Prospective questions
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- Posts: 54
- Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2009 5:33 pm
Prospective questions
Hi all,
So I have some really basic questions for right now, I'm sure I'll be getting more familiar with everything, but this seems to be the best place to ask questions!
Right, so I will be graduating '10, and am interested in attending a grad program specifically for astroparticle physics / particle astrophysics (one in the same but whatever lol, from now on its just APP) and I'd like some input from anyone familiar. Are many astro/physics departments supporting an APP group? I've done a lot of googling, but I get a lot of results from 2004 hah - it seems the entire field died that year. Well, the only up to date one I've seen seems to be stanford really @ Kavli....
Aside from that, here are my basic questions:
- I'm not confident of my chances anywhere, do I suffer at all from applying to as many programs as possible?
- Should I take the PGRE in april without much studying, then again in october after studying the whole summer? How could this hurt me?
- I see the spread for acceptance dates and wonder if adding a bit to my SOP about how I will be retaking a few classes in my final spring semester will help me at all?
Thanks!
So I have some really basic questions for right now, I'm sure I'll be getting more familiar with everything, but this seems to be the best place to ask questions!
Right, so I will be graduating '10, and am interested in attending a grad program specifically for astroparticle physics / particle astrophysics (one in the same but whatever lol, from now on its just APP) and I'd like some input from anyone familiar. Are many astro/physics departments supporting an APP group? I've done a lot of googling, but I get a lot of results from 2004 hah - it seems the entire field died that year. Well, the only up to date one I've seen seems to be stanford really @ Kavli....
Aside from that, here are my basic questions:
- I'm not confident of my chances anywhere, do I suffer at all from applying to as many programs as possible?
- Should I take the PGRE in april without much studying, then again in october after studying the whole summer? How could this hurt me?
- I see the spread for acceptance dates and wonder if adding a bit to my SOP about how I will be retaking a few classes in my final spring semester will help me at all?
Thanks!
Re: Prospective questions
Northeastern, Hawaii and Madison come to mind for APP. UW-Milwaukee also has at least one professor (Anchordoqui) and a postdoc working on APP, if you're looking for a safety school to apply to. I'd imagine a lot of the big/reputable programs have APP researchers as well, but normal people can get into the ones I mentioned.
1. Apply to a lot of schools; shoot for 8-10 or so with a couple safeties and a couple reach schools.
2. Take it both in April and October. Study as much as you have time for the April exam; maybe you'll do well! And if not, you'll know what you're up against come fall.
3. Couldn't hurt. Don't make too big of a deal of it though - keep your SoP focused on your interests, goals, qualifications, etc.
The above is, of course, depending on your finances. GRE's and application fees can really add up, but it's a worthwhile investment.
Best of luck!
1. Apply to a lot of schools; shoot for 8-10 or so with a couple safeties and a couple reach schools.
2. Take it both in April and October. Study as much as you have time for the April exam; maybe you'll do well! And if not, you'll know what you're up against come fall.
3. Couldn't hurt. Don't make too big of a deal of it though - keep your SoP focused on your interests, goals, qualifications, etc.
The above is, of course, depending on your finances. GRE's and application fees can really add up, but it's a worthwhile investment.
Best of luck!
Re: Prospective questions
For Astroparticle you should consider the following:
UWisc-Madison (IceCube), Penn State (IceCube), Ohio State (Pierre Auger), NYU (Pierre Auger)
depending on what you want to do of course. There is also the schools have neutrino physics:
UWash being a big one here besides UWisc-Madison
The field hasn't died.... we are all just waiting for IceCube to go online
UWisc-Madison (IceCube), Penn State (IceCube), Ohio State (Pierre Auger), NYU (Pierre Auger)
depending on what you want to do of course. There is also the schools have neutrino physics:
UWash being a big one here besides UWisc-Madison
The field hasn't died.... we are all just waiting for IceCube to go online
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- Posts: 54
- Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2009 5:33 pm
Re: Prospective questions
cool, its not too terribly important, but I guess I should state I'm definitely more interested in experimental/computational =D
also, as far as retaking the pgre, what if any is the validity of the cancel/retake process I was reading about on here? People just go in, fill in the cancel bubble, take the test, if they get a bad score they let it cancel, if not they pay the fee and get the score reinstated? lol?
also, as far as retaking the pgre, what if any is the validity of the cancel/retake process I was reading about on here? People just go in, fill in the cancel bubble, take the test, if they get a bad score they let it cancel, if not they pay the fee and get the score reinstated? lol?
Re: Prospective questions
basically... afaik... check the ets website for detailstensorwhat wrote:cool, its not too terribly important, but I guess I should state I'm definitely more interested in experimental/computational =D
also, as far as retaking the pgre, what if any is the validity of the cancel/retake process I was reading about on here? People just go in, fill in the cancel bubble, take the test, if they get a bad score they let it cancel, if not they pay the fee and get the score reinstated? lol?
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- Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2009 5:59 pm
Re: Prospective questions
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Last edited by Theoretischer on Sat Feb 21, 2009 3:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- Posts: 54
- Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2009 5:33 pm
Re: Prospective questions
hah yeah well look at that, its poorly worded, but I guess that's what it says wowee =]
yeah so, I'm not too prepared if I were to take it now, I do have a good month to pour over a resnick or knight text though. it seems like from most of the discussion, that the test has been getting easier, and if you know the material from your intro classes/1 of the texts above, you should be good for about 80% of a test.
i think along with taking quantum, solid state, optics, my last lab, and a math class, i can work in at least 10 hours a week to study, and do this: http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/undergrad/ugs_gre.php
in crash course mode of course
and i guess i can always just cancel, hah that seems so weird to me for some reason
P.S. - particular attention on that OSU page to this: http://grephysics.yosunism.com/solutions.php
yeah so, I'm not too prepared if I were to take it now, I do have a good month to pour over a resnick or knight text though. it seems like from most of the discussion, that the test has been getting easier, and if you know the material from your intro classes/1 of the texts above, you should be good for about 80% of a test.
i think along with taking quantum, solid state, optics, my last lab, and a math class, i can work in at least 10 hours a week to study, and do this: http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/undergrad/ugs_gre.php
in crash course mode of course
and i guess i can always just cancel, hah that seems so weird to me for some reason
P.S. - particular attention on that OSU page to this: http://grephysics.yosunism.com/solutions.php
Re: Prospective questions
1 month is enough to study for the GRE provided you can devote time to it. Just grad a first-year textbook and work through all the previous 4 tests and you should be able to get a respectable score.
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- Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2009 5:33 pm
Re: Prospective questions
well i just registered, here we go lol - time to hit it!
a side note, i never took physics in high school so this material isnt as deeply ingrained as other people might have it
a side note, i never took physics in high school so this material isnt as deeply ingrained as other people might have it
Re: Prospective questions
I second that. I spent no more than a month preparing for the PGRE and got a pretty good score. Starting a semester earlier is an overkill.tmc wrote:1 month is enough to study for the GRE provided you can devote time to it. Just grad a first-year textbook and work through all the previous 4 tests and you should be able to get a respectable score.