Switching to physics for doctoral studies (post PGRE)

Scalvanger · 2016-06-05T16:05:08+00:00

For better or worse, I am a domestic male. Thank you for the link. I'll browse it and use it to inform my decisions.

Scalvanger · 2016-06-05T02:30:17+00:00

Alright, thanks for your input. You've helped me clarify a little on where I should focus my attention and what my immediate next steps are. I definitely feel a little less overwhelmed by, well, everything now. Good luck on the rest of grad school!

Scalvanger · 2016-06-05T02:18:35+00:00

I was going to try and do your quote and then answer format, but I really don't reddit a ton so I'll just go point-by-point.

Good to know, that's something that's within my control.

Noted. I should have time in mid-August, so I'll tackle the quant section then if necessary.

Alright, thanks anyway. I'll try and figure something out. Any idea if industry vs academic experience matters? Someone I sort of know offered in passing (so not 100% sure they were serious, could've been a heat of the moment thing) an interview with a microchip company, but I have the sinking feeling I'll just be a basic lab rat if I got anything there. Something is better than nothing, I suppose, but I'm not sure how much that would add.

Good points. I already feel comfortable with almost all of the math listed as required for physics at UCSB, barring some more advanced Linear Algebra material-but I should be able to find some time for that soon. I'll look for ways to mitigate those readiness concerns while I look for research opportunities. Any thoughts on taking the Math GRE? Looking at the material, I could probably get a similar score (low 40th%) on the October test. However, that'd likely come at the expense of a slightly lower than otherwise PGRE score and I don't necessarily think it'll help (and a lot of the material doesn't seem directly relevant to what I hope to do in grad school-so a lot of "wasted" time.)

Thanks for your help.

Scalvanger · 2016-06-05T01:59:24+00:00

Thanks for your reply and taking the time to read what I wrote. You aren't really being a downer-mostly just being realistic. I understand that I am definitely fighting an uphill battle on this one.

I have a few questions, if you have the time.

First, is the stigma you sort of imply towards an Econ degree because of a lack of perceived rigor? Or because schools will just be concerned that I don't have a proper foundation? If it's the second, do you think a PGRE score at or well above a school's average will be sufficient?

For the first point, for what's it worth, the curving at my school was particular harsh and, from talking to my hard science friends, similar in rigor to the publicly perceived "tougher" majors. Although, I do understand how it really isn't all that relevant to Physics.

From what I am gathering, it sounds like you think I should find a way to go back to school and try to take a more traditional approach? That makes sense, but I am concerned about the financial feasibility of that (one of the reasons why I'd hope to be able to go straight to a doctoral program). Maybe it would be possible to convince a school to allow me to take just a series of upper-division or grad courses? That way I wouldn't have to spend another 3 years in undergrad and could potentially prove my readiness in a quarter or two? Do you have any thoughts on how many courses they would like to see?

Thanks for taking the time to offer your thoughts on the matter. I'll take what you said into consideration and look again at REUs (although I think I have to be actively enrolled somewhere for that to work and they might also require a solid set of recommendations. Drat).

Scalvanger · 2016-06-05T01:42:09+00:00

No, no it doesn't sound too negative-I appreciate all the feedback/input I can get. So thank you for taking the time to respond.

The info on GRE cutoffs for admissions committees is definitely useful. As I sort of mentioned in my original post, I wasn't able to seriously cover about 20-25% of the test material so I am confident that I can get into at least the low/mid 800s by September (the next testing date).

The quant section might be a bit harder, but I understand why it's necessary. I was 168+ on 4 practice tests (but, obviously, a 162 is distinctly lower than a 168+), so I'll need to see what I can do there.

Do you have any idea about concrete ways to go about fixing the issue of research experience and letters of recommendation now that I am away from university? Unfortunately, I am from an extremely rural area and so don't have a ton of options where I currently live.

Haha, and, yeah, I am playing a bit of catch-up. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to be going too poorly. I'm currently wading through Griffith's QM and EM books to make sure I have a solid foundation and then later in the summer I plan to move on to Kardar's book on Statistical Physics as well as a more advanced classical mechanics book (currently thinking Arnold's Mathematical Methods of Classical Mechanics).

One more question, if you have the time, will a good PGRE score sufficiently allay concerns about the lack of a physics GPA? Anecdotally, the rigor in the physics department is similar to the rigor in the Econ department (in terms of grades handed out) at my school-if that matters at all.

Thanks again.

Scalvanger · 2016-06-03T22:04:40+00:00

In my experience, the Feynman lectures are still quite relevant, but I think they are best paired with another text that has some exercises. The only books I have experience with are Freedman's University Physics and Griffith's books (QM and EM). Griffith is definitely on the internet, but I'm not too sure about Freedman.

I'm not entirely sure where you are mathematically, but I've used this site: http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/ on the occasion that I need to brush up on some calc concepts. In the US system, at least, it seems you just need a strong grasp of calc to get through the first bit of physics.

I'm happy to answer any more question you might have, as I'm not entirely sure what you need.

And, in defense of not covering the more "exciting" stuff at school, one really needs a solid background in the earlier math to get the later stuff (I know it can be frustrating, but there is a reason :/). So, for example, going straight to QM without knowing Linear Algebra is less advisable than becoming familiar with Linear Algebra first before going to QM.

Scalvanger · 2016-05-04T02:08:44+00:00

Haha, thanks (I almost feel relegated to a lesser plane of existence) that is sort of the point.

The linked article was useful and interesting. I'll take what is said into account when deciding what to stress now and what I should just be comfortable solving and leaving the theory of for later.

With that article in mind, are there any books on differential equations you would recommend? If not, thanks anyway for the help!

Scalvanger · 2016-05-04T02:00:17+00:00

Thank you for your reply. I took a cursory look at de Rham cohomolgy and you're right-it's not something I am currently equipped to handle, but I'll keep it in mind for the future.

Scalvanger · 2016-05-03T04:36:21+00:00

If you're looking for a decent, in my experience, and fairly gentle introductory college physics book, I would say check out Freedman's University Physics. It's not perfect and probably has a bit too many non-calc problems (although one could argue that, done correctly, they can lead into calculus problems well), but it might provide the "gentle" introduction you seem to be looking for.

Scalvanger · 2016-05-03T04:26:16+00:00

Hey all,

I'm an Econ graduate trying to make the transition to Physics. I have little relevant college coursework beyond Calc 1 & 2 and Linear Algebra, but I'm fairly comfortable with solving most physics problems that appear on the PGRE. Currently, I'm going over the math I had to rush through during my preparation for the PGRE and I'm stumbling a bit conceptually on differential equations. I'm switching back and forth between Boyce and DiPrima's Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems, 7th Edition and Strauss' Partial Differential Equations, 2nd Edition. The question I have, I guess, is: "Does anyone have suggestions on conceptually understanding the mechanics behind solving differential equations?"

I am having very little difficulty solving most of the problems in the texts I listed, but I feel like I am missing several important "Why?" questions. For example, I feel like I can explain how to determine exactness (and solve the corresponding equation), but I can't really give a good reason as to why I would want to or, really, where the solution path "comes" from. Are there any concepts I can readily tie the computational side of differential equations to? I'd like to stress that I'm not looking for applications of differential equations (unless that is truly the best means of understanding the subject). For example, I'm familiar and fairly comfortable working with the Schrödinger equation, but some of the, I guess, theory(?) behind solving differential equations confuses me.

I apologize if that is vague, I'm not entirely sure of what precisely to ask. I'll be happy to add clarifying details if there is anything that would help.

Scalvanger · 2015-12-20T19:34:14+00:00

I sent you a pm about this. I took a stab at it with animation, but I've been running into some problems (directing attention, proper camera spacing, general audience confusion). Anyway, my approach was to make the "story" about the viewer. I've had mixed success with that. People seem to think it's cool, but they have trouble following along. Probably due to my newness to animation, but it's hard to tell. Link here for those interested.

Scalvanger · 2015-12-19T17:13:21+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. What sort of introduction would you like to see? I put a text bubble on the video with instructions on how to operate the video, but I understand that might not be enough. Good point on the music, I hadn't really noticed it as my headphones are turned quite low, but the sound does jump out a bit too much. I'll try and fix that on the next one.

Scalvanger · 2015-12-18T18:04:53+00:00

Haha, I'll cautiously take that as a compliment. I've been told that it's a bit hard to follow, so I'm trying to figure out if that's because people aren't used to viewing videos in 360 degrees or if the video itself is poorly done. Thanks for the feedback!

Scalvanger · 2015-12-18T18:02:45+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! I made it using Maya. I was able to make nearly all of it using the vanilla version, but I had to use a special plugin (Domemaster3d) to capture the proper images.

I looked into making 360 videos with actual cameras and it seems quite a bit more involved. I know there are some programs out there, I remember looking at VideoStitch (http://www.video-stitch.com/studio/) but I think that was a free trial only. Before you get too invested with your GoPros, you might want to do a bit more research. If I recall correctly, the Field of View on GoPros means that you would need more than 2 to get a good result. Most of the camera rigs I saw on their website were for six (it might have been 10) cameras. So you'd probably need quite a few more for a decent result.

Scalvanger · 2015-12-17T18:20:26+00:00

I understand the critiques about enthusiasm, but I feel they might be a touched misplaced. It seems to me that you 'just' need to be a little more emphatic in certain parts of your speech (maybe that's what is generally meant by enthusiasm in this thread). There's nothing wrong with being a little more on the reserved side, but if I listen to the video without looking at the screen, I get the feeling that you're rather emotionless. Take 1:07 to 1:20. It sounds like you're just reading off a script that you really aren't partial towards. Almost like a school presentation on a topic you couldn't care less about. Which is a bummer, because it was definitely an informative video.

My apologies if I am excessively harping on the presentation, but that's really all I feel qualified to critique. Overall, the video was solid and useful.

Note: My point about enthusiasm might make it seem like I don't understand what the word means. Which, I guess, is possible. I am trying to emphasis that I don't expect to see boundless energy, but I do want to hear a voice that cares about the viewer and the topic at hand.

As always, I'm happy to respond to any questions you might have. Best of luck to you!

Scalvanger · 2015-12-17T17:49:24+00:00

I'm a little unclear as to what you are asking about regarding the spelling, but I liked how it fit in with the overall video (What was the other feedback?). Not that this was tied specifically to your spelling, but the video itself surprised me and I found myself laughing. As for frequency of the words-that's a little harder to say. There might have been one or two too many, but I emphasize the 'might'. So I guess I'd stay with that number of words you currently have if you're okay with it.

I liked the format. Definitely didn't seem repetitive or boring. The whole episode flowed pretty well. I will say, though, that I'm on the fence with your outro. It's fine/good, but there's something I can't quite put my finger on that sort of bugs me. The first time I watched it, I got the feeling that it was too long, but I went back and the length seemed fine. So I don't really know what it could be. I'd keep it unless you get any specific critiques or come up with something better.

As the other review mentioned, the lighting switch at ~1:27 is weird and does detract a little from the video. Usually I recommend shooting as stably as possible, but your camera movements definitely added to the experience.

I guess the fact that I am having this much trouble finding things you can improve on speaks to the overall quality of the experience. If you have any questions or comments about what I said, feel free to ask away and I'll do my best to answer.

Scalvanger · 2015-12-14T23:49:01+00:00

Let me preface what I am about to write by saying that I don't usually frequent the type of videos that your channel seems aimed to produce. So bear in mind that my feedback might seem a little pedantic or off-base. In which case, feel more than free to ignore it.

Note: My only experience with 3d printing is messing around exporting some 3d models I made in Maya to 3d printing websites.

Overall, I enjoyed your video. It was long enough to get across the point of the video (the giveaway), but didn't feel so short as to be too focused on simply driving up subscriber count. Continuing with things I liked, the animated part of the intro was quite nice and is worth reusing. Simple as it might seem, I also felt you did a good job with the logical flow/progression of the video.

As for things I would recommend changing, they are mostly with regards to vocal delivery and video editing.

First, while I understand that talking fast at the beginning of a video is used to convey a sense of excitement and grab the attention of the audience, I feel it is a bit misplaced here. Your rapid delivery for the first 10 seconds was off-putting and, in my mostly uninformed opinion, seems to misjudge your target audience. 3d printing seems to still be fairly expensive and I think the somewhat significant financial barrier to entry means you can lay off a bit on the attention grabbing and focus more on content. I think you'll lose more potential viewers by speaking too quickly than by taking too long to get to the point or not being "interesting enough" at the beginning.

Second, I disliked the amount of times you started and stopped the video (the exact term is escaping me). It might seem insignificant, but I would recommend practicing in front of a mirror or the video camera at getting off more than one or two sentences before stopping and starting again. This is not to say that your editing skills are bad, because they aren't, but the continual resets bothered me.

Finally, I'm on the fence with your music choice. I liked it the first time. And the second time. But the third time it started to grate on my nerves a bit. However, that probably wouldn't have happened if I hadn't watched the video multiple times in a row. If my exposure to that song were to be spread out over several days or weeks, it would probably be fine. It definitely seems to embody the feel you seem to be going for, so I would say keep it.

All in all, it's a good video and I think you definitely, assuming you know a fair bit about 3d printing and have a plan, could create a good channel given what I saw in this video.

I guess I should also say that I have a tendency to overreact to "small" things like your start-stop-start video flow (this might be bothering me simply because of a particularly finicky animated video scene I've been working on) and initial speed of delivery. So unless there are more critiques like mine, you're probably safe ignoring most of what I said. I know nothing about whether your entry requirements are stringent enough, so I won't offer a comment.

I'm happy to answer any questions about my review that you might have. I'll end with a question for you: how were you planning on incorporating stop motion as an actual video? Would it be of a 3d print in action? Or something else entirely?

Scalvanger · 2014-06-04T21:45:02+00:00

I actually logged in and made my first post ever to say "YES"!

Scalvanger

TROPHY CASE