Medical Physics Admission Advice - Rice University

[misterme09]

I'm almost done with my junior year as a physics major at Rice university, and I am planning on going to graduate school in medical physics after graduation. But all of my research on the field and the application process has been done online, and no other classmates or professors are interested in this field.

So I guess I wanted to make sure I am not overlooking anything about the application process. Certainly the GRE is important (and probably the physics subject test as well), GPA is important (primarily in physics courses, correct?), recommendations, etc. I do have extensive undergraduate research experience as well, though not in anything medical. As I will be applying to a PhD program, this should help.

But what else am I not thinking about? Does anyone have any medical physics admission advice? (And how hard is it?!?)

Thanks.

 

[imabug]

you will want to get into a CAMPEP accredited graduate program. Starting in 2012, the requirements for taking the ABR board certification exam will require completion of a CAMPEP accredited training program.

You also have at least two (that I know of) very good medical physics groups practically walking distance from you at UTHSC and MD Anderson. Both places have medical physicists who will very happily answer your questions about the field. Call up their Radiology and/or Radiation Oncology departments and ask to speak to one of their medical physicists (you may have to go through a couple people until you find one that actually knows who they are) and tell them you're interested in Medical Physics. Make sure to ask them if they're taking on any students for summer research projects so you can get your feet wet.

 

[HungryChemist]

http://www.physicsgre.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=958

Above forum discussion might or might not help you. I can't tell what the specific numbers are (GPA, GRE, and such) but quiet a lot of candidates that I have met during the interviews had relevant research experiences. Of course, there were some who had no relevant research experiences, but I found them having master's degree in nuclear physics or particle physics already. As I mentioned, one of the things you need to take a note of medical physics admission is that many schools will interview you before they admit you. To some extend this interview process can be competitive. This year UCLA interviewed 20 candidates and accepted only half of them. MD anderson had similary process as well.

 

[misterme09]

Yea, sounds pretty intense.

I have a 3.5, but hopefully Rice's reputation will help that somewhat. Is this GPA competitive? I've will have spent all three summers doing research, two of them in nuclear physics which is important to medical physics. Then my senior year I will be working in the lab of a biophysics prof.

How many programs should I apply to? Seems like I should apply to all of them to have a shot.