- #1
FocusOnTruth
- 11
- 0
Hello, I'm a freshman physics and math double major, and would like to eventually be a theoretical physicist, though, of course, it is still early so my career ambitions may change. At this point many of my goals are rooted more so in what seems appealing to me than in practical considerations. As may be inferred, I've many uncertainties as to what may be pragmatic or at least realistic regarding my ambitions. Here, I will try to elucidate by giving some of my personal history and future goals. I hope I'm able to provide an accurate enough picture to acquire the most useful feedback possible. If anymore details are necessary, I'll do my best to provide them upon request.
If any of the following seems a bit incoherent, I apologize. I find myself constantly readjusting my personal narrative.
My history:
As a young child, I was very interested about natural phenomena and mathematics and quickly developed skills in math and science. As I went through school, I became more concerned with my inability to fit in and consequently lost interest in pursuing knowledge. In response, I averted my attention to mindless activities such as internet and television to nullify negative thoughts. Over my 1st through 11th grade career I averaged at least eight hours per day on such brainless activities and ran on very little sleep. Scholarly endeavors didn't really become much a priority until senior year of high school. Since I had never read a book and was told by a previous teacher that my writing was barely at a 5th grade level, I made learning to read and write the main focus of that year, but also took the liberty to take my first advanced courses in math and sciences. Due to this big jump, my initial performance was very poor, but I've made good progress. I finished my final semester with a B average and managed to get into a good college on a contingency contract. I originally didn't have the mental endurance to study more than an hour or so per day, but I am currently studying about nine hours per day, seven days per week.
As of now, I would say that my math and physics background is next to none, as senior year was such a large jump that it was much more about learning how to handle challenges and break my bad habits than an environment in which I could comfortably learn foundational material.
I am enrolled in precalculus and conceptual physics this semester and am taking Calc I and my first calculus based physics course next semester. Since my skills are far behind, I 've only taken 14 hours this semester and 13 next semester, so that I may have time to independently study and develop fundamental skills and a decent knowledge base before taking on a more rigorous course load. I devote the vast majority of my free time to independently studying math and physics.
Tentative future plans:
I would like to get into a top tier graduate school, such as MIT, CalTech, etc.
I would like to be a theoretical physicist.
I am least certain about the practicality of this one, but I think it would be interesting acquiring Ph.Ds in both physics and mathematics.
What steps should I take to ensure that I'm ready to meet these challenges?
Thank you to all those who help. It is appreciated verily.
If any of the following seems a bit incoherent, I apologize. I find myself constantly readjusting my personal narrative.
My history:
As a young child, I was very interested about natural phenomena and mathematics and quickly developed skills in math and science. As I went through school, I became more concerned with my inability to fit in and consequently lost interest in pursuing knowledge. In response, I averted my attention to mindless activities such as internet and television to nullify negative thoughts. Over my 1st through 11th grade career I averaged at least eight hours per day on such brainless activities and ran on very little sleep. Scholarly endeavors didn't really become much a priority until senior year of high school. Since I had never read a book and was told by a previous teacher that my writing was barely at a 5th grade level, I made learning to read and write the main focus of that year, but also took the liberty to take my first advanced courses in math and sciences. Due to this big jump, my initial performance was very poor, but I've made good progress. I finished my final semester with a B average and managed to get into a good college on a contingency contract. I originally didn't have the mental endurance to study more than an hour or so per day, but I am currently studying about nine hours per day, seven days per week.
As of now, I would say that my math and physics background is next to none, as senior year was such a large jump that it was much more about learning how to handle challenges and break my bad habits than an environment in which I could comfortably learn foundational material.
I am enrolled in precalculus and conceptual physics this semester and am taking Calc I and my first calculus based physics course next semester. Since my skills are far behind, I 've only taken 14 hours this semester and 13 next semester, so that I may have time to independently study and develop fundamental skills and a decent knowledge base before taking on a more rigorous course load. I devote the vast majority of my free time to independently studying math and physics.
Tentative future plans:
I would like to get into a top tier graduate school, such as MIT, CalTech, etc.
I would like to be a theoretical physicist.
I am least certain about the practicality of this one, but I think it would be interesting acquiring Ph.Ds in both physics and mathematics.
What steps should I take to ensure that I'm ready to meet these challenges?
Thank you to all those who help. It is appreciated verily.