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Apply to a field that I have no experience in?

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 10:28 am
by rjones21
I am interested in astrophysics/cosmology, but I attend a liberal arts college where no astrophysics/cosmology courses have been offered. The college is well reputed as an undergraduate institution, but not specifically in physics. I have taken all the physics classes that we offer and have done research year-round, but none of it was in astrophysics/cosmology.

Will my application be harmed if I apply for a field that I have no experience in? Should I just apply for a field which I have a stronger background in?

Re: Apply to a field that I have no experience in?

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 10:22 pm
by Nishikata
It depends on how well you demonstrate your interest. You see, anybody can say they are interested in anything. If you can provide concrete evidences of your interest, then it might be ok.

Re: Apply to a field that I have no experience in?

Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2019 1:37 am
by Physics_Is_Phun
You can always apply for a field you have more experience with and then switch once you're there. Saying you're interested in one field on your application isn't binding at all.

Re: Apply to a field that I have no experience in?

Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2019 3:20 pm
by geekusprimus
Physics_Is_Phun wrote:
Sun Nov 24, 2019 1:37 am
You can always apply for a field you have more experience with and then switch once you're there. Saying you're interested in one field on your application isn't binding at all.
Your stated interest is not binding, but lying about your interest to game the admissions committee is still a bad idea, particularly in smaller programs. Honesty aside, admissions decisions are often made based on the availability of funding and the desire of professors in that research area to take on another student. Unless you're attending a school that is absolutely swimming in general department funding that isn't tied to any particular program, saying you're interested in condensed matter experiment when you really want to do cosmology doesn't magically shift funding from the CME group to a cosmologist, and it certainly won't change the number of professors who have the time or desire to work with another student.