setting up and maintaining equipment, taking measurements, ...).

 

[Idan9988]

I was skeptical about this statement. It doesn't really make sense to me that a physics department offering undergraduate degrees in physics would not have any opportunities for undergraduates to get involved in research.

I googled undergraduate physics programs in Israel. The first three hits I got mentioned research opportunities for undergraduates. So I worry that you may be operating off of an assumption and would encourage you to investigate further. (That said I don't personally have any experience with physics programs in Israel.)

Talk to your professors and or your academic advisor about possible opportunities. While there may not be formal "internships," anywhere research is happening there tends to be a need for "labor." It's surprising the opportunities that you can dig up when you start asking around. In my experience, it's not unheard of for professors to be too busy to write up an undergraduate project and actively recruit, but when faced with a keen student interested in their work, they'll put something together and help the student seek funding.

Often one cornerstone of an undergraduate physics degree is a senior thesis project. This counts as research experience in grad school applications.

Other things you can look for are involvement in undergraduate clubs and competitions. Look for robotics teams, or programming teams, those groups where you build solar powered race cars, or even just "maker" spaces where the university provides space, tools and materials for students to work on projects of their own interest.

projects and seminars offered in any physics program but I didn't knew that these are count as research to the degree that US universities would care about. I thought that research is all about exploring stuff that has never been explored before including publications, or at least contributing to it in some extent. It turns out, according to what you wrote, that the definition of research is more flexible. If so, that's really great news.
There are just a few excellence programs in Israel which are research oriented and assign you an advisor in order to do in-depth research and not just relatively shallow projects.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I have several colleagues from, Israel, and all have undergraduate students. If you can't find any opportunities, it's not because they aren't there.