Physics GRE Discussion Forums

Hey, I'm a freshman physics major and one of the things I've considered doing after undergrad (assuming I stick with physics) is going to grad school.

As my second semester approaches an end it seems as though I've messed up my Gen Chem Grades, most likely I'm gonna get a C(both a D and B are possible but the latter would be near impossible and I'd like to stay away from the former). I was wondering if this would automatically make it so that there are schools that won't accept me.

What really worries me is that I still have to take a second semester of this stuff, I'd say that I'll try harder (and I will) but I've already been trying pretty hard, not sure what I'm really doing wrong either.

For some context I took 17 hours my first semester and ended up with a 3.8 GPA, I'm taking 17 again this semester and my GPA looks like it will be somewhere between 3.47 to a 3.65 (this is somewhat unlikely)


Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill?

JohnVicious wrote: Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill?

Yep

I just took preliminary exams in physics and some chemistry shows up in thermodynamics. So it's worthwhile understanding at least the vague outline of chemistry.

And I saw somebody complaining on the web the other day about a "recent physical sciences PhD" who thought that helium was a diatomic gas. So you might want to learn enough to avoid shocking your elders.

JohnVicious wrote:Hey, I'm a freshman physics major and one of the things I've considered doing after undergrad (assuming I stick with physics) is going to grad school.

As my second semester approaches an end it seems as though I've messed up my Gen Chem Grades, most likely I'm gonna get a C(both a D and B are possible but the latter would be near impossible and I'd like to stay away from the former). I was wondering if this would automatically make it so that there are schools that won't accept me.

What really worries me is that I still have to take a second semester of this stuff, I'd say that I'll try harder (and I will) but I've already been trying pretty hard, not sure what I'm really doing wrong either.

For some context I took 17 hours my first semester and ended up with a 3.8 GPA, I'm taking 17 again this semester and my GPA looks like it will be somewhere between 3.47 to a 3.65 (this is somewhat unlikely)


Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill?

If this is your only bad grade in undergrad, grad schools are unlikely to care. Definitely avoid the D if you can; it sounds like maybe the course is meant to weed out the bajillion* undergrads who come in thinking they're going to be pre-med by making the coursework unnecessarily difficult. Next semester might be easier on the grounds that those who made it that far have no more penance to pay.

*defined here to be some large but finite number, which of course all physicists take to be infinity.

I got my only C in chem too, and I doubt it matter since it's a lower div course. My other upper div courses weren't spectacular though, so you wanna watch out for that.. but even with my mediocre stats, I still got into some schools, so don't worry TOO much.