Graduate school Definition and 485 Threads

Hi everyone (hopefully I posted this in the right section), I know very little about graduate schools since I was pre-med for a long time, but only a few months ago realized I'd rather go to graduate school. I was hoping someone could help me figure out which programs in graduate schools to...

Hi! I am a final year bachelor's student majoring in Math. I live in India, but I would like to go the the States or Europe for master's degree. I'd eventually like to do applied mathematics (I'm open to doing pure math at this stage). Can someone tell me which schools offer decent math...

So I graduated in undergrad in May 2008 with a BS in EE. I went directly into a PhD program with full funding. I put in a year and did decent in my classes and my research. But I didn't enjoy my research and I wasn't doing as well in my classes as I had hoped. I decided to take a leave of...

(title continued and if/how this will effect my graduate school acceptance) I currently attend a small, private undergraduate college. By small, I mean ~ 2000 students for all four grades with me being the only physics major for my year (there are a few engineering students). This fall marks...

This is perhaps not a conundrum and me thinking about things too much. The story: I'm about to start my second year in my Master's program. I've taken the following two course sequences: Real Analysis/Functional Analysis, Complex Analysis/Variables, and Analysis I&II. I also have taken a...

Chris McKay told me that they do take grad students, but I can't find any more information on the Internet (the Ames page points to a dead link for the "Graduate Student Researchers Program") - see http://hr.arc.nasa.gov/student/gradfaculty.html

Heyyy So, here's my story: - Went to state school - Majored in a quantitative subject - Got a GPA in the range of 2.6 - 2.7 (literally never went to class, literally just scanned texts before exams =( god i was a ****ing idiot.) - Noooooooooooooooooooo OK, so, when I went to undergrad, I was...

Hi, I'm a concerned college student (aren't we all :0 ), who is intending to major in physics in one of the bigger universities in US. However, it seems that my inclination lately lies more towards engineering graduate school (if I go). So if I apply for an engineering grad school with physics...

So, I'm from Romania, entering my third and final year as an undergraduate. I was considering going to graduate school in the US but I can't afford to spend to much money on applying to many programs. I have an average grade of 10 out of 10 (I guess that would be a 4.0 GPA?) at the moment and...

So only few universities offer BME programme in Bachelor Level. If I want to pursue this career, I need to go to graduate school. Then what Bachelor's degree should I get? Is it better to have BSc in Biology or BASc in Mechanical Engineering?

So I am just finishing my undergraduate degree in physics (actually physics and math) and now must choose a graduate school to attend. I am most interested in pursuing high energy physics (theoretical) and was wondering what schools in Canada would you recommend for that area. I heard McGill is...

I'm currently a sophomore at NYU. This semester I've been taking some pretty hard classes (Functional Analysis being the hardest). I'm probably not going to do so well grade-wise - probably a few B's. Basically, I want to understand as much mathematics as I can before I start graduate school...

Hi, I'm going to UCI next year as a Computer Science major, and I was wondering about some stuff regarding graduate school. I know its kinda early, but I learned from high school that I should definitely plan things earlier :] So, just cause I'm going to UCI, does that mean I can't get...

I'll be concentrating in/researching aerodynamics and CFD. Will I be doing the programming/mesh generation/code execution (or any other intensive computing) on my own computer or the department's super computer/workstations? I had a powerful desktop in ME undergrad and frankly it wasn't really...

This is something I've been wondering about for a while. When I tell people I'm going to graduate school, they inevitably ask me where I'm considering going. The thing is, I have no idea what my list of schools to consider should even look like at this point. I'm a junior majoring in physics at...

I'm facing the question of choosing the right supervisor for my PhD in theoretical physics. On one hand, there are professors who are well-known and have done great work in their youth, but whose publication records in recent years are not great. On the other hand, there are young faculty...

I have a question regarding how you choose courses to take in graduate school, and the amount of freedom you have in choosing courses. I'm tentatively planning on applying for admissions to PhD programs for 2012, and I'm planning on applying to a mix of biophysics, medical physics, and high...

Hello, I am currently getting out of the army after six years as an officer in the infantry. I would like to go back to graduate school for my Ph.D. in CSE. I have a BSEE with heavy coursework in CSE from the University of Washington. I am just wondering how difficult admissions will be to...

When applying to graduate school in physics, how much weight does your undergrad institution carry in your application? I ask because I currently attend a school in the lower rungs of the top 50 and the graduate schools I am interested in attending are highly regarded as being much, much better...

Hello, I'm currently going to the University of Alberta taking a double major in Mathematics & Physics (although I can still switch to an Honours Astrophysics degree, which I really want to do... but I think it would be specializing too quickly). I'm essentially wondering how intertwined...

I am an undergraduate mathematics major considering two different options that would lead me to complete a PhD degree in mathematics. I would like advice on my considerations. Option 1) Complete a MS degree, then apply for a PhD program at a better school. (I understand that by not applying...

Right now, I am working towards a BS in physics and applied math, and I have been planning on applying for physics PhD programs next year. However, I would really like to have some time away from academia. I think employment would help secure my finances, better allow me to develop my personal...

Does anyone know where to study for Master program in Econophysics? As i know from wikipedia, University of Houston is the one open for Master program. I have been searching for European University, but unfortunately i did not find one of it offer Econophysics course for Master Program. Any...

I am getting to where I am really trying to get myself in shape for the future. I plan on graduating next Spring, so I don't have much time left. The thing I am worried most about is my GPA--it's not the greatest. After finishing my second year, my cumulative was something around 3.0. Since then...

Hello, I have a pretty quick question. So, I am studying mathematics/computer science, double major. However, I think I want to go to graduate school for photonics. With a degree in math/cs, will this be possible to apply into a graduate photonics program? I am also minoring in physics if...

I wanted to ask the many experienced members of PF what they feel the role is. My interest is in math, but I am sure many physics students want to know. As in, are they primarily there to alert us to things we should be thinking about in relation to our research problems? Help us with actual...

Okay so my primary interest is to pursue cosmology. My question now is what are my chances of getting excepted on a horrendous PGRE score. I just received my scores and it was HORRIBLE like failing, think single percentage. I don't even know how I did so badly I didn't think I did that badly...

Alright, a little background on me first; i attended a nationally accredited college and due to various circumstances, fell into major depression. I wasted about ~3 years of my life doing very little and ended up dropping/failing many of my classes for extremely stupid reasons (not showing up...

I'm aspiring to Math Grad School at Harvard, and I had a couple of questions. Is it absolutely necessary to have a 4.0 overall GPA to get in or would they allow maybe one or two B+'s? Which school has a better math grad school, UC Berkeley or Harvard?

Please read the essay it is relevant. I just finished high school.. I am going to start Electrical and Electronics Engineering course in a crap university, I neither like the university nor the subject, but this is the best I can get as there is no other option in my country and I don't have...

I've seen a lot of helpful advice on this forum, and I'm at a soon-to-be crossroads as to what I do academically. For those who want the short version, skip to the end of the quote. Short story: senior undergrad EE, 3.1 GPA, should have good GRE and letters of recommendation. Want to get PHD...

I was hoping some of you could help with some advice on my current career path. I am enrolled at Suny Geneseo, New York currently working on a BA in physics. Originally i chose Geneseo based on the reputation of its physics and education programs, but i decided early on that i wanted to advance...

I am currently an undergrad in an applied mathematics program. I am afraid that my degree is a jack-of-all-trades master of none type of degree, and was wondering what different types of subjects I could pursue in graduate school. I am not interested in obtaining a PhD. I am primarily...

Well, I had always thought that it's nicer to have multiple degrees and stuff to get into grad school, but the more I lurk around here, the more I see people recommending additional mathematics courses and in-depth physics courses beyond the normal curriculum. Currently, I think I'll be...

I need honest advice. My academic history has been tenuous at best. While in my pre-pubescent days I exhibited a strong interest in physics I quickly lost my intellectual curiosity in high school and barely ended up in college. I went to a pretty poor state college and dropped out in three...

I would like some advice/comments on my next chapter in my life. I've been interested in nuclear engineering for the last two years, I will be graduating with my BS in applied physics this December and I have already applied to Texas A&M and University of Texas' nuclear engineering graduate...

Hey all, I'm currently facing a difficult decision about the next step in my academic career and I was wondering if anyone here might be able share any insights or perhaps explain how they got through a similar situation. Sorry in advance for a long post, no need to read the whole thing...

Hello fellow forumers. I've been digging around but to no avail in my search for guidelines to being successful with graduate school admissions. I'm hoping that those who have undergone this process can shed some light on this topic. I am planning to pursue a masters degree in electrical...

I'm interested in applying to grad school (pure mathematics), however would i be able to do so, with just 10 courses in mathematics (major: Biology, Minor: Math) ? If so what courses should i take? (topology, analysis, logic,ect.. ??)

is graduate school for me?? Hi guys, I'm a senior undergraduate currently at a large state university. In the spring I will be graduating with 2 bachelors, one in economics minor in business and another in statistics with a minor in mathematics. I have been planning for a while now to attend...

I am a senior about to finish my undergraduate degree in physics (with a minor in CS). Lately though I have been really debating whether or not I should continue in physics and get a PhD. I like physics, but I'm not sure if I want to spend 6-7 years getting a degree. I'm also not sure which...

i have 10 months till graduate school, what's the best way to prepare?? I graduated about one & a half years ago(physics), and I'm going to graduate school September next year(HEP/Cosmology), i have holes in my undergraduate knowledge in addition to what's lost in memory. I don't know what...

Hello, I've read that typical yearly stipends for physics graduate students go at around $15k - $23k. I've also read that this is good enough to make ones living, but not much more. I would appreciate it if past graduate students shared their experiences on living by your uni's stipends...

My questions are rather unfocused... I don't really know if they're really questions yet, but chime in as much as possible. I'm just tossing ideas around here. 1. I think all physics programs offer an advance lab class. they offer a range of experiments and you pick some to repeat. Is this...

Hello there. I'm studying for graduate school entrance exam (nagoya university), and analysis is part of it. I've learned calculus on my undergraduate course but since I didn't get differential equations, I'm kinda learning it by myself right now. The questions are from past problems which are...

I'm debating whether I want to pursue graduate education in ME. Seems like a B.S. nowadays is like the new high-school diploma and you can't really "make" (or design) anything unless you have graduate education. With B.S. it seems like all you can do is be someone's robot and do all the boring...

Hi :) i can finish my application by mid September but i will not have enough time to prepare for the verbal section of the GRE, how important is it? should i take an extra month to prepare for it ? how important is finishing an application early for graduate schools? some schools don't look...

Hello, I'm interested in spin transport and spintronics and I was wondering if anyone knew what the best graduate programs are for these? I will be applying for grad schools soon and would really like your input. Thanks!

I plan to graduate after this year from an undergraduate program in Electrical Engineering. I was torn between nuclear engineering and electrical for undergrad, but I opted for EE with the plan to do NE for graduate school. I learn best in lab settings/hands on, so I am only considering...

Hi, My final year of my undergraduate career in Engineering Physics (essentially a physics degree with a few engineering-specific courses thrown in in the first two years) begins in the Fall and I'm now looking ahead to graduate school. Based on my work experience thus far, my ultimate goal...