==> Sticky: 2008 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

[quizivex]

OK let's do it once and for all. Please list your complete profile information on this thread, but do not post any other comments.

Feel free to discuss this data/results on the accompanying thread: Discussion of 2008 Profiles/Results:

Please adhere to the template below (just copy-paste-overwrite), including as much information as you're comfortable providing. The headings will automatically carry over the bolding... just type your info after the colons (and delete items in parenthesis of course).

When you hear from a school, you can announce it on the other thread, but also edit your post here to include the result (put "waiting" if you haven't heard) along with the type of notification (e-mail, snail mail letter, website etc...) and the date you received it. Put decisions in red, if possible. Be sure to write the date in this format (1/25 or 2/3 etc...) so people can edit-find all decisions of a particular date).

EVERYBODY SHOULD POST The more people post, the more helpful this will be for everyone. Don't be intimidated by the first few mind-blowing profiles, lol. In previous years, random applicant data was scattered around hundreds of threads, but if this thread takes off it may become the most complete, useful repository of applicant information available online, and will be an excellent resource for us and future physics undergrads for years to come...

Having this info in an organized fashion allows easy searching. Note with edit-find, you can find everyone applying to Maryland, or everyone who got an acceptance in January (search "1/"), everyone who scored in the 700's on the GRE (search "P: 7") etc...

And for dates and information on Fall 2008 Open House see [here].
______________________________________________

Undergrad Institution: (School or type of school, such as big state, lib arts, ivy, technical, foreign (what country?)... Overall Reputation in Physics?)
Major(s):
Minor(s):
GPA in Major:
Overall GPA:
Length of Degree: (Are you graduating after 3, 4, or 5 years?)
Position in Class: (No numbers needed, but are you top? near top? average? struggling?)
Type of Student: (Domestic/International, male/female, minority?)

GRE Scores:
Q:
V:
W:
P:

TOEFL Total: (if applicable, otherwise delete this)

Research Experience: (At your school or elsewhere? What field? How much time? Any publications (Mth author out of N?) or conference talks etc...)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: (Within your school or outside?)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (Such as tutor, TA, SPS officer etc...)

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: (Such as connections, grad classes, famous recommenders, female or minority status etc...)

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:

School - Department - Research Interest - Result
School - Department - Research Interest - Result
School - Department - Research Interest - Result
______________________________________________

[grae313]

Undergrad Institution: Big crappy state school. Not in top 100. Probably not in top 200.
Major(s): Physics and Chemistry
Minor(s): Math
GPA in Major: 3.93/3.95 upper division physics/chemistry gpa
Overall GPA: 3.76
Length of Degree: 5 years of actual classes, but I took two years off in the middle so it's been 7 years since I started college.
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student Domestic white female

GRE Scores:
Q: 780 / 90%
V: 600 / 85%
W: 5.0 / 73%
P: 750 / 68%

Research Experience: 1.5 years at my local NASA branch, doing CM experiment research with carbon nanotubes.

Publications and Conferences Publication as first author in J. Applied Physics, publication as third author in J. Physical Chemistry, publication as fifth author in J. American Chemical Society. First author on two poster abstracts, one for the Materials Research Society's 2008 spring conference, and one for the IEEE Internation Vacuum Electronics Conference, spring 2008. Will be presenting a poster at these two conferences.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: A couple in-school awards (writing excellence, $1,000 scholarship from chemistry department), scholarship from American Association of University Women.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Research intern (see above), physics tutor for 1.5 years, physics grader for 1.5 years.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Not really.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Nothing that matters...

Applying to Where:

Cornell - Physics - CME ----------------------- Accepted email 2/13 22.5k TA (9 mo.) +5k flwshp
Stanford - Applied Physics --------------------- Accepted email 2/22 29k (12 mo.) RA -------------------- (offer declined)
UC Berkeley - Physics ---------------------------Accepted email 2/21 ~25k TA + fellowships (9 mo.) ----- (offer declined)
UC Santa Barbara - Physics -------------------- Accepted email 2/22 ~26k RA (12 mo.) ------------------- (offer declined)
Yale - Physics - Quantum Information ------- Accepted email 2/22 ~26k TA (9 mo.) --------------------- (offer declined)
UCLA - Physics ---------------------------------- Accepted email 2/8 23k flwshp+10k RA optn(9 mo) ----- (offer declined)
U Washington - Physics ------------------------ Accepted email 2/6 13.5k TA + 5k fllwshp----------------- (offer declined)
UC Santa Cruz - Physics - Photovoltaics ------ Accepted email 2/8 RA + fllwshps ~ 25k (12 mo.) ------- (offer declined)
Harvard - Applied Physics - WAITING -------- rejected. mail mid April

[butsurigakusha]

Undergrad Institution: Large private university, top 100, I think pretty respectable physics program
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): Japanese, Math
GPA in Major: 3.9
Overall GPA: 3.65
Length of Degree: 4.5 years
Position in Class: near top
Type of Student: white male domestic

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 650
W: 5.5
P: 990

Research Experience: 2 years condensed matter experiment and 6 months in theory, 2 conference talks, no publications yet

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Academic scholarship

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Math Tutorial Lab TA, TA for modern physics and upper level quantum mechanics, SPS officer and outreach coordinator

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: nope

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:

MIT - Physics - CM Experiment - Rejected - mail - 3/3
Stanford - Applied Physics - Condensed Matter, Nanoscience - Rejected - mail - 3/3
UC Berkeley - Physics - CM Experiment - Accepted - email - 3/1 - Accepted offer
UC Santa Barbara - Physics - CM Experiment - Rejected - email - 3/10
Illinois - Physics - CM Experiment - Accepted - email - 2/11 - Declined offer
CalTech - Applied Physics - CM Experiment - Rejected - mail - 3/26
UC San Diego - Physics - CM Experiment - Accepted - email - 2/18 - Declined offer

[nvanmeter]

Undergrad Institution: LSU (07 BCS national champs!), 74th in Physics
Major(s): Physics, Math
Minor(s): none
GPA in Major: 4.0
Overall GPA: 4.0
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: top
Type of Student: domestic white male

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 690
W: 5.0
P: 990

Research Experience: 1 year in Math department on topology, 3 years in Physics on theoretical quantum optics (with 1 first-authored Phys Rev A paper and 2 conference talks), 1 REU in math, and 1 summer internship in experimental AMO physics (with 1 conference talk)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Goldwater scholar, about 5 different school-wide scholarships and departmental awards

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: associate editor of an undergrad scientific journal (JYI)

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: also took the Math subject GRE and got 860/890 (95th%) and got some decent rankings on the Putnam exams

Special Bonus Points: one year of graduate quantum mechanics

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:

Harvard - Physics - Condensed Matter Theory - Accepted, e-mail, 2/27, 10-month fellowship ($25K), ACCEPTED OFFER
MIT - Physics - Condensed Matter Theory - Accepted, mail, 2/12, 12-month fellowship ($27.5K), Declined offer
Stanford - Physics - Condensed Matter Theory - Rejected, e-mail, 2/29
Berkeley - Physics - Condensed Matter Theory - Accepted, e-mail, 2/21, nominated for 2-year UC fellowship, Declined offer
CalTech - Physics - Condensed Matter Theory - Accepted, e-mail, 2/21, 9-month TA ($25.5K), Declined offer
UIUC - Physics - Condensed Matter Theory - Accepted, e-mail, 2/11, 11-month fellowship ($23K) + one semester part-time TA ($4.1K), Declined offer
Cornell - Physics - Condensed Matter Theory - Accepted, mail, 2/7, 9-month fellowship ($24K) + TA ($5.4K per semester), Declined offer
UCSB - Physics - Condensed Matter Theory - Accepted, e-mail, 1/28, 2-year "Broida fellowship" ($10K) + 2-year "Regents Special fellowship" ($21K), Declined offer
UCSD - Physics - Condensed Matter Theory - Accepted, e-mail, 1/26, Declined offer

NSF Fellowship - Theoretical Physics - Honorable Mention, website, 4/1
NDSEG Fellowship - Theoretical Physics - Awarded, e-mail, 3/31

[jdhooghe]

Undergrad Institution: CSU Chico, the party school
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): Mathematics
GPA in Major: 3.6
Overall GPA: 3.3
Length of Degree: 5
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE Scores:
Q: 680
V: 460
W: 4.0
P: 740 (65%)

Research Experience: 6 Lab. courses with an outside project that was awarded a $1000 grant: http://www.spsnational.org/programs/awa ... pients.htm

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Department scholarship

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor(Volunteer for SPS and paid for calculus), Volunteer at the Chico Observatory, President of SPS

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points:

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:

UC Davis - Physics - HEP - Waiting
Rutgers - Physics - HEP - Rejected
Syracuse - Physics - HEP - Will Decline
Univ. of Michigan-Ann Arbor - Physics - HEP - Rejected Feb. 28, 2008
State University of New York-Stony Brook - Physics - HEP - Rejected March 12, 2008
University of Maryland - Physics - HEP - Rejected March 18, 2008
Penn. State Univ. - Physics - HEP - Rejected March 17, 2008
University of Imaginary Land - Physics - HEP - Accepted! w/ tenure track position!

[geomar]

Undergrad Institution: Prestigious University
Major(s): Physics, Math
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.94
Overall GPA: 3.86
Length of Degree: 4 years (well, 3 and 2/3)
Position in Class: Top 20% or so, but still struggling with physics
Type of Student: Domestic, white

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 610
W: 5.5
P: 990

Research Experience: 2.5 years at my school, experimental CMP in 2 different labs, 1 secondary author publication. The work I have done is closely related to what I wish to pursue in graduate school.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Departmental Award, Scholarships

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Nothing major: Athletics and a job

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Decent scores on Putnam (made top 200)

Special Bonus Points: I've taken some graduate coursework (~5 classes), Most profs at my school are reasonably famous, although my good recommendations come from junior faculty

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:

MIT - Physics - Experimental CMP - Accepted via Phone call from faculty member - Feb 5
Harvard - Physics - Experimental CMP - Accepted via email - Feb 27
Stanford - Applied Physics - Experimental CMP - Accepted via email - Feb 22
Princeton - Physics - Experimental CMP - Accepted via email - Feb 20
Cornell - Physics - Experimental CMP - Accepted via postal - Jan 18
Berkeley - Physics - Experimental CMP - Accepted via email - Feb 21
UCSB - Physics - Experimental CMP - Accepted via email - Feb 25
Illinois - Physics - Experimental CMP - Accepted via email - Feb 11
Caltech - Physics - Experimental CMP - Accepted via email - Feb 21

[dlenmn]

Undergrad Institution: Dartmouth College
Majors: Physics and Math
GPA in Majors: 3.56 physics, 3.67 math -- at time of application. Currently 3.60 and 3.74
Overall GPA: 3.56 -- at time of application. Currently 3.58.
Length of Degree: 4
Position in Class: around top 35% (last year 3.57=35%, 3.75=15%, 3.87=5%)
Type of Student: Boring domestic male

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 630
W: 5.5
P: 710

Research Experience:
Free electron laser research at home institution (3 quarters, ~10 hours/week)
Lab assistant at Swarthmore college (Plasma, Off term, 4 months, full time)
REU at Lehigh (condensed matter, usual 10 weeks + additional 5 weeks)
Senior thesis -- building a coulomb blockade thermometer (all the time!)

No publications

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: School awarded money for the first research experience (got some fancy sounding title)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: lab TA for Electronics, 2x multivariable calc grader, 1x Intermediate E&M grader, mentor for FIRST lego league team

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: grad analysis class, QM class with Sakurai (in progress)

Special Bonus Points: One recomender has some connections (Cornell, U Wisc, U Colorado) but they may be of limited use since his research interest is not the one I'm applying in

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: First paragraph of my personal statement insinuates that I am MacGyver...

Applying to Where:

UCSB - Physics - CM Experiment/Undecided - Rejected 3/5 after asking by email
Cornell - Physics - CM Experiment/Undecided - Rejected 2/25 via snail mail
U Penn - Physics - CM Experiment/Undecided - Accepted 4/8 via email (application withdrawn 4/15)
U Wisc Madison - Physics - CM Experiment/Undecided - Accepted 2/9 by mail -- TA + (small) Fellowship <--- The Lucky Winner!
Brown - Physics - CM Experiment/Undecided - Accepted 2/28 by mail (application withdrawn 4/7)
U Colorado - Physics - CM Experiment/Undecided - Rejected 3/31 via email
Penn State - Physics - CM Experiment/Undecided - Application withdrawn 3/3 but accepted shortly thereafter (with 1/4 TA plus a decent fellowship)
Johns Hopkins - Physics - CM Experiment/Undecided - Accepted 3/3 by mail -- TA plus small fellowship (application withdrawn 3/25)
Lehigh - Physics - CM Experiment/Undecided - Accepted 2/28 by mail -- fellowship (application withdrawn 3/25)
U Maryland - Physics - CM Experiment/Undecided - Rejected 4/11 by mail to home address

(School selection algorithm: Post large US map on wall. Aim Shotgun at Philadelphia. Fire. Apply to all schools that have been hit.)

[schandre]

Undergrad/Grad Institution: Top 10 Brazilian Physics Program - don't believe it says that much
Undergraduate Major: BS Physics (there are no minors here)
GPA: 7.97 out of 10.00
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: No idea. But very near the top.
Graduate: MS Nuclear Physics
GPA: 3.83 out of 4.00
Length of Degree: 2 1/2 years

Type of Student: International male

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 450
W: 4.0
P: 910

iBT TOEFL: 107
R: 29
L: 29
S: 22
W: 27

Research Experience:
2 years of undergrad research in electron scattering
2 years of grad research in nuclear models/quasielastic scattering

Publications:
2 conference publications (co-authored one, main author in the other)
2 refereed journals (PRL and IJMPE) publications (co-author on both)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Fellowship for undergrad (2 years) and grad (2 years) research based on scholarly merit.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 1 semester of Advanced Electromagnetic Theory TA

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: I don't think so

Special Bonus Points: 2 years of honors calculus and 1 year of honor algebra classes.
Took Grad Stat Mechanics and Nanosystem classes after obtaining MS degree

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Knowledge of Fortran, C/C++, Tex, Maple, Origin, Matlab

Applying to Where:

Texas A&M - Physics - Nuclear Theory - Accepted by e-mail on 02/13 (TA + tuition and fees) - declined offer on 04/04
U of Washington - Seattle - Physics - Nuclear Theory - Rejected by e-mail on 04/09
Indiana University - Physics - Nuclear Theory - Accepted by e-mail on 03/03 (TA + tuition and fees) - accepted offer on 04/09
Michigan State University - Physics - Nuclear Theory - Rejected by e-mail on 04/16
Florida State Unviersity - Physics - Accepted by e-mail on 02/15 (TA + tuition and fees) - declined offer on 04/03

[doom]

Undergrad Institution: Xavier UniversitySmall liberal arts school in Midwest with good academic reputation. Good reputation in physics from schools that know our program, but reputation does not extend far. Mostly known for basketball.

Major(s): Physics, Math
Minor(s): none
GPA in Major: 3.95 physics, lower in math
Overall GPA: 3.89
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Among top few students in physics classes and in math classes
Type of Student: white male domestic

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 730
W: 5.5
P: 770

Research Experience:
At my school, 3 months of independent research in computational chaos/nonlinear dynamics
At my school, 3 months of independent research in theoretical E&M in context of astrophysics
REU at Indiana, computational accelerator physics
Senior project in physics: computational quantum mechanics
Senior project in math: Dirac delta function and its role in physics

Publications: No publications, first author on abstract for poster presented at Division of Plasma Physics meeting.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Top academic scholarship at my University, Outstanding Freshman in Physics, Distinguished Professors' Scholarship in physics, Sigma Pi Sigma

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for intro and modern physics labs for two years

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: math honor society, graduating from honors program

Special Bonus Points: For Ohio State, a history of students from my school doing well in their grad program. For Indiana, REU there and recommendation from professor there.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: 710 the first time I took physics GRE

Applying to Where:

All Physics departments, all high energy theory

Minnesota - Accepted (2/25) email, $21,000 TAship, plus guaranteed summer research support
Will attend!

Washington - Accepted (2/28) email, $1451/month TAship, plus $2500 department fellowship
Maryland - Accepted (3/3) email, $20,000 TAship, guaranteed for two years
Indiana - Accepted (2/5), snail mail, $15,500 TAship, plus $2500 bonus
Ohio State - Accepted (1/25), email, University Fellowship + department stipend, total of $1798/month
Michigan - Rejected (2/28) email

[gcensr]

Undergrad Institution: Top school in physics (or one of the top 1-5 schools, depending on your point of view)
Major(s): Physics!
Minor(s): None
GPA in Major: ~3.96
Overall GPA: ~3.98
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Top or near top
Type of Student: Domestic male, not an under-represented minority

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 670
W: 6.0
P: 990

Research Experience: Two REUs at my school, one internship at a semiconductor company. Two papers - one as first author, one as third author.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Several departmental and school wide awards.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for undergraduate lab courses.

Applying to Where:

Harvard - Physics - Exp. CMP - Accepted, email on 02/27/08 - Offer accepted!

Berkeley - Physics - Exp. CMP - Accepted, email on 02/21/08 - Offer declined
Cornell - Physics - Exp. CMP - Accepted, package on 01/19/08 - Offer declined
MIT - Physics - Exp. CMP - Accepted, phone call on 02/07/08 - Offer declined
Stanford - Physics - Exp. CMP - Accepted, email on 02/29/08 - Offer declined
UCSB - Physics - Exp. CMP - Accepted, email on 01/28/08 - Offer declined
UIUC - Physics - Exp. CMP - Accepted, email on 02/11/08 - Offer declined
UWash - Physics - Exp. CMP - Accepted, package on 01/29/08 - Offer declined

[drken]

Undergrad Institution: an "Institute of Technology"
Major(s): Physics, Mathematics
GPA in Major: 3.84
Overall GPA: 3.87
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: near top
Type of Student: diligent, male

GRE Scores:
Q: 800 (94)
V: 780 (99)
W: 6.0 (96)
P: 960 (95)

Research Experience:
- 2 years of math research in high school (e.g., found flaws in Mathematica algorithms) [3 short articles published, first author on 2 of them];
- 1 summer of gravitational-wave research with prof. at my university;
- 1.5 years of cosmology research with prof. at my university [1 paper recently submitted to MNRAS, secondary author];
- 1/2 year of cosmology research with prof. at another university (started as part of REU program last summer) [1 short paper published as secondary author, 1 long paper in prep as first author, 1 poster presentation at AAS in January as first author].

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:
- Rhodes Scholar Finalist
- Research award at my school

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:
- SPS President
- grader for relativity class
- editor for undergrad research journal at my school

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:
- programming skills? (C, Fortran, Matlab, etc.)

Special Bonus Points:
- grad quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, general relativity
- one of my recommenders is sort of famous, or at least seems to have a lot of connections in my field

Applying to Where:

Stanford - Physics - Theoretical Cosmology - Accepted, email, 2/29
Harvard - Astronomy - Theoretical Cosmology - Accepted, phone, 2/13
UC-Santa Barbara - Physics - Theoretical Cosmology - Accepted, email, 2/25
Chicago - Physics - Theoretical Cosmology - Accepted, email (response to my inquiry), 3/2
Princeton - Astrophysical Sciences - Theoretical Cosmology - Accepted, e-mail, 2/1 -- will attend
MIT - Physics - Theoretical Cosmology - Rejected, post, 3/1
Caltech - Physics - Theoretical Cosmology - Accepted, e-mail, 2/21
UC-Berkeley - Physics - Theoretical Cosmology - Accepted, e-mail, 2/21

[zxcv]

Undergrad Institution: Swarthmore College
Major(s): Physics, Mathematics
GPA in Major: 3.90 physics, somewhat lower in math
Overall GPA:3.80
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Top third in physics? I'm really not sure, but many physics students seem to be quite good.
Type of Student: White male domestic

GRE Scores:
Q: 800 (94%)
V: 650 (93%)
W: 5.0 (74%)
P: 850 (83%)

Research Experience:
- Chemistry REU at hometown state university.
- Math REU on applied math/numerical methods at large state research university.
- A physics REU at top 20 ranked school, on quantum algorithms. No publications, though I've written an honors thesis.

Special Bonus Points: My recommender from the physics REU is at least somewhat known in his field, so I hope that helps.

Applying to Where:

UC Berkeley - Physics - Theory/QIT - Accepted, email 2/29, TA + 2k extra first year and guaranteed summer research - Accepted Offer
UC Santa Barbara - Physics - Theory/QIT - Rejected, in response to my email query 3/5
UC San Diego - Physics - Theory - Accepted, email 2/19, TA - Declined Offer
UC Davis - Physics - Theory - Accepted, email 1/29, TA + 5k extra first year - Declined Offer
U of Washington, Seattle - Physics - Theory - Accepted, email 2/6, TA (relatively low pay) + 2.5k extra first year - Declined Offer
Caltech - Physics - Theory/QIT - Rejected, email 3/21
Stanford - Physics - Theory - Rejected, email 2/29

NSF Fellowship - Physics - Quantum algorithms - No fellowship or honorable mention (need to work on those Broader Impacts!)

[fermiboy]

Undergrad Institution: State school, unknown in physics
Major(s): Physics, Math
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.9, 3.9
Overall GPA: 3.9
Length of Degree: 4.5
Position in Class: top
Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE Scores:
Q: 770
V: 590
W: 5.0
P: 730


Research Experience: 3 presentations

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points:

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:

Cornell - Physics - CMT - rejected early feb
Yale - Physics - CMT - rejected early feb
UC Berkeley - Physics - CMT - rejected early march
UC Santa Barbara - Physics - CMT - rejected early march
Stanford - Physics - CMT - rejected late feb
U. of Illinois @ UC - Physics - CMT, rejected late march
U. of Oregon - Physics - CMT , Th, Optics -accepted late jan
U. of Arizona - Physics - CMT, Th. Optics -accepted early march
Dartmouth - Physics - QI, accepted mid march

[quizivex]

Undergrad Institution: 3rd tier state school ranked below 100
Major(s): Physics, Math
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 4.00
Overall GPA: 4.00
Length of Degree: 4 Years
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: non-handicapped middle class white American male

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 770
W: 4.5 (was originally a 5.5 but I asked ETS for a rescore... my advice: don't try that)
P: 990

Research Experience:

- REU at midwest state school. Experimental research on fabricating ferromagnetic nanoparticles. One minor author publication (3rd author out of 6)

-Summer and semester work with a prof at my school on optical data storage and laser cooling of solids. Experimental. One minor author publication (4th author out of 5)

- Summer work with another prof at my school with a radiation detector.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:

-2 grants from my state I got after HS (not prestigeous but they have a fancy name)

-Free tuition at my school

-One departmental award

-One research award from my school

-Phi Beta Kappa

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:

-tutored math and physics at my school's tutor center

-"Ombudsman" of my physics dept (resolve grievances and advise students)

-SPS president

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

-Nah

Special Bonus Points:

-One grad class.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

-I took a very large number of courses. I'll finish with 37 math/science courses.

-On my CV, I included a picture of a neat geometric design I built.

-Had a withdraw from an art class (legitimate reason, but didn't discuss it on my SOP)

-Was worried for some time that a few of my SOP comments might be read the wrong way.

Applying to Where:

Princeton - Astrophysical Sciences (Plasma PPPL program)- Fusion- Accepted 2/25 by e-mail
Caltech - Physics- Listed Experimental Quantum Info & Cosmology - Accepted 2/21 by e-mail
Stanford - Physics- Astrophysics- Accepted 3/1 by e-mail
UPenn - Physics- Experimental CM/Astronomy- Accepted 2/11 by phone
MIT - Physics- Fusion/Astrophysics- Rejected 3/8 by Snail Mail
Harvard - Physics- Experimental Quantum Computing/Astronomy- Rejected by Snail Mail, envelope postmarked 3/17

[hpharty]

Undergrad Institution: University of Pittsburgh - 2007
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): Music
GPA in Major: 3.8
Overall GPA: 3.6
Length of Degree: 4 years, one year of work between undergrad/grad
Type of Student: White American Guy

GRE Scores:
Q: 780 (90%)
V: 610 (87%)
W: 5.5 (90%)
P: 750 (68%) in 2007, 570 (27%) in 2006

Research Experience: One year Condensed Matter/Chaos experience, 3rd author of Conference Talk (nothing spectacular here)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Sigma Pi Sigma

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: SPS president for one year

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: I got a job outside of college, don't tell me its easy until you've done it

Special Bonus Points: At least one recommender is very well known in his field. I can say with certainty at this point that this has helped.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: That first PGRE score could look really bad

Applying to Where:

U Penn - Experimental Condensed Matter - REJECTED - 3/27 - e-mail
Pitt - Experimental Condensed Matter - ACCEPTED - 1/26 e-mail
Rutgers - Experimental Condensed Matter - ACCEPTED - 2/20 e-mail
UMD-CP - Experimental Condensed Matter - REJECTED - 3/5 e-mail - later the graduate director came to my apartment and spit in my cereal, just to piss me off
Yale - Experimental Condensed Matter - REJECTED - 2/13 application status changed
Columbia - Experimental Condensed Matter - REJECTED - 3/5 e-mail - and again on 4/2 just in case I forgot
Boston U - Experimental Condensed Matter - ACCEPTED - 3/6 e-mail
NYU - Experimental Condensed Matter - ACCEPTED - 2/29 e-mail
Johns Hopkins - Experimental Condensed Matter - ACCEPTED - 1/29 e-mail - ATTENDING
Carngie Mellon - Experimental Condensed Matter - ACCEPTED - 2/18 e-mail

[agonizomai]

Undergrad Institution: Med-sized state school in the Midwest. No physics reputation at all.
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): none
GPA in Major: 3.93
Overall GPA: 3.94
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: top 10%
Type of Student: Very Domestic, very white

GRE Scores:
Q: 660 (haha!)
V: 640 ( 91 percentile!)
W: 5.0
P: 620 (%40) hehehehehe

Research Experience:

REU in condensed matter theory at home university (summer after freshman year), 11 month internship at Air Force Research Labs (sophomore year), NMR modeling research with professor at home university (6 months), Nonlinear Dynamics REU at University of Maryland (summer after junior year), continuing collaboration with nonlinear theory group at UMD


In the process of publishing 2 nonlinear theory papers (second author on one, the other is in alphabetical order) and gave poster presentation at Dynamics Days (international nonlinear science conference)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Goldwater Nominee for my university, Outstanding REU project award

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Taking graduate quantum mechanics

Special Bonus Points: 3 excellent letters (commented on by grad admissions director at Cornell), one from a famous recommender

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I spent all my GRE study time doing research. Oops!

Applying to Where:

Boston University - Physics - Nonlinear Dynamics Theory - Waiting
Cornell - Theoretical and Applied Mechanics - Nonlinear Dynamics Theory - Accepted with 1yr fellowship (DECLINED)
Duke - Physics - Nonlinear Dynamics Theory - Rejected
UCSD - Physics - Nonlinear Dynamics Theory - Rejected
UT Austin - Physics - Nonlinear Dynamics Theory - Rejected
University of Maryland College Park - Physics - Nonlinear Dynamics Theory - Accepted with RA (ACCEPTED)

[marten]

Undergrad Institution: (2) 1 B.A. from small unknown liberal arts school 1 BSE from small unknown liberal arts school.
Major(s): Interdisciplinary studies, Electrical Engineering
Minor(s): Math, Physics, Psychology
GPA in Major: 3.5 (guess) and 3.8
Overall GPA: 3.6 (guess)
Length of Degree: ehhh... 7.5 years
Position in Class: probably average or a bit above
Type of Student: Domestic male

GRE Scores:
Q: 710
V: 570
W: 5
P: 750

Research Experience: None, unless senior engineering project counts for anything.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: National Merit Scholar

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Taught physics in high school for a summer at a boarding school, worked as lab assistant, graded papers, etc.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: None here, but I'm hoping for reasonably good recs.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:

Bryn Mawr - Physics - rejected by postal mail 2-19-2008
Catholic University of America - Physics - ACCEPTED 2-29-2008 by email Declined offer
Drexel - Physics - on waitlist, withdrew application
Lehigh University - Physics - ACCEPTED with T/A! 2-28-2008 by email
Temple University - Physics - no response, withdrew application
University of Maryland, Baltimore County - Applied Physics - rejected by email 2-28-2008
University of Michigan - Applied Physics - rejected by email 2-12-2008

Going to Lehigh!

[vicente]

Undergrad Institution: Huge state school (60,000 students), best (or top 3) physics department in Canada
Major(s): Physics Specialist (an uber-major)
Minor(s): Math, but I dropped out of that
GPA in Major: 3.5 (BUT the class average was only 2.5! Mark deflation sucks)
Overall GPA: 3.3
Length of Degree: 5 years
Position in Class: top 15%
Type of Student: International (Canadian) male of unspecified race

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 600
W: 4.5
P: 880

TOEFL Total: 0 (me no espik inglish)

Research Experience:
Waterloo - 4 months
University of Toronto - 10 months
University of Southern California - 4 months

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: i'm not special enough

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor in math, physics, and French

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: N/A

Special Bonus Points: N/A

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: N/A

Applying to Where:

College of William & Mary - Physics - AMO/Condensed matter - Accepted 1/18
University of Virginia - Physics - AMO - Accepted 4/7
Yale - Physics - AMO - Rejected
Brown - Physics - Condensed matter - Rejected
Texas - Physics - AMO - Rejected
USC - Physics - Condensed matter / AMO - Accepted
Indiana - Physics - Condensed matter - Accepted
Oregon - Physics - AMO - Rejected
Lehigh - Physics - Condensed matter - Accepted

[garlowski]

This should make people feel better about their chances:

Undergrad Institution: Top 15 State School
Major(s): Astrophysics
Minor(s): N/A
GPA in Major: 3.6 (UD)
Overall GPA: 3.33
Length of Degree: 4
Position in Class: No Clue - middle?
Type of Student: Domestic

GRE Scores:
Q: 790 (92%)
V: 600 (85%)
W: 5.5 (88%)
P: 670 (51%)



Applying to Where:

UCLA - astronomy - rejected
UC Davis - physics/cosmology - wait listed, late march
UC Irvine - astrophysics - waiting
U of Oregon - astronomy - rejected, february
UT Austin - astronomy - email acceptance w/ assistantship 1/28!
UNC - physics/grav waves - accepted, 2/11
Columbia - physics/grav waves - rejected, february
Montana State - physics grav/waves - accepted, 2/23

[mrclean]

Undergrad Institution: University of California at Santa Barbara
Major: Physics
GPA in Major: 3.97
Overall GPA: 3.97
Length of Degree: 3.3
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 630
W: 4.5
P: 900

Research Experience: Two summers plus some work during my last quarter at Sandia National Labs in nuclear weapon detection. Gave two poster presentations.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: UCSB Regents Scholarship

Special Bonus Points: None that I can think of

Applying to Where:

Princeton - Physics - High Energy Experimental - Not Admitted, 2/25, email
Cornell - Physics - High Energy Experimental - Admitted, 2/25, mail - Declined offer
Harvard - Physics - High Energy Experimental - Not Admitted, 2/28, email
MIT - Physics - High Energy Experimental - Admitted, 2/15, mail - Declined offer
UT Austin - Physics - High Energy Experimental - Admitted, 2/5, email - Declined offer
UIUC - Physics - High Energy Experimental - Admitted, 2/11, email - Declined offer
Cal - Physics - High Energy Experimental - Admitted, 2/29, email - Accepted offer
Stanford - Physics - High Energy Experimental - Not Admitted, 2/29, email
Caltech - Physics - High Energy Experimental - Not Admitted, 3/21, email
UCSD - Physics - High Energy Experimental - Admitted, 1/10, phone call + email - Declined offer

[anthonyk]

Undergrad Institution: small state school
Major(s): physics
Minor(s): music, mathematics
GPA in Major: 3.71
Overall GPA: 3.60
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: near top if not there
Type of Student: domestic male

GRE Scores:
Q:
V:
W:
P:


Research Experience: 5 projects- summer at my university in experimental surface physics, 1.5 years of astrophysics research (working on three projects) at my university, senior project studying granular materials

Presentations: poster at statewide undergrad conference, talk at statewide undergrad conference, talk at state space conference, poster at a symposium at my university, two posters at 211th AAS meeting (one first author, one second author)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: outside space science scholarship

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: two years as a physics tutor, two years as SPS president, three years as a TA for my university's outreach program



Applying to Where:

University of Texas-Dallas - Physics - Experimental High Energy - Accepted 1/23, mail, TA and scholarship
Wisconsin-Madison - Physics - Exp. High Energy - Rejected 3/4, mail
Minnesota - Physics - Physics - Exp. High Energy - Rejected 3/6, email
Michigan - Physics - Physics - Exp. High Energy - Rejected 2/28, email
Northern Illinois - Physics - Physics - Exp. High Energy - Accepted 2/22, TA waiting list-email
UC Davis - Physics - Physics - Exp. High Energy - Rejected
UC Irvine - Physics - Physics - Exp. Condensed Matter - Rejected
Ohio State - Physics - Physics - Exp. Condensed Matter - Rejected
Florida State - Physics - Physics - Exp. Condensed Matter - ACCEPTED, w/ TA OFFER
Wisconsin-Milwaukee - Physics - Physics - Exp. Condensed Matter - waiting

[tamasir]

Undergrad Institution: Top 20
Major(s):Astrophysics
Minor(s):Poker, Smirnoff
GPA in Major:pi (no, seriously)
Overall GPA:3
Length of Degree: 5
Position in Class: Neither above or below average
Type of Student: Domestic Male

GRE Scores:
Q:800
V:650
W:4.5
P:920

Research Experience: Plenty of research xp, just not academic.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: International Informatics(logical reasoning) Olympiad

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Schooling people in math and physics throughout college, aka tutor.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:Multilingual, bicultural, and have backpacked across 4 continents.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:I emphasized research on string theory and quantum grav, hence my selection of schools.

Applying to Where:

The MIT - Physics- HEP Theory- they love me, they love me not?
Berkeley - Physics- HEP Theory- they love me, they love me not?
UCSB - Physics- HEP Theory- they love me, they love me not?
UCSD - Physics- HEP Theory- they love me, they love me not?
UT Austin - Physics- HEP Theory- they love me, they love me not?
U Colorado - Physics- HEP Theory- they love me, they love me not?
Madison - Physics- HEP Theory- they love me, they love me not?
Rutgers - Physics- HEP Theory- they love me, they love me not?
SUNY - Physics- HEP Theory- they love me, they love me not?
UC Irvine - Physics- HEP Theory- Accepted email 2/21
Amherst - Physics- HEP Theory- they love me, they love me not?
USC - Physics- HEP Theory- they love me, they love me not?
UC RIverside - Physics- HEP Theory- they love me, they love me not?

[neoslovakia]

Undergrad Institution: Small liberal arts school
Majors: Physics and Math
Minor: Japanese
GPA in Majors: 3.98
Overall GPA: 3.88
Length of Degree: 4
Position in Class: near top
Type of Student: same old same old

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 600
W: 4.5
P: 830

Research Experience:
3 years work with professor at school

3 abstracts published

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Department physics award

Applying to Where:

Caltech - Physics - Particle Experiment - waiting
UCBerkley - Physics - Particle Experiment - waiting
U Chicago - Physics - Particle Experiment - waiting
U Illinois - Physics - Particle Experiment - ACCEPTED (by mail 2/11 )
UCSB - Physics - Particle Experiment - waiting
Cornell - Physics - Particle Experiment - rejected (by mail 2/20)
U Penn - Physics - Particle Experiment - ACCEPTED (by phone and email 1/30)
U Wisc Madison - Physics - Particle Experiment - ACCEPTED (by mail 2/08 )
Columbia - Physics - Particle Experiment - waiting
UT Austin - Physics - Particle Experiment - ACCEPTED (by mail 2/11 )
UCLA - Physics - Particle Experiment - waiting
UCSD - Physics - Particle Experiment - ACCEPTED (by email 2/19 )
Rutgers - Physics - Particle Experiment - ACCEPTED (by email 2/11 )
Duke - Physics - Particle Experiment - ACCEPTED (by email 2/12 )
U Washington - Physics - Particle Experiment - ACCEPTED (by mail 2/02)

[Quantinfo]

Undergrad Institution: An Indian Univerisity
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): None
GPA in Major: 7.4/10
Overall GPA: N.A.
Length of Degree: 3 + 2 years
Position in Class: Above Average
Type of Student: International, male

GRE Scores:
Q: 790
V: 360
W: 4.0
P: 670 (52%)

TOEFL Total: 111/120 (iBT)

Research Experience: Masters thesis on Quantum Lenses - the field I want to work in.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: None

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Content Editor - Physics (K - 12 segment)

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points:

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:

University of Rochester - Physics and Astronomy - Quantum Optics - Rejected - email - March 3
Tulane University - Physics - Quantum Optics - No Decision has been made
Carnegie Mellon Univeristy - Physics - Quantum Optics - Rejected - email - March 3
Georgia Institute of Technology - Physics - Quantum Optics - No Decision has been made
University of Florida - Physics - Mathematical Physics- No Decision has been made

[buddyo]

Undergrad Institution: A big public school. "Top 25%" of schools in phys.
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): Chemistry, Mathemathics
GPA in Major: 3.73
Overall GPA: 3.44
Length of Degree: 5 years
Position in Class: Unknown
Type of Student: all types

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 620
W: 5.0
P: 780

Research Experience: Undergraduate research in Physics and chemistry. No major accomplishments.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: A couple scholarships

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA

Applying to Where:

University of Iowa - Accepted - Received letter 1/29
University of Rochester - Accepted - Received e-mail 2/07
Wayne State University - Accepted - Received call & email 02/25
The Ohio State University - Accepted - Received letter 2/07
SUNY Stony Brook - Accepted - Received e-mail 3/05 **
Carnegie Mellon - Accepted - Received email ~2/15
Boston University
University of Washington

** One of my recommendations got his PhD here. When I was talking with him, I mentioned I hadn't been accepted to Stony Brook yet. He said he would call them. I guess it's not what you know...

[1420 Peach]

Undergrad Institution: Big state school, perhaps top 50?
Major(s):Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Physics
Minor(s):Mathematics
GPA in Major:3.9
Overall GPA:3.9
Length of Degree: 5 years
Position in Class: Top or near top
Type of Student: Boring white American male

GRE Scores:
Q:800
V:590
W:5.0
P:790

Research Experience: Undergraduate research with a group in physics department for the last year

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Various scholarships, nothing too impressive

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor and Recitation TA in engineering

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:Not really

Special Bonus Points: Several graduate classes, good recommendations

Applying to Where:

Michigan - Nuclear Engineering-Accepted with stipend 3/25-by email
MIT - Nuclear Engineering-Accepted with stipend 2/6-by email
Harvard - Physics-Rejected 3/21-by mail
Stanford - Physics-Accepted with TA/RA 2/29-by email
Berkeley - Physics-Rejected 3/18-by email
Penn - Physics-Accepted with TA 2/15-by email
Boston U - Physics-Accepted with TA/RA 3/3-by email
Cornell - Physics-Rejected 2/25 by mail
Connecticut - Physics-Accepted with TA/RA 2/28-by email
U Chicago - Physics-Rejected 3/3-by mail
Northwestern - Physics-Accepted 2/17 by website
MIT - Physics-Rejected 3/3-by mail

[LuminiferousAether]

UT Austin - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Accepted 2/5/08 by email (financial info pending)
Yale - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Rejected 2/13/08 by email
UCSD - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Accepted 2/19/08 by email (financial info pending)
Colorado @ Boulder - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Accepted 2/22/08 by email (TA + Fellowship)
Penn State - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Accepted 2/22/08 by email (Half-time TA + Fellowship)
Minnesota - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Accepted 2/25/08 email
UCSB - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Accepted 2/25/08 email
Michigan - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Rejected 2/28/08 email
MIT - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Rejected 3/1/08 postal mail
Maryland - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Accepted 3/5/08 email
Columbia - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Rejected 3/7/08 email
Harvard - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Rejected 3/18/08 postal mail
Berkeley - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Rejected 3/18/08 email

[xdebugger]

Undergrad Institution: Top 10 in physics
Major(s): Physics, Math
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: ~4
Overall GPA:
Length of Degree: 4
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: Domestic asian male

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 580
W: 5.0
P: 980

Research Experience: 3 researches, 1 at home school, 2 publications

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Top of class

Special Bonus Points: a few grad classes, one very strong letter

Applying to Where:
All physics, particle theory and CMT
Caltech - Accepted
Harvard - Rejected
Princeton - Rejected
Stanford - Rejected
Berkeley - Accepted
MIT - Accepted 2/6 phone
Davis - Accepted 1/31 email
UCSB - Accepted 2/1 online
Johns Hopkins - Accepted 2/4 email
Washington Seatle - Accepted 1/28 mail

[shil_void]

Undergrad Institution: (Institute for excellence in Mathematics, Physics and Theoretical Computer Science, one of the best undergraduate programmes in India)
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 9.73 / 10.00
Overall GPA: 9.47 / 10.00
Length of Degree: 3 years
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: International, male

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 520
W: 4.5
P: 820

TOEFL Total: 107 in IBT

Research Experience:

Worked on cellular signaling networks, mathematical modelling(summer 2006, 2 months)(IMSC)

worked on a problem of surface nucleation of superconductivity in Type-II materials, results to be published(summer, 2007, 2 months)(IMSC)

worked with YBCO on an experimental lab.(IGCAR)

Seminar talks on topics ranging from mathematical Physics to progresses in cond mat theory.
Special Bonus Points: (Graduate Courses in Quantum Mechanics, QFT, Condensed Matter Theory, Representation Theory, Superfluids and superconductivity, Quantum Optics, Information Theory ; Few famous recommenders, )



Applying to Where:

Cornell - Physics - Cond. Mat Theory - Rejected, 02/07, snail mail
UPenn - Physics - Cond. Mat Theory - Decision pending
UIUC - Physics - Cond. Mat Theory - Decision pending
Yale - Physics - Cond. Mat Theory - Rejected , 02/14 , e-mail
Syracuse - Physics - Cond. Mat Theory - Accepted, 02/23, snail mail, w TA
Rochester - Physics - Quantum Optics - Accepted , 02/15 ,e-mail, w TA

[landau007]

Undergrad Institution: Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. In Czechia the best but in USA surely not known.
Major(s): Theoretical Physics
GPA in Major: 3,97
Length of Degree: bachelor 3 years + master 1 year (the normal length is 2 years)
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: International, European

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 390
W: 4.0
P: 970

TOEFL Total: 103

Research Experience: 4 articles in HEP, 2 in journals with IF

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: some scholarships, winner of Fulbright award

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 2 years of teaching experience (as a part-time job)

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: member of Czech team on International Physics Olympiad, organizer of physics competitions

Applying to Where:

Princeton - Department of physics - High energy theory - accepted 2/20
MIT - Department of Physics - High energy theory - accepted 2/8
Harvard - Department of Physics and Astronomy - High energy theory - accepted 2/27
Rutgers - Department of physics - High energy theory -
Duke - Department of physics - High energy theory - accepted 2/12

[KB]

Undergrad Institution: Top 5 liberal arts college
Major(s): Physics, Japanese
Minor(s):
GPA in Major:
Overall GPA: 3.7
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: near top
Type of Student: domestic female

GRE Scores:
Q: 790
V: 690
W:6.0
P: 680 (54%)


Research Experience: thesis, REU in planetary science, semester project

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Fulbright, Sigma Xi Grant

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Astronomy TA (3yr), Math/Science teacher at small private school (2yr - and SO ready to leave)

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Japanese/English bilingual

Special Bonus Points: my sparkling personality?

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:

U of Arizona - Astronomy - accepted by phone 1/31 - ATTENDING
U of Hawaii - Astronomy- accepted by phone 2/5 - Offer Declined
U Colorado Boulder - Astronomy - accepted by mail 1/24 - Offer Declined
U California Berkeley - Astronomy - rejected by e-mail 2/13
Harvard - Astronomy - rejected by mail 2/25
U Chicago - Astronomy - rejected by e-mail 3/11
U Wisc Madison - Astronomy - never received a response one way or the other. Have requested a refund of my application fee

[hintonburgdisaster]

Undergrad Institution: State school, ranked 30-50 in physics.
Major(s):Physics
Minor(s):Math
GPA in Major:3.83
Overall GPA:3.79
Length of Degree: Took me four years plus six more months to write a dern thesis.
Position in Class: Nearish the top.
Type of Student: Domestic whitish male.
GRE Scores:
Q:800
V:800
W:5.0
P:830

Research Experience: Did a couple of ok projects with professors at my school over the last year and a half, plus some other *** work, but no publications yet.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Phi Beta Kappa, National Merit Scholar, Highest Honors in the Major. Plus a comunity service award!

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I graded homework for a couple years.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Not so much

Special Bonus Points: I got some decent connections to Berkeley and Cornell through my thesis adviser.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: 6'2", 185...

Applying to Where:

Berkeley - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Accepted 2/8 (!!!!) by email
Stanford - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Rejected 2/29 by email
Cornell - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Accepted 2/13 (!!!!!!) by post
UCSB - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Accepted 2/25 by email
UCSD - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Accepted 2/19 by email
U Penn - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Accepted 2/11 by phone
U Maryland - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Accepted 3/4 by email
U Washington - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Waiting
U Texas - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Accepted 2/5 by email
U Oregon - Physics - Cond. Mat. Exp. - Accepted 2/5 by email

[deyton]

Undergrad Institution: Average Canadian school
Major(s): Physics
GPA in Major: 3.91
Overall GPA: 3.94
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Near top
Type of Student: Canadian white male

GRE Scores
Q: 800 / 94%
V: 620 / 89%
W: 4.5 / 54%
P: 830 / 80%

Research Experience: 1 summer condensed matter theory, research projects in attosecond dynamics and quark matter.

Special Bonus Points: Grad Classical Mechanics

Applying to Where:

Princeton - Physics- REJECTED Feb 25, email
MIT - Physics- REJECTED March 7, mail
Columbia - Physics - REJECTED March 7, email | REJECTED again, April 2, email/site
University of Toronto - Physics - ACCEPTED, Feb 23, email from professor - Accepted offer
University of British Columbia - Physics - ACCEPTED, March 20, email - Will decline
McGill University - Physics - ACCEPTED, April 1, website then email - Will decline
Perimeter Institute - Physics - Will decline, would have considered it if they actually got back to me.

NSERC CGS M - Awarded March 20 via Mail

[Karatechop250]

Undergrad Institution: Western Kentucky University
Major(s): Physics and Mathematics
GPA in Major: 3.9
Overall GPA: 3.86
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: top of class
Type of Student: Domestic

GRE Scores:
Q: 750
V: 410
W: 4.5
P: 580 30%

Research Experience:
two reus. One at Eastern Tennesse State University - Theoretical Astrophysics - 2007 summer -1 paper and 1 poster. Other at Clemson University- Computational Nuclear Physics-2006 Summer- 1 poster. Two semesters at school of observational astronomy - 1 poster. Two semesters of research in Gauss Bonnet Cosmology- 1 poster

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Phi Mu Epsilon, Sigma Pi Sigma, Highest Physics Honor- Oustanding Senior Award.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA 250 Lab, RA

Applying to Where:

Wake Forest University - Physics- Gravitation - Rejected (2/27)
University of Alabama - Physics - Particle Physics- Accepted(5/5)
Olemiss - Physics- Gravitation - Accepted but only if I work on LIGO

[multigoal]

Undergrad Institution: a famous school in India
Major(s): BE (major: Electronics & Communication Engg) / MS in Applied Physics from a good university in US.
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: ~ 3.9
Overall GPA: ~ 3.7
Length of Degree:
Position in Class:
Type of Student: International

GRE Scores:
Q: 800 (92%)
V: 590 (82%)
W:
P: 620 (40%)

TOEFL Total:

Research Experience: 2 years research experiences, 2 conference proceedings and 1 journal papers.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: I have taken almost all the required graduate courses for theoretical physics

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where: PhD in Theoretical particle physics/Theoretical high energy

Upenn - Physics - Theoretical HEP -
UVA - Physics - Theoretical HEP - Rejected via mail on 2/21
UGA - Physics - Theoretical HEP - Waitlisted via phone on 4/1
NYU - Physics - Theoretical HEP - Rejected via postal on 3/31
Syracuse - Physics - Theoretical HEP - Rejected via phone on 4/2
UCDavis - Physics - Theoretical HEP - Rejected via phone on 3/17

[inverseErfc]

GRE 800,690,5.0,
Physics GRE 770
have done some research work at school, nothing special though
international male, undergrad US
UIUC accepted email 12 Feb, loved it at the March open house
PSU accepted email 22 Feb

[myass]

Undergrad Institution: UC Berkeley
Major(s): Physics
GPA in Major: 3.97
Overall GPA: 3.94
Length of Degree: 4
Type of Student: international male

GRE Scores:
Q: 790
V: 310
W: 3.5
P: 860

Research Experience: Two neutrino experimental research. One (theta13) for half an year and another (solar-nu squared mass difference) longer than 1 year. No publication. 2 presentations in conference talk. No poster. The research was started during I was in undergrad, and then hired as a paid research assistant at a national lab after the graduation. (I graduated summer 2007).

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: some within physics department. I don't think, although many people here mention about them, they matter at all for top schools.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Research assistant at a national lab.

Special Bonus Points: The research group is quite famous and there are many collaborating institutions. I guess collaborators helped me by talking to admission committees at their institutions. Recommenders are all very famous in their fields. Each recommender wrote different topic about me: one for academic achievement, one for a physics reader work on campus, and one for my research work. In a recommener's class who wrote about my academic achievement, I was told the best student in his last 10 years of teaching. I guess an official employment at a national lab is an advantage, too. I also made my job security in my research group at the lab so that I became an important and official collaborator in this group.

Applying to Where: Unless mentioned, all school below provide full tuition, health/medical insurance coverage.

Harvard - Physics - experimental particle (Nova) - Rejected In a reply to an email asking for the result. 03/05
Princeton - Physics - experimental particle (Borexino, nu-factory) - Accepted 2/20/2008 with full financial support. Stipend $30000 a year.
Berkeley - Physics - experimental particle (CUORE, Daya Bay) - Accepted 2/29/2008 with fellowship.
Stanford - Physics - experimental particle (EXO) - Accepted 2/29/2008 with a lots of stipend but I'm not intended to read details...
M.I.T. - Physics - experimental particle (KATRIN) - Accepted 2/07/2008 with 12 months stipend (>$2250/mo) and a fellowship. Full financial support for later years.
CalTech - Physics - experimental particle (Theta13, T2K, CMS) - Accepted yes, fellowship
Chicago - Physics - experimental particle (Double Chooz, ATLAS) - Accepted with Michelson, Sachs, and Parker Fellowships (>$30000 stipend)
Columbia - Physics - experimental particle (Double Chooz, NuTeV) - Accepted FF (Faculty Fellowship) with stipend $30000/yr for 5 yrs.
Yale - Physics - experimental particle (ATLAS, CMS) - Accepted. Superduper fellowship.
UW Seattle - experimental particle (KATRIN, MOON) - Accepted. Money money money
UW Madison - experimental particle (CUORE, Daya Bay) - Accepted. Financial support details later.
UC Irvine - experimental particle (T2K) - Accepted. 7.8k fellowship.

[celts]

Undergrad Institution: Engineering School (Somewhere 50-80 in Physics)
Major(s): Applied Physics, Mathematics
GPA in Major: 4.0, 3.8
Overall GPA: 3.87
Length of Degree: 4 years
Type of Student: American male

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 440
W: 3.5
P: 830 (80%)

Research Experience: Summer REU at a School of Optics

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: in-school Physics Award, Sigma Pi Sigma

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for 2.5 years - Statics, Calc I & II, and Diffy Q

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Concentration in Applied Optics

Special Bonus Points: I wish =/

Applying to Where: (Experimental AMO Physics)

UC San Diego (UCSD) - Physics - Accepted 02/19/08 (Declined)
U of Rochester - Physics - Accepted 01/31/08 (Declined)
U of Arizona - Physics - Accepted 03/02/08 ------------------------(Accepted Offer)
MIT - Physics - Rejected 03/04/08
Stanford - Applied Physics - Rejected 03/07/08 (Response to Inquiry)
UC Berkeley - Physics - Rejected 03/17/08 (Response to Inquiry)
U of Colorado at Boulder - Physics - Never Responded - Wasn't that nice of them?
U of Michigan - Applied Physics - Never Responded - Wasn't that nice of them?

[pacman]

Undergrad Institution: Indiana University
Major(s): Physics, Math
Length of Degree: 4 years
Type of Student: Domestic

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 740
W: 4.5
P: 790

Research Experience: Nuclear theory research since the summer after freshman year

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Some awards from the math and physics departments

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Physics tutor

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Have taught at a summer math program at Ohio State

Special Bonus Points: Graduate math classes

Applying to Where:

Chicago - Physics - Particle Theory - Rejected 3/3
Caltech - Physics - Mathematical Physics - Rejected 3/21
MIT - Physics - Particle Theory - Rejected 3/1
Washington - Physics - Particle Theory - Accepted 1/30, TA + fellowship
NYU - Math - Mathematical Physics - Accepted 2/25, waitlisted for funding (offered funding 4/3)
Michigan - Physics - Particle Theory - Accepted 2/13, TA + fellowship
Princeton - Physics - Mathematical Physics - Rejected 2/25

And in the UK:
Cambridge - Math - Mathematical Physics - Accepted 2/8, no funding
Oxford - Physics - Particle Theory - Accepted 4/10 in CMT, probablyno funding
Durham - Physics - Particle Theory - Accepted 3/1, funding decision to come

[stardote]

Undergrad Institution: big state - decent reputation in physics
Major(s): Astrophysics and Math
Minor(s): None
GPA in Major: 3.65, upper level
Overall GPA: 3.29
Length of Degree: 5 years
Position in Class: No class rank, don't know
Type of Student: Domestic white female

GRE Scores:
Q: 780
V: 520
W: 5.0
P: 660


Research Experience: Did some research at my school

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 4 year academic scholarship, 1 physics award

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: tutor for a year and a half, everything other job is non-physics related.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: nope, unless they need a grad student that can make a great latte

Special Bonus Points: maybe just female

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I'm enthusiastic..

Applying to Where: (Interested in everything)

Penn State - Astronomy - rejected(2/21,snail mail) this was my first choice..coolest department, well, it would've been cooler with me there...
Boston U - Astronomy - waiting
Arizona U - Astronomy - rejected
Ohio State - Astronomy - waiting
Columbia - Physics - rejected(3/6)(email)
NYU - Physics - chaos/astronomy - waiting

[BP]

Undergrad Institution: Internationally unknown public university outside US
Major(s): Physics and Electronic Engineering
Minor(s): (we don't have minors in my country )
GPA in Major: 3.9
Overall GPA: (see above)
Length of Degree: 4 (electronic engineering) + 4 (physics) + 2 (master in physics)
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: Two arms, two legs, one head... you know, that common type.

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 500
W: 5.0
P: 970

TOEFL Total: 270/300 (CBT)

Research Experience: 3 years String Theory in a research center. 6 years HEP-Ex in another (but half of them as an engineer).

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Some awards for best undergrad research project and some top positions in summer schools.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for one year during undergrad school.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: On the contrary. Completely unknown recommenders.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I'm a bit too old (around 30), I think they don't look this with good eyes.

Applying to Where:

Santa Barbara - Physics - High Energy Theory - Denied 03/10
Chicago - Physics - High Energy Theory - Accepted 03/07
Stony Brook - Physics - High Energy Theory - Accepted 02/13
Brown - Physics - High Energy Theory - Accepted 02/14
Rutgers - Physics - High Energy Theory - Accepted 02/13

All the answers received, now I can decide where to go.

[LucasWillis]

Undergrad Institution: Rowan University, a virtually unknown school in southern New Jersey. No grad program in physics. 10,000 undergrad, but < 80 physics majors.
Major(s): Physics, Mathematics
Minor(s): French, International Studies
GPA in Major: 4.0/4.0
Overall GPA: 3.8/4.0
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: #1! (I just received an award for that...)
Type of Student: domestic white male

GRE Scores:
Q: 780
V: 560
W: 4.5
P: 700

Research Experience: NIST Boulder SURF summer intern, three years at Rowan laser cooling research. presentations at a dozen conferences, first author on a Applied Optics paper (submitted), three math presentations, and an e-published (The Euler Archive) translation of a paper by Leonhard Euler wherein he derives the functional form of the riemann zeta function.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Goldwater honorable mention (twice), various Rowan scholarships, Rowan Honors program,

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: president of physics club, Society of Physics Students associate zone councilor, research assistant, Tutor (math, physics, french, chemistry, electrical engineering)

Applying to Where:

MIT - Physics - Experimental AMO - REJECTED by post! 3/01. Also not surprised
Harvard - Physics - Experimental AMO - REJECTED! e-mail inquiry to Sheila 3/04. Also also not surprised
Princeton - Physics - Experimental AMO - Rejected by email! 2/25. Not surprised
UColorado Boulder - Physics - Experimental AMO - Accepted by email, 2/27. TA + $5k
UMichigan - Physics - Experimental AMO - Accepted by email, 2/13. Fellowship with partial TA
UMaryland - Physics - Experimental AMO (JQI) - Accepted by email, 3/05. TA.
Yale - Physics - Experimental AMO - Accepted by email, 2/22! $28k teaching fellowship. Accepted offer.
SUNY Stony Brook - Physics - Experimental AMO - Accepted by email, 2/13. $25k optics fellowship
U Virginia - Department - Research Interest - Accepted by email, 2/09. TA


NDSEG Fellowship - Accepted!!!!!!!!!

[hiccupz]

Undergrad Institution: larger northeast state school, not known for physics
Major(s): physics, french
Minor(s): math
GPA in Major: 3.6
Overall GPA:3.7
Length of Degree: 5 years
Position in Class: near top (certainly top in physics)
Type of Student: domestic & female

GRE Scores:
Q: 780
V: 640
W: 4.5
P: 690 (56%)

Research Experience: 2 REUs, ongoing honors thesis in astronomy

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: physics dept scholarship, sigma pi sigma

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: i've served as the sps president & treasurer

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: i'm taking a grad string theory course with my thesis advisor

Special Bonus Points: again, i'm female, and one recommender is well known in his field and has connections but submitted all of his recs late.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: i've studied abroad and did a semester exchange within the us to take some astro classes (but i'm really into particle/nuclear/relativity/th cosmology). i'm also notoriously bad with labs, and hate writing them ... i am thus in the process of making up the last of some work for these classes.

Applying to Where:

university of hawaii at manoa - physics - theory - accepted via email 3/4
ucsb - physics - theory - rejected via website 3/10
caltech - physics - theory - rejected via email 2/27
univeristy of washington - physics - theory - rejected ... someone finally emailed me back
university of wisconsin - physics - theory - rejected via ze post 3/6
univeristy of colorado at boulder - physics - theory - rejected via email after 3 inquiries
princeton university - physics - theory - rejected via email 2/25
stony brook university - physics - theory - rejected via email 3/5

er... hawaii or bust, haha

[GaAs]

Undergrad Institution: Ivy, top in physics
Major(s): Physics
GPA in Major: 3.55
Overall GPA: 3.30
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: above average
Type of Student: (Domestic, male, Asian)

GRE Scores:
Q: 790
V: 590
W: 4.0
P: 950

Research Experience: a few years of research experiences in high school and college, no publications

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: some school awards

Special Bonus Points: two grad classes

Applying to Where:

Harvard - Applied Physics - condensed matter experiment - Accepted - email - 2/19

Princeton - Physics - condensed matter experiment - Accepted - email - 2/20

Columbia - Physics - condensed matter experiment - Accepted - email - 2/21

Yale - Physics - condensed matter experiment - Accepted - post - 2/22

[Wipes]

Undergrad Institution: Foreign. Pretty reputed. India
Major(s): Engineering Physics
Minor(s): Chemistry
GPA in Major: 7.6/10
Overall GPA: 7.56/10
Length of Degree: 4 years.
Position in Class: Middle
Type of Student: Foreign Male

GRE Scores:
Q: 800 / 94%
V: 650 / 93%
W: 5.0 / 73%
P: 990 / 97%

Research Experience: 6 weeks doing quantum information. Undergrad thesis work.

Publications and Conferences None.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Decent performance in math olympiad

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: None.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: None.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: None

Applying to Where:

U Toronto - Physics - WAITING
U Southern California - Physics - admit with TA 2/8
LSU - Physics - admit with TA 2/16. Rejected the offer
U Oregon - Physics - admit with TA 2/18
U Rochester - Physics - WAITING
U New Mexico - Physics - Admit with TA 2/25
U Waterloo - Physics - WAITING
U Calgary - Physics -WAITING

[ibbgs]

Undergrad Institution: Top 5 Canada
Major(s): Math and Physics
Minor: Chem
GPA in Major: 3.95
Overall GPA: 3.92
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: somewhere near the top
Type of Student: joe white canadian eh

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 550
W: 4.5
P: 800

Research Experience: 4 terms chemical physics research exp. 3 first author pubs, 2 J Am Chem Soc (1 published, 1 submitted), 1 in small optics journal, presentations at 4 conferences.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: some school awards

Special Bonus Points: drove down to meet profs at some places before applying

Applying to Where (chemical physics/optics):

Harvard - Applied Physics - Accepted - email - 2/19 - accepted offer 3/16
Caltech - Applied Physics - Accepted - email 3/04 - declined 4/07
Stanford - Applied Physics - Accepted - email - 2/22 - declined 3/31
Princeton - EE - rejected - email - 2/20
MIT - Physics - rejected - snail mail - 3/06
University of Central Florida - CREOL - Accepted - email 2/21 - declined - 2/24

NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship - accepted 3/25 downgraded to an NSERC PGS so that it can be taken up at an American University

[q-w-e-r-t-y]

Undergrad Institution: State University
Major(s):BS Physics, MS Physics
Minor(s):N/A
GPA in Major:3.0
Overall GPA:2.8
Length of Degree: 5 years Undergraduate, 2 years Master
Position in Class: mediocre
Type of Student: International, Female

GRE Scores:
Q:730
V:320
W:4
P:Super Bad

TOEFL Total:104(iBT)

Research Experience:Biophysics (Plant physiology/Radiation Physics), Gave a talk at an international conference and got a best talk award, AIP conference proceeding based on the talk.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:School-based Scholarships, Research Grants, Fellowships

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:TA, tutor

Applying to:

UC San Francisco - Biophysics - rejected by post (02/27/2008)
UC Davis - Biophysics - rejected by Email (04/15/2008) Finally!!
UC Irvine - Biophysics - rejected by Email (02/26/2008)
UC San Diego - Biophysics - rejected by Email (03/07/2008)
UC Merced - Biophysics - No Reply! (as of 5/1/2008)

[Xanthippe]

Undergrad Institution: Small but respected
Major(s): Physics and a double major in a subject of the humanities
Minor(s): none
GPA in Major: ~ 3.6
Overall GPA: ~ 3.7
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Top third I think
Type of Student: Domestic, Female, Underrepresented Minority

GRE Scores:
Q:800
V:~760
W:~6
P: Bad, so bad. Less than 50th percentile.

Research Experience: One publication, one conference presentation at a different university, four years research experience at undergrad university

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Two prestigious merit-based scholarships

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Freshman physics grader, programming gig, tutoring

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Not that I can think of.

Special Bonus Points: Faculty connections to most of the schools I applied to, female and minority status

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Erm, I'm not sure.

Applying to Where:

Rice University - Physics - HEP - Accepted by email 2/4 with fellowship
UW-Madison - Physics - HEP - Accepted 2/5 by email with fellowship
UT Austin - Physics - HEP - Accepted 2/5 by email with vague references to money
Notre Dame - Physics - HEP - Accepted 2/19 by email with vague references to money
Texas A&M - Physics - HEP - Accepted 2/20 by post with fellowship
U Chicago - Physics - HEP - Rejected 2/21 by post *cries*

[kangen558]

After months of lurking, I might as well:

Undergrad Institution: Small state school known for engineering.
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): Math
GPA in Major: 4.0
Overall GPA: 4.0
Length of Degree: 3
Position in Class: top
Type of Student: domestic pacific islander male

GRE Scores:
Q: 760
V: 580
W: 4.5
P: 820

TOEFL Total:

Research Experience: 2 years of photonics research at home institution--1 publication: 2nd of 3 authors, 2 posters at conference. REU at another institution--2 conference proceedings in cosmic ray physics. Summer at LANL.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: School/state scholarships, one department research award, one campus research award, conference travel grant, a couple honor societies, and dean's list.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Instructor for engineering physics lab, TA for electronics lab, tutor for engineering physics, [former] chapter SPS president.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: graduate math methods course, class in nonlinear dynamics (my main research interest), independent study in particle field theory

Special Bonus Points:

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Earned an associates and high school diploma at the same time.

Applying to Where:

MIT - Physics - Theory - Rejected 3/3 via snail mail
Cornell - Physics - Theory - Rejected by snail mail 2/25
Maryland, College Park - Physics - Nonlinear Dynamics Theory- Accepted 3/5 (email) with TA --> Accepted Maryland Offer
UW Madison - Physics - Theory - Rejected by snail mail 3/5 via snail mail.
Notre Dame - Physics - Complex Networks/Biophysics - Accepted 2/20 by email with Fellowship + NSF IGERT Fellowship

The decisions are finally over....

[___]

Undergrad Institution: Top 10 liberal arts college with a so-so physics reputation
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): Philosophy
GPA in Major: 3.95
Overall GPA: 3.90
Length of Degree: 4 years (graduated 2007)
Position in Class: Near top
Type of Student: domestic white guy

GRE Scores:
Q: 800
V: 650
W: 4.5 (I'm really annoyed with this one)
P: 850

Research Experience: Two summer research positions at high-ranking institutions. I got both of them through professor connections, and I got a paper published out of the first one (first author). Also, I wrote a really good senior thesis on LISA and gravity waves, and I'm still trying to get a paper published out of that (my professor's collaborator has been unbearably slow in getting back to us).

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Goldwater scholarship, Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude, senior physics prize

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor/lab assistant for sophomore to senior year.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: not really

Special Bonus Points: One of my recommenders is going to be starting a tenure-track position at Harvard next year.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I think I got really awesome letters from all of my recommenders.

Applying to Where:

NYU - Physics - Cosmology
..........Accepted, emailed 02/08/2008
Harvard - Astronomy - Cosmology/Astrophysics
..........Accepted, called 02/12/2008 ($28k stipend for five years)
UCSB - Physics - Cosmology
..........Rejected, online 03/10/2008
U of Chicago - Physics - Cosmology
..........Accepted, postmarked 02/20/2008 ($30k TA/Fellowship/summer RA)
UNC Chapel Hill - Physics - Cosmology
..........Accepted, postmarked 01/31/2008 - offer declined
U of Wisconsin, Madison - Physics - Cosmology
..........Accepted, postmarked 02/05/2008
Caltech - Physics - Cosmology
..........Rejected, emailed 03/21/2008
Berkeley - Physics - Cosmology
..........Rejected, called Donna (no official word as of 3/27)
UCSC - Physics - Cosmology
..........Accepted, emailed 02/27/2008

Last year I applied to the physics programs at Berkeley, Brown, Harvard, MIT, and Columbia and got rejected from all of them. Given that I've now got some good choices, I'm convinced that the whole process is a crap chute.