Do I have a REAL chance to study a MSc in astrophysics in Europe, USA?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the prospects of a participant from Chile seeking to pursue a Master's or PhD in physics or astrophysics in the USA or Europe, particularly Germany. The participant expresses concerns about funding opportunities and the competitiveness of their academic background.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • The participant has a GPA of 3.3-3.4 and is concerned about its adequacy for admission to graduate programs in the US.
  • Some participants note that most US graduate programs offer assistantships, which could provide funding.
  • Concerns are raised about the participant's university ranking in Chile and its potential impact on admissions decisions.
  • One participant questions the credibility of the journal "Dark Universe Physics" mentioned by the participant, suggesting it may be predatory and could negatively affect their application.
  • The participant clarifies their TOEFL score is 105, which may qualify them for teaching assistant positions at some universities.
  • There is a request for the participant's Physics GRE (PGRE) score, indicating its relevance to the admissions process.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the implications of the participant's GPA and university ranking, with some emphasizing the challenges while others highlight potential funding opportunities. The credibility of the journal mentioned remains contested.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the participant's GPA may be viewed unfavorably in the context of US admissions standards, and there are unresolved questions regarding the significance of the journal submissions.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals considering graduate studies in astrophysics or related fields, particularly those from non-top universities or with concerns about funding and admissions competitiveness.

Dorian Araya
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Good afternoon and peace to you, i am from Chile in a university that is NOT top 10 in my country and i currently in my last semester(ending in December) of bachelor degree in Astronomy and i want to study a MSc/Phd in physics or astrophysics in USA or Europe (preferably Germany) next year, the real problem is that i am poor in Chile (I have a scholarship to study for free in Chile) so i really need a really good funded scholarship, if not, is impossible to me. My CV is like this:
- 3.3-3.4 GPA

-I programmed 5 cosmological observational methods in Python to test cosmological models (Cosmic Chronometers, Strong Lensing System, BAO, SNIa and CMB) using samples of each one.

- For my thesis i proposed a new cosmological model similar to interactive dark energy models and this model will be tested using the data of the samples mentioned above which i will send to a journal in October or November.

- In November of this year probably i will present this new cosmological model in the most important congress of Astronomy in Chile.

- I presented in a international workshop of cosmology a cosmological model similar to Wcdm with the samples mentioned above, I sent this model to the journal dark universe physics (Q1) and it is now under review.

- I traveled to Mexico 1 month to do a investigation on the Randall Sundrum model( 5D universe) with observational data (the mentioned above), i will send this work to the journal JCAP (Q1) by the end of this month.

Thanks for reading and your time.
 
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I have good news and bad news. I can only speak to the US. First the good:
Dorian Araya said:
i really need a really good funded scholarship
In the US virtually all graduate programs come with assistantships. What is your TOEFL?

Now the bad:
Dorian Araya said:
3-3.4 GPA
Low. The US wants to see above 3.5.
Dorian Araya said:
a university that is NOT top 10 in my country
That is a problem. There are 160 or so PhD-granting programs in the US. Every single one of these is far, far above the #11 university in Chile.

The admissions committee will look at this and conclude "went to a not very good school and did not very well there". That will be a problem. What is your PGRE score?

Dorian Araya said:
I sent this model to the journal dark universe physics (Q1)
This is problematic in so many ways...
  • Q1 is meaningless, when most Q2-4 are predatory
  • Sending to a journal is not the same as being published
  • There is no journal "Dark Universe Physics". Either it is predatory or you meant "Physics of the Dark Universe". If the former, it won't help. If the latter, it will seriously hurt you: at the very best, getting the journal name is wrong is sloppy. Who wants a sloppy student? And other explanations are even worse.
 
My TOEFL is 105, the CV I wrote was to have a general idea about my situation, it is not the formal or definitive CV and yes, I was referring to physics of the dark universe, sorry for my mistake.
Thank you very much for the advice!
 
A score of 105 will make you eligible for a TA at most, but not all, universities.

And the PGRE?
 

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