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Bio/applied math undergrad wanting to do physics grad school
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[QUOTE="sailorpluto, post: 5769012, member: 624051"] Hey everyone, I'm new to this community, and I came here hoping to find some advice on applying to graduate schools. A bit of educational background about me: [LIST] [*]Biology BS & Applied Mathematics BS Double Major [*]Neuroscience & Chemistry Minor (declared neuroscience officially, but earned the chemistry minor because doing a Biology BS at UNC-CH automatically gives you one) [*]Currently a senior at UNC Chapel Hill [*]Completed the pre-med track, am currently applying to medical school and graduate school. [*]Have 3 more courses to go to earn my math major [*]Finished all my biology requirements [*]My research positions I've held at uni are varied. I've had three in total, and I have to say it's mostly me switching around wanting to gain exposure to different fields of science. I've done research in alcoholism & addictive behaviors, flight mechanics of birds, and on how different proteins interact in the cytokinetic ring to regulate it. [*]I have a decent GPA (3.3). UNC is a very challenging environment to me and I came from a high school that didn't place a heavy emphasis on STEM. I'm not using that as an excuse, but I will say without doubt my academic experience at UNC was quite trying. [*]Just took the MCAT. Awaiting the score right now. [*]Planning on taking the GRE and Physics GRE this fall. [*]Extracurriculars and special skills? Not sure if they matter that much for graduate school as they do for medical school (honestly, I don't know so someone please tell me) but I've done research as I mentioned above, was an art teacher, swim instructor, volunteer at a hospital, participated in model WHO conferences, studied abroad and took courses on anatomy & healthcare management, worked as a hospital translator, polyglot (can speak/understand 12 languages), and tutor. [/LIST] I feel like it's very apparent from the mini-resume that I wrote here that a lot of my activities and work have been tailored to go to medical school or are typical of a pre-med student. However, especially in this past year, I have been feeling terrible in that I have been lying to myself. I realized that me switching so many times around lab in uni wasn't because I was trying to get more exposure, but rather that I was trying to stay interested in biology and I just couldn't do it. Simply put, I could care less about biology and it was obvious by performance in my classes alone that I was more interested and engaged in my math and physics courses than in my biology courses. I cannot see myself in medical school and I do not want to go to medical school. I realized that my true passion lies in astrophysics and astronomy. I am taking courses on astronomy and astrophysics my senior year, in addition to finishing up the last remaining courses for my applied math major. I understand that an important part of applying to physics graduate school is to have a solid research background and strong letters of recommendation. I do have a couple of mathematics professors that could write me letters, but I don't have any professors that could write letters of rec based on research experience simply because my time in these labs has been so short, or I've straight up told the PI that I did not think the lab was a good fit for me. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't arrogant about how I did this. I just told them that "I think I want to keep exploring options, I'm young and I'm also looking at multiple career paths." They all seemed very understanding and accepting of it, but I feel like these PIs don't know me well enough and it was hard to find one-on-one time with them. In short, I don't think I would be getting strong letters of rec from them. That being said, I am looking for an astronomy or astrophysics lab to do research in for senior year. I've talked to one of the professors in the physics department, who is especially known for helping women in physics and STEM in general, and she has given me many pointers as well as told me what courses she thinks I should take senior year, and how those courses could lead to possible research opportunities. What do you all think? What should I do next to make myself a better candidate for physics graduate school? I am trying my best in the short amount of time I have left, and am willing to do anything I can to better myself as an applicant. [/QUOTE]
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