- #1
arwright3
- 6
- 0
Hello all,
Maybe you can offer some advice. I have some decisions to make in the near future, I have a few related questions to ask, and I'm also wondering if there are any good options one of you can think of that I'm not considering.
First some background. I came to the University of Wisconsin planning to major in nuclear engineering, but I fell in love with math and physics. Long story short I now plan to graduate next year with a degree in nuclear engineering, math, astronomy, and physics.
I have a 3.82 GPA, I am currently writing my honors thesis (so I'll have publications, and an honors degree in physics), I have had two different research positions, and I will have very good letters of recommendation for grad school. Assuming that the GRE goes well I believe that I will have a good chance of getting into a top tier math or physics PhD program (if you disagree please let me know why!). I'm still deciding between math and physics, but I want to go to the best possible grad school that I can get into.
Also, I am from Green Bay, WI, as is my entire family, my girlfriend (who will most likely be my wife w/in the next couple years), and her family as well. Ideally, I would like to stay in WI, and as close to Green Bay as possible, but I realize that's probably not an option for grad school (UW is the only place w/ a good PhD program, and also the place I would most like to work in the future, but I don't think there is any way they would want me as part of the faculty if I got my BS and PhD there).
I am willing to leave WI for ~6 years for grad school, but I want to get back to WI ASAP.
Is it realistic to think that I can find a job (either a post-doc or professorship) in my field in WI right after getting my PhD? If so, I would assume that I have a better shot at it if I get my PhD in math rather than physics, is that correct? Is it realistic to hope to eventually become a professor at the UW?
This post is getting long (sorry), so I won't include any more questions or details. If anyone could give me an answer to these questions, or tell me somewhere I could go to find the answers, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks in advance,
Adam
P.S. I fear that I will have to choose between being close to family and having a career in the field I love; the hope is that someone can give me some reasons why that isn't really the case. So if anyone has a comment on that, whether good or bad news, I would appreciate hearing it. I'm just saying this to let any reader know that if you have any thoughts/ideas/info/questions/contacts that could help with my predicament I am interested in hearing it, regardless of whether or not it pertains to one of the specific questions that I asked or not.
Maybe you can offer some advice. I have some decisions to make in the near future, I have a few related questions to ask, and I'm also wondering if there are any good options one of you can think of that I'm not considering.
First some background. I came to the University of Wisconsin planning to major in nuclear engineering, but I fell in love with math and physics. Long story short I now plan to graduate next year with a degree in nuclear engineering, math, astronomy, and physics.
I have a 3.82 GPA, I am currently writing my honors thesis (so I'll have publications, and an honors degree in physics), I have had two different research positions, and I will have very good letters of recommendation for grad school. Assuming that the GRE goes well I believe that I will have a good chance of getting into a top tier math or physics PhD program (if you disagree please let me know why!). I'm still deciding between math and physics, but I want to go to the best possible grad school that I can get into.
Also, I am from Green Bay, WI, as is my entire family, my girlfriend (who will most likely be my wife w/in the next couple years), and her family as well. Ideally, I would like to stay in WI, and as close to Green Bay as possible, but I realize that's probably not an option for grad school (UW is the only place w/ a good PhD program, and also the place I would most like to work in the future, but I don't think there is any way they would want me as part of the faculty if I got my BS and PhD there).
I am willing to leave WI for ~6 years for grad school, but I want to get back to WI ASAP.
Is it realistic to think that I can find a job (either a post-doc or professorship) in my field in WI right after getting my PhD? If so, I would assume that I have a better shot at it if I get my PhD in math rather than physics, is that correct? Is it realistic to hope to eventually become a professor at the UW?
This post is getting long (sorry), so I won't include any more questions or details. If anyone could give me an answer to these questions, or tell me somewhere I could go to find the answers, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks in advance,
Adam
P.S. I fear that I will have to choose between being close to family and having a career in the field I love; the hope is that someone can give me some reasons why that isn't really the case. So if anyone has a comment on that, whether good or bad news, I would appreciate hearing it. I'm just saying this to let any reader know that if you have any thoughts/ideas/info/questions/contacts that could help with my predicament I am interested in hearing it, regardless of whether or not it pertains to one of the specific questions that I asked or not.
