question to graduate students:

  • This has become our largest and most active forum because the physics GRE is just one aspect of getting accepted into a graduate physics program.
  • There are applications, personal statements, letters of recommendation, visiting schools, anxiety of waiting for acceptances, deciding between schools, finding out where others are going, etc.

Post Reply
betelgeuse1
Posts: 116
Joined: Sat May 09, 2009 10:14 am

question to graduate students:

Post by betelgeuse1 » Thu Nov 05, 2009 12:37 pm

What is your opinion about the admission now? Are there any new problems considering the economic crisis? Are the universities out of funds and take less students? Are they having problems? Is the number of admitted graduate students drastically decreasing? I am asking the people that are already graduate students and can see what happens in their department.

betelgeuse1
Posts: 116
Joined: Sat May 09, 2009 10:14 am

more questions:

Post by betelgeuse1 » Thu Nov 05, 2009 1:19 pm

Do you think this crisis will decrease the value of American universities in time? I want to have my PhD in the USA because now these are the best but it's not impossible that I'll work after that in Europe. Do you feel that the US universities are going down? I know it's a difficult question but you can count on anonymity and answer honestly!
If you would give an advise to your brother or sister would you tell him/her to go for a PhD in the US or, let's say, in Switzerland?

betelgeuse1
Posts: 116
Joined: Sat May 09, 2009 10:14 am

Re: question to graduate students:

Post by betelgeuse1 » Fri Nov 06, 2009 9:43 am

over 100 views and NO answer? I must have hit a nerve!

User avatar
grae313
Posts: 2296
Joined: Tue May 29, 2007 8:46 pm

Re: question to graduate students:

Post by grae313 » Fri Nov 06, 2009 11:55 am

Your first question has already been discussed quite a bit. As to your second, I don't think American universities are going down.

betelgeuse1
Posts: 116
Joined: Sat May 09, 2009 10:14 am

Re: question to graduate students:

Post by betelgeuse1 » Fri Nov 06, 2009 1:36 pm

1. where has that been discussed?
2. a friend of mine said 2 days ago that i "must be crazy to go now in the us, exactly when they're falling apart" [lol (?)] so this is why i was asking this here...
3. i'll find out one day how to put a picture of my eye there too...(envy)

kroner
Posts: 217
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2009 1:58 am

Re: question to graduate students:

Post by kroner » Fri Nov 06, 2009 2:03 pm

I don't think the current recession has any long term effect. The economy is bad certainly, but that translates into short term budget problems, not a mass exodus of talent. Plus other countries are also experiencing a slowdown to various degrees. In a few years the economy will be essentially be on track again and everyone will have forgotten the whole thing ever happened. People will be back to spending beyond their means and leveraging 30:1 on credit default swaps. It's the American way.

You're welcome to speculate about whether there's a long term decline in the United States' position as the dominant world power, but I think that's a different discussion. Also not very relevant if you are planning to go to school within the next 50 years. It sounds like your friend was making a joke.

betelgeuse1
Posts: 116
Joined: Sat May 09, 2009 10:14 am

Re: question to graduate students:

Post by betelgeuse1 » Fri Nov 06, 2009 2:09 pm

kroner wrote:I don't think the current recession has any long term effect. The economy is bad certainly, but that translates into short term budget problems, not a mass exodus of talent. Plus other countries are also experiencing a slowdown to various degrees. In a few years the economy will be essentially be on track again and everyone will have forgotten the whole thing ever happened. People will be back to spending beyond their means and leveraging 30:1 on credit default swaps. It's the American way.

You're welcome to speculate about whether there's a long term decline in the United States' position as the dominant world power, but I think that's a different discussion. Also not very relevant if you are planning to go to school within the next 50 years. It sounds like your friend was making a joke.
one of his "serious" jokes... i just want to know what value will my us-phd have in 4 years from now in europe.
do you people know the joke with the fly? A common fly has a memory span of about 2 sec. It hits a window, and in 3 sec. it's asking itself where does that horrible headache come from...

kroner
Posts: 217
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2009 1:58 am

Re: question to graduate students:

Post by kroner » Fri Nov 06, 2009 2:55 pm

I don't disagree that the US has problems, and they may have serious consequences long term.

But the US also has one of the most stable governments in the world, which means short of a meteor or nuclear war I can't imagine anything that could significantly and abruptly change its status in the world within the next decade, and that's the time frame you're asking about. Will the US be on top in 100 years? Who can say. Does it matter for your PhD?

physics_auth
Posts: 163
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 7:24 pm

Re: question to graduate students:

Post by physics_auth » Fri Nov 06, 2009 3:01 pm

kroner wrote:I don't think the current recession has any long term effect. The economy is bad certainly, but that translates into short term budget problems, not a mass exodus of talent. Plus other countries are also experiencing a slowdown to various degrees. In a few years the economy will be essentially be on track again and everyone will have forgotten the whole thing ever happened. People will be back to spending beyond their means and leveraging 30:1 on credit default swaps. It's the American way.
@ Kroner: Sorry for asking that, but, do YOU believe what you aver above?

kroner
Posts: 217
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2009 1:58 am

Re: question to graduate students:

Post by kroner » Fri Nov 06, 2009 3:09 pm

:lol:
I was mostly being facetious. Mostly. :wink:

User avatar
grae313
Posts: 2296
Joined: Tue May 29, 2007 8:46 pm

Re: question to graduate students:

Post by grae313 » Fri Nov 06, 2009 3:45 pm

betelgeuse1 wrote:1. where has that been discussed?
Seek, and ye shall find. http://www.physicsgre.com/search.php?ke ... mit=Search



Post Reply