Physics GRE Discussion Forums

I was thinking about how could I belong to a persecuted category?! I am white, male, not gay, 1.83 meters tall, healthy... So I've made some research and I found out that my family was persecuted by the communists. I am from eastern Europe and my grandfather and my father have been persecuted because they had a different political view that the former communist party! I am also an atheist, or free thinker or... call it as you wish, but I never felt persecuted because of that... well, I was never persecuted by the communists directly either because I lived only a very short time during the communist regime, but my family had some problems... Now, I'm not the kind of person that would make himself look like a victim and get benefits out of that, so I said nothing about that in my applications until now. I don't think I'll tell these things in the next applications either but, as a curiosity : do you think the universities would accept "anti-communist atheists" easier?

No. I don't think it has any effect.

FYI, in the physics community you would be much more "weird" if you were not an atheist.

Mataka wrote:FYI, in the physics community you would be much more "weird" if you were not an atheist.

True.

I had an algebra professor that was also a protestant priest and at every oral exam he asked us if we believe in god... LOL probably in the mathematics community an atheist would look "better"

betelgeuse1 wrote:I had an algebra professor that was also a protestant priest and at every oral exam he asked us if we believe in god... LOL probably in the mathematics community an atheist would look "better"

That's illegal in the US.

betelgeuse1, Universities can not make any decisions based on your religious beliefs, and unless you can talk about how your family's persecution made you better prepared for physics graduate school, that won't make much of a difference either.

grae313: I hope so! I've read a post about someone who hopes that being gay would improve his chances and I have no idea how "being gay" could improve ones physics abilities. I have nothing against gay people... but I also read a lot about all sort of "positive discriminations" in the US admission process and I don't like that so I said that if these statements of purpose transform themselves in a sort of "statement of persecution" I should complain a little too... just for being sure...
About the questions that my algebra professor asked, they are true, and all the students in my group were asked if they believe in god... I said I have no idea if there is god but I had luck that the assistant made me a sign and I added that ...uh... there may be something... out... there...
I don't know if my grade would have been different if I had said something else, I've got a 100% because I solved all problems right... but... well... I have no idea...

do you think in my country that's legal?! by the way, I'm pretty young but I saw so many things that I am a little cautious when someone says "that's illegal in X country"...

True but the difference lies in the repercusions, if you get discriminated by somebody in that matter in a US university, go report it to the authorities, if you have proof i bet that person if not get fired is facing a lawsuit at least. I'm not saying is easy and fast and they will back you up 100% at 1st. But the option is there and if you are insulted enough and have the time, $ and patience the guilty will get his punishment. Otherwise in many other countries where probably the one affected at the long run is the same victim.

Don't understand me wrong: I like the American society... this is one of the reasons I want to go back there and to work in research but I also know human nature... and... I think I've told everything...