School Definition and 1000 Threads

So I have decided on my first choice of school and program for my master's degree, (Medical Physics at University of Calgary if anyone is interested in knowing) and I am wondering how to go about emailing a professor. The program says you are not required to find a supervisor before applying...

< Mentor Note -- two similar threads by the OP merged into one >[/color] Senior. Thermal Physics, Nuclear Physics, Lab class = 10 credits. Debating to take either: PDEs, Vector Analysis, Mathematica class, but I hear Thermal is hard and I want to ace all my upper level courses. I'm also working...

Hello all, For any of you current or ex grad students out there in physics, what was your overall experience like in graduate school? Extremely stressful, working 80 hours a week for 6 years and hating life or more along the lines of 40-50 hours a week and enjoying life while being on the...

Hi, I often hear people say that a certain program (i.e. computer science, maths, etc) is better at one school than at another. For example, here in Canada a lot of people say that if you want to enter into computer science you should go to the University of Waterloo, because they have a...

Background: I am an international student doing Mathematical tripos at Cambridge and I have just completed my first year with a 2.i. I did 'Maths with Physics' for my first year. The following paragraph is taken from the department's course website. "The Mathematics with Physics option consists...

Hello all! I've been instructed to construct a week long Cosmology class for High School Freshman. The class will run from about 8am-3pm everyday (with breaks and lunch or course). My first step in constructing this class is just to ask you guys what you would want to learn about...

Core being Thermal, Mechanics, E&M, Quantum? Say I graduate with a average 3.4 gap, but ace these courses, would Grad admissions care about a rough first year including Cs in Calc I and II and Bs in General Physics?

I want to study either solid state or relativity. I have taken CalcI-III + odes. I find most of the math I remember is taught to me in physics classes, e.g. Linear algebra in Classical Mechanics, Vectors analysis in EM. Would it hurt me if I didn't take Calc 4 - Vector analysis or PDEs which are...

So I got killed this past year in physics. Combined with the fact that I slacked off a lot in first year, I have an awful GPA. It's currently sitting at 1.66 ( out of 4.3) I need ~2.0 to get into honors physics. I'm guessing the possibility of grad school is out the window. I've been studying...

A question I've had and never gotten answered recently is what looks better on a transcript: 18-20 credits in one semester and quickly finish my undergrad, or take a lengthy stay at around 12-14 credits per semester with the extra year being used for grad school courses? If I take the extra...

I have my four-year degree, but I didn't pursue my doctoral or master's- just started working. My question is: can I take the MCAT despite no longer being in school? This would be purely for entertainment purposes (just want to see how difficult it is, etc.). I'm weird, I know. How much would...

Greetings fellow PFers, I am a rising senior in undergrad (physics) and am preparing to apply for graduate school for next year. My undergrad institution does not have many graduates that go on to graduate school so I'm in a bit of a pickle as far as advice on this matter goes. I've read some...

Hi guys I'm Bruce. I'm new to this forum and I 'm currently a high school student. I was wondering if there was any good books( not too advanced) on topics such as astronomy, chemistry, biology and calculus. If you can give me one or two suggestions that will be great.

I am doing precalculus by 'Carl Stitz' and 'Jeff Zeager'. It's a pretty good book. Every tiny thing is touched and explained for a topic. I want a similar book for calculus for high school where every tiny detail is explained because i am learning calculus by myself.

I am a rising senior at a small liberal arts college, with an incredibly small (and therefore unrecognized) physics program. I am seeking advice regarding which Ph.D programs are within my reach. I plan on applying to AMO (Atomic, Molecular, and Optics) Ph.D programs with the intention of...

Greetings PFers, I didn't see a need to spam the forum with three topics, but I have three questions about graduate school. First question: Do most graduate schools (physics) have a summer "bridging" program? Maybe to prepare for the prelims, or to take some supplementary classes or...

Homework Statement Sue rows her boat at 4.5ms. The velocity of the river flow is 2.5ms. What is sues velocity against the flow relative to the water. I can't wrap my head around the question, since sues actual velocity against the flow is 2ms. This should mean she is moving backwards 0.5ms...

Ok so currently I am going to be starting college this spring at a school with a good physics program. I love physics and engineering and would like to at least get my masters degree in whatever I'm doing. My question is, is it better to major in physics then go to grad school for engineering...

Ideally I'd like to apply to graduate school for physics (leaning towards Astrophysics or Condensed matter); however, I don't think my course work or research is sufficient. I'm already using an extra year to complete the degree (I changed to physics the end of my Sophomore year) and wouldn't...

And what are the methods? This was stimulated by This question could be rephrased as "use the method for finding square roots you were taught in school to find √7 to 6 decimal places". If you were taught at school. If you were not taught at school you were luckier than me, I was. It has had...

I have always had a keen interest for math and Physics, however I have never had much physics in school. I moved to different schools a lot, and therefore I never had anything else than F=ma and basic electric circuitry. Since my father is a math teacher, I have been able to go through Spivak...

Fall internships for undergraduates? I have myself in quite the pickle. I'm entering my senior year of college pursuing a BS in Physics and a minor in Math. I go to a small university near LA. I was just offered a paid internship across the country by NASA for this upcoming fall. Of course I...

Hey everyone! So, I am in a dilemma. I have a mathematics bachelors degree with a minor in physics, but many more course than just a minor, really it is like 2-3 courses away from being a second major. Anyways, after I received my math degree and physics minor I got cold feet about going to...

I've been looking over some past threads on PF with regards to graduate school and funding and it's made me reconsider applying internationally. To give some background: I'm a Canadian entering third year (of a 4-year BSc program) this fall and am studying Physics. I plan on pursuing grad school...

I am currently working as a chef and have decided I would like to go to school to study physics. Unfortunately, I have to take some time to cover some basic trig. and calc. before I begin my journey. My goal, and I'm sure this is everyone's, is to go onto to grad school. I'm trying to save a...

Greetings all, I found some similar threads to this but none that answered my exact question. I am doing an REU at a school I would like to attend for graduate school, and some students there have said that in graduate school admissions, I am going to be judged relative to my peers from the...

Alright, so here's the deal. I graduated from college at the end of 2014 with two degrees in liberal arts majors. I was extremely upset by the education I received because it relied too heavily on terminology instead of problem-solving. I now have the chance to go back to school again. I am...

Hi guys, wassup? I am a physics undergraduate motivated to get into top graduate programs, namely MIT. It is not its name or prestige (only a small amount!) which attracts me to it, but the experience I desire, that is, to immerse myself to an environment, surrounded by other students of diverse...

Greetings all, I'll be applying to grad school in the fall, and I am uncertain on how to proceed. By the time I graduate, I will have done research with an AMO theory group for four years and will have four publications. However, all of these publications are on numerical work/methods, not pure...

I feel like most of my fellow students throughout my undergrad have already figured out what they enjoy most, they have their favorite classes based on the content, and the area of physics which seems most interesting to them. I haven't taken a course yet where the content wasn't interesting to...

Hi, how does physics graduate school work in Spain? What are the admissions tests?

ZapperZ submitted a new PF Insights post First years of Graduate School from Being a TA to the Graduate Exams Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

I'm an astrophysics major. I want to go to grad school. Whether it's physics, astrophysics, or astronomy I'd enjoy anything. My GPA is not good and realistically I was wondering what are my options if I had a 2.8 GPA (hypothetically, I still have two years left but my gpa is 2.4 now). I am at a...

ZapperZ submitted a new PF Insights post Entering Physics Graduate School From Another Major Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

I go to a university that operates on a three quarter per year system, with 10 weeks per quarter. This quarter started out fine, but my dad's condition suddenly deteriorated and he passed away (I was led to believe he had at least 2 years left from doctor expectations about the development of...

PF Family, I love my undergraduate institution. However, our physics department is very small and has a very small faculty. Also, although many are listed on the webpage, we only have one physics elective, "Intro to Astronomy", which I am not very interested in. I've been thinking about...

Hi everyone, I'm currently researching graduate schools in mathematics. I would like to go for a PhD. My question is, do I apply directly to the PhD program? Or do I apply to the Master's program and apply for the PhD afterwards? What do people normally do?

I tried to keep the thread name as applicable to my question as possible. I'm sure this question has been asked before I apologise in advance I could not find the appropriate answer :) I did not do physics at high school as when I tried to change a sub to physics they told me I was too late...

I am In high school and its my last year.I want to write an scientific article.I am working on something.I have original ideas and I want to share them.But I don't have any idea about how to write a scientific paper.And also I don't know where I will going to send the paper. Is there any...

In high school chemistry, which I am in right now, we are the very simple means by which to balance a chemical reaction and determine the products of a reactions. My question is; is any reaction possible as long as the valence electrons of the reactants equal eight? Obviously the answer is no...

This is my school's assembly area : The place is generally used for the assembly and various other things. But the problem is that it receives a lot of sunlight and it is difficult to use it during the later part of the day. So, I would like something like a roof, which doesn't entirely...

I've thrown around this possibility before, but I've developed such a respect for this forum and the people interested in physics that I feel comfortable enough to listen to others input and experience. I'm attending a local University free of charge, but they only offer a minor in physics. I...

ZapperZ submitted a new PF Insights post The US Graduate School System Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

I have been trying to decide between these two universities for the longest time, and I have to make a decision quick. I know I like physics and I love learning about it, it's just something I've always wanted to do. But after talking to many people, everyone is telling me to give engineering a...

OK so I currently attend The University of North Texas, which is by no means a prestigious school for physics. I am a physics major with 72 hours of coursework under my belt. I plan to attend graduate school and would like to get into a good school for something in the realm of theoretical...

Hey! I'm a Grade 11 (entering Grade 12) high school student living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and I was wondering if I could come here and ask a question on if anyone could give me any advice on what I should do with my life? More specifically, which one of these careers do you think would be...

Hi guys, Im Daniel, I am currently an undergraduate astrophysics student at CU Boulder. Just coming into my junior year now and I've begun thinking about grad school. My current career goal is to join the upcoming private space industry. I was hoping to get some advice about what to do after...

I have a master's in physics. I'm looking at PhD programs, but I really don't want to take the same courses over and take comprehensive exams (or the damn GRE). I managed to squeeze in a few math classes before I finished. I would like to do research in physics, but from a more math-heavy...

ZapperZ submitted a new PF Insights post What to Expect from Graduate School Before You Get There Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

(Sorry for my bad English, I'm from Germany) Hello! I need to build a solar cooker as a school project. Our build needs to be able to heat 1 liter of water in 80 minutes. My idea was, to heat the water by using a fresnellens. I've bought a 15.6 x 15.6 inches fresnellens for that. I thought...