Background:
I completed my undergraduate degree in physics, from a reputed liberal arts college, a couple of years ago, and wrote a capstone senior thesis on experimental condensed matter project. Along the way, I took plenty of match classes, falling only one class short of a math major. My physics and math grades were both topsy-turvy - I ended up with a physics gpa of 3.55 and a math gpa of 3.75. I have a bad memory, so I struggled a bit with in-class physics exams - I was much more comfortable with the take-home tests instead. However, in my math classes, I was much more comfortable with the in-class exams, and struggled a lot more with the involved proofs in the take-home versions - particularly in abstract algebra and real analysis.
My senior thesis was not a success - my project was not going well, and I found myself spending most of the year measuring magnetic fields, and the noise therein, in a number of different ways. My project was very lacking in focus sometimes, and I found myself questioning if I *really* wanted to pursue a career in research. I decided not to apply to graduate schools right then, and instead started working as a research assistant in a computational biochemistry lab.
Now:
Fast forward a couple of years, and I now think that I do want to pursue at least a PhD in some computational research. I am not sure I am cut out for the cutthroat world of academia, with its constant focus on paper-publishing and grant-pushing, but I figure that a PhD will open up other research avenues - national labs or big industry.
In the last two years, I got a co-authorship in a major publication out of my undergraduate project ( which succeeded a year after my exit), a second authorship in another paper. By the end of this year, I hope to have another paper (co-author) published, and two more papers (co-author and first author) submitted (and published? Hopefully!).
I did apply to a few physics graduate schools last year as well, but I really struggled with time management during my physics GRE, could not attempt 20+ questions, and got a measly 50th percentile. I was never going to get in anywhere with that. I am retaking the physics GRE this year, and am going to try much harder to manage my time better. While I confident I can improve on my score, I am not sure if I can hit the 90+ percentile I really need to compensate for my mediocre gpa.
Dilemma:
I am definitely still interested in physics for graduate school - I like physics, and I like coding, so I think I would like to be in a physics program with a computational focus. I feel like the best fits for me are either condensed matter programs, or astrophysics programs. However, I worry that I am not really cut out for the heavy theoretical focus that goes with these programs. I have also looked into some theoretical chemistry and some materials science programs - these programs have interesting enough problems to solve, but I think I would be more interested in the computational/math/physics side of these programs.
I now find that I am getting almost as interested in applied math programs with a computational focus - I am interested in learning more about FFTs, FEMs, statistics, and probability. I also think that this would be a better career option than astrophysics, for instance. These seem more directly applicable to the technology industry. However, I have very little experience with coursework/research in any of these. I wonder if my interest here is simply a matter of finding the grass greener on the other side. Also, given my less than excellence at involved proofs, I am not sure if I am actually a good fit for these programs.
I welcome any thoughts on if my background actually qualifies me for applied math programs, and if these would be a better fit for my interests and aptitudes.
TL;DR:
Some background in experimental/computational physics, but I am not sure if I have the aptitude or even the focus required for these. Getting more interested in applied math programs, but wondering if I am simply finding the grass greener on the other side.
I completed my undergraduate degree in physics, from a reputed liberal arts college, a couple of years ago, and wrote a capstone senior thesis on experimental condensed matter project. Along the way, I took plenty of match classes, falling only one class short of a math major. My physics and math grades were both topsy-turvy - I ended up with a physics gpa of 3.55 and a math gpa of 3.75. I have a bad memory, so I struggled a bit with in-class physics exams - I was much more comfortable with the take-home tests instead. However, in my math classes, I was much more comfortable with the in-class exams, and struggled a lot more with the involved proofs in the take-home versions - particularly in abstract algebra and real analysis.
My senior thesis was not a success - my project was not going well, and I found myself spending most of the year measuring magnetic fields, and the noise therein, in a number of different ways. My project was very lacking in focus sometimes, and I found myself questioning if I *really* wanted to pursue a career in research. I decided not to apply to graduate schools right then, and instead started working as a research assistant in a computational biochemistry lab.
Now:
Fast forward a couple of years, and I now think that I do want to pursue at least a PhD in some computational research. I am not sure I am cut out for the cutthroat world of academia, with its constant focus on paper-publishing and grant-pushing, but I figure that a PhD will open up other research avenues - national labs or big industry.
In the last two years, I got a co-authorship in a major publication out of my undergraduate project ( which succeeded a year after my exit), a second authorship in another paper. By the end of this year, I hope to have another paper (co-author) published, and two more papers (co-author and first author) submitted (and published? Hopefully!).
I did apply to a few physics graduate schools last year as well, but I really struggled with time management during my physics GRE, could not attempt 20+ questions, and got a measly 50th percentile. I was never going to get in anywhere with that. I am retaking the physics GRE this year, and am going to try much harder to manage my time better. While I confident I can improve on my score, I am not sure if I can hit the 90+ percentile I really need to compensate for my mediocre gpa.
Dilemma:
I am definitely still interested in physics for graduate school - I like physics, and I like coding, so I think I would like to be in a physics program with a computational focus. I feel like the best fits for me are either condensed matter programs, or astrophysics programs. However, I worry that I am not really cut out for the heavy theoretical focus that goes with these programs. I have also looked into some theoretical chemistry and some materials science programs - these programs have interesting enough problems to solve, but I think I would be more interested in the computational/math/physics side of these programs.
I now find that I am getting almost as interested in applied math programs with a computational focus - I am interested in learning more about FFTs, FEMs, statistics, and probability. I also think that this would be a better career option than astrophysics, for instance. These seem more directly applicable to the technology industry. However, I have very little experience with coursework/research in any of these. I wonder if my interest here is simply a matter of finding the grass greener on the other side. Also, given my less than excellence at involved proofs, I am not sure if I am actually a good fit for these programs.
I welcome any thoughts on if my background actually qualifies me for applied math programs, and if these would be a better fit for my interests and aptitudes.
TL;DR:
Some background in experimental/computational physics, but I am not sure if I have the aptitude or even the focus required for these. Getting more interested in applied math programs, but wondering if I am simply finding the grass greener on the other side.
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