Can I Get to Grad School with a Four year BSc (Physics)

[latitude]

Hey all,

I'm at a crossroads and feeling really stressed out. Below are my options:

a) Complete a BSc in Physics, 4 - year Honours: It will take me two more years of intense work. I am already on my fourth year of the degree but messed everything up by taking only one course my second year, so unless I do a courseload of Quantum Mechanics II, Advanced Laboratory, General Relativity, Electromagnetic Theory AND my Honour's Thesis next year, plus Chemistry and Intermediate Calculus next summer, I will not complete it in one year. Which makes me 23 years old when I graduate and THEN I will have to start applying for Grad School. I won't have a job for years.

b) Transfer to Electrical Engineering undergrad with the credits I have going to transfer. It will take me at least 3 years to complete the degree in my estimation. But I will have many more career prospects following graduation, and hopefully lucrative ones. I would feel sad to not complete my physics degree after working so hard at it, however.

c) Complete a Four-Year General BSc in Physics. I can be finished that by next year, and, if it is possible, apply to grad schools immediately following that. However i know that competitively, a four-year graduate would not hold a candle to people with Honour's degrees who are applying, so this option is risky.

I would ideally like to apply to an engineering graduate program so I could do engineering research (I understand that an engineering graduate program will not allow me to practice as a certified engineer.)

Any advice is really really appreciated. I wish I could start over again... :(

 

[fss]

However i know that competitively, a four-year graduate would not hold a candle to people with Honour's degrees who are applying, so this option is risky.

I don't think this statement is actually true. Plenty of people in graduate physics didn't graduate with honors.

 

[eliya]

I'm not even close to applying to grad school, but I'll write down what I get from all the "apply to grad school" threads here.
First, Applying to grad school at 23 isn't that bad. I'll be 27 when I graduate with a B.Sc in Physics, and I don't think it's that bleak. Applying to grad school at 23 makes you only a year older than everyone else.

As for what grad schools think, and this isn't based on experience sitting in a committee or applying to grad school:
Take interesting classes that you care about and do well in them: If you want to graduate with honors, do it because you're interested in the classes that are offered in the honors track, not because you think it'll count more when you apply to grad school. Besides, it seems like grad schools are good with detecting ******** and when people do things just to be able to impress committees.

If I were in your position I'd look closely at the differences between doing honors Physics or regular Physics. If you think the honors track will make you a better physicist in a way that will give you a significant advantage in grad school, then go for it. If it won't give you any significant advantage that is worth the extra two years, then go with a regular B.Sc.

Lastly, like fss wrote, there are plenty of people in grad school who have a "regular" degree in Physics.

 

[Ryker]

Lastly, like fss wrote, there are plenty of people in grad school who have a "regular" degree in Physics.

The problem with this is that, from what I gather, Honors degrees are relatively new, so their implentation into the educational system changes the playing field. You'll be getting more and more people who have not only done the "regular" degree, but the Honors one, so the latter track will in my opinion be seen as the way to go (I think in this regard the US and Canadian systems are approaching the European system). I don't know if this is the case yet, but at least in Canada I think you are already expected to go for the Honors degree or at least take courses that you would had you gone for it.

 

[lisab]

Hey all,

I'm at a crossroads and feeling really stressed out. Below are my options:

a) Complete a BSc in Physics, 4 - year Honours: It will take me two more years of intense work. I am already on my fourth year of the degree but messed everything up by taking only one course my second year, so unless I do a courseload of Quantum Mechanics II, Advanced Laboratory, General Relativity, Electromagnetic Theory AND my Honour's Thesis next year, plus Chemistry and Intermediate Calculus next summer, I will not complete it in one year. Which makes me 23 years old when I graduate and THEN I will have to start applying for Grad School. I won't have a job for years.

b) Transfer to Electrical Engineering undergrad with the credits I have going to transfer. It will take me at least 3 years to complete the degree in my estimation. But I will have many more career prospects following graduation, and hopefully lucrative ones. I would feel sad to not complete my physics degree after working so hard at it, however.

c) Complete a Four-Year General BSc in Physics. I can be finished that by next year, and, if it is possible, apply to grad schools immediately following that. However i know that competitively, a four-year graduate would not hold a candle to people with Honour's degrees who are applying, so this option is risky.

I would ideally like to apply to an engineering graduate program so I could do engineering research (I understand that an engineering graduate program will not allow me to practice as a certified engineer.)

Any advice is really really appreciated. I wish I could start over again... :(

I think if your ideal career is doing engineering research, you should transfer into engineering.

 

[latitude]

Thanks so much for all the replies.

I agree with the statement that the Honours degree is becoming the norm for people on the grad-school track. I will, however, have taken the majority of the courses needed to graduate with an Honours degree, I will only be two or three short. Perhaps having the upper-level courses in my four year degree would give me a slight advantage.

I applied to my local Electrical Engineering program at the University and am waiting to hear a reply, so perhaps once I know I will be more on track to make the decision? I hope so anyway. I feel like if I only knew what I wanted I'd find it easier to make the choice, but I keep madly fluctuating on my opinion. :(