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  • This has become our largest and most active forum because the physics GRE is just one aspect of getting accepted into a graduate physics program.
  • There are applications, personal statements, letters of recommendation, visiting schools, anxiety of waiting for acceptances, deciding between schools, finding out where others are going, etc.

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BerkeleyEric
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2009 12:18 pm

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Post by BerkeleyEric » Sun Jun 07, 2009 5:02 am

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Last edited by BerkeleyEric on Tue Oct 19, 2010 7:46 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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WontonBurritoMeals
Posts: 102
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 9:43 pm

Re: Not Ready for Grad School... what can I do?

Post by WontonBurritoMeals » Mon Jun 08, 2009 3:27 am

Go to grad school and take lower division classes there before you get an adviser.

Hence,

Money + Physics = Happiness

May the wind be always at your back,
-WontonBurritoMeals

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zxcv
Posts: 402
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 11:08 pm

Re: Not Ready for Grad School... what can I do?

Post by zxcv » Mon Jun 08, 2009 4:01 am

Eric --

I'm grad student at Berkeley, and I entered with none (!) of the extra courses you mention and haven't had to take any undergrad physics courses here. (If any of those courses might be helpful, I might try to squeeze in the second semester E&M but really you'll be okay without it.) Some of my fellow first year students came in even missing several core undergrad classes.

I know Berkeley is a pressure cooker, but you have to keep in mind that you and your classmates are among the best prepared physics majors in the country. I think you'll do just fine applying to grad school, even if you set your sights pretty high.

Anyways, if you're around this summer, I'd be happy to get lunch with you one day and talk over your plans. Just send me a PM if you're interested.

Edit: wording
Last edited by zxcv on Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:07 am, edited 1 time in total.

cato88
Posts: 420
Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2008 12:46 am

Re: Not Ready for Grad School... what can I do?

Post by cato88 » Mon Jun 08, 2009 11:34 pm

zxcv wrote:Eric --

I'm grad student at Berkeley, and I entered with none (!) of the extra courses you mention and haven't taken any undergrad physics courses. (If any of those courses might be helpful, I might try to squeeze in the second semester E&M but really you'll be okay without it.) Some of my fellow first year students came in even missing several core undergrad classes.

I know Berkeley is a pressure cooker, but you have to keep in mind that you and your classmates are among the best prepared physics majors in the country. I think you'll do just fine applying to grad school, even if you set your sights pretty high.

Anyways, if you're around this summer, I'd be happy to get lunch with you one day and talk over your plans. Just send me a PM if you're interested.
I observed the same thing at a tier 1 school as an undergrad where there was more than a few grads taking undergraduate QM, no offense but I never understood why this was so, but this was a huge part of my reasoning why the courses you take are not as important as long as you have a high GPA and PGRE (its not like they cant find anyone who doesnt have need to take undergrad QM).



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