Stanford?

[misterme09]

Sorry to bother with the whole "chances" thing. But I've done a lot of research but can't find much specific info about graduate school.

I'm a physics major  and am hoping to go to graduate school and study geophysics or some other combination of earth science and physics. Schools I would like to attend include Stanford, UT Austin, MIT, Cornell, WashU, Etc.

I've got a GPA of 3.42 and am pursuing a BS in physics.

I participated in the REU program at Texas A&M over this past summer, so I got some research experience there.

I'm also Hispanic...does that benefit applicants for graduate school as it does for undergrad?

So I know you can't give me chances this early in the game, but I mainly want to know if my GPA is too low for now. I can bring it up, but what really constitutes a competitive GPA for grad school admissions?

What other things should I do during my undergraduate years to get into a graduate school like Stanford?

Thanks.

[peiann]

It's good that you're thinking about this so early. I think minimum GPA should be 3.0 .. more competitive GPA is probably 3.5 . Then again GPA isn't all that important. Your research is probably what's going to be most important for those high caliber schools. I'd try to find research positions during the school year. Try to get your name on publications...Get to know 3 professors really well (they'll be writing you LORs)

 

Applied to: Duke, WUSTL, Stanford, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, MIT/Harvard

[Othello]

I've heard the average GPA of an accepted student into Stanford's EECS program is a 3.8-3.9. I don't know how much leverage you'll receive being an hispanic, but you better have at LEAST a 3.5, especially if you don't have publications and/or great research experience. I know EECS is not physics, but Stanford is ranked #2 in EECS, #2 in earth sciences and #1 in physics, so I'd assume the program you're interested in is also extremely competitive.

[Minnesotan]

In the humanities, it's not even worth applying to a top ten school without a 3.8+. I am sure the sciences offer more opportunity for undergrad publishing and research experience, so that might be a good track to go down.

Honestly, a 4.0 in your last two years would do wonders for your application (plus good test scores on the GRE/whatnot).

[DespSeekPhd]

For physics in a top school, I would try hard for a 3.5 at least. The general rule of thumb is a 3.5 for sciences and a 3.8 for humanities.

Being Hispanic will not help you at all in grad school applications. Unlike undergrad, grad schools do not base decisions on a "mix" of students or boosting minorities. It's just straight "who can do the research better?"

You're a rising sophomore - you have plenty of time. Boost your GPA, but don't forget that you will need good research experiences (your junior/senior years, likely) and excellent letters of rec (ask people who have supervised research).

[tvn]

Are you pursuing a Ph.D. or M.S. ? Ph.D. is heavily research oriented (especially at top schools).

Being Hispanic does not help getting in grad school; however, there are several organizations giving funds / research opportunities to minority in science/math/engr ...

[jennesy]

Are you a McNair Scholar? If not, find out if your school has a McNair program and apply. With your background and interests (research, physics, grad school, etc.) I don't see why they wouldn't let you in.

I'm guessing that you already are a McNair Scholar because you did a REU program. But if you're not in McNair you should be - I would be lost without having been in it as an undergrad.

[agm]

I don't know whether programs choose students with ethnic diversity in mind.

However, if you bring your own funding, your chances of acceptance increase dramatically -- after all, if you are free and qualified, why shouldn't they take you? The problem is usually that there are many more qualified students than a program can fund. In order to make sure that they judge you qualified, you should probably try to get your gpa up (especially in your major and electives relevant to the grad program) and pursue research, publications, and grad-level courses whenever possible.

And as tvn said, there is definitely funding out there earmarked for minorities (sometimes minorities and women). Start with NPSC and GEM. You might also find lists of 'diversity' fellowships/funding by searching or on grad admissions websites.

Good luck -- you are very smart to begin thinking about this so soon!