Didn't apply this cycle, what to do?

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ConvexHull
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2021 2:02 pm

Didn't apply this cycle, what to do?

Post by ConvexHull » Thu Apr 22, 2021 2:11 pm

I'm graduating this year. I had a 3.3 GPA sophomore year which is bad, but passable, and then interesting things happened to my motivation and I just didn't do much and it dropped to a 2.95 or so. When applying in Dec. 2020 I emailed professors and then they asked to see my transcript, and I was too embarrassed to send them (which was a huge mistake brought about by I dunno, lack of self-confidence, but alas).
I also don't really have any professors who can write me a good recommendation letter aside for the one I'm currently doing research with - I don't exactly stand out in class. Or sometimes even go to class at all.
I'm assuming my best option here is to take a gap year and find a physics-related job (ideally research) and apply this winter (Nov/Dec 2021) and try to find another professor who can write me a recommendation letter so I'll have three. Is this difficult to do?
Any advice on what I should do is much appreciated, thanks!

occamsshaver12
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2020 6:52 pm

Re: Didn't apply this cycle, what to do?

Post by occamsshaver12 » Fri Apr 23, 2021 7:32 am

Hey there, I was in the same spot a few years back. I messed up my bachelors but I did my master’s and did really well in it and I got offers for Ph.D from 3 schools, 2 of them are one of the best in US for the field I am interested in. I would advise to first find out why you didn’t have any motivation to do well during bachelors and then see what you should do. For the sake of the answer I will assume you know and it has nothing to do with Physics. Then depending on where you want to go you should do research or get a Masters. You can either do really amazing research and by amazing I mean, do well in research which is relevant and sought by profs in colleges you are applying to (even if they are really great schools). Masters will help you improve your GPA and if you do that you can easily get in to some decent to good ranking schools. If you do research during your masters too, then you have a better chance of getting into great schools too! This will also solve your problem of letters. But Masters will cost money. If you get a Masters at a school, you can enter the P.hD program there if you do well there, so that is am option too.



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