Future Astrophysicist: From Questbridge Scholar to Top Grad Schools and Beyond

[whyme1010]

I'm a high school senior in New York City who got into the University of Chicago through Questbridge- a scholarship program. It pays for everything- dorms, tuition, insurance, travel, etc.

I want to major in physics with a concentration in astrophysics. I'm pretty certain its what I want to do with my life. Currently I am really poor- my parents make under 20k a year. To me, the life of a physicist is a huge improvement financially anyway, so I am really into it for the fun of it.

I'm worried about paying for grad school- I know its really early, but I'm wondering if I should be looking for scholarships now.

Also, I'm wondering what kind of grad schools I'd have to get into and what GPA I'll need to pull in order to get a good shot at becoming a professor at one of the top 20 schools in physics.

Thanks!

 

[twofish-quant]

II'm worried about paying for grad school- I know its really early, but I'm wondering if I should be looking for scholarships now.

Don't worry too much. Most graduate schools will give you financial assistance in the form of TA/RA-ships.

Also, I'm wondering what kind of grad schools I'd have to get into and what GPA I'll need to pull in order to get a good shot at becoming a professor at one of the top 20 schools in physics.

It doesn't work this way. There are so many Ph.D.'s, and so few professorships that it's extremely likely that you won't get one no matter how good you are. The good news is that there are lots of jobs outside the professorship that are worth looking at.

One thing that's cool about physics is that there is a good chance that what you end up doing is a job that hasn't been invented yet.