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Will a three year degree put me at a disadvantage?

Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 6:21 pm
by omannion
So I am going to a big state school in the US ranked ~ top 50 for physics. I am going to graduate in three years to save money/time and was wondering could this put me at any disadvantage. Not necessarily because of the opportunities I miss out on like more research and upper level course but the fact that I have done a four year degree in three.

Here are my stats:
gpa: 3.7
GRE: V(54%), Q(70%), W(80%)
PGRE: ~600's from practice exams (I suck at multiple choice exams under pressure)
Research: 1.5 years at the moment with same professor doing work on neutrino physics
Graduate class: GR, Nonlinear Differential equations, Partial Differential Equations, Solid State Physics

Also I intend to apply to astro-particle physics programs which is what it is I have been involved in which I hope will help when I apply.

Thank you for any input or experience.

Re: Will a three year degree put me at a disadvantage?

Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2014 8:53 pm
by uhurulol
I've yet to apply to schools, but I would assume that so long as you have decent qualifiers the year length of your degree is going to weigh in very minimally. If you've done research, scored well on the GRE/PGRE and taken all the relevant courses (thermo, classical, e&m, whatever else) I don't think they'd pay a lick of attention to the fact that you took a three year degree.

I could be entirely wrong here, so I'd wait for someone else's opinion. Good luck on your applications.

Re: Will a three year degree put me at a disadvantage?

Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2014 9:13 pm
by Catria
Try WUSTL...

Re: Will a three year degree put me at a disadvantage?

Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2014 9:31 pm
by bfollinprm
If you feel like you're missing out on something, you might be. Graduating early isn't going to help you at all; but I also doubt it will hurt you very much. Again, you're the best judge--if you feel like you'll get a lot by staying another year, leaving a year early isn't going to give you a chance to get those things.