How to strenghten your preparation?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the preparation for a PhD in physics, focusing on the fundamental knowledge and skills that a physicist should possess. Participants explore ways to review and strengthen their foundational understanding in light of their upcoming transition from a master's program to a PhD.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about their foundational knowledge and seeks advice on essential topics for a physicist to know and methods for reviewing these fundamentals.
  • Another participant emphasizes the importance of having a solid background in mathematics, noting that the specifics of what to review depend on the field of the PhD.
  • A participant mentions their focus on atomic and solid state physics, specifically superconductivity, as a context for their inquiries.
  • One response questions the need for the original poster to ask about fundamentals given their nearing completion of a master's degree in the subject.
  • Another participant shares their approach of revisiting undergraduate courses and using the Feynman Lectures to solidify their understanding, which they found beneficial for passing qualifying exams.
  • A later reply acknowledges the effectiveness of re-taking courses and suggests that this method enhances mastery of the material.
  • The original poster expresses intent to follow the suggested approach and incorporate small exercises to maintain their training.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the importance of solid foundational knowledge and the value of revisiting core subjects, but there is no consensus on specific topics or methods, as different fields of physics may require different focuses.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reflects varying perspectives on what constitutes essential knowledge for a physicist, indicating that the requirements may differ significantly based on individual research areas and personal experiences.

Esquer
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Hello everyone! I am about to finish my master degree and to start my PhD and I am very excited about it! There is something, though, that worries me a bit: sometimes I feel I don't have very good and solid basis. May be due to forgetfulness with time or due to a bad study when I was younger and unfortunately a bit irresponsible, but on some subject I feel a bit insecure. I would like, somehow, to review the fundamentals and keep myself trained in order to not forget the most important things.
From these thoughts came my two questions:
Which are for you the things that a physicst must absoulutely know? And what do you suggest for reviewing the basis?
Thank you everyone for the answer
 
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hello there. I think that one of the basic things to a physicist is Mathematics so one should have a solid background. Now, when you say "review the fundamentals" and "most important things" I guess it really depends on the field of your PhD really. Physics is about so many things and fields and each one, has fundamentals of its own. So, you should review certain basic knowledge that has to do with your topic.
So, what is your Master about?
 
I focused my studies most on atomic and solid state physics. And in the end I will work mainly on superconductivity.
 
Esquer said:
Hello everyone! I am about to finish my master degree and to start my PhD and I am very excited about it! There is something, though, that worries me a bit: sometimes I feel I don't have very good and solid basis. May be due to forgetfulness with time or due to a bad study when I was younger and unfortunately a bit irresponsible, but on some subject I feel a bit insecure. I would like, somehow, to review the fundamentals and keep myself trained in order to not forget the most important things.
From these thoughts came my two questions:
Which are for you the things that a physicst must absoulutely know? And what do you suggest for reviewing the basis?
Thank you everyone for the answer
Why you need to ask the question if you are finishing a master's degree in the subject?
 
Because I will be defending my master thesis in one month and starting my phd in 2 (January 2017). So I actually finished the "studying" part, meaning that I don't have any more class to attend.
 
That's a pretty broad question. It's not a short list.

My approach was to work with the Fenyman Lectures and re-take undergrad courses in Quantum Mechanics, Stat Mech, Classical Mechanics, and E&M. It worked, I passed the MIT PhD qualifying exams.
 
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Dr. Courtney said:
That's a pretty broad question. It's not a short list.

My approach was to work with the Fenyman Lectures and re-take undergrad courses in Quantum Mechanics, Stat Mech, Classical Mechanics, and E&M. It worked, I passed the MIT PhD qualifying exams.

Never underestimate how much more you learn and how well you really master the material when you take (more or less) the same course, especially with a different professor. Everything moves in slow motion and you finally get it - I mean really get it.
 
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Dr. Courtney said:
That's a pretty broad question. It's not a short list.

My approach was to work with the Fenyman Lectures and re-take undergrad courses in Quantum Mechanics, Stat Mech, Classical Mechanics, and E&M. It worked, I passed the MIT PhD qualifying exams.

Thank you! I think I will follow your approach, trying to keep myself trained doing small exercise (like the ones of the GRE) from time to time
 

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