Which schools are still accepting applications

[Timmeur]

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone knew of any schools that still were accepting applications through Feb 15th or later for PHD programs (or masters programs with funding, but I heard you don't get money for most, if not all masters programs). Currently I am applying to University of Missouri, Columbia, because that is the only school that I have found with a later deadline. The search engines I have used do not seem to have a deadline sorting option, so I am at the mercy of these forums.

I am particularly interested in Biophysics and Neurophysics, but also interested in bio(mechanical)engineering as well. When I graduate I will have a BS in Physics from Truman State University with about a 3.3 GPA and my GRE Scores are the following.

PGRE: 570/560 (I took it twice, was very disappointed with my second score ).
General GRE: 750Quant/490Verbal/4.0

The plan was to apply to my graduate schools of choice this year (after taking a year off and needing to finish one class) but when I got my latest PGRE score back my motivation disappeared. Anyway, I just need to get my ass back in school, and I will then transfer to a different school if I am not happy. I just need help finding schools that have not had their deadline pass, or tips for searching for schools' deadlines. I appreciate all who help with this matter. Thanks

Chris

[YellowXDart]

The University of Oklahoma has rolling admission, so there is no set deadline. I don't know if they have any research in your desired field however.

Also, you might consider taking another year off. Not to knock on you or anything (my profile is definitely average at best), but you have a relatively low GPA and I don't need to tell you about your PGRE. I would suggest getting a job in your field, getting some research experience (if you don't have some already), doing anything necessary to study for the PGRE again, and taking another shot next year. Maybe if you can get a few publications or serious projects it will show that you are a strong researcher even if your are a poor test taker. This probably isn't the answer you want to hear, but if physics is really what you love, then it is worth the wait.

[geshi]

I'm fairly certain UW-Milwaukee is Feb 15th. Also, Arizona State was March 1st last year, don't know if it's the same this year.

And ditto to what yellowxdart said.

[Timmeur]

While what YellowXDart said sounds good on paper, I tried exactly that last year. It is very difficult to find a research position. I figure if I can get into graduate school now, I can get some classes out of the way and possibly get some research done. If I do well in classes in graduate school, If I decide to transfer, it will look good, plus I may be able to transfer credits. Sure beats the hell out of struggling to find a job in my opinion. But thank you for your input. If I think I could find a job, that would probably be a better alternative, but I struggled so much this year it really makes me doubt, and makes me want to get back in school. I barely got a job at best buy which I only managed to keep for a season. The only other jobs available were selling insurance or direct tv.

[highbounce]

I think University of Tennessee also has a rolling admission.

[YellowXDart]

Wow, that's rough. You can probably find a low-ranked Masters program somwhere that's still admitting. In fact, probably most of them are. The downside is that the majority of them don't fund, so you'll still have to find a way to support yourself. Have you tried applying to companies like Lockheed Martin? I've also been told that STscI hires students straight out of high school, although that's more in the astronomy field. As much as I hate to mention it, the military is also another option.

[noojens]

Many national labs got a big hit of stimulus funding this year. You might try sending some emails to researchers in your field (if you're not totally sure what "your field" is yet, it's a good bet that folks doing applied research in energy tech - PV, fuel cells, batteries, biofuels, etc - will have funding).

Good luck

[Alexthephysicsmaster]

Look also into Pittsburgh, Rochester, and CUNY. The first two are competitive at the best of times though, I didn't read your stats, might be out of reach.

If you're serious, best thing is to look at the US News and World Report Rankings, decide which ranking might seem reasonable, and send an e-mail to every single program below that ranking that you might be willing to attend. In one paragraph, list your stats and research experience, and ask if they would accept an application. If so, submit an application AND e-mail them again saying that you submitted one. The response rate will be low, so e-mail lots of programs!

Best of luck.