What is Grad: Definition and 1000 Discussions

When applying to grad school, a rule of thumb is to apply to "safety schools". I am wondering does that mean these schools we apply to may not have our desired programs? I live in Canada and I am interested in mainly differential geometry for grad studies, but there aren't many grad programs...

In may I graduated with a Bachelors in EE. I have been working at my current job since then as an electrical engineer. I work for a smaller company and don't find the work i am doing interesting. Also from conversations with my friends who also graduated with me i think I would be happier at a...

So, a few months ago I withdrew from my graduate program. The reason was due to a medical diagnosis which was no less than life changing. In my withdrawal I had the support of all my professors and even the secretary. In fact, they felt it would be for my benefit to do something else. In the...

I will be taking linear algebra and number theory during the coming fall semester. I was also hoping to take a graduate level course in topology or analysis as well but because of time conflicts I cannot register for the class. My school does offer courses in set theory and logic and these are...

For personal reasons beyond my control I have not been able to do as much studying at home as I needed, and I totally burned out. I finished honors quantum I with an A and honors e&m I with a B+ last semester. But I had to drop the second quantum and second e&m very early in this semester...

Hi, I am currently studying vector calculus, and to try and understand it I have created a question for myself, and it would be greatly appreciated if someone could verify that I have answered my question correctly, and I have done everything right. Okay here it is; Point Q in the room is a...

So I am debating between declaring an EE or physics major (im a sophomore at a university). Seems like a lot of people come to this crossroads. Honestly, the only reason i would do EE is for the better chances of employment after i get my BS. Now i am having to take out a small school loan to...

I graduated last year with my MSc in Physics from Imperial, and I'm presently undergoing a teacher training course, to teach high school physics. I loved studying physics, and especially doing research, so would like to keep in touch with it for personal interest while teaching/future work. I...

I'm considering doing a philosophy physics double major at the expense of taking a few upper division physics electives or math/engineering classes like Plasma Physics, Nuclear and Particle Physics, Intro to Solid State Physics, fluid mechanics, statistics, etc. Will this hurt my chances of...

Has anyone here heard of such a thing as being immediately rejected from a grad school just because admissions didn't receive all the letters of recommendation? This just happened to me. They didn't even notify me; prior to this they lost my unofficial transcript, but they actually did notify me...

As an undergraduate, I have a choice between working under two different professors in the Physics department at the university that I am enrolled in. One is theoretical, so my work would be in helping derive equations, and the other has a lab (not a super high-tech one, but a lab nonetheless)...

Hey guys, I'm currently a physics major and graduating in a year, so I'm starting to apply for grad schools. I have a 3.4 GPA from Ga Tech and a certificate in astrophysics. I've done some optical research and done 1.5 years as an intern for the DoD. Do you guys have any advice for good...

I'm a physics major who's interested in geophysics. I'm planning to go to graduate school for either physics or geophysics, but I seem to be leaning more towards physics. I've got a year or so to figure this out so I've been talking to professors, one of which is a physics PhD in the geology...

Author: Serge Lang Title: Algebra Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/038795385X/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Prerequisities: Good knowledge of undergrad Algebra Level: Grad Table of Contents: The Basic Objects of Algebra Groups Monoids Groups Normal subgroups Cyclic groups Operations...

How difficult would this be? I'm planning on taking all of the related classes for my upper-division electives (Nuclear Physics, Particle Physics, etc) but I want to make sure that this is possible before I completely commit to it. Also, for those who are in / done with grad school: is it...

Consulting Career for New Grad?? Hello, I just graduated 2 months ago in Chemical engineering and I am trying to find a job. During my job search it appears that the overwhelming majority of engineering positions are with consulting firms. I have been pretty hesitant about applying to them...

Hi all, I'm studying Maths and Physics at a University in Europe and I have a few questions regarding going to Grad school in the U.S. and I would be ever so appreciative if you all could shed some light on these. Thanks! 1: The GRE I know that I must take the PGRE sometime in early 4th...

Hi I am currently studying at university of melbourne (Australia) major in mathematical physics and I just finished my second year. I plan to continue my graduate study in physics in US because i think the reputation of universities there are better. According to what i read from Caltech...

The importance of the title "Mathematical Physics" vs. "Physics" for grad school/jobs I've got another quick question for anyone that cares and knows how to help. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm a third year physics student, currently enrolled in the "regular", straight-up physics stream...

I'm a high school student who will be graduating this spring and I'm applying to the various Math REU's that accept pre-freshman undergrads. I'm confused about the essays and statements of intent. What exactly are they looking for in this component of the application? What constitutes a good...

How do you go about actually narrowing down potential advisers from different schools? What are some tips for visitations that will help with this decision? How does one compare the prestige of different advisers? Counting publications seems silly and asking around your undergrad department...

Hi, I worked for a professor as a visiting student at XYZ university this spring on a research project. He delegated the supervision to one of his assistants who didn't really seem to care about the project. I should have worked with more focus instead of simply doing what he wanted me to...

I am a rising senior in a well regarded Pittsburgh area public school. When I enter college next year I will be majoring in Physics with a minor (possible double major) in Computer Science. I would like to eventually be involved in research at a major institution and plan to get my PhD in...

I recently joined this forum because I wanted to provide a "physics grad student perspective" which I often felt was missing. (This is only possible because I have a little extra time lately; I will soon evaporate back into my research, but while I am here...) American students are not used...

Hello, I'm highly interested in going into grad school as a biophysics student, however in my country (Costa Rica) there isn't a undergraduate program for biophysics, so I'm entering physics program next year. I'm also planning to get into biology program later, but I'm not sure what to do...

I did pretty bad in undergrad EM and remember nothing. However, my advisor says that since I'm doing well in my mathematical physics class, and if I get an A, I should directly take the grad EM course to not waste time. However, he acknowledges that I had difficulties with EM in the past, so...

Hi, all. I’m applying to master’s programs in a technical discipline. For about three and 1/2 semesters in college I was severely clinically depressed. And, as I got to learn first-hand, being severely depressed is pretty debilitating, so for three semesters I got B+s, Bs and B-s. My question...

The grapevine has it that the upper-level lab courses are garbage at my school - both the professors and what you learn. The non-lab coursework is pretty solid though. Can I skip the labs and just do the core physics courses if i am planning on doing astronomy/astrophysics for grad school? or...

Hey all! I'm a little lost as to what I should get done in my last three semesters of college. I do plan on going to grad school and will take the GRE next spring, but I currently have no idea as to what else I should be getting done to prepare. I have passing interest in materials science and...

I've been trying to search for some sort of list of top schools for graduate study in control theory. While there are rankings available for electrical engineering in general, I'm having a hard time finding rankings for specific specializations. So far I've heard Carnegie Mellon, Stanford...

What do you think about a major such as bioinformatics versus a major in physics and minor in mathematics or a major in 'cell biology& neuroscience' w/ minor in computer science in terms of preparing me for computational neuroscience -- taking in mind that I've completed courses such as linear...

I'm currently a returning undergrad studying Physics at Penn State but I'm thinking about transferring to a smaller state school (Kutztown). I still have to take 2 years of my major classes to finish. My reason for transferring is to save money. Will graduating from a smaller/less known school...

Hello, If there is such a thread, then please guide me to it. I am seriously debating applying, or starting to get ready for applying to graduate school in physics. I am not very happy with my current career field and after doing much soul-searching, I believe this is what I want. I know...

I need to write a statement of objectives for a grad school application. Here are the instructions online: So where to start: Does this mean: write a sensibly structured statement in coherent English? What is that even supposed to mean? I'm applying to a very broad program...

is nuclear physics or plasma physics a better grad concentration for current/future fusion research? thx

Hey everyone, I am really nervous about my PGRE score. I scored in the bottom 5%. I am in the National Guard and so I am stuck staying in Texas. I wanted to apply to the condensed matter programs at Texas A&M, UT Austin, and Rice. I attend a state school up in Wisconsin right now. Here are my...

I attend university in Hong Kong, where (prior to this year's change to a 4-year program) a typical bachelor degree consists of 3 years of study. I am currently in my 3rd year. However, I am strongly considering deferring my graduation and extending my university studies another year, ie...

Hey all, I am a senior at a University here in california. I have 3 semesters left after this before i graduate. (5 year plan..) I am going to be getting a B.s Degree in "Professional physics: advanced study option". Basically they physics required for those intending on going to Grad school...

A little about me: I graduated with dual degrees in Psychology and English about two years ago. Since then, I haven't had a professional job which pays a good wage and have even had employers tell me that I need a stronger math proficiency. I heard that engineering and math/based fields are...

I'm currently studying for the PGRE. I'm doing miserable. After 3 years of physics courses, this is completely discouraging. Just completely. I don't know half this material, and I've done very well in almost all of my physics courses (except EM...). I'm starting to panic. I don't think...

I chose physics knowing that I probably will not go to graduate school for pure physics. I'm interested in interdisciplinary research whether that is in EE, biophysics, or Earth science, etc I do not yet know (though I'm leaning geophysics). I switched from engineering to physics because I like...

There a quite a few threads out there about the big name theory schools but very little info on the rest of the top 25. Suppose I want to study formal theory (say, string theory) and am aiming for Harvard, Princeton, Caltech, etc, what should my backups be? More helpful than a list (though...

Homework Statement Consider the 1D potential V(x) such that V(x)=0 for x<0 and V(x) = V for x>0 and assume that a wave packet with energy E0=p20/2m<V is incident on the barrier from the left. Calculate in terms of E0 and V the difference in time between the arrival of the incident packet at...

Homework Statement consider the position vector expressed in terms of its cartesian components, r=xiei. Let w=wjej be a fixed vector whose components wj are constants that do not depend on the xi, so that δwj/δxi = 0 Homework Equations I am trying to evaluate ∇((wXr)^2) The...

Hi, all. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physics last spring from a top ten U.S. school and I’m currently looking into graduate programs. My goal is to have a career in an industry that satisfies these criteria 1. Produces practical, socially beneficial results 2. Involves at least...

I've seen this letter circulating some astrophys blogs recently. Maybe some of you have seen it as well. http://jjcharfman.tumblr.com/post/33151387354/a-motivational-correspondance Essentially, a R1 astrophys department tells its grad students that working less than 60 hours per week is...

Do some physics grad schools offer tutoring for the graduate classes?

(Put in a lot of context, and post is long now. Question and TL;DR are at the bottom!) Recently finished my PhD in Physics: X-ray spectroscopy of transition-metal crystals, a lot of soft X-ray synchrotron and solid state science, vacuum science etc. I knew after a few months of starting the...

Hi, Over the past year, I've started finding the field of neuroscience very interesting. Can anyone recommend any books for a complete newbie on the field? And just out of curiosity, what graduate schools have good neuroscience/neurophysics programs?

Hi I am a freshmen at university and I would love some advice on looking more attractive to graduate schools. (i have looked around on the forums and talked to professors individually about it, but I figured the more opinions the better) I have been studying really hard and making A's on...