Recent content by Choppy

That's a lot of schools to apply to. Make sure you take the time to research each one in detail.

Well, it sounds like you've already started on some of the reflection regarding why you were not as successful as you would have like to have been. It's not unreasonable to expect to get through a course successfully without a tutor. While it's important to state that there's no shame in asking...

I would highly discourage lying in a statement of purpose. You *might* be able to switch fields once you're in graduate school. You might not and end up with a long term commitment to working in a field you have no interest in. The point of participating in research at the undergraduate level is...

So sad to hear this. I'm glad the mentors were able to share this much. Often with online communities, people will fade away. You never really know if they just lost interest or what. V50 offered lots of great advice over the years, even when it came in forms that people weren't likely to want...

For what it's worth, I think there are a lot of specific details that could come into play. These would include having to make a decision to run the application process before budgets are finalized, that departments might still be willing to accept students that come with major external...

It's always been a good strategy to do some deep research into the programs you're applying to and the people you're interested in working with. Even if funding is technically available, there are lots of reasons why an otherwise highly competitive candidate might get a no. A PI might be...

One idea that might be compelling is more of a scientific journalism slant. Start by interviewing professors, post-docs, and graduate students on your campus. Ask them what they are currently researching, why it's important, and why they chose to pursue that particular problem. (Or anything else...

Success in this area is as much about identifying and catering to a target audience as it is about making cool videos. So you might want to start with what unique take can you provide, and who specifically is going to be interested in that. Videos for undergraduate physics majors will be...

The fact that you're double majoring likely won't factor in too much. They'll want to know whether you have the necessary coursework for the specific program you're applying to. Usually the double major just means that where other applicants will have a wider breath of options that they've...

There is research on this topic. See for example: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8356518/ "Students at single‐track YRE schools show modestly higher achievement in both math and reading—by a magnitude similar to estimates of summer learning loss—but comparable proficiency." But...

The problem with self study is that there's no evidence that you completed a full curriculum, and no record of feedback or evaluation on that material. Anyone can say they've self-studied a subject. Sure, occasionally you'll find someone who actually has gone through all the problems in a series...

Unfortunately one of the challenges with research is that when you're working on a problem, particularly when it's a problem of significant interest in the scientific community, (a) other groups are also working on it and (b) someone might publish their results before you. I can't speak to the...

I agree with StatGuy2000's post above. If you're not in a place where you're happy, looking for opportunities to advance out of it is ideal. I'd underscore the idea of investing time into researching potential EE master's programs... Do you have the prerequisites? How much skill remediation...

For what it's worth, be wary of the difference between a fixed and a growth mindset. Fixed: I'm bad at physics. I will always be bad at physics. Growth: I'm not as good at physics as I would like to be, but I can get better. While this idea does tend to oversimplify things (there are limits to...

The devil lies in the details here. What's the difference between a BA and a BSc in physics at your school? Generally speaking, most CAMPEP-accredited medical physics programs only require entering students to have the equivalent of a minor in physics. This allows the programs to accept...