Physics GRE Discussion Forums

Mm, yeah! Lol, I wish I was confident enough to care about detailed percentages! At this point, all I care about is getting in...

I got my first acceptance notification today, from Ohio State!

Even though it's a backup for me, I'm pretty happy about getting in somewhere.

They notified me by email. If anyone has any other questions, let me know.

By the way, I applied in high energy theory.

I guess this means my probability of getting in somewhere is now 1. So I don't have to bother with the spreadsheet anymore.

doom,
can you please post your stats!
did they tell you if you got the fellowship also!
Congrats!
Thats my back up too! I have not heard any from them yet!!

just got an email saying that I got into Was U ( st. Louis)! another back up!! feels good.

congrats twistor and doom!


Hey doom, can you please post your stats!!

I also applied to The Ohio State CMT program, but have not heard anything from them yet. I applied back in Dec 6.

@ doom:
I checked you applycorner stats and I found that you applied to Minnessota, Minneapolis too!! Did not you hear from them about the possible fellowship nomination? I hope you do not mind sharing this info.

hi guys,

got an acceptance email from UCI Physics, + chancellors fellowship, which is tuition + $10K stipend/year for 2 years.

my first acceptance, it was a backup. but it's nice to know that i'm getting paid to go somewhere

I see many folks are some sort of condensed matter or high energy. Is anyone specializing in chaos theory/nonlinear dynamics? If so, where did you apply? I applied to Univ. Maryland-CP, Boston Univ, Duke, UT Austin, UCSD, and Cornell (but to Theoretical and Applied Mechanics) for nonlinear theory. Also, did anyone apply for the NDSEG fellowship?

At many schools I mentioned quantum Information theory, but at others I specified only theory. In truth, I'm mostly interested in any sort of non-HEP theory or computational work, definitely including condensed matter and non-linear dynamics.

To make things even more complicated, I'm taking a course this semester on mathematical biology and now I'm thinking maybe I should be studying that sort of thing instead. Oh well. At least I'm pretty sure I want to be in graduate school for physics.

vroomfondel - is that only a 10k per year stipend? That's hardly enough to live on, on its own.

Congrats everyone on acceptances so far. Damn it, I want to hear from somebody too!

vroomfondel, zxcv: Yeah, I thought that stipends everywhere (including tuition) were ~$20k. Am I totally wrong?

Doom: Congrats!

VT: What is this applycorner stuff?

Maybe you get additional money if you work as TA?

Ah yeah, that might make sense.

vroomfondel: Did you forget to include TA-ships and stuff like that?

DigitallyCrazy:
applycorner is a website where you post your stats and request your frens to vote for chances of getting admissions to several places you applied to. At least this is how I have understood applycorner as. There may be other benefits of this website which I am unaware of.

go to http://www.applycorner.com

doom, where did u disappear?????
plz don doom us!

you cannot say "If anyone has any other questions, let me know." and disappear. . hahahah

sorry, yes: it is $10k + TA/RA salaries. so a total of $33500 for the first year if I TA 3 quarters and do research over the summer.

vroom: What is UCI?

UC Irvine, twistor!

Twistor: University of California, Irvine. If you see UC-anything it's University of California. We have tons, lol - UCLA, UC Berkeley, UCSB, UCSD, UCSC, UCI, UCR, UC Merced, UC Davis, UCSF (grad/med only). Some are obviously better than others, they each have their purpose I guess.

there is one 1 purpose common to all, guess what?
UC motto- "stay away from international students"


vroomfondel:ur username is really so funny! I cant help it, so I just said, sorry!

So I get home and check the mail..............skunked again!

me too

RG, chill out a little bit! Forgive me for having some fun after my acceptance instead of lurking in the forum all day. All in fun, though.

As VT discovered, my stats are on Applycorner: http://www.applycorner.com/graduatescho ... p?uid=4005

If that link doesn't work, my user name is triplescoop.

They have not notified me about fellowships at Ohio State. They said that they will send my offer letter by mail in a few weeks, which I assume will include my financial assistance info.

The Ohio State open house is March 6-7, so that should give others waiting to hear from them some sort of timetable.

VT, I have not heard anything from Minnesota. Unfortunately, I did not see the part on the site that said to apply by Dec 15 if you want to be considered for fellowships. I thought that was the international deadline only. However, I feel that if I am qualified, I will still get in, and the worst case would be that I would have to work as a TA rather than go for free. Oh well.

So I get home and check the mail..............skunked again!

Based on last year's threads I'm not expecting to hear anything for at least another week, so I'm in no rush to check the mail. If I hadn't encountered this forum I'd probably be expecting decisions earlier since applications were completed what seems like a long time ago... but schools never seem to do much in January.

@ thecup
By the way, thanks for your advice. I can't find much to do because my apartment is so cold that I end up sleeping 12 hours in bed everyday to stay warm, ugh!


Also, does anyone know a good intro solid state book? We're using Kittel's and it sucks but I'd really like to learn the subject so I want to get a better book!

You can check out the graduate text by Ashcroft and Mermin. It's pretty good, but it's not an easy read for an intro, you'll probably want to keep Kittel around to get you started.

Thanks... actually someone from my class recommended that book too, but since it was graduate, I didn't give it a chance. But now that you've said the same thing I'm going to find it.

Our dept. actually requires solid state as a senior capstone class, and we use Omar's "Elementary Solid State Physics". I found it an excellent first book in solid state and quite readable.

I have a fren called Omar and he knows nothing about Physics, how can he be the author of the Solid States Physics book!




I do not understand if there are any other Cornell acceptancees( is this correct, hahaha) lurking around this forum and NOT posting their stats! I hate you guys!
if there is anybody out there, can you plz post ur stats and let us all know where you got in or waiting for! It doesnot take more than 5 minutes!!

I am pretty sure no body is out there studying for GROUND BREAKING discovery at this point and all of the forum members including me will appreciate if you guys ( national or international, execptional or mediocre) could post your status and let us all know!!
We are all as stressed as you all are. Let us help each other and be INFORMED!!

It does NOT matter whether you get in Harvard or alchoholic STATE University as long as you do Physics, so there is not anything to be ashamed of if your profile does not tell us that you are not among those few people applying to Harvard or Caltech or Stanford or Berkley!! ( I did not apply to these schools either)

Also, if your status are pretty high it wont hamper your chances of getting into any TOP schools you deserve by posting your stats on this forum.

i just got into UCSD!!

@quizivex
i agree, kittel's book kind of sucks. ashcroft/mermin is very well-written (and more than accessible to an undergraduate well-grounded in quantum mechanics) but is a little out-of-date in its terminology and topics, but it's still widely used as the "standard" so it's worth reading. but i would particularly recommend "quantum theory of the solid state: an introduction" by lev kantorovich.

nvanmeter,
Congrats!!
Today is Saturday, right? YOu heard from them on Saturday? kinda weird, but thats a great news.

well, i didn't hear directly from the university, but i got a personal email from a professor i applied to work with there. he says he knows i'm admitted. but when i check my status on UCSD's application website, it says they've yet to make a decision, so i don't have any details like fellowships, TAs etc. yet.

i think sometime in the next week someone should make a separate thread where people each post only once with their stats and a list of the schools they've applied to (along with any admissions decisions and the dates they heard back) and then as they hear from schools, they can simply edit their one post. i think that way it'd be a lot easier for people (like those from next year's applicant pool) to get pertinent information without all the side discussions and scattered results from us, which can of course remain in this thread. like the idea?

Yeah that is a great idea!!


You applied to CMT program, right nvanmeter? Which area did you emphasize on ur application? Was it quantum optics?

I also applied to CMT program at UCSD emphasizing satistical/field theoretic CMT with an inclination towards biophysics( but theoretical thro CM)

I have not heard anything from anywhere yet!!

Did you apply to Cornell? If so, did u hear from them also?

Now, I am getting scared wid my low PGRE score! *** the ETS!

Congrats nvanmeter. I'm hoping to hear back from UCSD soon, too.

@RG
in my personal statement i said that my undergraduate research was all in AMO stuff, but that over time i had realized i liked CM better. and yes i applied to cornell as well, but no i have not heard anything back from them yet.

@ nvanmeter,
ok cool. But how did you realize that CM is better for you without doing any research in CM ? Iam not trying to humilate u or pick on you, alrite. Just out of curiousity.

Seriously, I also want to realize that I like BIOLOGY instead of Physics and make tones of money switching to Biological Physics during my PhD career. ( I have not taken any classes in Biology though). Is this possible for me? ( appreciate ur input)

yeah i realized it without research. i took a solid state class which i liked better than my other classes and i realized that there's a good chance for money in CM. and yeah i definitely think biophysics is a viable option. in fact, i'll do it too if it's where the money is. money is important RG (and girls). i think we understand each other.

@RG:
by the way..i got to know from my friends that (usually) international applicants and domestic applicants are reviewed separately...its likely that domestic students get reviewed first and get the so-called 1st round offer...

if the offer are meant to come, they will eventually....its just harmful to yourself to be that nervous...(alright..i know you completely understand what i said..but you just couldn't let it go...)but anyway, man(all of you who are impatient and nail-biting), just relax..life wont stop at graduate admission...

Congratulations nvanmeter!

i think sometime in the next week someone should make a separate thread where people each post only once with their stats and a list of the schools they've applied to (along with any admissions decisions and the dates they heard back)

That sounds like something that yosofun was working on. I don't know if she ever got it working, but here it is:

http://bragshow.yosunism.com/

Marten

I can't make heads or tails of that site. I like this one much better.

I agree, though I didn't want to be the first one to vouch for my thread, haha.

First of all, it's best having everything in one place. Here we can list the profiles and discuss them simultaneously. We don't need to register some other account.

Also, there aren't any superfluous data prompts or character limits... you add what you want to and delete whatever isn't needed... you can even put a sad face next to your verbal score, lol

It's all displayed in a clearly readable format that allows easy searching.

The only thing it's lacking is completeness... (remember 1420 Peach's post, haha) So yea let's get some more posters soon... gradQ, KB, woooster, vicente, mork, vk5qa, physicsstudent even physicsdude...

I got this cryptic e-mail today from Indiana University:



Dear <my name>,

Thank you for your continued interest in Indiana University. Our office has received an admission decision from your department for your application to Physics PhD. Your application is now in line for final review by our office. We will notify you by email once your application's review has been competed. This process may take up to 4 weeks.

----

Any opinions on what this means?

EDIT: I called the graduate office and they told me the department accepted me! They told me that they sent out that e-mail because they have to verify my funding before they can issue me a foreign student immigration petition (I-20).

Wow, I wasn't expecting Indiana U to make their decision so early!

I don't know, but I don't like the fact that they don't know your name

First of all, it's best having everything in one place. Here we can list the profiles and discuss them simultaneously. We don't need to register some other account.

True, quizivex, I'm posting here also. But it would be really nice to be able to sort the data by some parameter. Say, for example, sort by Physics GRE scores, descending, then by admitted/rejected, and then you can get a feel for how certain schools weight the Physics GRE. Or that sort of thing....

But we're going with this forum, so bring it on, lets keep pulling for more posts.

Marten

I don't know, but I don't like the fact that they don't know your name Wink

Oh they did, I took off my name for the sake of anonymity here.

CONGRATULATIONS, RG!!!!!

Thanks Grae.
............................................................................................................................................
Iam just takin myself off of the forum for few days.

I wont be back for another 10-15 days, I am trying to find a knife and stab right on my stomach, hahaha, I am that excited!

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE AND THANKS FOR the congrats!

RG: You got in? Where? I can't find your post...

DigitallyCrazy:
In the applicant profiles thread.

Congrats RG.