Recent content by CrysPhys

OK. Now you're making a distinction between college (as pre-university) vs university that's different from the usage in the US. After high school, US community colleges do offer 2 yr associate's degrees. But I don't know what your program is. So you definitely need guidance from people who...

Well, at least he didn't accuse you of stealing his wife. :oldbiggrin:

Job markets are highly local. I'm not familiar with Malaysia, so others who are will need to chime in here. But in general, a large semiconductor company (such as Intel) that encompasses R&D through production hires scientists and engineers from a wide variety of fields (e.g., physics...

Most major US universities have an alumni office, or even specifically a physics alumni office. Check whether RPI does. If so, ask them whether they have stats for the last 5 or 10 yrs on how many BS Physics grads have gone on to PhD Physics programs at MIT, Stanford, or other university of...

What you describe is not the norm for decent universities. Was the math major you consulted a student at the same university, or a different one? Have you looked over course material at your university for more traditional courses (math, physics, chemistry, ...)? Perhaps the problem lies with...

You're very welcome. Yes, the sequence should be: "My goal is X. In order to achieve X, I need to obtain a PhD Physics." Rather than: "My goal is to obtain a PhD Physics. Then I'll decide what to do." But note, as I've posted before, a PhD Physics (particularly the thesis research) can be...

OP: Please clarify. When I read your post concerning scholarships, I thought you were talking about scholarships for your 4th yr undergrad. But there are downsides. The first is a major psychological hit if the OP has a weak application and doesn't get accepted into any of the grad schools...

What library was this? I and friends and family members have discussed what to do with old textbooks and technical books. The public libraries we've contacted (both small town and large city, several different states) won't take them (either for their own collection or for sales drives). The...

<<Emphasis added>> * The passages I've highlighted are the most telling as to why you shouldn't rush through your undergrad in 3 yrs. I'm in favor of the US undergrad program in which you can take a year (or even two, if you don't go too far afield) to explore, find yourself, and decide on...

Picky, picky. It's stuff like this that make physicists such hot-in-demand party companions. :rolleyes:

It's an issue of how many holes there are and how big the holes are. Sure, if you're reading current research papers, then you will have new material to learn. But 'new material to learn' should not include core fundamentals, such as grad-level E&M. That's why, at least at many PhD programs...

The original verse by Katie Melua in the original version of Nine Million Bicycles We are 12 billion light years from the edge ... The new, more scientifically accurate verse by Simon Singh We are 13.7 billion light years from the edge of the observable universe ... 12 vs 13.7? That's not...

Since you're too young to drive, you are dependent on your parents for transportation; so there's not much you can do about that. But BTW, is public transportation an option? As for costs, look into various options: * My town library has free museum passes (including a pass to a major...

This presumes that the reader has sufficient background to understand the papers; otherwise, it's a waste of time. The OP is right in trying to plug essential holes in their background first.

Your reply did make a lot of sense. I'm glad you wrote a backstory with concrete details. This bodes well for you. Too often we have students here who claim to have a passion for X; but when I ask them what triggerred that passion, all I get is some vague, abstract answer. If your high...