I am fascinated by the original post in this thread, and will keep it as a reference to add to my "just in case" career development file. Great summary!
I went the "get the degree done" route instead of the "retake a class or two and boost your GPA" route.
I regret that...would have been better off taking an extra semester or year as an undergrad to boost that GPA. Sad truth is that the undergrad GPA still comes up even ten+ years out of...
Well, while it's not a "high" paying position, if you entered an alternative certification program and began teaching high school physics with just a bachelor's, you're probably looking at a $32k-$42k/year salary depending on geographic location and local school politics.
Depending on the state you are in (if you are in the U.S.), you may or may not even be permitted to take the F.E. exam without an engineering degree from an ABET accredited program.
Teaching is one of the options available to you if you don't want to push on through the Ph.D.. If you love teaching, you certainly do feel 'fortunate' to be in that career.
That's what I did...aside from discovering in grad school that I really loved teaching, two of the big reasons I chose...
Have you had a chance to work on any projects as an EE major yet? Perhaps you are stuck in the drudgery of the first year. Now would be a good time to talk with your advisor and see if you can explore the career a bit more as a student.
Regarding education, if it is in the U.S., you will...
One of the worst destroyers of physics students is the attitude that "if I need help then I'm just not good enough."
Everybody wants to be great at it without trying, and everybody hates the people who appear to be able to do just that. Behind the scenes, they study too--and often are ready...
I think that calculation makes too many assumptions. You assume that the top 50% of graduating bachelor's physicists take the GRE. You assume that the top 50% of those who take it go on to graduate school.
I do wish something like this had existed...or, if it did, that I had known about it...when I was an undergrad. There was too much noise on newsgroups, and the specialist newsgroups were too high level for an early undergrad.
A forum like this would very likely have helped me to find...
Hello,
I am planning to offer a one-semester elective course in astronomy at my school, and I am looking for suggestions and ideas about what to include in the curriculum. I do not have many examples to pull from around here--the rural schools don't often teach it.
We're going to have to...
If you do any sort of competitions (in your school), and especially if you invite other schools...talk to Wolfram, Mathworks, Maplesoft, etc. about giving away a prize. Just try to get one that allows the person who wins to actually use it! (I once received a student edition of Mathematica as...
Do not let a "BS" requirement stop you from applying. They usually mean "bachelor's degree", and either a BA or BS is valid.
Nobody seems to understand the liberal arts bachelor's in physics. I had one less physics class and one less math class (than a BS), but added a significant minor...