Other Choosing to be an academic in physics

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Many first-year physics undergraduates experience challenges in grasping complex concepts, leading to self-doubt despite good grades. It's common for students to feel pressure from perfectionism and high personal standards. Current PhD students and academics emphasize that struggling with certain topics is a normal part of the learning process in physics. Success in the field often hinges on perseverance and resilience rather than immediate comprehension. It's important for students to recognize that not understanding concepts right away should not deter them from pursuing research or academia.
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Hey there,

As an undergrad first year, physics has been great but I have some dilemmas of what I want to do. I want to go into research/ academia but it seems as though, despite me getting good grades, I don't necessarily get some concepts straight away, to the point I'm self conscious in my abilities. I would tell myself "why didn't i get this the first time"... I would think I'm kind of a perfectionist, setting high standard for myself, but i want to see someone else's perspective.

I would like to know if, for all you PHD students/ academics, how undergrad was for you guys and should this deter me from this. Was it easy for you...?
 
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Stoshy224860 said:
Hey there,

As an undergrad first year, physics has been great but I have some dilemmas of what I want to do. I want to go into research/ academia but it seems as though, despite me getting good grades, I don't necessarily get some concepts straight away, to the point I'm self conscious in my abilities. I would tell myself "why didn't i get this the first time"... I would think I'm kind of a perfectionist, setting high standard for myself, but i want to see someone else's perspective.

I would like to know if, for all you PHD students/ academics, how undergrad was for you guys and should this deter me from this. Was it easy for you...?

Physics is hard. You won't get some concepts straight away, it takes a lot of work. Succeeding in physics (at least in undergrad) doesn't require you to understand things right away, but it requires not being discouraged by not being able to do so.
 
Hey, I am Andreas from Germany. I am currently 35 years old and I want to relearn math and physics. This is not one of these regular questions when it comes to this matter. So... I am very realistic about it. I know that there are severe contraints when it comes to selfstudy compared to a regular school and/or university (structure, peers, teachers, learning groups, tests, access to papers and so on) . I will never get a job in this field and I will never be taken serious by "real"...
Yesterday, 9/5/2025, when I was surfing, I found an article The Schwarzschild solution contains three problems, which can be easily solved - Journal of King Saud University - Science ABUNDANCE ESTIMATION IN AN ARID ENVIRONMENT https://jksus.org/the-schwarzschild-solution-contains-three-problems-which-can-be-easily-solved/ that has the derivation of a line element as a corrected version of the Schwarzschild solution to Einstein’s field equation. This article's date received is 2022-11-15...

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