Stress about my future career - advice?
Posted: Thu Nov 28, 2019 12:25 pm
Hi everyone!
I'm currently a sophomore undergraduate student. This past month I've started researching the grad school application process - checking these forums, and asking professors and students at my university. It has caused me quite a bit of stress, and here's why:
It's been my dream to do theoretical physics since I was in high school. Since then, I've focused my interests on theoretical astrophysics, high energy, or quantum information. I will probably continue to get more specific as time goes on. But the problem is that it seems like any theoretical program is incredibly difficult to get into, and it's causing me lots of anxiety. What if I do everything possible (good grades, research, REUs, grad classes) and still get denied because someone else was slightly better than me (they got an A in a class when I got an A-). Maybe I'm freaking out for no reason. Or maybe I'm pursuing something that's so incredibly difficult I should try to do something else? (I can't see myself doing anything else!)
So I suppose I'm searching for advice from people who have gone through what I'm going through. Maybe some anecdotes of things working out for people, against the odds, or some reason for not being this worried? Thank you!
I'm currently a sophomore undergraduate student. This past month I've started researching the grad school application process - checking these forums, and asking professors and students at my university. It has caused me quite a bit of stress, and here's why:
It's been my dream to do theoretical physics since I was in high school. Since then, I've focused my interests on theoretical astrophysics, high energy, or quantum information. I will probably continue to get more specific as time goes on. But the problem is that it seems like any theoretical program is incredibly difficult to get into, and it's causing me lots of anxiety. What if I do everything possible (good grades, research, REUs, grad classes) and still get denied because someone else was slightly better than me (they got an A in a class when I got an A-). Maybe I'm freaking out for no reason. Or maybe I'm pursuing something that's so incredibly difficult I should try to do something else? (I can't see myself doing anything else!)
So I suppose I'm searching for advice from people who have gone through what I'm going through. Maybe some anecdotes of things working out for people, against the odds, or some reason for not being this worried? Thank you!