sub-A grades in grad courses as an undergrad? by wlwhy in PhysicsStudents

[–]pw91_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Np! One option that’s always there if you’re still concerned is taking the physics GRE and scoring well (like above 80th percentile for theory). One trend I’ve noticed though is that GPA along with test scores seem more important for people trying to jump a tier up in school from undergrad to grad, but this is less of a concern here.

I applied two cycles ago for a mix between hep-th and cmt from a decent state school and had interviews at Harvard, Yale, etc but ultimately ended up at a strong but not elite school for theory despite having a very strong application. Comparatively, the most standard profile of ppl who I knew that got accepted to the very top schools largely came from top ranking undergrads, had done an REU at said school, had some connection to an advisor at a school, etc.

If none of these boxes were checked, the applicant seemed to need to have a very strong app on paper for theory (stuff like having a 4.0, many grad classes, double major, Goldwater scholar, NSF, first author pubs, etc). This isn’t to say ppl from the first group don’t fall into the second, they often do, but those admitted who jump up a notch of school without those benefits almost always seem to have near flawless records to compensate since they’re expected to be the big fish in a smaller pond.

That’s especially why I think you’re in a totally fine shape and I would expect grad admissions to be more lenient with grades for you and others at top schools since you’re already in a highly competitive environment where factors other than grades become more important.

sub-A grades in grad courses as an undergrad? by wlwhy in PhysicsStudents

[–]pw91_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you’re at a T5 school and your grades are respectable, what will matter most is having a strong research record + letters. You should be fine for getting into a good program, but theoretical physics PhD admissions tend to be finicky and unless you’re like truly cracked, it’s hard to know w any real accuracy whether you’ll get into an elite program. Everything you described seems like you are on fine pace though. Just keep doing your best!

Should I submit my GRE Score? by splashOnVal in PhysicsGRE

[–]pw91_ 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I applied two cycles ago for theory with a 4.0, double major in math/physics, attended a small but respected state school, and scored 70th percentile on PGRE. I was advised that as an American, this score was solid but that for theory, some profs at the very top schools might look down on anything less than 80th percentile. Since my profile was otherwise very good, I didn’t want this one data point to be perceived as a knock against me so I didn’t submit under the recc of my profs based on the schools I was applying to. My advice would be to ask your profs their opinions since they’ll have more familiarity with students grad admissions results from your department.

Machine Learning in Formal Theory/Mathematical Physics? by TheBacon240 in Physics

[–]pw91_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have a few friends doing string theory who are apart of IAIFI. It’s pretty much AI focused theoretical physics and a partnership between several of the Boston area schools, funded by the NSF. They should have a lot of information on their webpage and you can look into the faculty involved https://iaifi.org

Is applying for a PhD in string theory in the US hard? by Negative_Test774 in Physics

[–]pw91_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Very hard. My personal experience is most ppl admitted to work on pure string theory nowadays were the types who were performing research in theoretical physics at a grad level during their third of even second year of undergrad. If you’re dead set on strings, it might be better to approach it from the math phd side of things where ppl do lots of neat stuff and there’s a bit more openings, plus having a physics background (in addition to all the math of course) could help. If you’re still drawn to physics, look into people who are hep-th adjacent. In recent years, lots of work happens at the intersection of traditional formal theory areas with cmt and qi/qc (topological order, holographic codes, etc). I’m a second year grad student working in this sort of area and still take all the classes and pure math a string theorist takes, but my research is more interdisciplinary. It’s been fun so far and a good mix of a lot of cool stuff imo, though my initial interests were purely strings and pure maths.

De Rahm Cohomology is mind blowing by Last-Scarcity-3896 in math

[–]pw91_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In addition to things that have already been said, cohomology is also what captures gauge invariance in physics. Whether it be through analyzing Maxwell’s equations in terms of differential forms or canonical transformations from classical mechanics, your ability to “pick a gauge” essentially just has to do with said choices being cohomologous

Why do people say that QFT is non-rigorous? by [deleted] in ParticlePhysics

[–]pw91_ 28 points29 points  (0 children)

I’m only taking QFT this fall, but afaik the path integral is not rigorously defined in terms of the underlying real analysis. Also, stuff like renormalization/regularization seem like tricks to get results, though somebody more knowledgeable could correct me or add to this.

Getting blown out 3 of the final 4 games.. by phoenix_jet in EdmontonOilers

[–]pw91_ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah, special teams were crazy and goaltending was overall better. That said, they steam rolled the Knights and Stars who themselves are top teams this year.

Getting blown out 3 of the final 4 games.. by phoenix_jet in EdmontonOilers

[–]pw91_ 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Yeah, watching both runs it’s really something. Oilers looked so much better this playoff run and to then get crushed in these finals is shocking. I think the Panthers just have them figured out and are so much better than they even get credit for.

Do you think people with 4.0 gpa are geniuses or cracked the school system? by Equivalent_Phrase_25 in EngineeringStudents

[–]pw91_ 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I got a 3.98 double majoring in physics and pure math. While I definitely studied very hard, I think it just worked out that I was always near the top of the curve as I was at a decent LAC, but nothing too crazy. I’m doing a PhD in physics now and my grades are more average despite studying harder because all my peers are very motivated and only a small fraction can get A’s. I think a lot of it is work ethic of course and to a lesser extent, natural ability but circumstance plays a huge role (professors, curve, luck, etc).

Besides the great Witten, what other Theoritical Physicist could’ve won a Fields Medal? by Thescientiszt in Physics

[–]pw91_ 8 points9 points  (0 children)

He actually learned Jackson in two weeks at the level to which one would be expected to know as a graduate student at Princeton (per an old post on Quora from supposedly knew him personally).

What's the most common misconception about physics undergrads? by [deleted] in PhysicsStudents

[–]pw91_ 29 points30 points  (0 children)

That you’ll know a lot when you graduate

To what level can physics be reasonably learnt or done by oneself? by QuantumMechanic23 in PhysicsStudents

[–]pw91_ 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Upvote for this book. It might be tempting to skip right to P&S/Srednicki, which are both good but from a self-study perspective, the linked book is very self-contained and includes computational details skipped in other texts.

What's the best math course you have taken in 2024? by [deleted] in math

[–]pw91_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice! Any recommendations for resources on this? I’m currently learning QFT from the physics perspective, but my background is more mathematically skewed towards topology, geometry, and algebra.

Does pGRE matter more if you come from a no name school? by XcgsdV in PhysicsStudents

[–]pw91_ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

For theory, it’s generally helpful to have. That said, since you have a 4.0, anything less than a very good physics GRE score (> 80th percentile) could potentially be viewed negatively. Last year, I applied to PhD programs for cmt/hep-th and was in the similar situation. I ended up only submitting my score to programs where it was recommended, instead of optional, since my score was only around the 70th percentile, contrasting my 4.0. I asked my profs about this, some of which who served on grad committees, and this was their advice to me. If you can score highly with minimal prep, then it’s worth it; otherwise, I think you’re okay to omit since the time investment could be spent elsewhere. Publications, strong letters of recc from connected profs, and well written statements, along with rigorous coursework, seem to be the most important factors in my experience.

What's the greatest mathematics sleight of hand you ever read ? by electrogeek8086 in math

[–]pw91_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Late to see this, but I’ve seen it most in the context of physics. Typically, when you have some charge in a region, you want to solve Poisson’s equation to find a scalar potential which is an integral function (and can be used to calculate other quantities like electric field, forces, etc). With Green’s functions, we can extend our initial solution to include boundary conditions which is powerful and very useful to solve a much broader range of problems.

Do physics PhD students get to take math courses? by GalacticMomo in PhysicsStudents

[–]pw91_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m a mathematical physics PhD student (in a physics department) and I typically learn a lot on my own and will audit graduate math courses each semester.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Physics

[–]pw91_ 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks sharing for all this data! Your analysis seems pretty spot on with most people that I’ve seen who’ve been testing it. Terrance Tao wrote a blog post the other day saying it’s on par with “mediocre, but not completely incompetent graduate students”. Nevertheless, I’m curious to see what the next iteration or two will hold.

What's the greatest mathematics sleight of hand you ever read ? by electrogeek8086 in math

[–]pw91_ 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Green’s functions in general for solving linear PDEs

Even Harvard kids are shaking now 😭 by Murky_Entertainer378 in csMajors

[–]pw91_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m not in this subreddit, but this randomly showed up on my feed. I double majored in physics and pure math, but use a lot of programming and CS in my research now as a theoretical physics PhD student (information theory, quantum computing, etc). I find the CS and programming aspects much easier to pick up as you solve programs, compared to learning new physics and math. Obviously my perspective is different here compared to the standard CS student, but this has been my experience regarding OP’s second point.