Meh GPA but good research experience and masters
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 3:26 am
I have ~3.7 GPA with a DOWNWARD trend (I know this is very bad) and then up again, since I transferred from a not good university but with a 4.0 to one considered top 10 for graduate physics (USNews) that was significantly harder. I do have Bs in my transcript. E.g. Classical Mechanics I, II = B- and Quantum I = B, but later I got an A on graduate quantum instead of taking quantum 2. The rest I believe are As. GRE: 154V, 158Q, 4.0W and I haven't taken the PGRE. I also plan on retaking the GRE.
I am also getting another degree in Math. I am doing a master's with thesis on applied mathematics in Quantum Information Theory, and my research letter writers include a professor with a PhD from MIT (phys-experimental HEP), a professor who was part of the Daya Bay Team that won a Fundamentals (phys-theoretical HEP), and a former post-doc (math) from Berkeley (now at Amherst). (Theoretical & Computational GR, differential geometry). I have done and am currently doing research with all 3 and there is a big possibility of publishing with 2 of them. I am also finishing my first publication on pure math, but completely unrelated to physics. I have 2 internships: one at a Princeton but in some area that I don't want to specialize in, and one at Fermilab. I am looking forward to work there again before applying to graduate school. Part of the reason for my grades is that I want to take a lot of stuff at the same time (have taken most of the time ~18 credits, up to 23) and have horrible test anxiety. I won't mention this in my SOP of course, since it looks like I am trying to find excuses for something that was obviously my fault. Nevertheless, I need ways to guarantee the admissions committees of the places I apply to, not only that I can attend their school, but that I should! The big problem is that, by the time I apply to Grad school, only my first semester grades of my master's will be available. I am also looking forward to apply to Perimeter Institute. Saying this, you can see I am interested in theory, but I am unsure of the specific subfield. I like Cosmology, Quantum Info, and Particle physics. I just want to know if I am ruined because my GPA is obviously not great, or if I can somehow show that I can do this. I will really really appreciate any info I can get on this. I know I can do this and it bums me out that I won't be able to achieve my goals because of my GPA as I have been told.
I am also getting another degree in Math. I am doing a master's with thesis on applied mathematics in Quantum Information Theory, and my research letter writers include a professor with a PhD from MIT (phys-experimental HEP), a professor who was part of the Daya Bay Team that won a Fundamentals (phys-theoretical HEP), and a former post-doc (math) from Berkeley (now at Amherst). (Theoretical & Computational GR, differential geometry). I have done and am currently doing research with all 3 and there is a big possibility of publishing with 2 of them. I am also finishing my first publication on pure math, but completely unrelated to physics. I have 2 internships: one at a Princeton but in some area that I don't want to specialize in, and one at Fermilab. I am looking forward to work there again before applying to graduate school. Part of the reason for my grades is that I want to take a lot of stuff at the same time (have taken most of the time ~18 credits, up to 23) and have horrible test anxiety. I won't mention this in my SOP of course, since it looks like I am trying to find excuses for something that was obviously my fault. Nevertheless, I need ways to guarantee the admissions committees of the places I apply to, not only that I can attend their school, but that I should! The big problem is that, by the time I apply to Grad school, only my first semester grades of my master's will be available. I am also looking forward to apply to Perimeter Institute. Saying this, you can see I am interested in theory, but I am unsure of the specific subfield. I like Cosmology, Quantum Info, and Particle physics. I just want to know if I am ruined because my GPA is obviously not great, or if I can somehow show that I can do this. I will really really appreciate any info I can get on this. I know I can do this and it bums me out that I won't be able to achieve my goals because of my GPA as I have been told.