Astronomy after Engineering

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do you think i will make it

yes
1
33%
cant say
2
67%
no
0
No votes
not in this life
0
No votes
maybe
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 3

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astro_aspirant
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2014 10:11 pm

Astronomy after Engineering

Post by astro_aspirant » Fri Oct 17, 2014 5:46 pm

greetings,
well, long story short,...

i am an indian, got my PRODUCTION engineering degree from a so-so indian university back in 2008. landed a job at a major power company and continued to haul weights and open valves there for another 4 years till the end of 2012. which is when i decided to get out from under a rock and actually do something about it. gave my gre general test and got a score of 160q , 161v and 3.0a! my engineering aggregate was 58.4 % which an online converter told me was equal to a 3.0 GPA, but i dont think its reliable. (Damn Nagpur University was stingy with marks, even the topper of my branch got a 65% only)

i want to get into astronomy and dont know how i should go about it. am preparing for my physics subject gre, but i am unsure of how universities will see me, which ones i would like to go to or for a fact, whether such a transition is even possible....i just know i have a deep passion for astronomy, and if i dont get into this line of work, my life will be essentially over. my degree and job have nothing to do with astronomy whatsoever. i dont have any research papers to my credit, no lab experience, nothing. i want to get into a decent university preferably in the US of A. but i am not very picky. can you please suggest me what i should do? how to go about things, even what you might do in such a predicament. i cant see myself happy unless i am looking through a giant ass telescope, peering through to get to the heart of the cosmos for the rest of my life.

but seriously, i am not getting anywhere far on my own like this....i need a step by step for how i can get into a decent university studying astronomy/physics/ maths.....because to be honest i dont have a clue. i resigned from my job 2 years ago hoping i would be somewhere by now, but, at 27... i am still at home...barely studying my old physics and math books.
but i want to change all that. i want to study hard for my physics gre test which is in april next year and get a decent score.
am i doing the right thing? is there any hope for me? or do i need to rethink my plan of action. i have so many doubts.
only one thing is certain, if i dont make it.....my life wont be pleasurable for me anymore, ever.
how can i become an astronomer?
someone help me out here. please!

Catria
Posts: 354
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2012 4:14 pm

Re: Astronomy after Engineering

Post by Catria » Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:22 pm

I think astronomy depts ask for less on the PGRE than run-of-the-mill physics depts...

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astro_aspirant
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Re: Astronomy after Engineering

Post by astro_aspirant » Fri Oct 17, 2014 8:03 pm

really? that is good for me....
but i am still so worried ...
you know i should be giving my pgre this month only,....but i wasted a lot of my time past 6 months....that is why i rescheduled it to April next year, so that i don't get a bad score on record.

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astro_aspirant
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Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2014 10:11 pm

Re: Astronomy after Engineering

Post by astro_aspirant » Fri Oct 17, 2014 9:59 pm

6 months to study all the Math and Physics at under-graduate level....seems tough.
its a daunting task, i am up for it,....but my hopes are not that high, maybe it will get better as i move along in my preparation.
i was looking at universities which have no pgre requirements....but i am not sure i want to end up there and not being at the same level as my peers, everything just going over my head. you know...
do you think i should go for an undergraduate physics course first?
to get to the desired physics and math level for an M.S. because my post-high school level math is way too rusty right now.
if you think so, what do i need to do to get in,....give SAT, post GRE??
or would that be too weird...i am 27 already.
i dont know what to do. :( :shock: :(

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astro_aspirant
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Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2014 10:11 pm

Re: Astronomy after Engineering

Post by astro_aspirant » Sat Oct 25, 2014 7:40 pm

Ok ,.....i didn't reschedule it. I gave the test, lets see what happens. BTW I am preparing for the April one too.

tweetie_brid
Posts: 63
Joined: Wed May 30, 2012 7:59 pm

Re: Astronomy after Engineering

Post by tweetie_brid » Sat Oct 25, 2014 9:04 pm

good luck.

i am also getting ready for april exam.


i received a 540 last time. i am preparing for a 900 this time.


last time iwas very rusty in. electo. and also quantum.

i am really studying these areas.


i want to do. astronomy. also, maybe some data analysis for dark matter studies

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astro_aspirant
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Re: Astronomy after Engineering

Post by astro_aspirant » Mon Oct 27, 2014 8:31 pm

Thanks a lot,
I am hoping that somehow I get a medium score this time around only, so that I don't waste another year.
But if it comes to that, I will aim high in April.
You are going there for the Ph.D i suppose...
I have no idea right now what would interest me in specific.
Can you link me to something/somewhere which would give me a better understanding
of the different sub-paths in some detail? [If its not that much of a hassle]
Wish you all the best.



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