Safety School Programs for a Physics PhD

[Azerack]

Hi, this is my first time using the Physics Forums so please let me know if this question belongs somewhere else.

I'm a senior undergraduate at a mid-size institution in the United States seeking to purse a PhD in High Energy Theoretical physics or Quantum Information/Computing. I'm aware these are quite different fields but my interests have not narrowed to one or another just yet.

I have a list of 15-20 programs which I plan to apply to but they are all very well renowned and I am not sure that I can get into any of them. I don't quite know how to tell if a school is a safety/target/reach for me so I would appreciate some general guidance as to how I could find safety schools.

Application Context:

- Classes/GPA: I am a double major in Theoretical Physics (3.8 GPA) and Mathematics (3.75 GPA), with an all around GPA of 3.85. The graduate courses I have completed are the sequence of quantum mechanics (1&2), quantum field theory, and am currently taking a quantum materials class. I have also done a few independent studies, mostly in the math department. I have an A in every upper level physics/math class except for an A- in the first semester of grad QM, a B+ in E&M, and a B in ODEs. I hope that my B's having been in my freshman/sophomore year (during online school) might count a little bit less than they otherwise would.

- Research: I co-authored a paper--in computational/systems biology, not physics--that is now published in Nature Communications. I wrote an undergraduate thesis this summer in the field of high energy theory, and am currently working in a lab at my school on a project related to quantum computing--also theoretical.

- Recommendation Letters: I have a recommendation letter from the math professor with whom I did a number of independent studies with and knows me quite well, a post-doc with whom I co-authored the aforementioned paper, and a physics professor outside my institution who supervised my thesis this summer in an REU project.

- GRE (General/Physics): I am signed up for the Physics GRE on October 29 but have not studied a lot for it yet. My only practice score was not great however I will likely study a lot for it. I am not signed up for a General GRE although I've recently heard this might even be more important? How much do these scores really matter? I saw about 40% of schools didn't even take the GRE and with a few exceptions, most others said that they only recommended submission of these scores if GPA was low or there existed other extenuating circumstances. Am I correct in my assessment that this score is much less relevant than say, SAT score was for undergraduate admissions? I also saw some caveats in a few FAQ admission pages saying theoretical students were advised to submit a GRE physics score. How important is this?

I was quite descriptive here but let me know if there's anything I'm missing that would be relevant for advising me. I am just hoping to get some input on what schools/programs in my fields of interest I should be considering as "safety" or on the edge of "safety/target". Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and I hope I can get some input :)

 

[Choppy]

I have a list of 15-20 programs which I plan to apply to

That's a lot of programs to apply to.

I know there's a certain wisdom to covering your bases and applying to as many programs as possible, but it's important to really look into each school you're applying to. If you can, go visit them, take a tour, meet the faculty, speak with current graduate students, spend some time in the city, etc. The last thing you want is admission to a program you applied to because it had a nice webpage, but that comes with a project you're not excited about, a supervisor whose mentoring style doesn't work for you, and a city with a cost of living you can't afford.

Investigating each program deeply is also a good method for identifying a "safety" school. By taking the time to speak with faculty, you'll find out how many students they have room for in their HET and QI/C groups. If for example there's a school that's just taken on new faculty members in those areas and they are actively looking for new students, that will increase the chances for acceptance. If they don't have any available spots, your chances go way down. It will also give you specific talking points in your application that enable you to explain why you want to get into a particular program that are much better than a generic "I want to get in somewhere."

 

[gwnorth]

Your profile looks excellent. You probably have just as good of a chance at being admitted to relevant programs as anyone else. A few points:

GRE/Physics GRE - have you checked the admissions requirements for the programs you're considering applying to? Many are no longer requiring them. I wouldn't spend time studying for the tests if they aren't going to be required. For schools where they are "optional", with your GPA, I don't think I would bother as they aren't likely to add much to raising your profile.

Choosing a "Safety" - graduate admissions are nothing like undergraduate admissions. While you can categorize your chances of admission as ambitious/less ambitious, there's no such thing as a "safety" when it comes to grad school admissions. There are just too many factors that go into determining whether or not an individual applicant would be ideal. When choosing an undergrad institution students are often looking for the best fit for them. Well when it comes to graduate admissions, the faculty are the ones assessing fit. A less excellent candidate on paper can be chosen over one who appears to be more competitive on the basis of them being a better "fit" for the program. What that comes down to is that you need to really do your research when choosing the programs you want to apply to. What criteria did you use when choosing the current schools on your list? You're going to need to cull it considerably. You'll need to be able to tailor your SOP specifically to the research being conducted at those schools and to the PIs who are working there and that will help you to determine your final list of target programs.

Once you've established your final list, you should contact the relevant PIs in each program with a brief introductory email and with a copy of your CV. The goal for reaching out before applying are two fold, one to ensure that the research being done is truly a match for your interests/background, and two to ensure that the PIs you would be wanting to work with are actually planning on accepting new students in the cycle in which you're applying. There's no point in going to all the work and expense in applying to a program only to find out that you aren't a good match or that they don't have any funding or they aren't accepting new students. Reaching out to PIs also gives you an opportunity to mention them specifically in your SOP when detailing your research goals and why you would be a good fit for that particular program.

Good Luck

 

[Azerack]

Wow, thank you guys so much for your responses. This is amazing advice. I think I definitely had a more undergraduate application perspective regarding safeties/targets/reaches that is not applicable to graduate applications.

In response to gwnorth, I have actually compiled a list of what schools require the GRE and in what capacity (optional, recommended, or not at all). None of the places I have looked at outright *require* the GRE. I will still study and take both the General and Subject tests but if my scores are not particularly great, and I am able to not submit, I will not submit them.

From both of your responses I gather that my best course of action is to research every school in my list with the goal of narrowing it down to the schools where the professors and groups I would like to be a part of are at. I will definitely make this list and email these professors to ask if they would think I would fit well within their projects.

I will read these responses a few more times and see if there are any details about my approach that I can improve and/or modify.

Thank you guys again for taking the time to respond and if anyone else comes by this thread and has any advice that has not been given yet, I would appreciate any and all help.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Be careful - just because a school doesn't absolutely require the GRE doesn't mean that an unsubmitted score won't hurt you. They may draw the conclusion that it is even lower than in reality.

If your school is not strong, or has a history of severe grade inflation, or is not well known, a GRE score becomes the only way the admissions committee can determine if you know anything or not. A GRE might not strictly be required, but they may take other students instead - students with more information in their application.