Another "should i mention this" post.
Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2011 6:11 pm
So regarding the SOP, my situation is a little unorthodox and I'm wondering what or how much to include. Basically at 18 I entered college but was completley immature and unfocused. I knew I liked science, so I began as a chemical engineering major. But because I never went to class or did anything productive I soon started to fail and was forced to switch majors. I decided to go with political science and my plan was to head to law school. I actually turned things around and graduated cum laude with a BA in political science, and was accpeted to a top 20 US law school. However I was still spending a lot of my free time reading physics articles and such, and knew that was really what I wanted to do. So last minute I decided to go back to undergrad for a 2nd bachelors in physics.
This time around since it is my 2nd bachelors and dont have to take any gen ed classes, it only takes me 2 years to get my degree (im in my 2nd year and thus applying to grad schools). I'm doing well, basically straight a's and a year and a summers worth of research experience (no published papers though). But since I'm doing it at an accelerated pace, basically each semester is equivalent to a years worth of physics courses.
So i guess my questions are:
1. Should I include the part about how i was initially immature and unfocused or is this too much to admit?
2. Since my semesters were so intense because I was taking a years worth of physics and doing research, my PGRE score is not so great. Should I mention this as an "excuse" in my SOP? I was so busy with schoolwork it was really hard to find time to study, plus I was enrolled in but hadn't yet completed intermediate E&M and quantum mech.
3. Also, my transcripts from the most recent semester won't be available till a few weeks after most application deadlines. Should I mention in my SOP for the committe to wait till the transcripts have arrived? I feel that this is important because this semesters classes include Intermeidate E&M, Quantum Mech I, Classical Mechanics II, General relativity, (and some 2 credit physics speech class).
4. My research was in the area of high energy physics, and although I might be intersted in this area for grad school, im not 100% sure. Does it look bad/weird if I mention interests as vastly different as high energy as well as for example biophysics, or does it sound better to mention just one area confidently??
I really really appreciate any advice you guys have. Thanks a lot!!
This time around since it is my 2nd bachelors and dont have to take any gen ed classes, it only takes me 2 years to get my degree (im in my 2nd year and thus applying to grad schools). I'm doing well, basically straight a's and a year and a summers worth of research experience (no published papers though). But since I'm doing it at an accelerated pace, basically each semester is equivalent to a years worth of physics courses.
So i guess my questions are:
1. Should I include the part about how i was initially immature and unfocused or is this too much to admit?
2. Since my semesters were so intense because I was taking a years worth of physics and doing research, my PGRE score is not so great. Should I mention this as an "excuse" in my SOP? I was so busy with schoolwork it was really hard to find time to study, plus I was enrolled in but hadn't yet completed intermediate E&M and quantum mech.
3. Also, my transcripts from the most recent semester won't be available till a few weeks after most application deadlines. Should I mention in my SOP for the committe to wait till the transcripts have arrived? I feel that this is important because this semesters classes include Intermeidate E&M, Quantum Mech I, Classical Mechanics II, General relativity, (and some 2 credit physics speech class).
4. My research was in the area of high energy physics, and although I might be intersted in this area for grad school, im not 100% sure. Does it look bad/weird if I mention interests as vastly different as high energy as well as for example biophysics, or does it sound better to mention just one area confidently??
I really really appreciate any advice you guys have. Thanks a lot!!