Advice on aiming for top-tier plasma physics PhD. programs

[mrdx]

Hi! First time poster here, looking for some advice on how to optimize my CV for the title-stated goal. By “top-tier”, I have the big three of Princeton, MIT, and Columbia in mind. Those schools are the target because while I really love experimental work, I want a PhD that will give me the absolute full-package theoretical understanding of plasma physics esp. re fusion.

My background: I graduated w/ a BA in Physics in ‘21. The bad news is that my undergrad GPA was very poor, about 2.7.

The good news is that (1) I did a topic-relevant thesis, and (2) said BA is from a particular little LA college which is statistically & by reputation (I think) a peer of the above schools for undergrad, and it’s well-liked by grad schools writ large. It also (in?)famously has very low grade inflation.

I’m now finishing up a MS in physics at a considerably less prestigious public university. My GPA there is 3.8, in about 2 years’ worth of coursework. I’m opting to do a thesis, and I am reasonably sure it will be novel & rigorous enough to be publication-worthy. (Side note: this topic is plasma spectroscopy diagnostics, specifically. If anyone in the field is reading, perchance, do you have suggestions as to which particular journals might be appropriate to submit to?)

I also did a 6mo internship at ITER in the midst of this MS. While I’m sure I’ll get a good letter of rec from that, what I was asked to do was not terribly technical, so it will be of limited value.

I recently visited one of those target schools and talked to faculty— they strongly suggested that I try and get an internship or two at a fusion startup to improve my application strength, and that they basically don’t accept anyone who hasn’t demonstrated research aptitude.

I’m reasonably certain I do in fact have research aptitude, but my own self-conceit is insufficient, I need to really accumulate lots of evidence that way, to go where I want to. Would anyone have suggestions or about how to best do that in my somewhat non-traditional trajectory? Thank you in advance!

 

[CrysPhys]

By “top-tier”, I have the big three of Princeton, MIT, and Columbia in mind. Those schools are the target because while I really love experimental work, I want a PhD that will give me the absolute full-package theoretical understanding of plasma physics esp. re fusion.

I recently visited one of those target schools and talked to faculty— they strongly suggested that I try and get an internship or two at a fusion startup to improve my application strength, and that they basically don’t accept anyone who hasn’t demonstrated research aptitude.

<<Emphasis added.>> Your best advice will be from faculty at your target schools. You've talked to faculty at one; now repeat for the other two. Caveat: Only 3 target schools? That's not wise, even for a stronger applicant.

 

[mrdx]

<<Emphasis added.>> Your best advice will be from faculty at your target schools. You've talked to faculty at one; now repeat for the other two. Caveat: Only 3 target schools? That's not wise, even for a stronger applicant.

Appreciate it! I’ll see if I can find faculty to pester at the other two. I’m certainly going to be applying to more than that: Washington, Wisconsin, Maryland, and UCLA are my 2nd group (in the US). There are several European programs I’ll be applying to too, since I will have a master’s and some European connections from my time at ITER: Aix-Marseille, Paris Politechnique, Uni di Padua, Carlos III de Madrid, Eindhoven Technical, among others.

My complaint with most other American programs (ones I didn’t mention) is that so far as I can tell, their focus is very much on the applied and are not so heavy on the theoretical side. It’s a lot easier to learn applied skills post-PhD than the theoretical, imo.