Graduate Definition and 1000 Threads

I'm currently double majoring in physics and math at a state university and I plan on going to graduate school to pursue astronomy/astrophysics. I've heard that graduate committees value undergraduate research highly in selecting applicants, but I'm unsure of what is expected. My school requires...

Okay so I know I don't have much to work with but here we go: My goal is to apply to Graduate school in Astrophysics more or less Cosmology. I should mention that I transferred from IU after my first semester, which I aced my courses at while I was there for a semester. Okay so my current GPA...

I'm an undergraduate student who is trying to decide whether to pursue a major in physics or mechanical engineering. This forum has been very informative and thanks to all the information I've found here, I have ALMOST made up my mind. However, I need to know one last thing. Does anyone here...

Hello all, particularly graduate students and PhDs, I'm planning on learning a foreign language, mostly for fun, but I would like to learn a language used by many of my colleagues in mathematics programs. I've not yet entered graduate school (for mathematics, of course), so I was wondering...

I am hoping to apply to graduate schools in mathematics this fall, and I am in the process of deciding where I'm going to apply. I have a 3.95 GPA (overall and in math). I go to a top 30 math school. I've taken upper division in pretty much every topic (about 15 undergraduate) and have taken...

I am currently a senior at an American university and I intend on going to graduate school after finishing my final year. My current GPA is 3.73, but assuming I get straight A's my last two semesters when I graduate I could have a GPA around 3.85. Furthermore, I am a TA for the introductory...

Hey guys, I have heard that taking five years to graduate is frowned upon by grad schools. Is this true, and if so, to what extent? Let me take a minute to explain my situation. I'm a rising junior, and I only decided to become a science major a year ago. I'm a neuroscience major (but you...

Hi everyone, I am a junior undergraduate physics student now and I want to study "de Broglie-Bohm theory" in my graduate research. Can you tell me which universities have this study for graduate? (My gpa is low, so please try to do not mention about very challenging universities like Rutgers...

Hi everyone, I'm currently a 4th year applied math major who goes to a top 40 school and due to stupidity and poor class scheduling in my lower division years, has to stay an extra semester to fulfill graduation requirements. Here's the story: During my first two and a half years of college...

With a solid math background, how well could I expect to fare in graduate physics courses without having taken their undergraduate prerequisites? I'm looking into graduate programs for physics, which would normally take an adequately prepared student about two years for an M.S. But if I had to...

Assume a student such as myself (3rd year PhD) has an RA stipend for graduate school (tuition is paid + some stipend). The stipend is rather small, but technically survivable. Unfortunately I have some debt acquired while an undergraduate, mainly credit card. I have no student loans and have...

Currently, I am a in the undergraduate engineering program at NCSU, pursuing a degree in Aerospace Engineering. I just completed my sophomore year. I was wondering what sort of things are expected of undergraduates who are applying to graduate school. Of course, I would love to be able to...

I have a question about grad school prospectus after earning a B.A. in Mathematics (for prospective 5-12 teachers). The B.A. curriculum consists of Calculus I-III (standard three semester sequence), Linear Algebra, College Geometry, Abstract Algebra, Probability and Statistics I-II (two semester...

i completed my mechanical engineering degree in 2004. having spent a while backpacking i returned and have been working for a friends civil engineering company as a labourer. i spent a while thinking about retraining after i got back and am now looking to study civil engineering. I am interested...

Hi all, I've been studying chemical engineering for three years now and will be entering my senior and final year next year. This year I found my quantum chemistry/mechanics course very interesting and enjoyable. I also found that I'm pretty good at it. I feel like I might be more...

E.g. around a 2.7 GPA? Can one still go in the future? Or is one doomed.

The path students take going from undergrad to PhD seems to vary greatly between countries, and I was wondering if some natives could illuminate me on how it works in their country. In Australia the process is (typically) as follows: 3 year undergraduate 1 extra year of undergraduate...

closed, thank you

Hi, I heard that in order to get into top graduate physics(and engineering) programs, people should go to research universities that have professor obtaining their PhD degrees from top universities such as MIT, Stanford, UC-Berkeley, Caltech. Is that true? I feel really bad about my recent...

Hi everyone, I'm a newbie in this forum :) I have some questions regarding application for graduate study and need your help. I'm currently a year 3 student and coming to final year of undergraduate life, majoring in Materials Science & Engineering. I'm considering apply for graduate schools in...

Hello, I am an undergraduate currently studying at MIT, and I have read zapper's thread on the path of the academic physicist. I was wondering, however, what it REALLY takes to get accepted into a top institution for theoretical physics OR experimental physics. Reference to specific...

Have anyone done this? After working in industry for some time I am planning to go back to grad study possibly in EE(MS,Phd). I have 2 infant kids. How difficult it will be to balance family life and grad study? Are there any tips or thoughts anyone?

Dears: What are the most known post graduate Text books about " Nuclear engineering"? B/R

I'm wondering how I can expect the "course" I'm taking this summer to look on a graduate school application for physics? I put "course" in quotations because I'm the only one in the course, and it is kind of made up for me as sort of an independent study with a professor. The professor will...

I have just taken real analysis I and II (single and multivariable respectively) as an undergrad. I am planning on taking the grad analysis course next year. From what I gather Rudin seems to be the time-tested bible of analysis, but I don't know at what level the book is written. Can...

If I go to Arizona State University to major in Physics w/ an Astronomy minor, get good grades (GPA ~3.0 to 3.3), do some research, and get good letters of recommendations, do graduate schools look at what school you went to for the admissions process? In other words, do astronomy graduate...

Hi, My situtation is as follows, I plan next year to start graduate school in math, though I would like to pursue a career as a mathematical physicist in academia, the odds are against me, so I need somehow to have a backup plan. Iv'e noticed in my school a few graduate students who also learn...

Transfer out, screw up, transfer back. Graduate schools view of it. I am a Physics/Astronomy major. I attended Arizona State University as a freshman last year where I had a 3.18 GPA, transferred to the University of Arizona this year where I have 1.25 GPA. There are several reason why I have...

I am currently a senior in high school who has been earning college credits and high school credits simultaneously for the last two years. This allowed me to finish my liberal education requirements last semester. Up until recently, my goal was to go into medicine, but now I feel that I would...

I was wondering what is the general perception of the graduate studies in math at Rice? First off, how does it compare with UT say, and other universities as far as the difficulty of getting in goes, and also the quality of education?

One of my teachers keeps on saying that her subject is one of the most difficult, without any proof, and she says this everyday, and it's getting old, so I thought I'd like to take an informal poll to determine the truth: What is the most difficult core class for physics graduate students out...

How do they not forget what they learned in college so that they can be good at their particular job. Say for example if someone earned a B.A. in engineering and then while looking for a job, how would that person make sure to remember what they learned in college so that they can be good at...

Hey, so I've been hearing a lot about how one is usually (often, rarely, always?) financed while doing a PhD with a minimal stipend or salary of a kind, that nevertheless enables one to manage without incurring more debt. In regards to that, I was wondering how often does one who is doing a...

hey, so I am going to be done with all the requirements of a math major by the end of this term and have another year left. I can't graduate cause I don't have enough credits. I don't think I want to go to graduate school for math and am considering going to graduate school for engineering...

Hi I'll be wrapping up my undergrad in physics in about a year, and I'm starting to seriously think about grad school. What I'd like to be doing eventually is applying physics to issues of sustainability, particularly energy sustainability. At the moment, I'm trying to decide what areas of...

Hi PF, As I'm reading more about graduate school, its becoming clear to me that ranking graduate schools as "good" or "bad" is too broad and naive- that its much more fruitful to evaluate grad schools by specific sub departments within the Physics departments. But I have no idea how to do...

Hey so I am a passionate math major and am pretty good at it. But I have been told several times that if I don't want to teach then I probably shouldn't go to graduate school for math. I am good with computers but hate programing. love physics but hate lab work. so with my skills what...

Now I am a Canadian entering a Canadian Undergrad, it is a 4-year to receive a Bachelor. If I go directly into a Ph.D program in either Canada or USA, how long will it take? Is it 5 years or 2 years? If assuming that I give up Breaks, that means no summer holidays or winter vacation, spring...

Hi, I am a freshman engineering major thinking about graduate school. I am also thinking about whether or not to change my major when I get to graduate school. If I change my major, I will change it to either physics, mathematics, actuarial science, or statistics. I have made a list of pros and...

I expect that most people here, having been gone through graduate school in some capacity, will be familiar with the subject of this post. I am a married first year engineering graduate student, and I'd like to comment on the graduate student lifestyle. Graduate students have this reputation...

Well, I just got rejected by my dream college so I am feeling confused, don't mind me if I sound incoherent. ***PERSONAL PROBLEM*** Firstly, I had something like a friend over there who was truly encouraging and thought I had a good chance at it. More strangely, I got to know this person...

Hello, Im looking for some advice. I have been accepted to REUs at Penn State, UPenn, and Notre Dame. I have been waitlisted at Northwestern and UC-Santa Barbara (all for Mat Sci/physics). My question is if doing an REU at a school helps in going to graduate school there. I am thinking about...

Hey all, I'm finishing my undergrad at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities double majoring in physics and mechanical engineering. I have been admitted to both U of MN and UCLA for their mechanical engineering graduate programs, and am hoping to get some insights and recommendations. My...

Hi. I'm an undergrad majoring in maths/physics from a US university now taking a year abroad at university of Bristol (UOB) in UK. After this academic year, I'll go back to study in my home university for a year and then graduate. The quantum information (QI) researches at the department of...

I am an international physics PhD applicant, and my intended field is experimental condensed matter, and have interest in nanomaterials and devices, electronic materials and devices, and semiconductors. I have received two offers from OSU and UFl, and other programs that are still reviewing...

I was thinking of taking the statistical mechanics course for PhD candidates that's being offered next term at my school. My background is pretty typical, I've had Calc 1-3, linear algebra, differential equations, classical mechanics, e&m, thermodynamics with statistical mechanics, all at the...

Has anyone had any experience with a graduate E&M class that didn't use Jackson? Is Jackson necessary? I have it at home and it's a very difficult read and the problems are impossible. I have other E&M books and I can actually learn E&M from them. My grad E&M class (master's program)...

So, the time has come that grad school decisions are coming in. Anybody received any acceptances yet? I have applied to 8 schools for a master's in math and have gotten accepted to two - Miami University of Ohio and Bowling Green State University.

Hey everyone, apologies if this has been asked before. Basically I'm an ex-Computer Science student (I left for two reasons, the first was that I was tired of all the people in the course that just wanted a degree and didn't want to put in extra effort to make the program really top-notch...

Is it possible to apply for graduate studies in other specialization that under-graduate studies were passed? After obtaining bachelor of physics i may want to go on mathematics graduate studies - is this possible? I'm asking about EU countries, mostly about UK.