- #1
Fyalcin
- 3
- 0
Hello everyone!
I recently graduated with a BSc in physics from a good university in my home country with a very decent GPA. I didn't have a long term plan in mind but I at least wanted to continue with a master's degree so after a little bit of research I applied to 2 universities in Germany; Heidelberg and RWTH Aachen. Long story short Aachen didn't happen and while I got accepted to Heidelberg, I couldn't attend because of one unfortunate thing after another (visa, blocked account issues)
Right now I'm left with a choice of either continuing in the same university I graduated from or reapplying to universities abroad (more than 2 this time in case of unfortunate events)
Thing is, as we know almost no MSc programs abroad have funding and while I could work part time, that would only cover my living expenses. In the case that I stay at my university, I would have research funding and possibly a part time TA position which would allow me to not only cover my expenses but also save up for the future. Not to mention I get along pretty well with the professor I would be working with.
My plan after getting my MSc degree is to hopefully continue with a PhD in one of the more prestigious universities and I guess my question boils down to this;
Would getting a MSc degree in a higher ranked university make a big enough impact for my PhD plans that not having funding is worth it in the long run?
I guess it depends more on the quality of my work/publications during MSc and less on the university but I wanted to hear from others with more experience.
Also, I'm older than an average new graduate at 29 years old. Since I already have had a late start I thought about skipping MSc and doing a PhD straight away but I'm not very confident in my research experience even though my advisor says that I would do just fine. What are your thought on this?
Thanks for reading and any input is appreciated :)
I recently graduated with a BSc in physics from a good university in my home country with a very decent GPA. I didn't have a long term plan in mind but I at least wanted to continue with a master's degree so after a little bit of research I applied to 2 universities in Germany; Heidelberg and RWTH Aachen. Long story short Aachen didn't happen and while I got accepted to Heidelberg, I couldn't attend because of one unfortunate thing after another (visa, blocked account issues)
Right now I'm left with a choice of either continuing in the same university I graduated from or reapplying to universities abroad (more than 2 this time in case of unfortunate events)
Thing is, as we know almost no MSc programs abroad have funding and while I could work part time, that would only cover my living expenses. In the case that I stay at my university, I would have research funding and possibly a part time TA position which would allow me to not only cover my expenses but also save up for the future. Not to mention I get along pretty well with the professor I would be working with.
My plan after getting my MSc degree is to hopefully continue with a PhD in one of the more prestigious universities and I guess my question boils down to this;
Would getting a MSc degree in a higher ranked university make a big enough impact for my PhD plans that not having funding is worth it in the long run?
I guess it depends more on the quality of my work/publications during MSc and less on the university but I wanted to hear from others with more experience.
Also, I'm older than an average new graduate at 29 years old. Since I already have had a late start I thought about skipping MSc and doing a PhD straight away but I'm not very confident in my research experience even though my advisor says that I would do just fine. What are your thought on this?
Thanks for reading and any input is appreciated :)
