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.
 
Hi all, Hope you are doing well. I'm a current grad student in applied geophysics and will finish my PhD in about 2 years (previously did a HBSc in Physics, did research in exp. quantum optics). I chose my current field because of its practicality and its clear connection to industry, not out of passion (a clear mistake). I notice that a lot of people (colleagues) switch to different subfields of physics once they graduate and enter post docs. But 95% of these cases fall into either of...

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