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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 5:02 am
by BerkeleyEric
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Re: Not Ready for Grad School... what can I do?

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 3:27 am
by WontonBurritoMeals
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

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

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 4:01 am
by zxcv
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

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

Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 11:34 pm
by cato88
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).