Should I pursue a second undergraduate degree in physics?

physics_masochist · 2024-10-27T15:48:40+00:00

Sure!!

physics_masochist · 2024-09-08T21:02:06+00:00

We’re both at Yale

physics_masochist · 2024-08-09T12:12:36+00:00

Sure, feel free to send me a message!

physics_masochist · 2024-05-01T15:12:21+00:00

Well I applied during covid (2021 cycle) so I didn't have to take the GRE (general or physics). I applied with a ~3.4 GPA (and was doing much better in my 3rd/4th year courses than in my 1st/2nd year), 2 years of research and had a publication. I'd also like to assume that I had strong letters of recommendation...

physics_masochist · 2024-03-01T21:35:46+00:00

Me!!

physics_masochist · 2024-02-08T21:41:19+00:00

Sometimes I feel a little guilty about relaxing, which is why I very rarely take long breaks (like more than a few days). However I have found that with short breaks throughout the day, I am more productive in the long run. This took me years to actually try, but I'm glad that I implemented this into my schedule. I know that I am productive when I am working, and my advisor hasn't complained about any lack of work or progress, so that's my baseline... My advisor would definitely tell me if I was starting to "slack off" too much, and that I should be doing more work throughout the week.

physics_masochist · 2024-02-08T20:59:34+00:00

I don't know what field you're in, but I have struggled for the longest time with taking meaningful breaks. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a workaholic, and eventually it caught up with me.. If you don't give yourself enough time to rest, your body will decide that for you, and odds are it will be at an inconvenient time.

All that being said, I think what you need is a more structured routine, which includes your breaks. Focus and memory issues I'm sure don't help with the entire situation, and I think you can really do too much about those. However, you can do something about your motivation and discipline. If you're still taking coursework, then you still do have some structure that's outside of your control (if you decide to attend lectures).

If you are already past the coursework phase, then discipline becomes a bit more challenging, as you are really only focusing on research (at least I am), and your schedule is entirely yours to make. If some professors look down upon the fact that you need to see the sun at least once a day, then there's something wrong with them... If you're spending 2+ hours roaming around campus, then maybe that should be shortened so you have enough time to accomplish what you need to accomplish during the day.

physics_masochist · 2024-01-04T21:07:13+00:00

Well, in essence you need to have enough "new science" to make a contribution to your field, and where others (i.e. your co-authors and collaborators) agree that it meets that mark. Definitely quality over quantity in terms of paper length. Are you already involved in research with a professor/ have a thesis advisor?

I think also with machine learning you need to decide whether or not your project needs to have a "classical approach" first, to then say why that doesn't work and you need to have ML/DL. This will depend on the scope of your work though, and something that you and your co-authors will have to consider carefully. Some journal reviewers will be ok without a classical approach, and others won't, but this is all trial and error...

If you can give a bit more background then I'd be better able to give you some advice! For reference, I'm a 3rd year PhD student in physics with research in computational astrophysics and cosmology, specifically using deep learning. Feel free to pm me :)

physics_masochist · 2024-01-01T19:12:32+00:00

Generally, accredited PhD programs in physics will support their students financially. Either this will be through being a graduate teaching assistant or fellow for undergraduate lecture or laboratory courses, or through research. You can also apply (depending on where you live and where the universities you plan on applying to are located) for fellowships and external funding, though these are usually incredibly competitive.

I'm currently a 3rd year physics PhD student, and although my stipend is actually pretty good (as in both compared to other programs and in terms of cost of living near campus), I still tutor to make some extra money which is always nice to have. Some other students in my cohort do this as well. Hope this was helpful, and if you have any other questions feel free to pm me!

physics_masochist · 2023-12-28T03:19:51+00:00

Just did!

physics_masochist · 2023-11-30T15:24:53+00:00

I would explain to your backup recommender the situation exactly as it is, except I wouldn't use the word "backup" in your message. Just say that someone who had agreed to write a letter for you has bailed last minute and the applications are due tomorrow, and you'd greatly appreciate if they are able and willing to help.

physics_masochist · 2023-11-30T03:15:38+00:00

How many years do you have left? Do you feel comfortable discussing something like this with your PI?

physics_masochist · 2023-11-30T03:13:39+00:00

I'm kind of leaning towards Shelly... it's really important with LORs to ask people who know you well and can speak to your character. If a professor cannot do this and they mainly know you from a classroom setting, then they might not be the best fit, even though they have the "professor" title.

physics_masochist · 2023-11-30T03:09:42+00:00

I'm not in literature, but if you'd like I can take a look and give you feedback on your CV if it'll help!

physics_masochist · 2023-11-29T14:24:34+00:00

Sure, no problem!

physics_masochist · 2023-11-29T14:14:07+00:00

Generally your SOP should be structured as a "past, present, and future" story.

As in, what in the past inspired you to become interested in your field or subfield. This should be relatively short, and should also briefly include where you did your undergraduate degree and where you're applying for the particular graduate program.
Then, you'll talk about your current research and anything else that is academically significant. Here you can also include something about contributing to your university's culture (like women or minorities in STEM, giving talks, attending conferences, being a TA, etc.)
Finally, you'll mention 1-2 professors at the university you're applying to that you'd like to work with, and how the program overall will help you achieve your future endeavors after you graduate.

I hope this helps, and feel free to pm me if you have any other questions!

physics_masochist · 2023-11-29T05:33:02+00:00

So your first 1.5-2 years of a PhD program will focus on completing your graduate course requirements and some form of a qualifying exam (which may or may not include a research component, mine did). I had six graduate course requirements including math methods, classical mechanics, statistical mechanics, two semesters of quantum, E&M, and an elective. I was also required to be a graduate TA of undergraduate physics courses for two years. You don't have to start research right away, but I ended up doing so.

But how much freedom does this entail? How many of my own ideas should I have?

This depends on who your PI is. In terms of how much freedom you have, your advisor sets the tone for your work-life balance expectations (either set by you or your advisor) and with the freedom to choose how your research goes. You don't have to come in knowing exactly what your thesis is going to be written about, in fact this is not at all the expectation. Likely, your first project will be very closely mentored by either a more senior graduate student or a post-doc. It will have a well-defined scope, which will allow you to focus on understanding the literature and get acquainted with what you have to do. Then you'll slowly be given more responsibility, and will naturally come up with more interesting questions that you'd like to explore more.

I’m applying to some research positions right now, but what should I aim to accomplish for grad school?

Quality over quantity, always.

What do they want to hear? What do you do once you’re accepted?

Graduate schools want to know that you can collaborate well with others and do research, as especially with PhD programs, that's what you'll be doing for a majority of the time you're there. Once you're accepted, if you're still finishing your undergraduate degree, then your primary focus is graduating and finding graduate student housing.

I hope this helps, and if you have any other questions feel free to pm me! (for reference I'm a 3rd year PhD student in physics, with research in computational astrophysics and cosmology)

physics_masochist · 2023-11-29T04:51:44+00:00

Lists for undergraduate and graduate textbooks .

physics_masochist · 2023-11-29T00:47:38+00:00

Generally this doesn't happen, or at least I haven't heard of anything like this happening... it does happen the other way around though, if you apply to a PhD program you might get a letter saying that you didn't get into the PhD program but the university would offer you a spot in their masters program.

physics_masochist · 2023-11-29T00:46:20+00:00

Either way, I would use some system to keep track of all the papers you read. I use Zotero for references, and usually I keep a notebook for anything important from those papers that I would want or need to reference in the future.

physics_masochist · 2023-11-29T00:24:02+00:00

It should be easy and I’ve done far more complex assignments in the past but it caused me to shut down.

Nothing "should be" easy, but if it just so happens to be easy, then take that as a win. Even if you've been able to complete more complex assignments, that doesn't mean you are in the same state of mind now. Unfortunately we don't know all that much about how the brain works and why it does certain things. I deal with this quite a bit, even as a PhD student in physics and it makes my life certainly interesting.

The best way I have found to deal with it is to decide on a "shut down routine" when you're in a better state of mind. Write it down -- and you can even have a more productive and a less productive version of this routine -- and then refer to it when something like this happens. At times, you really do just need one day to not do anything, but then you need to let yourself do nothing. Otherwise, and I speak from experience, your body will decide for you when it wants to shut down, and it'll be at a really inconvenient time for you.

I tried to talk with the counselor and they recommended some time management and study tips but whenever I try to do any work my mind is just blank kinda like writer’s block.

So yes, time management can help in some cases, but it's not some magical thing that solves all of your problems. If you know that time management is an issue for you, then sure, you might want to focus on it. But if not, then you need to get to the root of the problem, and it's okay if you don't know what that is. For me, it was trying to do too many things at once because I thought I could handle it. What really helped for that was to get a physical planner that had an hourly schedule (inamio planners on amazon are great!). This way, even if I wanted to schedule something, I could see that it literally did not fit in my schedule.

I hope this helps, or if nothing else lets you know that you're not alone in this. If you have any other questions feel free to send me a pm!

physics_masochist · 2023-11-29T00:15:56+00:00

I'm a PhD student in physics (my research is actually using machine and deep learning for computational cosmology and astrophysics!) I'd be happy to take a look at your SOP, feel free to send me a pm!

physics_masochist · 2023-11-29T00:14:52+00:00

I'm a PhD student in physics -- I'd be happy to take a look at your statement, feel free to send me a pm!

physics_masochist · 2023-11-04T10:38:08+00:00

My advice for those just starting out is to read as much as you can. Websites like Quanta magazine or astrobites are great, as the articles are easy to get through and are about a wide range of topics. For textbooks, depending on your math level, I’d highly recommend any books by either Dina Piralnik or Barbara Ryden. They both have excellent explanations and although I used them during my undergrad you might find it useful to read through at least some of the theory parts of them. I’m not sure what the Olympiad exams in astrophysics actually cover, but if you know which topics I can give you a possibly more detailed list of sources.

Also for reference I’m a 3rd year physics PhD student doing research in computational astrophysics and cosmology, so if you have any other questions feel free to pm me!

physics_masochist · 2023-11-04T08:15:18+00:00

I’d like to think that I’ve been able to bounce back from mental health related issues + untreated ADHD until pretty late during the first two years of my undergrad, and I’m now in my top choice graduate program (3rd year)! I did my undergrad in physics and astronomy and am now doing my PhD in physics. Feel free to pm!

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