Grad Admissions: How Much Does Sub-Department Matter?

[tapieoca]

I'm browsing through some acceptances posted by prospective graduate students here: http://www.physicsgre.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4274
and there are some guys with very close to 4.0 GPAs and great GRE scores along with pretty good research experiences and letters of recommendations that are getting rejected from top schools when other students with lower GPA and GRE scores but with similar research experience are getting accepted to them. The only real difference I noticed is the field within Physics they applied for.

When applying to a department in general, how much does the sub-department you're applying for matter? For example, in Physics they have different sub-fields such as AMO Experiment, HEP, Plasma Physics, Condensed Matter, etc. If those students who got rejected applied to a different field (and possibly done their research in a different area), would that have affected their application?

 

[Ans426]

I'm browsing through some acceptances posted by prospective graduate students here: http://www.physicsgre.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4274
and there are some guys with very close to 4.0 GPAs and great GRE scores along with pretty good research experiences and letters of recommendations that are getting rejected from top schools when other students with lower GPA and GRE scores but with similar research experience are getting accepted to them. The only real difference I noticed is the field within Physics they applied for.

When applying to a department in general, how much does the sub-department you're applying for matter? For example, in Physics they have different sub-fields such as AMO Experiment, HEP, Plasma Physics, Condensed Matter, etc. If those students who got rejected applied to a different field (and possibly done their research in a different area), would that have affected their application?

Yes, certain sub-departments are harder to get in than others.
For instance, HEP Theory is the hardest to get in and in general, it's harder to get into the theory side.

 

[Choppy]

The way it has worked at the universities I've been affiliated with is that at some point a decision will be made on how many graduate students will be accepted for that year. Then that will be broken down - so many spots for one field, so many for another - largely depending on factors such as the relative size of each subfield within the department, the number of students graduating, faculty members with grants, etc.

So yes some subfields are easier to get into than others.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I haven't seen in this regimented. one reason is that experience has shown that students interested in one thing coming in often get new and different ideas and move around. This is natural, as they might have heard of HEP and superconductivity, but not, say mesoscopic physics or thin films.

However, there is a sort of soft balancing. We're not going to accept a class that only wants to do solid state, or HEP, or theory, or experiment.

 

[Matrix0]

I understand that the graduate admissions process can be very competitive and often difficult to predict. In this situation, it seems that some students with strong academic backgrounds and research experiences are being rejected from top schools while others with seemingly lower qualifications are being accepted. One possible explanation for this could be the sub-department or field within physics that these students applied for.

It is important to note that admissions decisions are not solely based on GPA, GRE scores, and research experience. Other factors such as fit with the department, potential for success in the program, and diversity of the incoming cohort also play a role. With that being said, the sub-department or field that a student applies for can have an impact on their admissions decision.

Different sub-departments within a department may have varying levels of competition and different criteria for admissions. For example, a sub-department that is highly specialized and in high demand may have a more competitive admissions process compared to a sub-department that is less popular. Additionally, the research interests and strengths of the faculty in a particular sub-department may also play a role in admissions decisions.

It is possible that the students who were rejected may have been better suited for a different sub-department within the physics department, where their research experiences and interests aligned more closely with the faculty's. It is also possible that the students who were accepted had a stronger fit with the sub-department they applied to, which may have been a factor in their admissions decision.

Overall, while the sub-department or field within a department may play a role in admissions decisions, it is just one factor among many that are considered. Each student's application is unique and it is difficult to determine the exact reasons for an admissions decision. I would encourage students to continue to pursue their research interests and apply to a variety of sub-departments to increase their chances of acceptance.