Is it hard to change intrestes as a grad student?

[epislon58]

Suppose you apply to a grad school with interestes in nuclear physics experiment and then you are accepted, but you then change your mind to maybe cmt or hep theory. Would it be possible to change?

 

[Vanadium 50]

It depends, but it is usually OK. The university needs to have a program in that area, and the professors have to have openings for graduate students.

 

[jtbell]

When I started grad school, I thought I might go into low-temperature physics, and in fact spent my first summer working with a research group in that area, tinkering with a helium-3 dilution refrigerator. I ended up doing my Ph.D. in experimental HEP because I was into computer programming. This was back in the 1970s when programming skills weren't as common as they are now, and the HEP guys were the heaviest users of programming talent at the time.

 

[jesse73]

No, especially early on.

 

[Dr Transport]

started in experimental optics, ended up with PhD in Theoretical Solid State... it isn't hard at all...

 

[epislon58]

thank you very informative.