aluminumfalcon3

Admissions season is extremely confusing. Just got a few more rejections that make me even more grateful now for the acceptances I have gotten. But it really feels like a crapshoot, nowhere is a guaranteed yes or no. For physics I got into Caltech but rejected from Boulder or UCSB. Really makes me wonder how it all works.

Hi thanks for your reply. Do you think it would be easy to do research with professors in physics if I decided to switch fields from say quantum information to condensed matter?

blacknighterrant you make good points. Tbh my decision is mostly between Caltech and Princeton EE, I am using the UMD visit as a benchmark to give me some perspective. I am leaning toward Caltech bc they have a lot of infrastructure designed to bring people together (theorisst and experimentalists) in quantum research. kcat thank you for your advice and congratulations. While UCLA is a great choice for all the reasons blacknighterrant mentioned, I would add that UMD is also a good choice especially if you want to do quantum research (they have the Joint Quantum Institute). I think either way you will make a good decision.

Hi friend. I am in a similar dilemma deciding betweenphysics and EE PhD. I am also interested in quantum information and mesoscopic physics. You have good options either way. For UCLA EE I would see how interdisciplinary the department is with physics. Do you want to take more EE courses? Physics? Etc. same with UMD, how much interdisciplinary research opportunity is there? Look for other research topics you would be ok exploring as well--it's important to have back ups in case you switch groups. UMD physics is very good at quantum information, they have the joint quantum institute in addition to lots of connections to the NSA, NIST, and military/defense funding. That's important for lots of quantum research. Also UMD I know produces at least some faculty (if you are interested in academia). I don't know too much about UCLA EE unfortunately. But if you like the physics side you can't go wrong with UMD. Of course you should try to visit. Also location and weather are always things to consider. Would you be able to help me with my decisions too if you know anything? I am deciding between UMD physics, Caltech physics, and Princeton EE, all for quantum information/mesoscopic systems

Hi everyone. I majored in physics in undergrad, and really enjoyed the research I did with quantum information and quantum circuits. So, in addition to applying to physics PhD programs, I applied to Princeton electrical engineering and was luckily accepted. I am now deliberating between pursuing a physics PhD at Caltech or pursuing an EE PhD at Princeton, with a focus at either place on quantum information and hybrid quantum systems. I was wondering if you all could provide some insight on EE vs physics. I understand there is a lot of overlap, but at some point there are concrete differences between different departments. Also does your PhD field matter or is it really just important what research you do? My end goal is teaching and research in physics, would an EE PhD make that harder?