Grad school Definition and 1000 Threads

I will complete my bachelors in physics next year, and plan to do a masters in either aerospace or mechanical engineering afterwards. But how do I go about selecting which schools to apply to? I’ve read advice such as applying to schools whose professors do research in a specific area...

Hello, I am interested in attending a graduate program in Ireland after completion of my BS in physics but am unsure of the lay of the land. A few questions I have are: 1. Is it possible to get into the Ph.D. program in the Ireland w/o a masters? If it is difficult is it possible to do the...

I am going into my last year at a small private college, which means that my pool for math classes is limited. I have been trying to establish a good base with classes such as Linear Algebra, Diff EQ, Topology, Number Theory, Probability, Modeling, Analysis, Abstract, NonEuclidean, a year long...

I have frequented these forums many times, but this is my first post. I am looking for advice, antidotes, or just suggestions on leaving graduate school in math (or any subject for that matter). Just a little about me: I majored in mathematics at an engineering school, but instead of taking...

Hello, I am looking for a few good books that talk about the details of applying to a PhD program. Soem of the questions that I would like answered are: How does one select the schools? How do admissions work? How is one evaluated? How can one maximize chances of admission? I've seen a...

Hey everyone, I have heard over and over again that GRE scores are used by most engineering grad schools as a cut off; everyone above a certain score makes the first cut, and everyone below a certain score doesn't. I want to go to engineering grad school (specialize in biomedical). I took...

This is something I had never seen before...a student applies for grad school and gets accepted to a university not where he did his undergrad. He was planning on enrolling for fall but decides to defer for a year. For the year that he deferred, in the meantime, could this person take a grad...

Hey everyone, I am a rising senior Elecrical engineering major at University of Delaware. I have done research in biomedical optics for 2 years and am highly motivated to go to graduate school. I have bought the book "Getting What You Came For", which is a guide to applying and living...

Background want to go to grad school and focus on chemistry. (studying for forensic science now) Working towards my degree involved taking almost all the chemistry courses that are done for a bachelor degree in chemistry. (already took: gen. chem 1 & 2, organic 1 & 2, instrumental 1 & 2...

Do Engineering graduate admission officers look if the student has a couple dropped classes during undergraduate course work?

I just wanted to get an idea of how much time people spend in physics graduate school on an average week. This includes anything you do necessary for your degree, including coursework, teaching, research, and so on. I'm passionate about pursuing physics, and I'm not expecting it to be easy or...

Hi. I am going into my senior year as an undergraduate physics major. My intent is to go to grad school and most likely get my PhD. I am truly interested in physics, but I'm not sure I'm ready to commit to a specific grad program. I have a good idea of what I enjoy: fundamental particle...

I am interested to know whether it is important for engineers to get good grades when pursuing a MEng in Engineering, ie a terminal degree with no further phD studies. Are academic grades as important as in college (when they played a significant part of grad school entry) for employers or will...

Does anyone here attend graduate school and have children to raise? What are your experiences? Would you recommend it to others? Read "Graduate School With Children" from the Chronicle of Higher Education:

Hello everyone. I am currently in my third year (junior year I think it's called in the USA) of undergrad, as a maths major, hoping to get into a masters program. I go to a small university. I looked at some universities graduate school's websites, and I've seen quite a few that say they...

I'm thinking about studying HCI or Computer Architecture in grad school, and I'm look at certain top tier colleges such as MIT, Stanford, CMU, and Berkeley. What are my chances of getting into these schools? My current GPA is around 3.85 which I think puts me in the top 10% of the university...

Ok, so I timed out while writing this post (at work) so I will summarize: - I'm new to the forums, and I look forward to meeting new colleagues and friends. - I've been accepted to San Diego State, San Jose State, San Francisco State, Cal State LA and Cal State Long Beach for MS programs...

I've been wondering about this for a while, but only today it occurred to me that I could ask here... anyway, here's my situation: I'm currently finishing up my first year of grad school (PhD program) in physics. I got my undergraduate degree last year from a tier 1 (as they call it) university...

Hello. I'm an international student studying Computer Engineering at University of Wyoming. I'm graduating in December 2009 and I hoped to get some advice regarding the admission of a grad school based on my standing. I've already took the GRE, and I got 600/760/4.0 for Verbal, Quantitative...

Peace Core+ Physics Undergrad = ? Grad school? So, I am two years younger than the rest of my undergraduate peers. I will graduate from undergrad at age 19, hopefully with a decent GPA and high GRE scores (I usually do well on standardized tests), as well as research experience starting from...

I'll be starting grad school in July and my current PC is a good 3+ years old. I will leave it here so the family can use it, but that means I'll have to buy something for myself. I don't know if I should buy a laptop or PC, though. I prefer PC's, as I can customize them how I want and when...

Hey, So I don't have that much of a competitive GPA. I'm wondering how much useful it is to call some schools by phone before sending the application? As in, to make a short yet detailed call about why they should consider my application by having other strong components (such as work...

Hello all, I am a rising sophomore at Appalachian State University, but have come to realize that the school is not for me. I have decided to transfer to ECU, which is much closer to home, for several reasons. Although ECU is a pretty good school (from what I've seen), it does have a...

Say one is accepted for a research internship at some university for the summer, be it an REU or whatever. How much better of a chance at going to that university for graduate studies does one have?

Hey, my company may be sending me to get a masters in mechanical engineering, particularly for small electromechanical engineering. It's not quite MEMS, but I think MEMS best applies and that was specifically what my manager is asking for. So, what grad schools have good MEMS programs...

I've been offered admissions to Concordia University (not very well known) in comp sci with a little funding, and (maybe) admissions to University of Toronto (a lot more renowned) in math with no funding. Both are a master's (which is a pre-requisite for a PhD in almost all Canadian...

This is an odd question. Now when it comes it grad school, I am sure that it is A LOT of work. But are there any schools that stick out particularly for having the most rigorous program in the fields of mathematics and physics? Or is rigor pretty much standard everywhere?

So far I have decided in working in either medicine or technology, with the intention of helping people. As far as technology, I planned on majoring in chemical engineering and going to grad school for nanotechnology, and trying to use nanotech to help fight cancers/diseases etc. My other option...

Hi! I'm currently thinking about majoring in physics at UT Austin. They have several different types of degree plans, including one to prepare future high school physics teachers. Although I am interested in teaching, I'm a little worried that this options will make it harder for me to get into...

I got accepted to three grad schools: University of Minnesota, Georgia Tech, and NC State. What have you heard about these schools? Which has the best reputation and in which areas of study? I am still flexible in my concentration but I think I'd like to stick with theory rather than experiment.

Hello there helpful people (at least I hope so). I've been lurking in the shadows of these forums since I stumbled upon them a week or so ago and I have come up with a question I have been unable to find enough information for. I'm in my first year of a BSc in physics, although its pretty...

Okay, long story short, I am a sophomore looking at eventually getting into a Ph.D. program in Chemical Engineering but my grades aren't up to par. Due to slacking off Freshman year and a heavy work load (due to a double major and work) my gpa is only a 3.25. I'm just afraid because my classes...

I will be finishing at a community college this summer and will be transferring this fall. The problem is I am not sure where I want to go, so I was wondering will the university I choose for my undergraduate studies effect my acceptance into graduate school? P.S. I plan on getting my Ph.D. in...

Will not taking math classes beyond what's required for the physics major hurt me when trying to get into grad school for physics? At my school the only required math classes for physics majors are calculus I, calculus II, multivariable calculus, and differential equations. Also I've taken a...

I'm currently an undergraduate student in the UK, and would like to go to grad school in America. I've seen a lot of people say that doing REUs is important to get into a good grad school, but undergraduate research is not very common in the UK, other than a project in the final year which...

there's another topic like this somewhere down there but I'm different, and i didn't want to distract from that guy's question... anyway I am a fairly good double major physics + math at big football state school. I'm easily top 5% of my physics/math class, first or second in terms of literal...

Hi, I'm math major, and math GPA is 3.1(I got many Bs, one C+, and four As) but overall GPA is under 3.0.. may be 2.8?? Actually, I was CS major, but I changed it. When I was CS major, I got low CS' GPA, so my overall GPA is too low. Anyone think I can enter Grad. school? I really want...

I have a GPA of 2.8 as of right now (i have 3 semesters of grades left and I am busting my butt). I have not taken the GRE but I am taking a Phys GRE prep class (which is offered because people at my school are notorious for low GRE scores) so hopefully I will do well. Do I have even a chance...

Returning to Grad School after time "off" Hi everyone, I graduated with a B.S. in physics in 2007, after which I became a high school teacher. I am thinking about returning to grad school in physics this fall. It'd be great to hear about the experiences of someone who was in a similar...

I'm a math major who goes to a community college in California. I've gotten the highest grades in all my math classes through differential equations. I have a 4.00 and I have enough units to transfer to a university. I also work as a tutor for the school... but I was never exposed to anything...

Hi. I wonder if extracurriculars are necessary for admission into top graduate schools. Currently as an undergraduate, I am doing some community work and I am a member of the IEEE student chapter at my university. But I am not much active in the chapter and I won't become an officer. Will...

Quick Question: Do most (or any) Math/Stat PhD programs do phone interviews? A friend of mine who is applying to Biology PhD programs had a phone interview. I just wanted to prepare a little bit, just in case.

I have a bachelors in physics. I'm in grad school for Electrical Engineering now, I signed up saying I would skip a Masters and go straight for a PhD. I'm doing research on solar cells and I like it for the most part. I have a full research assistantship and I don't have to teach. My only...

Hello, I have currently switched my major from physics over to software engineering. From what I can find out, I will need to pursue the computer science degree at the University of Arizona. When I was initially going to college, I had actually began with a different degree. After a semester...

Due to poor performance the first year or so of school, I have an overall GPA of 3.1 and a physics GPA of ~3.55. I've done pretty well otherwise, at least I think I have. Can someone tell me what range of schools to which I should be applying. GPA: 3.5/3.1 Major/Overall (all As for the past...

i have just finished my undergrad in physics with dismal scores. i really wanted to study physics. i found it exciting and still do. but exams are a real hardle for me. i just have a phobia for them. now i am entering my grad school and for the first time after starting physics i am doubting my...

Part One: Introduction There seems to be a lot of discussion and at least some misinformation about the physics grad school admissions process. I thought it might be worthwhile to describe how it works and what departments are looking for. Be aware that every department is unique and does...

Hi everyone, I am currently writing my personal statement for the application to grad school in pure mathematics. I am aware that grad school comitees usually want to hear about the specifics of your research experience: the project, your role in it, etc. However, my only research...

I'm a physics student in the penultimate year of my degree. I'm quite good at programming and was thinking this summer I'd put in 3 months of effort and get Sun Java Certification. Would this be worth the effort? Would it be something which would be very attractive to a prospective grad...

I'm a thesis away from completing a B.S. in astrophysics. I'm considering being involved in some sort of research (I'm thinking maybe plasma or fusion-related), and there's a good chance I won't be going to grad school for several reasons: a)I'm not crazy about school, having had a...