How to Navigate Applying to HEPTH PhD Programs in Europe vs. the US?

[beatji]

After a year of thought, I decided to adjust my ratio for applying the US/EU(+UK) schools.

I mostly focused on the US schools before, but things are getting complex and I found out that Europe is also a good place to study.

I found some institutes that have professors with similar interests.
But gaining the information is much harder than US schools (like you have to contact professors in advance etc).

For your information,
I have B.S. in engineering (low GPA: 3.2/4.0) in Asia
- one SCI publication (first author) about engineering (cited 18 so far).
and M.S. in physics (GPA:4.0/4.0 but I know it's not that helpful) in Asia
- 3 publications (JHEP, IJMPA, EPJC) about holography (AdS/CFT) + 2 progressing projects (will be published before the admission process)

I think I can become a more competitive applicant in EU than US.

I mainly consider UK/France (for personal reason)/Germany. For the case of France, it is extremely difficult to find information.
Does anyone know how much these schools are competitive compared to US schools?
And please let me know if you know any other good schools in those countries.
I know it only includes top schools so I should include more institutions dealing with string theory, holography (AdS/CFT).

• Max Planck IMPRS program
• IMPERIAL
• CAMBRIDGE
• KCL
• Ecole Polytechnique (CPHT)
• Université Sorbonne, Université Pierre et Marie Curie (LPTHE)
• Ecole Normale Superieure(LPTENS)
• Université Paris Cité (APC)

 

[Herman Trivilino]

What makes you think the M.S. in physics with a 4.0 isn't that helpful? It may not "count" in the sense that you will have to repeat it, but it will certainly make you a more attractive applicant as it shows you are very capable.

 

[Orodruin]

Not only is a Master’s degree helpful, it is often a prerequisite to be eligible for a European PhD program. (Local variations apply depending on country)

 

[CrysPhys]

What makes you think the M.S. in physics with a 4.0 is isn't that helpful? It may not "count" in the sense that you will have to repeat it, but it will certainly make you a more attractive applicant as it shows you are very capable.

Why would the OP necessarily need to repeat the MS? The OP is talking about PhD programs in Europe, not US. Depends on the strength of the MS program from their home country.

 

[Herman Trivilino]

Why would the OP necessarily need to repeat the MS?

Some universities require it. Rice U for example. They use it to weed out unqualified Ph.D. candidates. You must get a M.S. degree from them to apply.

I couldn't think of any other reason the OP would think it unhelpful.

 

[beatji]

What makes you think the M.S. in physics with a 4.0 is isn't that helpful? It may not "count" in the sense that you will have to repeat it, but it will certainly make you a more attractive applicant as it shows you are very capable.

I thought they would focus on my undergrad GPA much more than my graduate school GPA
I heard it a lot when I was considering the US schools and EU schools focus on the research experience.
Well it's just a tendency but I feel insecure about my GPA so if my master's GPA helps, it means a lot to me.

Thanks for your response

 

[beatji]

Not only is a Master’s degree helpful, it is often a prerequisite to be eligible for a European PhD program. (Local variations apply depending on country)

Thanks for your response

"Local variations apply depending on country"
This is the most frustrating part when I'm considering EU schools but yes I gotta do a lot of research.

 

[CrysPhys]

Some universities require it. Rice U for example. They use it to weed out unqualified Ph.D. candidates. You must get a M.S. degree from them to apply.

I couldn't think of any other reason the OP would think it unhelpful.

You are referring to Rice in Houston, TX, US, correct? I checked the graduate admissions requirements for their Physics PhD program and did not find a requirement that you must have a MS Physics from Rice to apply.

Regardless, Rice is a US university, and the OP has indicated that they are focussing on European universities. In the US, you typically apply for a Physics PhD program upon completion of a BS Physics degree. Furthermore, in many of the top US physics programs, you cannot apply specifically for a MS Physics program. You must apply for a Physics PhD program. In some instances, you can pickup a MS Physics degree during the PhD program. That is, once you have completed the formal requirements for a MS Physics, you can receive an MS Physics degree, either automatically or upon request to the department. You receive the MS Physics degree as a terminal degree if you then fail to complete the requirements for the PhD degree. In some instances, the student voluntarily does not choose to complete the PhD program for whatever reason. In other instances, the student is booted because they fail to complete the requirements for a PhD (e.g., fail to pass the qual exams after the maximum number of tries, or fail to complete their thesis within the maximum number of years). In any case, a terminal MS Physics from many top US universities is tainted.

But such is not the case in universities in other countries. Since the OP has indicated that they are focussing on European PhD programs, then the OP should be guided, not by US practices, but by European practices, as discussed in the above post:

Not only is a Master’s degree helpful, it is often a prerequisite to be eligible for a European PhD program. (Local variations apply depending on country)

So the issue is how the OP's MS Physics from their home country correlates with the requirements and standards of the candidate European universities.

 

[gwnorth]

And please let me know if you know any other good schools in those countries.
I know it only includes top schools so I should include more institutions dealing with string theory, holography (AdS/CFT).

• Max Planck IMPRS program
• IMPERIAL
• CAMBRIDGE
• KCL
• Ecole Polytechnique (CPHT)
• Université Sorbonne, Université Pierre et Marie Curie (LPTHE)
• Ecole Normale Superieure(LPTENS)
• Université Paris Cité (APC)

Applying to PhD's in EU/UK resembles applying in the US in one respect. The most important factor for most applicants will be the availability of a supervisor who will be a good fit for your goals. Certainly you want to look at universities that have faculty active in the field of research that you're interested in pursuing, but in Europe you're generally applying to specific advertised projects just as you would a job. From that perspective you should not be focusing your search on finding schools. You should be looking for potential research supervisors and advertised projects.

 

[Herman Trivilino]

Well it's just a tendency but I feel insecure about my GPA so if my master's GPA helps, it means a lot to me.

Well of course it depends on the university and the physics department, but I would tout it as an accomplishment. If nothing more, it at least demonstrates that are capable of overcoming that low undergraduate GPA.

You have to advertise yourself as a potential asset to their organization. Don't over do it. You don't want to come off as boastful. But you don't want to come off as timid, either. This is no time for humility.

 

[Herman Trivilino]

You are referring to Rice in Houston, TX, US, correct? I checked the graduate admissions requirements for their Physics PhD program and did not find a requirement that you must have a MS Physics from Rice to apply.

Oh. Sorry. My mistake. It used to be back in the 1980's. I keep forgetting that I'm an old fart. I don't feel like an old man. I feel like a young man with problems.

 

[Herman Trivilino]

Furthermore, in many of the top US physics programs, you cannot apply specifically for a MS Physics program. You must apply for a Physics PhD program. In some instances, you can pickup a MS Physics degree during the PhD program.

Furthermore, in many of the top US physics programs, you cannot apply specifically for a MS Physics program. You must apply for a Physics PhD program. In some instances, you can pickup a MS Physics degree during the PhD program. That is, once you have completed the formal requirements for a MS Physics, you can receive an MS Physics degree, either automatically or upon request to the department. You receive the MS Physics degree as a terminal degree if you then fail to complete the requirements for the PhD degree. In some instances, the student voluntarily does not choose to complete the PhD program for whatever reason. In other instances, the student is booted because they fail to complete the requirements for a PhD (e.g., fail to pass the qual exams after the maximum number of tries, or fail to complete their thesis within the maximum number of years). In any case, a terminal MS Physics from many top US universities is tainted.

That is pretty much the way it used to be at Rice, except that the M.S. had to be earned at Rice to be able to proceed to the Ph.D. program.

 

[CrysPhys]

Applying to PhD's in EU/UK resembles applying in the US in one respect. The most important factor for most applicants will be the availability of a supervisor who will be a good fit for your goals. Certainly you want to look at universities that have faculty active in the field of research that you're interested in pursuing, but in Europe you're generally applying to specific advertised projects just as you would a job. From that perspective you should not be focusing your search on finding schools. You should be looking for potential research supervisors and advertised projects.

<<Emphasis added.>> I don't see how the application process in the EU vs the US resembles each other here. There is a big advantage to EU universities that post specific openings with specific supervisors. Applicants know in advance the specific supervisors and the specific research slots they will get if they are accepted.

In the US, however, students apply for admission to Physics PhD programs at specific universities. In some instances, entering students may receive fellowships or research assistantships. In many instances, however, entering students receive teaching assistantships, and they are not accepted into a research group until after they have passed their qual exams. Depending on the university, and on how many shots they take to pass, this may not happen until the beginning or end of their second year of grad school: Grad students won't know in advance whether their target supervisors will have openings (and how many students will be competing for those openings) when their time comes. So, e.g., if you want to do research in experimental solid-state physics, you need to target universities with many (not just a few) faculty members conducting research in experimental solid-state physics ... and you need some flexibility in the supervisor you will work for and in the research topic you will work on.