Enough to get into a decent grad school?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the prospects of gaining admission to a decent graduate school in physics, particularly for a participant who is currently working in a chemical engineering laboratory and has concerns about their lack of physics-related research experience. The scope includes considerations of academic background, research experience, and personal circumstances affecting education.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about whether a lack of physics-related research experience will negatively impact their graduate school applications, despite having a strong academic record and GRE scores.
  • Another participant suggests that having experience in physics labs and a physics major may provide an advantage in admissions, but the definition of "decent" schools is questioned.
  • A different participant shares an anecdote of a friend who successfully transitioned from a nuclear engineering degree to a graduate program in physics without prior physics research, suggesting that it is possible to gain admission without such experience.
  • There is a discussion about the potential impact of working full-time while studying and how admissions committees may consider individual circumstances when evaluating applications.
  • One participant raises the question of whether having any research experience is better than none, indicating uncertainty about the relative value of different types of research experience.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the importance of physics-related research experience for graduate school admissions. Multiple viewpoints are presented regarding the value of different types of research and the impact of personal circumstances on applications.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge various factors that could influence admissions decisions, such as the specific schools being targeted and the individual circumstances of applicants, but do not resolve the implications of these factors.

Shablong
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Hello PF community, I've used this site for quite a while for references on self learning and just plain entertainment. I figured it was time for me to make my own cliche "Can I make it?" thread. Thanks in advance for any responses.

I'm going to skip the long part about my history with school, but I am now completely motivated and desperate to start school. (I'm 21 now) My current situation is that I couldn't afford going to my large state school for many reasons. (Mostly the cost of being married young) However I am now working a private university working in the chemical engineering laboratory. With my current benefits I will be be able to go to school tuition free.

The catch of the whole deal is that I am allowed only 9 credit hours per semester, if I can make it fit in my work schedule. Since it is a medium sized private research university, they offer close to no evening classes, but do have a good selection of summer classes.

Now to my question... Will I be able to get into a decent grad school (for physics) if I have little physics related research? Seeing as I have to work 40 hours a week to be able to get my tuition waiver, participating in a large amount to my university's physics related research is unlikely. I unfortunately am not interested at all in chemical (petroleum focused) engineering; however, I am currently participating in the research (as a technician and to some degree data analyzer) that is at the top of its respective field.

Fast forward 5-6 years and I'm hypothetically graduating after acing all of my courses and have a respectable GRE score, will my lack of physics related research work against me? Maybe the converse could be true, maybe having a good background in research of any kind would be a good thing?

I don't know! Sorry for the long road of text, but I am at the current crossroads between deciding on going to some sort of engineering or staying with my love that is physics. By the way I do understand the horrible job prospects post graduation, but I am not adverse to working in industry or programming.
 
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People that have worked in physics labs and majored in physics definitely have an advantage. I'm not sure what schools you consider "decent." Research what kinds of people get into the schools you want to go to.
 
wotanub said:
People that have worked in physics labs and majored in physics definitely have an advantage. I'm not sure what schools you consider "decent." Research what kinds of people get into the schools you want to go to.

I guess I'm going to have to start looking at other options. My wife is going to be graduating soon and has a job lined up that could pay support me while I finish school, as I did her.
 
Are you majoring in chemical engineering? I don't see why you couldn't get into a decent school unless you're only considering schools like MIT or the such to be decent. I've seen people get engineering degrees with no physics research at all get into good schools for a graduate degree in physics. One of my friends graduated with a nuclear engineering degree from South Carolina State University and she is currently at the University of Wisconsin for graduate school.
 
caldweab said:
Are you majoring in chemical engineering?

No, I'm majoring in physics. I was just wondering if the lack of physics related research in my undergrad would be a detriment to my graduate prospects. By Decent I mean top 20-30. I know the chances of getting into MIT, Caltech, Princeton, etc are a long shot to those with even the most stellar of transcripts.
 
Shablong said:
Fast forward 5-6 years and I'm hypothetically graduating after acing all of my courses and have a respectable GRE score, will my lack of physics related research work against me? Maybe the converse could be true, maybe having a good background in research of any kind would be a good thing?

Will your lack of physics related research count against you? Compared to what? If you mean, would your application be stronger if you had worked full time, completed your physics degree, and somehow found time to add in extra research, then the answer is obviously yes. If you mean, would your application be stronger if you did research in lieu of working, the answer is not so clear cut.

Admissions committees will take into account your circumstances when you apply.
 

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