Honest chances in Graduate School

[exohuman]

I need honest advice.

My academic history has been tenuous at best. While in my pre-pubescent days I exhibited a strong interest in physics I quickly lost my intellectual curiosity in high school and barely ended up in college. I went to a pretty poor state college and dropped out in three semesters. I spent the next 4-5 years knocking around not truly knowing what to and having a mix of part time jobs and part time school. For awhile I thought I wanted to be a programmer but it wasn't right for me. I rekindled an interesting science and am pretty sure that it is the right thing for me. I feel like my academic past was resultant of having a lot of problems within my family during my teen years and not being properly encouraged too peruse my interest at a young age. I have suffered depression over the past 6 years and it further effected my schooling. I have 11 W's in my academic past but never one from being in danger of failing a class, it was more often a result of depression keeping me not going to class or disliking my classes. I've done very well for the most part in math and sciences, A's or so up through differential equations.

Now 6 years after high school I am trying to improve my life in many area and will be going to a top 50 or so school to finish a dual physics and astronomy degree. I want nothing more in life than to pursue a Ph.D.and feel that the sort of intellectual stimulation I get through studying physics is transformative for me.

Despite my frankly uninspiring academic past if I can turn things around in the next 2 or so years do I have a serious chance of becoming a physicist?

I feel I am sufficiently motivated now to work at an academic level I never have before and know that I will be competing with people who had much more straightforward paths.

Are there any specific things I can do, besides getting good grades and getting involved in research, to ameliorate my past?

Frankly, I feel like physics is my one chance to be something meaningful in life and want to it to the absolute best of my ability.

 

[jbunniii]

Strong letters of recommendation from well-known faculty can trump almost any other consideration when it comes to getting into grad school. So get to know the professors in your department, and impress them!

An enthusiastic application essay paraphrasing what you have written here wouldn't hurt, either.

Eleven withdrawals might raise an eyebrow, so briefly explain in your essay what happened. If you have any bad grades (certainly D's or F's), consider retaking the classes and getting A's.

Also, be sure to study for the subject GRE so you can do decently well on it.

And of course, as you said, get excellent grades from this point forward, and do a research project or two if at all possible.

If you can do all that, your prospects shouldn't be too bad, although you probably won't get in everywhere you apply. The more schools you apply to, the better your odds of getting in somewhere, assuming you set your sights reasonably.

Once you get into grad school, the rest ("do I have a serious chance of becoming a physicist?") is completely up to you. Your undergraduate track record won't matter (much) from that point forward, as long as you have assimilated most of the basic background expected of an incoming graduate student.

 

[exohuman]

Does anyone know a story of people who stared off poorly in academic life and eventually would up doing something really cool?

 

[exohuman]

Someone must know or be someone who made a "come-back" if you will. Please lift my spirits!

 

[General_Sax]

Be your own hero.

 

[confusedinMA]

Let's put it this way:

Say I do as well as someone who would otherwise be able to get into a Top 20 school with my poor past but not much above and beyond? Will the past hinder my?

I'd imagine my realistic goal is something like a 3.7 GPA, which would give me something like a 3.4 or so all time GPA, not counting a handful of F's and my bevy of W's. With one summer of research and possibly a some more research for a semester or two along the way. I'm not a shy person but can be awkward in situations when talking to professors on a personal level and what not so I might have trouble getting chummy with a professor unless I find a way to do it. I'd bet once I'm in more interesting and specific classes I'd have a few more things to talk about with them than my current more general physics classes where I don't usually have many questions.

I don't know anything about the Physics GRE yet but would dedicate myself a few months ahead of time to some serious studying so hopefully I could do really well.

Lol, sorry I wish I had some real life people to ask these questions but I'm nervous asking professors things like this and I don't personally know any physicists.

 

[twofish-quant]

I want nothing more in life than to pursue a Ph.D.and feel that the sort of intellectual stimulation I get through studying physics is transformative for me.

You do have to be very careful here. Graduate school is extremely brutal, and can knock most everyone into depression.

Despite my frankly uninspiring academic past if I can turn things around in the next 2 or so years do I have a serious chance of becoming a physicist?

If you want to be doing physics research, you'll be doing that in graduate school. A lot of people get the order mixed up. You don't get the Ph.D. and then become a physicist, you become a physicist and then get your Ph.D.

Also standard warning applies. You should get the Ph.D. for the sake of getting the Ph.D. Assume that the day after you get your Ph.D., you'll be selling shoes or digging ditches for the rest of your life, and if you want to get a Ph.D. so that you get spend a tenth of your life doing physics then go ahead.

I feel I am sufficiently motivated now to work at an academic level I never have before and know that I will be competing with people who had much more straightforward paths.

The question that you have to ask yourself and which I can't answer is can you keep this up for six to seven years. Also once you get into grad school, you really won't be competing with anyone other than yourself.

Are there any specific things I can do, besides getting good grades and getting involved in research, to ameliorate my past?

Just make sure that whatever caused you problems in the past aren't disabling.

Frankly, I feel like physics is my one chance to be something meaningful in life and want to it to the absolute best of my ability.

Don't think this way. Think of these things like subway cars. If you miss one, another will come along. The problem with believing that this is your *ONE CHANCE* is that it puts far too much pressure on you, and this can cause problems if you have strong moods.

 

[twofish-quant]

Say I do as well as someone who would otherwise be able to get into a Top 20 school with my poor past but not much above and beyond? Will the past hinder my?

It depends on what your goal is. Do *NOT* count on your Ph.D to get you any job. It will, but there are dozens of easier ways of getting jobs.

Lol, sorry I wish I had some real life people to ask these questions but I'm nervous asking professors things like this and I don't personally know any physicists.

The main thing that you need to think about is how you moods will interact with your academic work. Getting a Ph.D. is in large part learning to think and feel in different ways.