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catsnphysics

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  • Location
    Tennessee
  • Application Season
    2014 Fall
  • Program
    Physics/astronomy

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  1. I am currently hoping to get admission into the top 25 universities in the world please help me with application procedures and requirements

  2. Hey, thanks, everyone! This gives me some ideas. What really threw me off about the question is that it makes it seems so active. Like, not "how will you bring diversity" or "why is diversity important" but "what are YOU doing to make sure the sciences are diverse." The deadline is impending and I'm still not quite sure what to say. I will try to contact that user, thank you!
  3. I am applying to the Columbia Bridge program, which is similar to graduate school. In my statement of intent, I have to "address [my] demonstrated commitment to fostering diversity in the natural sciences." The program encourages minorities and women to apply, so I kind of understand why they ask. I am a hispanic woman. How can I/anyone be committed to fostering diversity? I don't even really understand what the question is. It's not as though I've ever staffed my own research group or something, so I have no idea what to say, and I don't think that I can claim that I am the diversity, haha Help? Ideas?
  4. So, I am kind of unofficially accepted to a master's program, maybe. I got a personal email from somebody asking if I would need an assistantship. I said yes, then he told me that the deadline for the application has passed (oops, I suck), but that I could email professors and try to convince them to take me as a GRA. "This is a much more difficult approach, but it has been done before." I live in Tennessee and this University of Missouri at Kansas City, so requesting a meeting in person would be really difficult, though technically not impossible. (It's an 11 hour drive.) So sending a really charming and convincing email is the best option. How do I do this?! I went to/am graduating from the University of Tennessee, so it's not as though I've taken classes with these professors or know them at all. Also, does this sound like I am probably accepted? It's really confusing!
  5. Thank you all for your really excellent advice and kindness. I guess I've got a lot to think about, but I have decided that I will apply to a few places, for the [expensive] hell of it. Your help has been much better than the family/friends who say, "you're so smart, you'll get in!" Like no one cares if I'm smart, lots of people are smart. I think a lot of people don't get that once you're looking within the field, not every physics grad is special. But if a university asks you, let them know that I am, in fact, extremely special. Thank you for being so very helpful! I feel somewhat better. Still sad, less in a crippling panic. Sometimes that's all you can ask for?
  6. Thank you both for being so nice - I feel like a lot of people just give you the derisive, "well why did you mess up?" It's done and there is nothing retroactive I can do and it's not as though I meant to! Most require three LORs, and mine are options one and the second three, of those that TakeruK mentioned. The woman supervising my research was a PhD, and two professors who I had several classes with and had a good relationship with. (And are PhDs.) One of my recommenders is basically a million years old and has worked at Oak Ridge National Lab for 50 years, and has a CV that is basically a novel, so I feel there is a chance that he could be somewhat "known." Of course, I have no way of knowing what they're saying in their letters. My main apprehension for staying in undergrad is that I currently have zero loans. However, I don't know if my current scholarships carry over for a fifth year. In addition, I just reaaaaally hate this place, and a piece of me dies every month that I'm still here. For similar reasons, I find a master's program pretty unappealing, because I haven't gone into debt so far, and I really don't want to. I really find all of my options unappealing, but I kind of feel like you guys have cemented my belief that I cannot get into a PhD program. Which makes me sad beyond belief, and I guess I may apply to a couple anyway, but I suppose it's time for plan B. I wanted to retake the PGRE, but couldn't do it in time for applications. I guess an option would be to retake it and try to get another internship, then apply next fall, avoiding an additional year of undergrad. When I see people crying over their 3.6 GPAs I could punch myself, but taking another year is kind of my last resort. le sigh I am definitely one of those people who has had their life planned since middle school, and this is really throwing off the plan. Also, this weekend I am going to the American Astronomical Society conference in DC, with the help of an awesome contact at the school I did research at (where I would also like to apply), and I thought about emailing departments and asking if they will have anybody there that I could speak with. I don't know if this could really make a difference at all, but I guess it can't hurt? Will I have any better chance applying at the school I researched at, or do you think it's pretty much the same? I have also been speaking extensively with a professor there whose research I am interested in, but I don't know if that could help me at all either. I feel doomed.
  7. Let me lay this out for you. 3.0 GPA physics major, astronomy concentration GRE scores pretty good, 75-90 percentile PGRE score abysmal. I'm talking single digits. I'm talking I went and bought a bottle of Glenfiddich and drank it neat. When I finished the drink I cried back into the glass and drank it. Like bad. It's apparently not possible to will death upon yourself, or I wouldn't be typing this. I have ADHD and was not medicated until this past semester, and good goddamn, I was kicking ass. I felt great, I felt like I was really learning, and I thought that showing a marked improvement in grades in upper level courses would be beneficial to grad school applications, even if my overall transcript is weak. Plot twist: my grades sucked. (Minus an A in a graduate astrophysics course and the acceptable B in electronics lab.) Basically around exam time I had a gap in insurance (read: no medication), extremely stressful extenuating circumstances, of the like I would not feel at all comfortable mentioning in applications, and I failed miserably. So, C in E & M and C- in quantum. I mean, literally, I was making upper 90s and 100s on all of my homework. Then BAM, suckerpunched by exams. As someone with crippling anxiety (I take medications for that, too!), I believe the emphasis on exams is outrageous, but I digress. Since a C- in quantum ISN'T EVEN ACCEPTABLE FOR GRADUATION I am basically pleading with my professor to either raise it to a C out of the goodness of his heart, or let me take a course and petition for it to replace the grade, since I am supposed to graduate in the spring. So now you're thinking, okay, so what's the question???? Obviously I'm not kidding myself into thinking I can apply to Columbia, but more than anything I want to go to a PhD program in astronomy/physics. Am I dreaming? What the effing hell do I do? Do I stay in undergrad another year and try to retake courses (rotting in my hellhole of a city in the meantime)? Do I try a master's program? Is that even realistic? Do I take the GPA punch, try to retake the PGRE, and just apply again next year? Do I cry some more? I should have strong recommendations - two from professors and one from a woman whose lab I worked in this summer. I'm smart and motivated and passionate, just a dumbass. Or something. This summer is my only research experience, because working 30-35 hours a week hasn't left me with a lot of time for research during the school year. And to be honest, I had no idea you could get paid summer internships, so I hadn't even tried. No publication came of it. It gets worse and worse, right? I am a very strong writer and am somewhat confident that my statement of purpose can kick ass. But I have no idea how much that matters. Obviously there is some luck involved in admissions as well, so I'm not expecting you to tell me which schools I will get into. Just be real with me and tell me if I should probably just hang on to the obscene amounts of money that will be spent on applications, and maybe help me with a game plan. Maybe related: I am a hispanic not-a-girl-not-yet-a-woman, and I'm poor as dammit.
  8. Thanks! I will be asking at least one professor who has written for me before. As for why I want to go to grad school--research is literally all I want to do with my life! I love astrophysics and I never want to stop learning. I have been obsessed with the universe, specifically galaxies and stars, literally since I was a small child. My parents bought me this giant book of deep space photos and I was hooked. Though at the time I was going to be an astronaut-president.
  9. I've asked for letters before for internships, but I didn't know how to ask for multiples from one person. Thank you!
  10. I am nearly positive it is 21 days now, but I will probably end up around the 30 day mark regardless. esatken, thanks! I think just a couple practice exams should be all it takes to get my scores up. Who knew high school math could be so hard... I ended up running out of time because I was doing things the hard way by just trying to logic through them because I didn't remember all of the little shortcuts anymore. PDE's, I probably would've been okay. God, I am feeling so much better about life. I have seriously no plan if I don't get into graduate school, that's pretty much been the plan since before I was in college. Having to work in a restaurant another year could make me consider digging a hole and living in it forever. Side note--what is the best way to ask a professor for multiple letters of recommendation? I plan to apply to three or four schools, each of them wanting the letters online, so I can't just ask them to print up letters all at once and seal them for me to mail, but asking them to do it over and over feels like it could become a burden. It's also not really feasible for me to make sure I submit all applications at the same time to try and make it easier, because I will need to spread out the financial burden. Serving means I live week to week, I could make $500 this week and $70 next week. (Don't forget to tip your server!)
  11. Thanks y'all. I should be able to retake at the end of this month which I think should be good enough since it's an electronic exam. I have crazy anxiety, you have no idea, I make myself sick! The verbal portion requires seriously no thought whatsoever for me. Maybe I should've been a writer instead. I don't think it would really present much of a challenge to raise my q score. It's all your average high school stuff that I just haven't looked at in years. I'm generally that person who fails the exam except for the really hard question everyone got wrong. I think I'm broken, I don't know. Thanks for the advice. I am so stressed I can't sleep, but this makes me feel a little better!
  12. Because if it wouldn't be of much help I'd prefer to not spend the money. Applications themselves are pretty expensive. Also, I emailed a professor last night I would be interested in working with and he said he'd be happy to talk to me on the phone! Obviously I have pretty good verbal skills so maybe this could bode well for me. I have a friend who got into grad school for physics and it was he who advised me to send cold emails to people whose research I like and who may be taking students.
  13. Wow I was obviously very tired... it was a 167. So that number was nowhere near similar.... The thing with the q is that it was so much high school math that I guess I am just way far removed from now. I probably should've studied, but I am so overwhelmed with school and working it just kind of slipped my mind. There are lots of things that there are "tricks" to that I just do not remember anymore. I could maybe retake it before applications are due, I'm not sure. You have to wait 21 days and I'm not exactly sure when it's offered again. Do you think improving that score would do anything for me?
  14. I am graduating in the spring with my BS in physics and an astronomy concentration. I want to apply for fall 2014 enrollment. I'm not so naive to think I have a popsicle's chance in hell at any of the ~top schools~, but I really, really want to go to graduate school and I'm worried it's not even worth trying. At the end of this semester (at the time applications will be sent) I am predicting (hopefully not too optimistically) a math/physics GPA of 3.4. I haven't gotten my PGRE results back but I'm nearly certain it's abysmal. My general GRE is a 173 v and 150 q with my analytic writing not scored yet. I know, it just gets worse and worse. I'm a horrible test taker. I'm very nervous and high strung and I seem to instantly forget everything I've ever known. I did an REU this summer and I want to apply to that school especially because I LOVED it and love the city. I am hoping I can get an LOR from the professor I worked under and I think I can get some positive ones from professors at my university Part of the reason my GPA has suffered is that I had some SERIOUS personal crises twice in my undergrad career. I really don't feel comfortable mentioning them in applications and I wouldn't know how even if I were to. Female, hispanic, would love to do research in astrophysics. Which brings up another concern--my research was in materials science. Should I even bother? Should I just take a year off and see if I can get better GRE scores? I'm looking for honestly, not cheering up or sparing my feelings.
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