Applied Physics Grad School with my Credentials

Post Reply
CallMeMark
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2012 9:44 pm

Applied Physics Grad School with my Credentials

Post by CallMeMark » Wed Nov 21, 2012 9:53 pm

Hello,

I am a senior looking to apply to grad school for applied physics. I am not sure where to set my expectations. If you have a reasonable guess at where my following credentials could land me, I would be greatly appreciative.

GPA in physics~ 3.7
GPA overall ~3.7

2 REU's
1. at Fermilab doing HEP Experimental
2. at NASA doing Materials Characterization

Work at School

1. I've been working on a high energy analysis at my school and there is a very good chance of a publication in the coming months. I have some modest C++ skills and experience with MATLAB and Mathematica.


GRE's

161 Quantitative
159 Verbal
xx writing (not yet arrived)
xx physics


I am an American citizen and I am the president of the club soccer team at my school. My interests lie in advanced optics, materials, and model making. I have an inventive mind.




Any ideas how good of a school I can get into assuming that everything else is reasonable? Thank you anyone for your responses!

User avatar
twistor
Posts: 1529
Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 2:47 pm

Re: Applied Physics Grad School with my Credentials

Post by twistor » Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:16 pm

I had to do a google search to figure out that you posted your scaled scores instead of the raw scores.

Did your REUs result in publications? abstracts? anything?

The uncertainty of not knowing where, if anywhere, you will be accepted sucks. No one can really tell what schools will accept you. I can say by looking at your profile that you'll almost certainly get in somewhere.

CallMeMark
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2012 9:44 pm

Re: Applied Physics Grad School with my Credentials

Post by CallMeMark » Thu Nov 22, 2012 12:12 am

I have an abstract from each REU but no publications. I have a very promising publication opportunity in work I am doing currently. The reason for this post is to figure out where I should target my applications. More specifically, where should I set the bar? Right now I am thinking Cornell, Northwestern, and Rice as my upper echelon. Since they have applied physics programs. Is this reasonable?

It is hard to gauge from the lists of credentials and where people were accepted.



Post Reply