Your guys opinion

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westymnm
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:22 pm

Your guys opinion

Post by westymnm » Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:23 pm

I am currently a junior who goes to small, sort of well known, liberal arts college and I am double majoring in physics and mathematics.
At this point I am in a strange predicament. My overall GPA is a 3.33 with a 3.9 in physics courses and 3.2 in mathematics courses. I've taken the mathematics GRE and got a 90th percentile and I have not yet taken the physics GRE, however I hope to score about the same. or a little lower. As indicated by my majors, I would like to theoretical physics (probably high energy), or mathematical physics. What do you guys think my chances are at getting in to some of the top ten schools? I really like UC Berkeley, and Caltech.


Anyway, thank you very much for your opinions.

westymnm
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:22 pm

Re: Your guys opinion

Post by westymnm » Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:46 pm

I should also note that the 3.2 in mathematics courses was due to the fact that there were strange scheduling conflicts that forced me to have to take classes without prerequisites and thus I would perform much worse in them. For example I had to take Real Analysis without having the proof writing course that was prerequisite and i ended up with a C in the course. This also happened with 3 other courses where I didn't have the prerequisites and ended up doing not as good as i could have (B+'s mostly).

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

Re: Your guys opinion

Post by zxcv » Tue Mar 04, 2008 8:17 pm

Your physics grades are strong, which counts for a lot. If you've gotten A's later in math to make up for your earlier struggles, I think you can spin your grades pretty well.

The physics GRE is always important to ace, especially if you're going for theory at top schools. But if you can score in the 90th percentile on the physics GRE, you should be set there.

The real wild determinative factor will be your research experience and strong letters of recommendation. Do your best to get research in a field you want to get into next summer, and impress your adviser.

I have a relatively similar background to you (check the profile thread), and I've gotten lucky so far with Berkeley (still waiting on Caltech and UCSB). So I think you have a shot.

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grae313
Posts: 2296
Joined: Tue May 29, 2007 8:46 pm

Re: Your guys opinion

Post by grae313 » Tue Mar 04, 2008 8:24 pm

Agreed. Bottom line is, to get into a top program you need to distinguish yourself. If 90th percentile physics + math GRE + good physics grades is all you've got, my guess is it isn't going to happen. :) If you get some good research experience and even some theory publications, you will be helping your case tremendously.



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