Undergrad Definition and 870 Threads

Hello, I am a Canadian Grade 12 high school student (in the GTA) and I plan on pursuing a career in theoretical physics academia. I have been accepted to the University of Toronto and to UC Berkeley and am trying to decide between the two. From what I understand when applying to a...

I am a non-traditional student (36 w/ a business degree after leaving a CHemE program when in school the first time). The last 12 years of my life, I have worked in the application of industrial coatings' to steel . I still work in the field, and will continue to. Now, I work in outside sales...

Hey guys, just thought i'd ask for some advice from you for my decision. Well I've been accepted to my top choices of u of t and waterloo co-op for physics for my undergraduate degree. Can you give me some opinion on which one i should go with? I am planning on continuing in a physics related...

hello all, I'm a physics major who's finishing up my second year as a physics major. I'm finishing up the 3 introductory physics course sequence and also the 4-semesters of calculus courses. In my community college, I was able to rank 1st on my physics courses and in the top 5 of my math...

I was up last night reading on studying methods, happiness and "life management", in general. One post led to another and tonight, I found myself this page. What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree with Cal Newport or do you think that his hypothetical "happy undergrad" is just an...

I am currently trying to decide between Berkeley and Cornell, as the title implies. I plan on majoring in physics and attending graduate school. I am sure that there isn't a definitive answer to whether one is better than the other, so what criteria should I be looking at and what are your...

Hello. I am a Junior in high school. I have a 4.0 GPA, got an 1820 on the SAT, and a 31 on the ACT. I have participated in the honors all-state band, and been in many extra-curriculur activities throughout high school. I am, however, upset with myself. My first two years of high school...

What are people's thoughts of undergrad research (in science and/or engineering) in small versus big research universities? It seems to be me that, in big, top 10 research universities (with a few exceptions), because of the huge number of grad students, professors extremely busy and well-known...

At the moment I'm attending North Idaho College, and while ideally I'd be able to transfer out of state to a better University, I'm all but guaranteed a spot at either University of Idaho (UI) or Idaho State University (ISU) if that doesn't work out. So naturally I'm trying to figure out which...

I have a BS in mathematics, and am currently working on my MS in mechanical engineering. Is it possible to take the FE without an undergrad degree? Is it advisable? I'm currently working on deficiencies, and the program I chose consists of mostly mechanics- I don't have to take...

I am a NYC resident but I'd really like to attend UC Irvine because one of my best friends who is a grad student (in a top five school, nonetheless) referred me to a specific professor with whom if I play my cards right and do good research work with, can network me with very good experiences in...

Hi everyone. I wrote a little about the pressures that I am facing right now. I know that many of you here have infinitely more wisdom than I have, and have the clarity of hindsight, so perhaps some can provide some good advice. This time of the year is one of the more stressful for...

Does anyone happen to know any undergrad research programs in the U.S. that deal with cold fusion and related experiments?

Hello, I am pretty nervous about working in a lab for a professor at my university this summer... I am currently in the second semester of physics introductory courses, and this professor completed his PhD at one of the best universities in the world... Does anyone have any advice about what I...

I have taken quantum mechanics 3 times as an undergrad. The first time was Modern Physics 1. It covers the beginnings of quantum and basic quantum up to 3-D central force problem. The second was Quantum Chemistry (part 1 of physical chemistry), and we covered: basic quantum problems (particle...

What is the difference between classical EM at the undergrad and graduate levels? Is it just the math that's harder at graduate levels, or are there any new concepts that are not covered in undergrad, that's covered in graduate? Thanks.

Every physics undergrad at my university has to do a research project with a professor. I haven't really made any real connection with any of the professors except for my quantum mechanics teacher. She is a very nice person and we think alike and get along very well. I would of course like to do...

How do people generally go about choosing a subject to do thesis on in one's last undergraduate year (ie: year long thesis project)? Should one be picking the desired field for a phd subject as an undergrad or is it okay to "make a mistake" and apply for something different at grad school...

I did a search on google but I was coming up with some mixed answers. I wanted to apply to this REU program and it said it was for students who are attending undergraduate institution. My two questions are the following: Are community colleges considered undergraduate institutions? Is a...

Hey guys. I'm about to graduate from college with a B.S. in physics from a California State University, and I don't really know what to do next. I used to think the next step was grad school, but now I'm not so sure. My grades are about a 3.1 GPA, I have no internship / real field experience...

I've read all about how it's next to impossible to find a job in academia after grad school. Frankly, after all of the horror stories, I'm still not sure what to do. Being a professor still sounds like my dream job, but if the prospects are really that poor, I don't know if I could move around...

I have a bachelor's in CS with a math focus (wound up 1 credit short of a math minor). I have been out of college for about six years now and working as a software developer during that time. Off and on since leaving college I have been self-teaching myself physics. Sometimes I daydream of going...

Last semester I took a combined course of Diffy Q and Linear Algebra. I feel I know the basics of LA and want to explore things a bit further. After talking to some professors at my school they told me that the next linear algebra class is a graduate class.. After looking at the course notes for...

What would be your go-to textbook for Classical Mechanics at the undergraduate level? It must also cover the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulation. My school uses "Analytical Mechanics" by Fowles & Cassiday but I find it not very complete and doesn't cover all topics. I've also read parts...

Hi, I'm doing a Physics undergrad and this semester I have the following courses: Thermodynamics, Quantum Mechanics, Numerical Methods, an Astrophysics course, and a Computational Lab. I've also taken Abstract Algebra which has twice as many lectures as any of these. Add to this the fact that I...

I've seen and heard some scary things when it comes to graduate school applications and for all I know, these could be complete rubbish. On the off chance that these claims are indeed correct, I'd like to know. In general, when a physics/math department is looking at applicant profiles, how...

Have any of you requested a different physics undergrad adviser before? I met with the adviser I was assigned, and she didn't seem to be a good fit. She said that she didn't like being an adviser because she doesn't understand the American undergraduate system (I'm assuming program...

With the amount of Graduate courses I currently plan on taking (I'm a second year undergrad), adding a couple of more will fulfill the requirements of an MA in Physics at my school. So if I plan things out properly and stick to the plan, I'd be able to get bachelor degrees in Math and Physics...

I have a mediocre (by my standards) GPA of 3.34 in the undergraduate math program. However, my graduate cumulative GPA in mathematics is very good at 3.96. I have one semester before I graduate with an MS in mathematics. I'm applying to Phd programs at Kent State University and Ohio State...

So I'll be taking undegrad E&M 1 next semester and was looking for a good book to prepare for it before the semester starts. People seem to like Griffiths and Purcell generally. Shwartz also seems to have some good reviews (and is quite cheap) on Amazon but I'm not quite sure what level it is...

Hey there, In my university, General Relativity is listed among elective courses (along with an advanced quantum mechanics course). I'm curious to know whether general relativity is really an undergrad course or not. And what are the pros and cons if GR is taken in grad school? Thanks for...

For someone planning on going on to 4 years of grad school.

As part of my junior curriculum I'm taking a college prep course. As part of this course I am gathering a list of colleges I plan on applying to, including several safety schools. I have several schools that I am totally confident that I will be able to get in, but I wouldn't quite call them...

Hello I am currently in the midst of filling out my applications to apply to a few colleges and I was wondering is there really a huge difference between state ran schools? I am looking to apply at Pacific Lutheran University, Seattle University, University of Washington, Oregon State...

I'm currently a second-year taking a course that samples from Real Analysis/Complex Analysis/Functional Analysis/Topology/Linear Algebra and I enjoy it a lot. I learned some abstract algebra over the summer and thought that was fun as well. But at the same time, I'd like to do some applied work...

I'm looking for some good ODE/PDE textbooks that focus a little more on theory but that are still comprehensive in their respective subjects. I have taken ODEs and applied PDEs at my university but even though I got good grades, I feel like my knowledge is lacking. The books we used were...

Just trying to learn modern physics. Currently studying (Classical Mechanics, John. R. Taylor). What else should I try studying? My goal is specialize in either Particle physics, Cosmology or Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Computation.

Spring 2012 Freshmen E@M Fall 2012 Waves, Optic and Thermo Modern Physics Spring 2013 Quantum Waves Anayltical mechanics Fall 2013 Junior E@M semester 1 Junior Quantum semester 1 Spring 2014 Junior E@M Semester 2 Junior Quantum semester 2 Reading in Particle Physics Fall 2015...

How long does it take for newly discovered math material or physics material to be standardized into the math undergrad curriculum? Just wondering about hilbert space as well. When did hilbert space first go into the undergrad curriculum?

I'm planning to major in physics at my university. However, this will be a second degree. My first was a 3 year biology degree 7 years ago. I'm interested in the job prospects of the various physics degrees and since my university is a small undergraduate school, they offer multiple...

Im still a Sixth Form student (senior high school equivalent in the US) but have finished my school syllabus so I've recently bought and started working on an introductory analysis book which is supposed to assume no more than A Level Maths (Calculus in US). One main problem I am finding with...

I want to go to school for engineering, mechanical specifically but some elec. on the side, but I'm a lover of Physics. I'm considering Double majoring in ME and Physics for my Undergrad with a minor in EE. Would it be better just to get my BS in physics and minor in EE and ME and the go on to...

I've noticed that there are certain topics that physics departments don't seem to teach at the undergrad level, except maybe smaller introductory elective courses here and there. It seems like the emphasis is entirely on making E&M and Quantum specialists at the expense of certain other areas...

Hey everyone, I'm new here on this forum. At the moment I'm studying in 2nd year in physics but I'm also looking towards the future pretty seriously. My family and I are not really in a financial position to do much in line with further eduction past my undergrad. I was however looking at a...

My son, a high school senior, is on the verge of applying to college. The potential problem we are encountering is that he thinks he'll want to study astrophysics, but his top college choices are mostly small, liberal arts schools that offer neither astronomy or astrophysics as a major. And...

Hi All, Just some quick background that may be relevant before my question: I am 29 years old and am back in school after not knowing what I wanted to after high school. Originally, I did well some terms and not so well other terms starting out, and I ended up taking a ~5year break. In my...

Hi, I was hoping for just about any advice in my situation, to gain some perspective. I'm now on my last year of bachelors degree in physics and I feel that I'm loosing interest in studying physics anymore. This begin when I started therapy for an anxiety disorder. The therapy has been...

Hello I am a high school senior just about start applying to colleges. I am looking at schools to go to and get an undergrad degree in physics in but can't really find any information about which schools are the "good" schools really besides ones like MIT, Stanford and others I probably will not...

Hello, I currently have an undergraduate degree in physics, with a slightly subpar undergraduate GPA (didn't take it seriously enough, but the real world and bills due is a good motivator now). I want to make up for it by doing well on the physics GRE, and applying as a post graduate with...

Over the past few months, I've been looking into applying to college in the US. I've been reading up on stuff on the internet, asking a couple of questions on the forums here and also been on CollegeConfidential a few times. A huge portion of the applicants there sound like they've totally lost...