Small Private Schools to Graduate School

  • 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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EducationUSA Serbia
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 2:55 pm

Small Private Schools to Graduate School

Post by EducationUSA Serbia » Sat Sep 08, 2007 3:52 pm

Dear Physicists,

As an educational advisor I have a question. Is there anyone here from small private schools that has successfully applied to grad school programs in Physics? I would really like to hear about that experience.

I get a great deal of information about small private colleges that allow the undergraduate students to work on research and other projects that are generally reserved for graduate students, but I would really like to hear about a students personal experience.

Thanks in advance

marten
Posts: 134
Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 10:21 am

Post by marten » Tue Sep 11, 2007 10:10 am

I can't speak first hand (yet....), but I attended a small liberal arts college (1,000 students) with a physics department that consisted of two professors. There was research in X-ray crystallography, plus whatever the senior students were doing for their thesis. I know several stories of physics graduates going on to graduate school, and doing very well.

One example, my friend graduated in 2002 and went to Oregon State U (one of the few places at which both him and his girlfriend were accepted) and is getting his PhD in Nuclear physics. He may have it by now, I've lost contact with him.

I remember him saying that many people were suspicious of the undergraduate preparation that he would have from a small liberal arts school, especially trying to continue on for a PhD in physics, but he found the opposite to be true. He felt more prepared then the average graduate student.

One example,

Marten



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