Undergrad Definition and 870 Threads

Hi, I am currently a junior in High school, and am just beginning the long trek of college searching, and am looking for input from all places I can find. I love physics and hope to start a long career in it, and am wondering what the best schools are for physics? If anyone knows any good...

This may have been better to ask before I finished my grad school applications, but I think it will still be useful.. As an undergrad all my research experience has been theoretical/computational related to applied physics,materials, energy..., but in my applications I indicated reasons for...

I think the title pretty much sums up my question. I would like to get into the most prestigious grad school that I can (particularly MIT) but am worried that my choice in undergrad school might not be prestigious enough to get into a higher profile school. Do the ivy league(rs) really just...

I received a crappy undergraduate education and now will be receiving a BA rather than a BS in physics. This was the result of a combination of my laziness over the last two years and the lack of support and complete apathy concerning my academic and career ambitions in physics I received from...

Hi all. I'm an undergrad student of EE with specialization in Telecommunications and I need guidance for doing undergrad research? Here are my questions: 1- What are most important ingredients to carry out a good undergrad research? 2- How can I publish an undergrad research thesis/paper...

I'm sure similar things have been asked before, but this is a little different (I think). (I don't want to go into academia, and I don't think I'm going to go for a PhD. I think I'm going to try to get a master's in some sort of applied math and work in industry.) How competitive are math...

Hiya, I'm currently applying to Canadian universities for an undergrad degree in Mathematics (Combined with Computer Science somehow). My first choice would be University of Toronto, but that costs beyond what I am able and willing to pay for an undergraduate degree as an international...

Hi guys. I'm convinced on studying physics in Canada. What schools provide the best Undergrad courses (and experience)? Should i look at only the Big Boys (UofT, McGill, Western), or am i better off studying at a not-so-large Guelph or Carleton? How're the learning environments in each? Does...

Hey, I was wondering if anyone on this forum has gone to Illinois Tech for Physics, or has visited there. How's the physics program there?

Hey all, I'm a graduating high school student looking to get into a physics program in university. I'm expecting an average of about 95% this year. Math, physics, and computer courses are not a problem for me. I have a great passion for physics especially astronomy/astrophysics. The schools I'm...

I'm currently a sophomore with a major in math/cs (single major, not a double major) and I have a plan of what I'm taking for the rest of my time here apart from my degree. I ran it by the general adviser guy and he said it was good, but we really didn't discuss the pros and cons of it, more...

Does a B.A. vs. B.S. strongly impact your ability to get a masters degree? Especially if it is in an unconnected area? E.g. Physics to C.S./Engineering?

Hello, Im struggling with a pretty horrendous lecturer for this 2nd year course, so am trying to learn a lot of it myself with a decent textbook. I am getting pretty scared for the exam in summer. We have been reccomended Jewett & Serway, but its kinda just a general physics, and doesn't seem...

Hello, I'm currently a junior in high school looking for the best undergrad physics program based off of my grades. Just to give you an idea: GPA: Unweighted: 3.3-3.5 Weighted:Not sure Extracurriculars: Did some research with Physics teacher, and some research with Math teacher...

I am going to graduate soon and am getting my applications ready for graduate school. I know I do not want to continue in pure physics. I want something more "hands on." I also want something in a cutting edge field. I've always liked the idea of nuclear engineering and did well in EM...

The title pretty much says it all. I'm planning on going into astrophysics, and I'm a bit concerned about the costs of studying out of state, not to mention that one of our state universities just opened up an undergraduate physics and astrophysics program. So, will it really make that much...

Hi, I'm a third year undergrad at Oxford, and I really want to find a physics based summer placement, where I can do some research, and possibly attend a lecture course (although research is my main aim). I was lucky enough to spend 7 weeks in the Oxford Astro department last summer, doing a...

I am currently a junior in the chemical engineering program at my school and have now started debating possible paths I can take after I graduate. What I'm interested in are what type of possibilities are out there for engineers who choose to Master in Physics and not in their respective...

Hi guys, right now I am a math major interested in becoming an engineer. I thought about transferring into another school because my school does not offer an engineering degree. But then since I am a sophomore right now I do not think I can graduate on time if I do. So I thought maybe I...

Hey everyone. I'm new to this forum, and I apologize for the lengthy question. I would really appreciate it if anyone could take the time to read through and respond. I've been reading a lot of these posts on here, trying to figure out where to go with my studies, but none specifically address...

Hey all Currently i am in my sophomore year at University A. University B is also close by and has a better reputation for my major. I have been thinking about transferring to University B to finish out my undergrad but University B is one of the schools i have been considering for grad school...

I was thinking about this earlier today: The last 10 years or so has seen a steady increase in undergraduate research activity and the prevalence of undergraduates contributing to published research articles. I think inevitably this will lead to publications being required, at least informally...

So let me give you a little background on myself first. I'm 19, I live in Alberta, Canada, and I'm currently in my first year of college taking "Environmental Sciences". I chose that program basically because I met the requirements and it was the easiest route for me to take without upgrading...

Long story short, I am currently an undergraduate at a public college and I, as high school-ish as it sounds, have a big crush on my former TA. He's funny, cute, and a math grad student, which is EXACTLY my 'type' but those of you who have experience with these types of guys know that they can...

hey, I am trying to pick 2 out of these 4 classes. I want to be a well rounded under grad math major. I am in my second year and have done 2 semesters of analysis, 1 abstract algebra, 1 number theory, 2 stats, 1 complex analysis. these are the choices I have narrowed my options down to. I am...

Hi! I want suggestions/guidence about how to carry out research in Electrical engineering at undergrad level? What constitutes for being a good research student in this field? I need detailed guidence. Thanks.

Hi! I know everyone pretty much comes on here asking the same things, but I'm getting pretty confused and upset and thought I'd post. Since my junior year of high school I've wanted to be a physics major. Unfortunately I'm not one of those genius kids who do nothing but problem sets and...

I am trying to decide between Williams and Yale for physics. What are peoples thoughts on each program? I might double major in math too.

I have finished my undergraduate degree in OCEANOGRAPHY where we used equations (but did not have to derive them) and I read up on maths concepts (e.g. Fourier transforms) but didnt learn them in class. I am looking to take a MASTERS in physical oceanography. I have not formally studied maths...

Im still in 2year college, and studyin QM alone, would like to know a good book for QFT that I can understand. I have some questions that seems can only be answered with QFT, right now, I am half way through the Griffith's QM book..! thx a lot guys..!

I'm just wondering, but if you are a good student at HYPMS or maybe even UPenn, is there a good chance of earning near 100K fresh out of college? Or is this just a big misconception that most ambitious high school students have?

I have had some limited research experience which resulted in me being a second author on the paper. I was not given any influence on the direction of the work or the actual paper though, and I now consider it to be a poor paper and the work to be completely lacking in direction. This...

Hey guys I'm a sophomore undergraduate majoring in physics and I would at some point in my career work in particle physics or condensed matter physics. If I want to go into this area of study, how do you guys suggest I try to get involved in some undergraduate research. I need a lot of help...

I'm currently a sophomore math major at a locally known, but nationally unheard of public liberal arts college. Recently, I've decided that I want to pursue a graduate degree in math. I was looking around at various institutions, and a couple listed the schools that incoming PhD students were...

I'm about to start a 4-year Masters degree in Physics at Imperial College London, which supposedly includes a Year spent in Europe, working on a research project. Recently however I am beginning to doubt myself as to whether it is worth spending that year abroad as I will have to spend a...

I'll be finishing up my freshman year shortly and want to get involved in research as early as possible, in order to establish relationships/connections and to make myself a more appealing grad school candidate in the future. My question is: Is it acceptable to simply contact a researcher at my...

Hi, first time poster. I apologize if this topic has been done over and over, but I couldn't find an answer that suited my needs. So anyway, I've decided to return to college at age 30. I originally went for CompSci and dropped out to cash in on the dot com craze. That went well until a...

So, I want to major in TAM (Theoretical and Applied Mechanics) for my graduate degree which would be a PhD. I'm wondering what kind of major for undergrad would be best for that since the university I want to go to doesn't offer that as an undergrad major. The relevant undergrad majors would be...

I'm a high school senior looking into colleges and I'm having trouble picking out good choices for physics programs. I live in Chicago and I'm looking into schools around the Midwest. My record ACT:32 GPA: 94.2 (My school is weird and they don't like the 4.0 scale) My course load is...

Hello friends,I am doing my MSc equivalent coursework in Physics in a reputed research Institute in India.However,I do not want to continue here (Ph.D).The thing is that they would not give me an MS if I wish to leave. I wish to appear for general G.R.E and subject G.R.E next year (2010)...

For those of you aspiring scientists and engineers in the United States, here arehttp://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/degrees.asp" . This is the kind of information I wished I had when I was in school, so I wanted to share. For those with a bachelor's degree alone [such as myself] the...

If I'm interested in going to grad school to do theoretical physics how much math am I expected to pick up as an undergrad? I know theory requires a lot more math than experiment but how much more and do I need to do it while I'm still an undergrad or will I be able to pick it up along the way...

I'm trying to wrap my head around college admissions as I start my junior year in high school. Since my primary interest is in math, I'm thinking of an applied math major (but other hard sciences and engineering are also likely possibilities). I want to do undergrad research and/or...

Hey all, I just graduated from a small-ish northeastern private liberal arts university known more for it's law and communications departments than it's science education. It's a fairly respectable school but a small physics department, about 50 students in total. I plan on taking a year...

Just looking for some general advice or ideas for an undergrad physics student to get further into the field. I'm not asking for short cuts or anything but suggestions like 'find a mentor' or 'get involved in research' or even 'make sure you understand your problem sets' have helped immensely...

I know this forum is for grad school, but which are the top few colleges for undergrad physics? I am also looking forward to learning quantum mechanics, the layman books just intrigue me! Which colleges teach that topic well?

Greetings, Recently, while for what must be the thousandth time, I've rethought my plans for university, and discovered that studying something I've always been very interested in - Computer Science, software design and development - is an actual possibility. For some reason, I've never...

Hey all. I am going to be a fifth year senior next year majoring in applied math - scientific computing. I originally began my college career stubbornly thinking I was going to get a B.Sc. in some biology related discipline. However, due to a general lack of interest in biology and bad study...

I'm a junior in high school looking at colleges. I've recently become very interested in the idea of a mathematics major. My research has led me to the usual suspects, and I've heard that math majors often work in the following: Actuary CompSci Education Finance Mathematician...

I am currently an undergraduate studying physics, and am looking to get a part time job to make money. Are there any jobs that would be relevant and useful to a carreer as a physicist that someone with no college degree could get?