help me

Monicka1991 · Post by **Monicka1991** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:25 pm

Can anyone tell me the basic qualifications for studying astrophysics?

HappyQuark · Post by **HappyQuark** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:49 pm

Monicka1991 wrote:Can anyone tell me the basic qualifications for studying astrophysics?

Here's an insider tip. When starting a thread, include something relevant to your question in the title. If you create 50 threads which all say "help!", we are likely to mistake multiple posts as the same thread. Plus, you look like an idiot and we'll be more inclined to fill your threads with lolcat pictures than be legitimately helpful.

On an unrelated note,

tady · Post by **tady** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:55 pm

HappyQuark wrote:
Monicka1991 wrote:Can anyone tell me the basic qualifications for studying astrophysics?
Here's an insider tip. When starting a thread, include something relevant to your question in the title. If you create 50 threads which all say "help!", we are likely to mistake multiple posts as the same thread. Plus, you look like an idiot and we'll be more inclined to fill your threads with lolcat pictures than be legitimately helpful.

On an unrelated note,

But Happy Quark, you are a bunny! A nice soft bunny.

grae313 · Post by **grae313** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:04 pm

Monicka1991 wrote:Can anyone tell me the basic qualifications for studying astrophysics?

Yes, Google can tell you. So can every website for every astrophysics program EVER. If you want to know something that can't be figured out with 5-10 minutes of googling, ask away.

HappyQuark · Post by **HappyQuark** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:04 pm

tady wrote:
HappyQuark wrote:
Monicka1991 wrote:Can anyone tell me the basic qualifications for studying astrophysics?
Here's an insider tip. When starting a thread, include something relevant to your question in the title. If you create 50 threads which all say "help!", we are likely to mistake multiple posts as the same thread. Plus, you look like an idiot and we'll be more inclined to fill your threads with lolcat pictures than be legitimately helpful.

On an unrelated note,

But Happy Quark, you are a bunny! A nice soft bunny.

In that case

Monicka1991 · Post by **Monicka1991** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:51 am

Any good replies?!!otherthan jobless persons?!!

Monicka1991 · Post by **Monicka1991** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:59 am

Seriously!!Dont you have anything better to do?!!If u dont know ANYTHING...just leave

HappyQuark · Post by **HappyQuark** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:24 am

Monicka1991 wrote:Seriously!!Dont you have anything better to do?!!If u dont know ANYTHING...just leave

I apologize, I should have been more helpful. This blog post describes what is expected out of astrophysics grad students at U Penn and comes directly from one of the professors on their admissions committees. I don't know too much about astrophysics but it seems like most of the recommendations can be generalized to other institutions.

U Penn Link

If you found the link helpful, I'm sure I could find some more just like it.

Monicka1991 · Post by **Monicka1991** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:49 am

whateve!!jobless!!

sphy · Post by **sphy** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 2:24 am

Monicka1991 wrote:Any good replies?!!otherthan jobless persons?!!

You are very polite.

sphy · Post by **sphy** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 2:27 am

Monicka1991 wrote:Any good replies?!!otherthan jobless persons?!!

No seriously Dear monicka that's not at all Indianness. They all were right. If you stay for the next 2 and half year or so then I am damn sure 90% of your post will have a subject like $$......help......$$. I also guess you must be using subject like this in your emails. And let me tell you, in future you're going to mess up completely. Use relevant subject. That's all important for your personal and other use also.

And another thing Is that this is India and not china where they censor Google. So Indian Google is the Same US Google. And if you first help yourself and then read from the Web and then if doubts pops in your tiny brain Post them immediately. In that way you can understand the suggestions here far more better and would have a better outlook.

And no one is jobless here. We all are like this.
grae313 has a beautiful home in New York while still a student herself.
Do you know how much it costs, monika?
And Happy Quark is going to have one personal resort in Hawaii this fall. Apart from being a student himself.

So watch out.
We are not here to Google for you, And we are serious.

Monicka1991 · Post by **Monicka1991** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 5:10 am

I seeking help here alright?!!I need all the help i could get...not many people go for astrophysics here and i am not sure about the qualifications..alright?!so please..I need to be sure about everything..and there is no need to bring india in here..

Monicka1991 · Post by **Monicka1991** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 5:12 am

And i will change the title hereafter..I am still learning ok?

Dorian_Mode · Post by **Dorian_Mode** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 6:11 am

The title isn't really the main problem here (although it is pretty bad). The larger issue, I think, is that your question is too generic, and not in the correct subforum. The basic qualifications for studying astrophysics at the graduate level are a bachelor's degree (preferably in physics or astronomy, although you can get by with something else if you have enough of a physics background) and the desire to study astrophysics. Research experience helps, and you'll probably need to take the physics GRE if you want to study in the US.

But you could have figured that out on your own with a few google searches or by looking at other threads on this forum. If you wNt helpful advice, you need to do some research of your own and ask more specific questions. What type of astrophysics interests you? Where do you want to study? What is your physics background? Think about all of these things, and then formulate better questions.

Monicka1991 · Post by **Monicka1991** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 6:50 am

Yes..I know that...but i want to be sure...thats why...some contact with someone who has studied astrophysics might be a big help..thats why..anyway thankyou..

Monicka1991 · Post by **Monicka1991** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 6:52 am

Observational astrophysics

sphy · Post by **sphy** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 7:21 am

Monicka1991 wrote:I seeking help here alright?!!I need all the help i could get...not many people go for astrophysics here and i am not sure about the qualifications..alright?!so please..I need to be sure about everything..and there is no need to bring india in here..

...alright.

Not many people go for astrophysics here?
have you heard of:

IIAP,
NCRA,
IUCAA OR GO TO THE FOLLOWING LINK
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/List_all_coll ... cs_courses

Monicka1991 · Post by **Monicka1991** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:21 am

well...Ms in india in not my choice

but anyway thanks

sphy · Post by **sphy** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:23 am

Monicka1991 wrote:well...Ms in india in not my choice but anyway thanks

They all are Ph.D. institutions. And all are very good.

grae313 · Post by **grae313** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 10:57 am

Monicka1991 wrote:Yes..I know that...but i want to be sure...thats why...some contact with someone who has studied astrophysics might be a big help..thats why..anyway thankyou..

OK Monicka, I'm going to help you out a little bit. Here's a hypothetical post to this forum:

"Hello, I am currently an undergrad student in XXX in India and I'm interested in getting my PhD in astrophysics in the US. There isn't very much information about this available to me at my home institution, but from googling the phrase "phd astronomy admissions requirements" I've seen that a few programs require the following:
-a bachelor's degree or equivalent or significant coursework in physics or astronomy
-satisfactory grades
-writing the Physics GRE exam (not required everywhere)

Is this it and is there anything else I need to know about applying to astrophysics graduate programs? Thanks."

Compare that to:

"Can anyone tell me the basic qualifications for studying astrophysics?"

The former shows that you know how to search the internet to locate readily available information to help yourself answer your questions, just like all of us here have done. The second makes you look lazy and dumb, and like you don't want to bother taking the time to search, you just want someone else to tell you what to do. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is you, I'm saying this is how your posts appear to us. If you don't want to appear to us this way, please don't just ask for help. Tell us what you've done and what you know, and ask us something that you couldn't answer with 5 minutes and Google, and we'll be happy to help you.

tady · Post by **tady** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:26 am

Monicka1991 wrote:I seeking help here alright?!!I need all the help i could get...not many people go for astrophysics here and i am not sure about the qualifications..alright?!so please..I need to be sure about everything..and there is no need to bring india in here..

Dial 911 for help (or whatever its equivalent is in India)!

satyad18 · Post by **satyad18** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:41 am

tady wrote:
Monicka1991 wrote:I seeking help here alright?!!I need all the help i could get...not many people go for astrophysics here and i am not sure about the qualifications..alright?!so please..I need to be sure about everything..and there is no need to bring india in here..
Dial 911 for help (or whatever its equivalent is in India)!

Haa! Wish India had one!

WhoaNonstop · Post by **WhoaNonstop** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:49 am

Monicka1991 wrote:Observational astrophysics

Welll Hii there.. Want to lay with me and look at the stars? You can use my telescope.

-Riley

tady · Post by **tady** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:04 pm

WhoaNonstop wrote:
Monicka1991 wrote:Observational astrophysics
Welll Hii there.. Want to lay with me and look at the stars? You can use my telescope.

-Riley

WOW. Did you really just say telescope (not microscope)?

HappyQuark · Post by **HappyQuark** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:05 pm

tady wrote:
Monicka1991 wrote:I seeking help here alright?!!I need all the help i could get...not many people go for astrophysics here and i am not sure about the qualifications..alright?!so please..I need to be sure about everything..and there is no need to bring india in here..
Dial 911 for help (or whatever its equivalent is in India)!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfWO5Kkzv74

WhoaNonstop · Post by **WhoaNonstop** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:24 pm

tady wrote:WOW. Did you really just say telescope (not microscope)?

Obviously you use a telescope to look at stars dude.

-Riley

tady · Post by **tady** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:43 pm

Ahem. Of course. (how embarassing of me).

sphy · Post by **sphy** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:14 pm

Q. Who helped monicka to get this site?
A. 911

@Riley: Monicka just rang me and told me he is a boy and interested in you.

WhoaNonstop · Post by **WhoaNonstop** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:32 pm

sphy wrote:Q. Who helped monicka to get this side?
A. 911

@Riley: Monicka just rang me and told me he is boy and interested in you.

You're the 911 operator?

-Riley

tady · Post by **tady** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:39 pm

Must have been some telescope.

Monicka1991 · Post by **Monicka1991** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:53 pm

Thanks a lot people.....I did google it...just to be sure...And I am a girl

tady · Post by **tady** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:56 pm

If Monicka1991 + Riley -> K1 Fiancee Visa. There could be ulterior motives here.

sphy · Post by **sphy** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 2:04 pm

WhoaNonstop wrote:
sphy wrote:Q. Who helped monicka to get this site?
A. 911

@Riley: Monicka just rang me and told me he is a boy and interested in you.
You're the 911 operator?

-Riley

Yes...I am.

Part time job.

grae313 · Post by **grae313** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 2:32 pm

grae313 wrote:"Hello, I am currently an undergrad student in XXX in India..."

Upon rereading my post I wanted to make it clear that I was not implying that Monicka was involved in the pornography industry. Thank you.

tady · Post by **tady** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 2:35 pm

grae313 wrote:
grae313 wrote:"Hello, I am currently an undergrad student in XXX in India..."
Upon rereading my post I wanted to make it clear that I was not implying that Monicka was involved in the pornography industry. Thank you.

Hahaha.

Monicka1991 · Post by **Monicka1991** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:41 pm

Great people!!keep it up!!

rahuldatta · Post by **rahuldatta** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:57 pm

hello everybody!!!
you shud encourage engineers to get into physics

HappyQuark · Post by **HappyQuark** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:24 am

rahuldatta wrote:hello everybody!!!
you shud encourage engineers to get into physics

Why?

Dorian_Mode · Post by **Dorian_Mode** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:25 am

HappyQuark wrote:
rahuldatta wrote:hello everybody!!!
you shud encourage engineers to get into physics
Why?

Because physics is cooler than engineering?

HappyQuark · Post by **HappyQuark** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:27 am

Dorian_Mode wrote:
HappyQuark wrote:
rahuldatta wrote:hello everybody!!!
you shud encourage engineers to get into physics
Why?
Because physics is cooler than engineering?

But physics is competitive enough without switching all of the engineers over to the dark side.

WhoaNonstop · Post by **WhoaNonstop** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:31 am

rahuldatta wrote:hello everybody!!!
you shud encourage engineers to get into physics

Eh, I've taught "Engineers" this past year. They can barely do physics, let alone engineering. I was told the Introductory Physics course for them was the hardest part of their whole curriculum. And to think, I'm going to cross bridges someday designed by my students. =X

-Riley

Dorian_Mode · Post by **Dorian_Mode** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:44 am

HappyQuark wrote: But physics is competitive enough without switching all of the engineers over to the dark side.

Good point. I don't need more people applying for NSF in the fall.

Monicka1991 · Post by **Monicka1991** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 4:15 am

Oh!!thats really nice that someone offers good help and motivation here....and i am going to do observational astrophysics and give some competition....thank you!!

bfollinprm · Post by **bfollinprm** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 6:06 am

Dorian_Mode wrote:
HappyQuark wrote: But physics is competitive enough without switching all of the engineers over to the dark side.
Good point. I don't need more people applying for NSF in the fall.

Actually, it's good if they apply for Physics instead of ECE. The way NSF splits the total number of awards in each discipline is dependent on the number of applicants in each discipline. Assuming your application is stronger than the average ECE cross-over, you should encourage it.

Dorian_Mode · Post by **Dorian_Mode** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 6:08 am

Interesting. I guess the lesson here is that I should concentrate on being a better student and/or find ways to make other people worse students.

sphy · Post by **sphy** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 9:35 am

rahuldatta wrote:hello everybody!!!
you shud encourage engineers to get into physics.

How could someone possibly say we discouraged engineers to get in to physics.

grae313 · Post by **grae313** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:39 am

WhoaNonstop wrote:
rahuldatta wrote:hello everybody!!!
you shud encourage engineers to get into physics
Eh, I've taught "Engineers" this past year. They can barely do physics, let alone engineering. I was told the Introductory Physics course for them was the hardest part of their whole curriculum. And to think, I'm going to cross bridges someday designed by my students. =X

-Riley

The situation is quite different in many other countries, and somewhat different in top engineering schools. In other countries engineering has the highest intellectual prestige, is much more competitive and selective, and attracts the brightest students. At top engineering schools I've gathered from experience and hearing people talk about it that there are still plenty of dumb ones, but the smart ones are absolutely top notch.

So now we just have to hope that the industry has measures in place to keep the dumb ones from building bridges.

TheBeast · Post by **TheBeast** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:05 pm

grae313 wrote:
WhoaNonstop wrote: Eh, I've taught "Engineers" this past year. They can barely do physics, let alone engineering. I was told the Introductory Physics course for them was the hardest part of their whole curriculum. And to think, I'm going to cross bridges someday designed by my students. =X

-Riley
The situation is quite different in many other countries, and somewhat different in top engineering schools. In other countries engineering has the highest intellectual prestige, is much more competitive and selective, and attracts the brightest students. At top engineering schools I've gathered from experience and hearing people talk about it that there are still plenty of dumb ones, but the smart ones are absolutely top notch.

So now we just have to hope that the industry has measures in place to keep the dumb ones from building bridges.

I did my undergrad in engineering (Engineering Science Physics, but still engineering) but my grad work is in physics. I have this discussion all of the time with my peers and I get teased a lot due to my background. Like grae has mentioned, at the top engineering programs, the smart students are incredibly bright. I would even venture that at the top programs, the average engineering student is still a top notch academic performer. While there are some incredibly brilliant physics Master's and PhD students at my current institution, there isn't the same concentration of incredibly-bright-and-extremely-motivated-workaholics as there was during my undergrad. I was an average performer in my undergrad and I've met profs and students at my current institution that don't believe when I tell them I have a bachelor's in engineering.

Part of what makes things difficult in a good engineering program isn't just the individual courses that are taken, but the sheer quantity of courses. As an undergrad, in a four year engineering program, semesters with 6 or 7 classes (many of which had lab components) were not uncommon. A term with 5 classes was considered a break. A lot of my physics major undergrad friends only had 4-5 classes a term. I'm not advocating 7 class terms, but what I'm saying is that the Engineering Science students needed way better time management to get their stuff done.

I'm not sure what it is, but I've met many physicists who don't seem to hold engineering students in high regards. Perhaps it might be because they haven't met the good ones. At my undergrad institution, this was certainly the case for profs who hadn't taught Engineering Science students. On the flip side, the past couple of years, I have TA'ed undergrad physics majors in a lab course. While there have been a few exceptional students, I was somewhat disappointed by the average student performance in the class.

Here's an interesting anecdote: the summer before I started my undergrad, one of my friends was chosen as one of the five Canadian representatives to the International Physics Olympiad. These five students were arguably the best pre-university physics students in the country. 4 of them pursued an undergraduate degree in engineering. To be fair, of those 4, one did grad studies in physics, but the other three did something engineering related.

Now, I know that the plural of anecdote isn't data and all I've done is presented a series of anecdotes. But, I urge you not to think too lowly of engineering students or to clump them in all in an easy-to-prejudice pile. There are thousands of engineering students globally and I'm sure that the quality amongst them varies greatly.

edit: grammar and a smilie

HappyQuark · Post by **HappyQuark** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:12 pm

grae313 wrote:
WhoaNonstop wrote:
rahuldatta wrote:hello everybody!!!
you shud encourage engineers to get into physics
Eh, I've taught "Engineers" this past year. They can barely do physics, let alone engineering. I was told the Introductory Physics course for them was the hardest part of their whole curriculum. And to think, I'm going to cross bridges someday designed by my students. =X

-Riley
The situation is quite different in many other countries, and somewhat different in top engineering schools. In other countries engineering has the highest intellectual prestige, is much more competitive and selective, and attracts the brightest students. At top engineering schools I've gathered from experience and hearing people talk about it that there are still plenty of dumb ones, but the smart ones are absolutely top notch.

So now we just have to hope that the industry has measures in place to keep the dumb ones from building bridges.

Chemists, on the other hand, are daft all day, every day, 365 days of the year.....366 on leap years.

But everybody knows that.

tady · Post by **tady** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:18 pm

Good observations, TheBeast. There is a reason why US engineering is considered the best in the world. I have several friends and family members who have or are currently studying engineering, and the points you made regarding time-management and courseload are valid.

Let's be honest. Physicists, by and large, are an arrogant bunch. What we promise, we deliver. Physicists created the atomic bomb and one can't argue the impact that had on history. Our discoveries shape fundamental knowledge and understanding of the universe, blah, blah, blah. Maybe this is why some of us tend to look down on other disciplines.