Graduate school Definition and 485 Threads

Hello, I'm finishing my junior year in physics this spring and I am starting to get more serious about graduate school applications. I currently have a 3.6 physics GPA, around a 3.5 math GPA and a 3.75 total GPA over the last ten years. I did community college for a few years and then...

I've just finished my third year at a spanish university, majoring in Physics, next year being my last one (4 years major). The issue I have is that I have a pretty low average score, of 6.3/10. I failed 3/10 classes in my first year, and instead of taking less classes and finishing in 5 years...

Hi everyone, In the past when I was doing my undergrad in physics, I sometimes looked at this page for inspiration in research. However, I was unable to find a similar one for applied geophysics. Currently, my area of research is exploration non-seismic geophysics, where the focus is on near...

Hello, I'm having a difficult time figuring out my chances of being accepted to PhD programs, and what tier schools to realistically apply too. My GPA is 3.47 and my only research experience is my senior thesis that was started this semester. I have also been a TA for two years and am the vice...

Hi everyone, (this is my first post so be gentle) I am currently getting my masters is mechanical engineering, was admitted to aero Ph.D. programs as Vtech, MSU, and Cinci last year but decided to get masters locally and apply to "better" schools (UofM) for next cycle with a better resume and...

Hey! I'm Parker, an undergraduate physics student with hopes of going to graduate school. I'm excited to learn as much as possible and to interact with people just as passionate about physics as I am :)

I am an RA currently (just a few months in) in a microbiology lab and also did undergraduate research in an HIV lab. I graduated with a 3.76 with an upward trajectory and am considering grad (PhD) school. My questions are two fold: 1. What in general are my chances for getting into a good grad...

I am about to start applying to different graduate schools in my country (India) for pursuing a Masters in Physics. Unfortunately, very few Indian universities actually want a resume, and offer admission based on competitive exams only. Nevertheless, I am updating my resume and keeping it ready...

Hi everyone, I just started graduate school and I've been working in an experimental fluid mechanics lab. We have a shock tube and run tests on studying supersonic and hypersonic airflow under different conditions. We use Schileren imaging and transducers to take measurements during tests. We...

I'm a PhD student in high-energy theory and this is one point I have been struggling with for a while. When I study a paper what is the most efficient way to do so? For example, should I try to rederive everything following the author's reasoning? Should I try to take notes, and if so how to...

Hello, I have 1 undergrad year left and was wondering what the most used programming languages in grad school are. I still don't know which grad school will accept me so I haven't bothered to ask them directly as my application will be in November when I get my GRE scores. I am Interested in...

Hello everyone, I am looking at two master's degree programs (graduate school) : electrical engineering and robotics. Taking decisions is hard, and I would gladly like some advice making up my mind. I have a bachelor's degree (undergrad) in electronics and electrical engineering, which grants...

I want to do a master's in medical physics. Students do lab work in this graduate program. How dangerous is this radiation to my health? Medical physics prepares you for a career in radiation therapy, medical imaging, and nuclear medicine.

Hello everyone, I'm a first-year international student at Denison University double-majoring in physics and mathematics (or that's at least the plan). I'm currently taking my second course in undergraduate physics here and at the same time a course in linear algebra and differential equations...

I am a first year graduate student in physics, a subject I am quite passionate in, but I am struggling to succeed this term. There is a few issues I've been dealing with. First, I haven't been able to get as good as grasp on the content as I was able to in the past. I'm taking three core courses...

Hi everyone, Hope you are all doing well. I begun to think about my plans for graduate school lately. I was hoping to learn more about the financial aid/tuition and living expenses of different universities in North America and Europe from your personal experiences in graduate school. How does...

Hey everyone! I started Astronomy Ph.D at a very good (as good as any top university) university this fall but I'm struggling a lot and it's only been 3 weeks! The problem isn't the amount of stuff that I have to do (I am taking two undergrad classes, one grad class and am being a TA), it's...

Hi folks, I am considering two universities. My goal is to do well enough that I could get into graduate school for physics, most likely here in Canada. I have been unable to speak to an adviser, as my school's science adviser does not meet with students until they finish their second year. So...

Hi, I am a physics major in my second year . So far, i did not do any research and with the current Coronavirus situation, getting into a research program in my university is unlikely (since most of them are experimental). I had some questions about the research experience of graduate school...

Will finish B.S. in molecular biology in May. Have found asking vague questions about where to go/apply to next are pretty unhelpful. I believe that going through indexes of interesting research is the closest I can get to finding a place to advance myself and be happy in. here is an example...

What are some things a freshman physics major can/should be doing to get a head start on becoming a competitive applicant for graduate schools?

Hi everyone, I’m in the process of choosing graduate schools and realize most of schools seems out of reach for me. I have a low combination of both gpa, pgre and gre. I know the low pgre as a reinforce of my low gpa. I come from a normal state public school and have about one year research...

Summary: Chemistry undergrad attempting to go to graduate school in physics. Would appreciate advice. Hello, I am in my fourth of five years at a solid school studying chemistry. I changed my major at the start of my third year from economics to chemistry after being inspired by a course in...

So here is the gist of it, right now I am one semester away from graduating from Rutgers University with a Bachelor's of Science for Physics and I have found that I do not want to continue on with Physics and I feel that engineering is more of what I am looking for. I have been involved in...

Hi everyone. In 2017, I received a bachelors degree in physics. I liked the subject and wanted to go to graduate school for something more practical, so I did. A year ago, I failed out of a PhD program in engineering. I was the worst student at that point. I was too shy to ask questions in...

Is it common for physics grads to change the topic of their research focus (staying within physics) while at graduate school?

Hi, I go to a small liberal arts college and I'm majoring in physics. The college I attend has a VERY unique academic curriculum, with few required core courses, and one can have an oxford style tutorial in almost any area in physics, no matter how advanced. I want to pursue graduate school in...

Hello everyone! I graduated from UIUC with a 3.00 GPA in physics last year. (I managed to get this exact number) And my GPA of physics courses are not much higher than my overall GPA as well. I plan to apply for grad school this year and go to grad school next year. And currently I am working...

I'm currently almost done my first semester at University here in Canada. I want to go to a good graduate school in the US to study astrophysics in the future. Here in my University, and a lot of Universities in Canada have a 4.33 GPA scale. My GPA here is around a 3.3, that's roughly a B+ and a...

Hi. My company will pay about 70% of my tuition cost per year for graduate school. Leaving about 2-4k un accounted for, depending on course load. Any recommendations on scholarships or other options to pay the remaining balance?

Hello everyone, I'm currently getting my grad school applications put together right now (PhD program for physics), and I could really use some help editing my statement of purpose. If anyone would be willing to look it over and give some suggestions, I would really appreciate it! Also, if...

Hi, I'm a junior at a Ivy League (H/Y/P/C - going to remain anonymous for privacy reasons) and I wanted your honest opinion on what my chances are for graduate school in computational astrophysics and where I should look for the best chances. GPA: 3.5/4 (working to raise this, had a bad...

I'm currently an undergrad in the United States, and plan on pursuing my PhD in physics. I'm most interested in astrophysics and cosmology, and an ideal job would be a faculty position. I really want to work in Europe, and am willing to choose another focus area of physics, as well as different...

I'm currently compiling materials for my graduate school applications this fall, and I'm having a bit of trouble deciding what to emphasize in terms of my experiences as an undergraduate, as well as my future career goals. I have a couple years of research experience (in computational...

Hi all! I am currently doing my undergrad in Astronomy and Astrophysics and minoring in Computational Mathematics. I am starting to think about grad school and facing a dilemma: I would like to eventually receive a PhD in Astrophysics, but in the future I would possibly like to apply my...

I’m currently trying to decide which of the following schools to attend: Ohio state University Indiana University Florida State University I would like to go into nuclear or high energy physics. I’ve contacted the schools and I had great interviews with the professors and I enjoyed the...

I applied to a fairly prestigious engineering school in france, taught in english. I was taken for an interview 2 weeks ago and it was very casual, didnt go great nor badly. I was told I'd receive a response to my application by the "end of next week", problem is that was last friday, and I...

Hello, I am close to finishing my undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering, and I am very interested in pursuing graduate studies. For a long time, I have been passionate about computer science and I've been looking into the research done in various labs in the schools that I'm considering...

Nice to be "meet" you! I'm currently working towards a PhD in the area of energy systems/water splitting hydrogen production reactor design/empirical characterization in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department of my university. During my undergrad years I really enjoyed learning to...

Hello all! I'm preparing to transition out of the military, and will have about 4 courses left on my BS when I do. I think it's about time to start looking at grad schools! (YAY!) However, as I look, the possibilities seem almost overwhelming! My question, therefore, is not about how to...

I have a major in mathematical physics and mathematics and I've started on graduate school january of the last year to get a master's degree in theoretical physics. My real interest is fundamental physics, specialy related to general relativity and quantum field theory. I've talked to a...

Hello. I am a teacher about to wrap up his fifth year in May. I started at the very bottom, teaching at risk and worked my way up with the help of my former teachers. I now teach AP Physics 1 and IB Mathematics SL. The whole experience has left me jaded. I gave it my all: my personality, my...

So I have the opportunity to work at the University of Arizona this upcoming summer in High Energy Physics. This is an amazing opportunity since I get to spend a summer doing research at a university different than my own (although it will be unpaid). But I am wondering, how good will it be when...

Greetings everybody, Right now I'm applying to graduate physics programs, but since it's an expensive process I'm trying to be at least a little selective in my approach. Since my research interests are in plasma physics, I've limited myself to schools with a program in such. So far I've...

My undergraduate degrees are in math and physics, but I decided to apply for graduate school in engineering (specifically environmental engineering). I was lucky enough to be accepted to almost all of the programs I applied to, but I only received one research position offer (that would pay for...

Hello, I am planning to apply for grad school with research interest in Astrophysics, specifically data analysis aspect of Astronomy, mainly in Pulsars and Fast Radio Bursts, or Computational Astrophysics, mainly in Fluid Dynamics or.Plasma Physics. Basically, interested in Data science...

I'm a physics Ph.D student who just complete his first year of classes. I struggled a lot and found this year to be academically the hardest of my life. However in the end I did get excellent grades in all of my core classes. I would really like to take it easy next semester and only take 1...

Hey ], I've just enrolled as a new MS candidate! I am a bit anxious since I have been out of the classroom for quite some time but very excited about taking courses again and doing research again! I'll be using PF for advice relating to my coursework and also to perhaps help any undergrads...

I am well aware that QC-related graduate programs are competitive so I am preparing myself for a rejection. Not because I'm unconfident. But because everyone should have a backup plan just in case. I haven't applied yet because I'm about to take the GRE. I really do enjoy both quantum physics...

HI everyone, I am currently a senior at a big university who will be finishing up my BS in physics in either Fall of 2018 or Spring of 2019. I would like to go to graduate school after undergrad, but as of this moment there is no way I would get accepted to any school at all. To give you some...