Undergrad Definition and 870 Threads

I'm thinking of auditing a course this Fall, since I find it very interesting and would love to take it, but I don't have time to do the homework and papers and such. It's called "Science and Religion" and is just a two hour lecture every Wednesday evening. What would a graduate school think of...

So I'm going into my senior year as a Physics major and I always thought that I wanted to go into a Physics PhD program. I have a 3.9 GPA and could probably get into a good program but I'm having second thoughts now. I've always loved my Physics classes but I'm starting to realize that I don't...

I'm going to university this Fall (freshman) and, having been repeatedly encouraged to make connections with professors/find a mentor/network, am wondering...how? In high-school, the kids who had good relationships with teachers usually just hung around their offices and chatted. I have trouble...

I think that R&D in rocket propulsion is something that I would like to do. I am just wondering what would be the best prep for it? Aerospace engineering or physics? I am going to study physics and maths at the University of Toronto because it interests me and I believe that it can open a...

I am a senior in high school and I am taking a college class at a local community college. After this year, if I decide not to take the transfer credit, can I reject it? So I can take the course again at my new undergrad again? Like basically abandon the transfer credit and grade? Will my...

Hello! I was just wondering if the perceived quality or ranking of an undergrad institution has a significant imapct on the chances of getting accepted to a given graduate program in physics. There have been people who have said things ranging from "little to no impact" to "vital", so I'm...

I was wondering if it was possible to do physics BS then MEng in EE without making up too many courses? My goal is to end up working in the industry, so that's why I'm thinking about doing the MEng in EE (I also enjoy analog part of EE, as well as the solid-state device design). If I plan to...

I've heard a lot of people say that the undergrad math at Williams College is good, especially their faculty being comparable to the top universities in the country. True? I would love opinions from people who actually went there or know of people who went there.

Will A "Good" Undergrad Program Help? This Fall I'll be starting my freshman year at the University of Chicago as a prospective physics major. From what I can tell, research opportunities for undergrads are pretty good and the faculty are good as well. But what I want to know is, will having...

I am a bit confused as to where I should apply for my undergrad. I know I definitely want to do pure mathematics, and I am looking at schools in the US (I am not from there). I do physics, math and further math at my high school as well as some personal work in my free time... what I want to...

I was looking over some application profiles, and one caught my eye. He was a Canadian from a decent Canadian university. 4.30/4.30 gpa (1st in his graduating class), GRE: 800 Q, 710 V, 5.0 W, and 980 physics. He also had four summers of research (two with a very well respected professor...

I passed my A levels in Physics, Maths And Further Maths AAB, and am really fascinated about Astrophysics, so i thought i might be up to the challenge. However i was curious as to whether it would be possible to get a masters in some sort of Engineering, with an undergrad degree in Astrophysics...

Hi everyone, may I know which university in Canada is considered the best for Undergraduate engineering? (most likely Electrical/Computer Engineering). I heard of University of Toronto, McGill, British Columbia, Queens, McMaster, Alberta, Ryerson and etc. I heard UofT is hard to get into and i...

Hello everyone, I am a recently graduated senior with a cum GPA of 3.4 with degrees in Applied Mathematics (with a concentration in Physics and Biology) and Chemistry. It would have been higher, save the 2 semesters that I was a biochem major and dropped below 3.0. I am interested in doing a...

So I was planning on getting into research next year for my Undergrad in Physics and so I self studied, trying to get ahead in my classes. I talked to my counciler about it and she told me to just talk to one of the professors. During Mid-Semester I talked to my quantum professor as well as...

I'm starting university in Ireland in October, and I want to pursue Theoretical Physics. Could someone please give me some feedback on the course please? Here's the link. It includes all the modules. Theoretical Physics: http://www.tcd.ie/Physics/undergraduate/theoretical_physics/

Hello everyone. I have a few questions about postgraduate study. At the moment I'm studying chemical and biological engineering in my third year in a dual degree program, and I have one more year of study after this one before I graduate with honours. I've been doing mostly chemical and...

it's been said on the lab today that maybe the lab work we're doing (i'm an undergrad, 4th year of physics) could be honed into a publication.. my lab partner was really excited about it, but i had my doubts because i don't know what are the future consequences of doing this. i never trust...

So I got to thinking...it might be better for me to delay graduation by a year..or maybe just a semester. But I need advice on this issue (and others) from a lot of different people, and I figured this is one of the places I should ask. I just finished sophomore year and I feel like I'm not...

Hi. So I'm currently an undergrad sophomore about to end the school year. I haven't got much research so far in physics (I only recently started a once a week Monte Carlo research with a professor). I'm wondering if there are ANY summer programs/internships/experience I could do? Or have I...

I am not a math major. I studied cal I, II, III, ODE and almost finish PDE. I just want to gauge the difficulty of different math classes. To me ODE was the hardest even though you need that for the PDE. ODE have so many different topics it is hard to follow all the derivation. I had to...

In short, my question is: I want to keep both my options open once I finish my undergrad degree (being a physicist, or an engineer). Would it be better to go with an undergrad in engineering and a masters in physics or an undergrad in physics and a masters in engineering? In a bit more...

Hello Physics Forums, and thanks in advance for your help. I'm a physics and computer science undergrad, currently in my second year. I'd like to go to grad school, and I know the importance of having research experience, but so far I don't really have anything substantial. I've been looking...

hi im a pure math major and going into my sr year next semester im supposed to apply to grad schools sometime next year as well, but I have a problem. I don't think id have a problem getting into a program my GPA is 4.0 in all my math courses and I've taken quite a few including some...

There is a Harvey Mudd College first semester real analysis course posted at http://www.youtube.com/user/Learnstream, based on the classic text Principles of Mathematical Analysis (Baby Rudin), by Walter Rudin. Professor Francis Su, who delivers these lectures, does a great job helping to tie...

physics vs. mechanical engineering undergrad degree to become an engineer hi-- i am an intended mechanical engineering major (undergrad) since that's where i would like to end up professionally. I'm still relatively early on in my education, but upon taking physics I'm struck by how much more...

I want to go to grad school for theoretical physics and I've heard that it's very important to know partial differential equations for theoretical physics. But unfortunately my school doesn't have a course on PDE's. How big of a deal is this? Will I be able to pick it up easily in grad school?

So I will graduate in a few weeks with a B.Sc. in physics and I will begin my phD studies in the fall in mechanical engineering. Paticularly, my research will be in materials. Can anyone shed some light on this transition? I understand that there will be loads of work and some makeup classes...

Hi, right now I am a High School Student heading to college next year. Because I didn't apply to as many schools as I would have liked to, I only have the options of going to Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Boston University, or UMass Amherst, though I am seriously considering transferring to a...

At this point in my physics career, I'm halfway done with the basic, foundational courses and the caluculus sequence. This is the end of my sophomore year and I've done well in classes so far and I have a high GPA, but I know one doesn't become a stand-out physicists just by going to class and...

I am a high school senior, and I have been accepted into MIT and the University of Rochester for undergrad. I plan to double major in physics and math, and go on to graduate school in one of these fields. I have 2 questions that I would like to ask here: 1) If I go to the University of...

At my school there are 2 basic undergrad plans of study in the physics department - regular physics and honors physics. The main difference is that the honors program is more difficult and each of the E&M, Classical Mechanics, and Quantum Mechanics are covered in 2 semesters. When I first...

Hello everyone, I was wondering if you all could shed some light on a problem I have been having regarding some life decisions. My main dilemma is that I am in my second year of college and am as of now an Aero Major, I have taken some majors courses and I really enjoy Aero. But I am starting...

Just wondering if it people would ever go so far as NOT doing undergraduate at a school doing research they're interested in because they would want to attend grad school there

Yeah, me again, this site has been so much help, so forgive me for always finding ways to come up with a new topic :) Anyway, I was wondering what one's opportunities of earning money while doing an undergraduate Physics degree are? And how much could one reasonably expect to earn in the...

I'm interested in genetic engineering. I'm not entirely certain what major that falls under. I'm looking at molecular genetics now, but I'm not positive that's the right one. Most colleges offer a genetics program, is that the same thing? I'm currently looking for 4-year undergraduate colleges...

I just started the 3rd year of a "licenciatura" which lasts 5 years. The first 2 years covered the basics of physics (except optics), numerical analysis, linear algebra, the calculus sequence (up to vector calculus) and complex analysis. We're still around 20 or 30 people in the class, while...

hi, I'm currently a junior in a very competitive public hs in MA. i want to pursue a degree in physics and eventually a PhD in physics or astronautical engineering (MIT hopefully!) i wasn't a stellar student in HS mostly because i didn't care my freshman year and i had some personal issues...

Hi all! This is my first post. I'm currently in the third year of an arts program. For a while now I've been dissatisfied with the way my education and career have been heading, and I'm realizing that I'm much better suited to the natural sciences. Specifically, I've been teaching myself basic...

My dream is to be successful as a researcher in some area of physics that I haven't decided on yet (I am going to start my Freshman year at the University of Arizona in September, so I don't have the experience to know which area I will find most enjoyable or find the most meaning in). I am...

At what point in your undergrad should you start applying for research programs and talking to your professor's about research opportunities? Right at the beginning of your freshman year? After your first semester? Beginning of sophmore year...?

Here's a little back story, I am currently 21 yrs old and in the US Military, Army to be exact. I will be released from my contract in or round July 2011 and my goal is to enroll at my state university (University of Massachusetts). What I am trying to figure out is, what exactly would be...

I'll look at faculty bio's and notice that not many have done their Grad work at the same University as their Undergrad. Why is this?

I have a bachelors in biochemistry and am currently working as a research technician, doing wet lab work. As of late, I have become more interested in the field of computer science. I would especially like to go into a field that is the mix of biochem and compsci (bioinformatics/computational...

messed up my undergrad, and my chance of?? i'm about to get my BSEE. my gpa as an undergrad is quite low. i was once lazy and unmotivated, but i became a different student in my 3rd and 4th years, and now i am confident of my ability to be successful in grad school. obviously, there is still a...

Okay, this is is going to be a long and hard decision and I really need some advice. Particularly if you have gone to either of these schools for a while, in physics, I'd love it if you could give me some inside information. NOTE: This is long, so if you want to skip the bulk and just throw in...

Basically my question is, next semester I'll be a senior & don't have any undergraduate research, & I'm wondering if I should do research even if I'm not interested in the subject. At the college I go to, they are doing some mathematical research in string theory, & I never particularly cared...

Can grad students take "fun" undergrad courses? Hi, is there any general policy on what undergraduate courses Physics grad students can take? I'm a physics undergrad, but I like mathematics quite a bit and there are a lot of math courses I know I won't be able to take before I graduate. So...

I'm a 25 year old undergrad, who has just returned to academia after a summer job as an iron worker - which is also the source of my screen name. Now at a community college, I've gotten myself into a "pre-engineering" program which would get me an AA and acceptance into any of Florida's...

Hi, I have done my Under Grad in Electronics Engg from India and my Master's in Telecommunications from US. I wanted to know how difficult will it be for me to get into a Doctorate course in Physics especially Astrophysics? I am working right now and want to pursue this solely for personal...