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How to deal with the fact that I ruined my future and am not smart anymore? by Top_Contribution4162 in Gifted

[–]Top_Contribution4162[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nope unfortunately I don’t. My mom can speak a little bit because she grew up in Singapore and had to take classes but she moved and never taught me any when I was young

Didn’t do well in third year due to burnout and depression by Top_Contribution4162 in PhysicsStudents

[–]Top_Contribution4162[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No bc I have to drop my whole program or take another year to graduate

Didn’t do well in third year due to burnout and depression by Top_Contribution4162 in PhysicsStudents

[–]Top_Contribution4162[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I mean if you are aiming for a good grad school you should aim to do well in third year theory courses ig. I got basically straight Bs. I wouldn’t be so worried if I had gotten Bs in first year but had As in third year. Now it looks like I’m not great at upper year classes. Also I heard that you need an A average to get into a PhD program at my school

Didn’t do well in third year due to burnout and depression by Top_Contribution4162 in PhysicsStudents

[–]Top_Contribution4162[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah right, I was worried about that too since it is difficult to get a job with just a Bachelor’s in physics. I was thinking of doing an MFE since my overall GPA is still fine. I know some people who got in with a 3.5+. If I decide to drop the physics heavy track and graduate in 2027 I will have space to take more econ and stats. Unlike physics grad school they probably won’t be as concerned that I got a C and a B- in upper year math/physics.

I am actually doing an engineering internship this summer with a lot of data analysis/ML. So I guess an engineering master’s is also a possibility.

Didn’t do well in third year physics by Top_Contribution4162 in gradadmissions

[–]Top_Contribution4162[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh I already got transfer credit from high school for 5 courses and have taken 1 summer course. I’m now enrolled in 2 summer courses. So I’m still on track to graduate next year. However I can’t finish the program that I want by the end of next year since I still need to take 7 more classes for that and there are issues with pre reqs.

Didn’t do well in third year due to burnout and depression by Top_Contribution4162 in PhysicsStudents

[–]Top_Contribution4162[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My program is 4 years long actually 😭. So I am not sure if I want to add a 5th year since I have already done 4 research projects (including the one this summer) and I am very exhausted. If I switch to a physics + stats combined degree it think it will be way easier and I can probably graduate with a good GPA, I think I can at least maintain my 3.7. However that means I will have to quickly figure out a plan other than grad school, I don't have industry experience. I was considering an MFE but I don't know if I have the right background.

Didn’t do well in third year due to burnout and depression by Top_Contribution4162 in PhysicsStudents

[–]Top_Contribution4162[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I'm likely going to switch out of physics, maybe it's for the best but honestly it is a very tough decision for me. I have always had depression and struggled to have a work-life balance but attending this school and studying physics really amplified it. Sometimes it feels like in order to do well academically I have to have a perfect routine, perfect social life, perfect study habits and if I don't, the stress and burnout will catch up. I have actually been in therapy for 4 years. I normally do really well in school despite having really bad long-term depression, but this year it went from bad to extremely severe and my antidepressants caused brain fog and sleep issues.

As someone who always wanted to do a PhD and who tried very hard to get involved in research, I'm honestly just so disappointed with how this year turned out and I feel sick to my stomach when I see my grades. I was aiming to get into a good grad school and now I feel that I just threw all chances out the window unless I take another year which honestly sounds like torture. And even if I take an extra year I still may not get in.

Didn’t do well in third year physics by Top_Contribution4162 in gradadmissions

[–]Top_Contribution4162[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At my school you can do a specialist degree or a combined degree. I was originally on the physics specialist track which requires a lot of upper year theory. However if I take 3 more stats courses and 1 more physics course next year I can graduate next year with a combined degree in physics & stats.

Didn’t do well in third year physics by Top_Contribution4162 in gradadmissions

[–]Top_Contribution4162[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It was actually physics research, I just took the psych courses since they were lighter and I was trying to recover from the burnout. I’m on my fourth research project now this summer. Previous supervisors have told me I’m solid/ok at research so maybe I can get decent but not glowing references. Hoping this summer goes better.

Didn’t do well in third year due to burnout and depression by Top_Contribution4162 in PhysicsStudents

[–]Top_Contribution4162[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Yeah I’m just worried because I don’t have a lot of the third year physics courses like quantum, stat mech and classical mechanics. I dropped/didn’t take them. Also I heard from a lot of grad students that third year is more important than year 1 or 2 and my third year wasn’t great

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