2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

  • 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.

tweetie_brid
Posts: 63
Joined: Wed May 30, 2012 7:59 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by tweetie_brid » Thu Jan 17, 2013 10:34 am

Q 159
Last edited by tweetie_brid on Sat Jan 31, 2015 4:34 am, edited 1 time in total.

astropenguin
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 10:26 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by astropenguin » Thu Jan 17, 2013 11:30 pm

Undergrad Institution: Liberal Arts Collage (Top 10 in both Music and Theater programs). No reputation in Physics/Astronomy.
Major(s): Earth & Space Science: Astrophysics & Planetary Geology
Minor(s): Physics
GPA in Major: 4.0
Overall GPA: 3.92
Length of Degree: 4.5 Years (Graduated this past December)
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: Domestic, Male.

GRE Scores : (revised)
Q: 156 (68%)
V: 145 (24%)
W: 4.0 (49%)
P: 510 (12%)


Research Experience: In short: 2 publications (1 first author, 1 co-author), a thesis paper/presentation, contributor to a database, and 3 conference posters (217th, 219th, and 221st AAS).

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:
Finalist in the best student award (University wide)
Recognized as the best Physics student (University wide)
Recognized as the best student (departmental wide)
Dean's List all years
Phi Kappa Phi Scholar
Honors Program Scholar

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA in Introductory Physics Courses. Tutor at University's Math/Science Center.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Nothing really.... >.>

Special Bonus Points: Along with the conferences, I've also attended the Synthesis Imaging Summer School organized by NRAO. Also, each of my three letters of recommendations came from different institutions.

Plus, various volunteer work such as - Volunteer as Student Assistant Director for the local Regional Science Olympiad as well as a reoccurring judge for the local Regional Science Fair.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Wide range of courses (From Geology, Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, and Math). Fluent in common Astronomical Software packages (CIAO/Sherpa, SAS/xspec, IRAF, CUBISM/Smarts, DS9. Also LaTeX and self-taught in Python).

Applying to Where: (In no order what so ever)

Columbia - Astro - 3/18: Rejected after Inquiry via Email (3/23: Rejected via Email to check Website).
MIT - Phys (Astro) - 2/15: Rejected via Email.
UT Austin - Astro - 2/8: Rejected via Email to check Website.
Ohio State - Astro - 3/25: Rejected via Checking Website.
LSU - Physics - 1/14: Offered admission via Email. TA Stipend ($22,000) and tuition waiver. Accepting Offer! :)
Rutgers - Phys (Astro) - 3/18: Rejected after Inquiry via Email.
Uni of Arizona - Astro - 2/8: Rejected via Email.

Additional Note - Did alot of Networking
Last edited by astropenguin on Mon Mar 25, 2013 5:56 pm, edited 9 times in total.

walczyk
Posts: 35
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 5:47 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by walczyk » Fri Jan 18, 2013 11:32 pm

Undergrad Institution: Central Conn State U for two years, Clark U for three
Major(s):Physics
Minor(s): none
GPA in Major: 3.5
Overall GPA:3.31
Length of Degree: 5 years
Position in Class: dunno
Type of Student: domestic, white/hispanic, male

GRE Scores : revised
Q: 165
V: 164
W: 4.5
P: 960

Research Experience: At school, two years working with magnetism in condensed matter. No publications

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: A fellowship one summer.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Self-study, don't know if that counts.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: Took two graduate classes after I graduated.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Been out of school for three years, had a lot of medical withdrawals on my transcript. Was pretty unfocused and immature as an undergraduate.

Applying to Where:

Columbia University
Brown University - Waitlisted 3/11
University of Maryland
Pennsylvania State University - Accepted 2/28 $31k stipend
Dartmouth College - 2/8 - Invited for interview (No longer interested)
SUNY Stony Brook
University of Connecticut - Accepted 2/5, $18k stipend
Last edited by walczyk on Thu Mar 14, 2013 12:25 pm, edited 2 times in total.

bschroe
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2013 9:33 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by bschroe » Sun Jan 20, 2013 10:00 pm

Undergrad Institution: Top-50 university in the southern US; public.
Major(s): B.S. Physics.
Minor(s): Math.
GPA in Major: 4.0
Overall GPA: 3.965
Length of Degree: 3 years, typically 4.
Position in Class: Probably second in physics, very near top overall (within top 50 of 4000).
Type of Student: White, domestic male.

GRE Scores : Revised
Q: 168 (97)
V: 160 (83)
W: 4.0 (49)
P: 790 (72)

Research Experience: At own university since just before last summer. I worked in computational atmospheric physics for the summer, and have been working in condensed matter theory since August. I am third author on a paper from the atmospheric research which should be submitted for review soon. In short, far too little...

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Sigma Pi Sigma, way too many times on the President's List for only a couple of minor engineering+science college-wide scholarships.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Informal tutor, president of SPS--we just got awarded a good deal of AIP funds for a cyclotron.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: Lots of abstract math--first two years I did linear; seminar+competition for Putnam; the two-semester undergraduate real analysis course; one-semester intro. to groups, rings, and fields. Did the physics program really fast--my only "required" course this semester is QM 2, and that's just because I had a scheduling conflict and couldn't take QM 1 a year early in autumn 2011. Grad courses--audited one-semester mechanics, currently enrolled in one-semester QFT. In a very small one-semester course on string theory, as one of two undergrads, in addition to three auditing grads (using Zwiebach's book).

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

Applying to Where:
Everywhere. Physics departments across the board; research: string theory and other quantum gravity if available, next is other QFTs, then condensed matter theory.

Texas A&M Offered 18/2 by email. $25k/12 months fellowship. Followup call 20/2 from one of the HET professors. Will attend!

Wisconsin Offered 23/1 by email. ~$20k/12 months.
Ohio State Offered 29/1 by website. 5/2 update: $26k/12 months fellowship.

Cincinnati No reply as of 30/4.

Berkeley Rejected sometime by email
Harvard Rejected sometime by email.
Perimeter Scholars International Rejected sometime by email.
Michigan Rejected 12/2 by email.
Princeton Rejected 14/2 by email.
MIT Rejected 15/2 by email.
Caltech Rejected 28/2 by email.
Stanford Rejected 1/3 by email.
Last edited by bschroe on Tue Apr 30, 2013 3:45 pm, edited 14 times in total.

feisuxiaozhu
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2013 10:52 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by feisuxiaozhu » Tue Jan 22, 2013 10:59 pm

will update later
Last edited by feisuxiaozhu on Wed Jan 30, 2013 6:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.

hansolo
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2013 1:18 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by hansolo » Wed Jan 23, 2013 1:24 am

Undergrad Institution: Large state school, top 50 in physics
Major(s): Physics and Applied Mathematics
GPA in Major: 3.70
Overall GPA: 3.66
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Near top
Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE Scores :
Q: 167
V: 161
W: 3.5
P: 760


Research Experience: 3 years in physical chemistry lab, one publication submitted after applications were sent out, though it was mentioned that it was in preparation. 1.5 years in condensed matter lab working on spin dynamics and quantum engineering which will culminate in an Honors Thesis. All at home institution.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's list, Research grant from university, Sigma Pi Sigma, Poster award from chemistry conference.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Volunteered in various outreach programs.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: 2 oral presentations and many posters at both physics and chemistry conferences.

Special Bonus Points: Two majors in 4 years, and what I think is significant research experience. I should have good recommendations, and my research adviser is well known in the field.

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



Caltech - Applied Physics Rejected 3/25 via email
Stanford - Applied Physics Rejected 2/16 via postal mail
Harvard - SEAS Applied Physics Rejected 3/16 via postal mail
MIT - Physics Rejected 2/15 via email
Berkeley - Physics Rejected 3/7 via email
Chicago - Physics Rejected 3/1 via email
Cornell - Applied Physics Rejected via email
UCSB - Physics Rejected 2/16 via email
Yale - Applied Physics Accepted 2/18 via email
Boulder - Physics Accepted 3/7 via email
Washington - Physics Rejected 3/13 via email
Carnegie Mellon - Physics Waitlist 2/14 via email
Duke - Physics Accepted 2/1 via email
Northwestern - Physics Rejected via email
Pittsburgh - Physics Accepted 2/6 via email

NSF GRFP Rejected via email
DOD NDSEG Rejected via email
Last edited by hansolo on Tue Apr 16, 2013 9:58 pm, edited 12 times in total.

janedoe2012
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2012 12:09 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by janedoe2012 » Wed Jan 23, 2013 2:20 pm

Undergrad Institution: International University
Major(s): Physics
GPA in Major(s): 89%
Length of Degree: 3 years
Position in Class: near top
Type of Student: international female

GRE Scores : revised version
Q: 157 (71%)
V: 155 (65%)
W: 4.0 (49%)
P: 670 (49%)

TOEFL Total: 109/120

Research Experience: I have done two major research projects in the US, co-authored one published paper (4th author), and have one paper in prep as 1st author.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutored 4 high school students, TA for two undergrad physics courses, attended several conferences, given poster presentations and talks

Special Bonus Points: Strong letters

Applying to Where: Physics/Astronomy & Astrophysics

MIT - Physics - Astrophysics Rejected by email (2/15)
Stanford - Physics - Astrophysics Rejected by email (3/09)
NYU - Physics - Astrophysics Rejected by email (3/13)

Caltech - Astro - Astrophysics Rejected by email (2/11)
UCSC - Astro - Astrophysics - Accepted by Email (2/7)
Harvard - Astro - Astrophysics Rejected by snail mail
Columbia - Astro - Astrophysics Accepted by Email (2/18) - Will attend!
U. Maryland - Astro - Astrophysics Accepted by Email (2/22)
U. Chicago - Astro - Astrophysics Rejected by email (3/12)
Berkeley - Astro - Astrophysics Rejected by email (2/14)
Last edited by janedoe2012 on Thu May 09, 2013 11:16 am, edited 10 times in total.

retrospectacles
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Aug 18, 2012 4:55 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by retrospectacles » Wed Jan 23, 2013 8:32 pm

______________________________________________
Undergrad Institution: Ivy
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): None
GPA in Major: 3.62
Overall GPA: 3.66
Length of Degree: 4 Years
Position in Class: N/A
Type of Student: Domestic White Male

GRE Scores :
Q: 163 (88%)
V: 167 (97%)
W: 5.0 (92%)
P: 790 (72%)


Research Experience: A lot of research experience with the ATLAS experiment at CERN. I started my junior year on a physics analysis project, and once I graduated, I took a year off to do an internship at a national lab with a hardware project (still with ATLAS). I've had a lot of time to gain experience/competence working on the experiment. I've been working towards an internal note, but no papers published.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: I was given a fellowship to do my research in Geneva for a summer. That was a lot of fun.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I tutored and helped TA a class while I was in college. Both of those were enjoyable, too.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: I presented a poster and have given a talk about my research at the national lab.

Special Bonus Points: I feel like my recommendations were strong, one from each of my research advisers and one from my lab professor.

Applying to Where:

Physics - HEP-EX for everything

UC Berkeley - Rejected via email (3/1)
Stanford - Rejected via email (3/1)
MIT - Rejected via email (2/15)
U Chicago - Rejected via email (3/1)
UPenn - Accepted via email (2/6)
U Wisconsin Madison - Accepted via email (1/23)
UT Austin - Invited to Open House via email (1/22) - Accepted via website (2/25)
CU Boulder - Accepted via email (2/15)
U Washington Seattle - Withdrew Application
UC Santa Cruz - Accepted via email (3/1)
UMD College Park - Withdrew Application
Georgia Tech - Withdrew Application
Last edited by retrospectacles on Tue Mar 12, 2013 5:39 pm, edited 9 times in total.

wsxcv
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2012 12:46 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by wsxcv » Fri Jan 25, 2013 12:48 am

Undergrad Institution: berkeley
Major(s): physics; statistics
Minor(s): none
GPA in Major: 3.98 (physics, one A-) 4.0 (stat)
Overall GPA: 3.89
Length of Degree: 4
Position in Class: dunno. around top?
Type of Student: domestic, male, asian

GRE Scores : revised
Q:170
V:162
W:4.0
P:990

Research Experience: 1.5 years active research in condensed matter experimental group. one poster presentation, no publications yet.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: nothing exceptional. some trivial stuff for grades and research

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: nope

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: 6 A+'s in physics, including a graduate quantum mechanics class. 2 of the recs should be very strong.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: probably the youngest applicant

Applying to Where:

condensed matter experiment for all

stanford accepted 3/1, email
berkeley accepted 2/15, email declined
caltech accepted 2/22, email declined
harvard rejected 3/something, snail mail
princeton rejected 2/14, email
mit accepted 2/14, email
columbia rejected 3/26, email to check site
uchicago accepted 2/13, email declined
yale accepted 2/18, email to check site declined
upenn nothing as of 4/11, don't care anyway
Last edited by wsxcv on Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:50 am, edited 11 times in total.

jrobbfed
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:50 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by jrobbfed » Fri Jan 25, 2013 11:00 pm

Applying to Where: All Astronomy/Astrophysics Departments (except JHU)

Arizona - Rejected - 2/18 (E-mail)
UC Santa Cruz - Rejected - 2/15 (E-mail)
Washington - Waitlisted - 2/23
Colorado - Accepted - 2/8 (E-mail)
Wisconsin
Michigan - Accepted - 2/6 (E-mail)
Ohio State - Accepted - 1/25 (Phone)
Johns Hopkins - Accepted - 1/29 (E-mail)
Yale - Accepted - 2/1 (E-mail)
Columbia - Waitlisted - 2/23
Harvard - Rejected (mail)
Last edited by jrobbfed on Tue Feb 26, 2013 7:08 pm, edited 9 times in total.

physics_girl
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2013 1:58 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by physics_girl » Sat Jan 26, 2013 2:13 am

Undergrad Institution: Large state school, ranked around #50 according to US News
Major(s): Physics and Astronomy
Minor(s): none
GPA in Major: 3.8
Overall GPA: 3.8
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: I've won a few awards for top students in my department, so near the top somewhere.
Type of Student: domestic white female

GRE Scores : (revised or old version?)
guys, I'm paranoid about admissions officers finding me. I'll edit these back in after admissions season is over.

Research Experience: 3 years in the same lab at my school, no publications but presented a poster at one small conference at my school and will be doing an oral presentation on my undergraduate thesis soon (I included this in my personal statement)

I spent one summer doing astronomy research at my school and another in an REU

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: a couple small awards from my school

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: none. I have a job but it wasn't relevant.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: None that I'm aware of/that I put in my app

Special Bonus Points: female (is this even a huge plus?), took two grad classes last semester and got A's in both of them.

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

Applying to Where: (All schools are experimental particle physics, except Brown because they have a particle astrophysics group that they kind of lump in with experimental cosmology)

University of Washington - I'm assuming rejected
Boston University rejected by email 2/11
Brown invited for phone interview with cosmology group 1/25, rejected via website 2/22
Michigan State accepted 1/29 with 21K stipend
Penn State accepted 2/13 with 21K stiped + 4-6k summer + 5k for first year only
University of Rochester rejected 2/21
Tufts accepted 2/22 with 23k stipend + 5k fellowship
RPI accepted 1/16 with 18K stipend (first acceptance, kind of my back-up but it takes A LOT of stress off knowing at least one school wants me!)
Virginia Tech unofficially accepted by email 2/6, funding info to come

People with low GRE scores, don't give up hope if you have really strong research! There are schools that will want you!
Last edited by physics_girl on Sun Mar 03, 2013 2:43 pm, edited 8 times in total.

dashapdv
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 4:55 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by dashapdv » Sat Jan 26, 2013 4:13 am

Undergrad Institution: Large school, top-10 in Russia
Major(s): Physics (Particle Physics)
Minor(s): -
GPA in Major: 4.5/5.0
Overall GPA: 4.47/5.0 (5.0/5.0 for last two years)
Length of Degree: 5.5 (Specialist degree)
Position in Class: I don't know, but probabaly near top.
Type of Student: International white female.

GRE Scores : revised
Q: 166(94%)
V: 161(86%)
W: 3.0(11%)
P: 710(58%) (dissapointed with it)


TOEFL Total: 111/120 (Speaking 23)

Research Experience: 3 years in Cosmic Ray/Neutrino Lab (NEVOD), 3 projects, 7 pretty insignificant publications in conference proceedings (6 in Russian, 1 in English), one oral presentation on conference, several in university.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: GPA awards

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Laboratory Assistant (2 years), Engineer (almost 1 year) all at NEVOD

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: None

Special Bonus Points: My parents have no higher education (heard it can be important), I have known all my recommenders for almost 3 years and they all seem to like me.

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

Applying to Where: Physics, with preference for HEP-EX and Neutrino.

Lousiana State - Accepted via e-mail (25/01) .
University of Toronto - Waitlisted I think (Althrough they told me the group I am interested in is closed)
Duke University - Rejected
University of Washington - Rejected
University of Wisconsin-Madison - Rejected
Pensylvania State - Accepted . -- Will Attend most likely
University of Minnesota - Waitlisted
University of Pittsburgh - Accepted .
University of California, Irvine - Rejected
University of Rochester - Rejected
Stony Brook University - Accepted to Masters without money- Later fully accepted .
William & Mary - Accepted .
Virginia Tech - Accepted .
Last edited by dashapdv on Thu Apr 11, 2013 11:39 am, edited 4 times in total.

trekbaum
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2013 5:23 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by trekbaum » Sun Jan 27, 2013 5:49 pm

Undergrad Institution: Texas A&M (Large State Engineering School)
Major(s): Physics & Math
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: ~3.9
Overall GPA: ~3.8
Length of Degree: 4.5 years
Position in Class: Near top
Type of Student: Domestic White Male

GRE Scores : old version
Q: 800
V: 610
W: 4.5
P: 790 (72%) / 860 (82%)


Research Experience: 3 years astronomical instrumentation (couple co-author & 1 first-author papers), 1 Solar REU at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (1 AAS poster), 1 Solar REU + currently researching at National Solar Observatory,

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Goldwater Scholar, Astronaut Scholar, School Research Week 1st place Physics poster 2011,2012

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Graded papers during my first two semesters, many astronomy public outreach over the years

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Study abroad in London and 3 graduate physics/astro classes

Special Bonus Points: Appeared on the Discovery Channel for a science show

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Took off one semester from sick leave

Applying to Where: (In alphabetical order, all solar research interest, and all astro/planetary departments)

Arizona - Waitlisted
Berkeley - Rejected
Boston - Accepted by email 2/4: 30k
Boulder - Accepted
Chicago - Rejected
Harvard - Rejected
Hawaii, Manoa - Accepted
Montana State - Accepted
Rice - Accepted by phone 1/13: 28k TA but must TA for 5 semesters
Stanford - Rejected
Yale - Accepted by email 2/1

NSF Fellowship
Last edited by trekbaum on Mon Mar 11, 2013 5:31 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Croixrousse
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2013 5:34 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by Croixrousse » Sun Jan 27, 2013 7:42 pm

______________________________________________
Undergrad Institution: Top state school, with a solid undergraduate physics program.
Major(s): Physics (B.S.) and History
Minor(s): French
GPA in Major: 3.3ish
Overall GPA: 3.5
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Not sure - probably above average but certainly not among the best
Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE Scores : New version
Q: 166 (94%)
V: 170 (99%)
W: 5.0 (92%)
P: 660 (47%) - My Achilles' heel! Ought to have studied more, I suppose.


Research Experience:
Summer internship doing experimental particle stuff at Fermilab; continuing the project as an independent study this year with the same professor. No publications, one conference talk & poster, also co-author on an internal paper for the CDF experiment.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:
Sigma Pi Sigma

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:
Nothing much relevant. Only real job during college was a summer spent working for a fuel cell company.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:
None

Special Bonus Points:
None

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:
Experienced with ROOT, C/C++, other useful computing tools from my research work.

Applying to Where:
(PhD programs unless otherwise noted; hoping to do High Energy / Particle Experimental)

Cornell - Rejected 2/12
Columbia - Rejected 3/28
Rutgers - Accepted 2/26; ~$25K (TA) - Declined 4/10
Duke - Accepted 1/30; ~$28K (TA + summer stipend) - Will Attend !
Univ. Virginia - Accepted 2/15; ~$24K (TA + summer stipend) - Declined 4/8
Univ. Mass. - Amherst - Accepted 4/2; ~$25K (TA + summer stipend) - Declined 4/10
Northeastern - Accepted 2/28; ~$30K (TA + summer stipend) - Declined 4/8
Brown - Rejected 2/22
Boston Univ. - Rejected 3/15
Yale - Rejected 2/14
Univ. Colorado - Boulder - Rejected 2/26
Cambridge (MASt in Physics) - Rejected 2/8
Cambridge (MPhil in History & Philosophy of Science) - Rejected 1/30
______________________________________________
Last edited by Croixrousse on Wed Apr 10, 2013 9:26 pm, edited 21 times in total.

cheese12
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2012 9:20 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by cheese12 » Tue Jan 29, 2013 9:41 pm

Undergrad Institution: Big State School

Applying to Where: All CME or biophysics

Harvard - Applied Physics
Harvard - Physics Rejected 03/05
MIT - Physics Rejected 02/15
UCSB - Physics
Princeton - Physics Rejected 02/14
UIUC - Physics Accepted 02/19
Stanford - Applied Physics Rejected 02/16
Caltech - Physics
Caltech - Applied Physics
Berkeley - Physics
Last edited by cheese12 on Thu Mar 07, 2013 11:31 am, edited 3 times in total.

ahtnamas
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2013 2:52 am

Post by ahtnamas » Wed Jan 30, 2013 2:09 pm

xxxx - sorry paranoia kicked in, will fill in after acceptances
Last edited by ahtnamas on Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:05 am, edited 4 times in total.

beckerhero
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 12:41 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by beckerhero » Thu Jan 31, 2013 1:38 pm

Undergrad Institution: Ivy, consistently top 3 in major
Major(s): Engineering Physics
Minor(s): N/A
GPA in Major: 3.67
Overall GPA: 3.66
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Above average, but not the top
Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE Scores: (revised)
Q: 167 (96%)
V: 158 (77%)
W: 5.5 (96%)
P: 930 (90%)


Research Experience: Did an REU during summer of 2012 on fabricating and characterizing vertical silicon nanopillar schottky diodes. Poster session and presentation at the end, and conference paper (second author) resulted from it. I've also been accepted to a follow-on research program in Japan this summer at the National Institute for Materials Science, where I'll be studying transport of electrons in quantum wells, wires, and dots (which is exactly the sort of research I want to perform in grad school). The professor I'll be working with is quite well known in this field. Unfortunately, this only shows up on a few of my apps.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Lots of high school things (AP distinctions, National Merit commended, NHS, etc.) but nothing except NSCS and Dean's list for college.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Physics tutor for a year, TA for an intro physics class for a semester, tutored privately in physics a small amount.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: The classes and research I've done have pretty much branded me for the area of research I want to do, which I hope will show my interest and preparation.

Special Bonus Points: 3 grad classes directly relevant to what I want to do (two A's, one B+), and an A+ in Intro Solid State Physics, which is what I want to research in. (Taking 1 more grad class this Spring semester).

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I have worked 15+ hours/week my entire time at college, on top of a full courseload. I did poorly in math classes like multi-variable calc and especially Linear Algebra (but I got A-'s in Mathematical Physics I and II). I'm hoping since I'm applying to experimental condensed matter that these grades won't matter too much.

Applying to Where: (Research interest is in Condensed Matter Experiment, specifically nanoelectronics for all)

Columbia - Applied Physics - Accepted 2/21 by e-mail, financial details to come
UC Berkeley - Applied Science and Technology - Ha.
U Michigan-Ann Arbor - Applied Physics - Rejected 3/5 by e-mail
UC Santa Barbara - Physics - Still pending, so likely rejected
U Wisconsin-Madison - Physics - Accepted 1/23 by e-mail, ~20k TA/12 months
U Chicago - Physics - Rejected 3/1 by e-mail to check website
U Illinois-Urbana Champaign - Physics - Accepted 2/18 by e-mail, ~21k TA/11 months
Stony Brook - Physics - Accepted 2/15 by e-mail, ~20k TA/9 months

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship -
Last edited by beckerhero on Tue Mar 05, 2013 1:11 pm, edited 4 times in total.

RyVal1
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 8:25 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by RyVal1 » Thu Jan 31, 2013 9:17 pm

GPA - 3.9
PGRE - 790 (72%)

Applying to Where:

Research interest for all is General Relativity/Quantum Mechanics

University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, Baltimore County - Accepted 2/5 TA + $23000 stipend
Johns Hopkins
Princeton - Rejected 2/14
Yale - Rejected 2/14
Brown
Boston
University of Washington - Accepted 1/28 TA + ~$22500 stipend + first year scholarship
MIT
CalTech
Pittsburgh - Accepted 2/6 w/ fellowship offer to come
Last edited by RyVal1 on Thu Feb 14, 2013 5:35 pm, edited 7 times in total.

Lenx1624
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2013 9:41 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by Lenx1624 » Fri Feb 01, 2013 1:08 pm

Undergrad Institution: Mid-size private school in NYC with no physics reputation
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): Chemistry/Math
GPA in Major: 3.92
Overall GPA: 3.74
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: top 10%
Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE Scores : New Version
Q: 164 (90%)
V: 154 (61%)
W: 4.0 (49%)
P: 940 (91%) in November 2012


Research Experience: 2 years of theoretical/computational work with a professor in the department. No publications or REU.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Sigma Pi Sigma and a bunch of music related awards

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutored and TA-ed for 2.5 years

Special Bonus Points: Nothin' special about this guy...

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I am proud of my SOP

Applying to Where: Physics PhD Programs all in Condensed Matter Theory with secondary choice in AMO Theory

Purdue - Accepted on 1/31 as TA for $18,156/year Declined Offer
Michigan State - Accepted on 1/31 as TA for $21k/year... Fellowship Offer on 3/7! for $28k/year on 3/7
Ohio State - Accepted on 2/8! TA $2k/month for 9 months Declined Offer
UCLA - Accepted on 2/9! First year fellowship $28k and Dean's Award with opportunities for RA and TA in following years
Carnegie Mellon - Accepted on 2/14! TA $2225/month for 12 months Declined Offer
Dartmouth - Contacted by Department gauging interest 2/5... Accepted on 2/17! Fellowship first two years $26k/year
UT Austin - Accepted on 2/25! 2 years of TA at $16k/year+$6k fellowship 1st year
Rutgers - Accepted on 2/26! TA $25k/year
U Maryland - Accepted on 2/28! TA/Fellowship totaling an amount less than or equal to $26k/year for first two years
CUNY Graduate Center - Accepted on 3/7! TA for $25k/year Declined Offer

U Penn -
Rochester -
Penn State -

U Michigan Ann Arbor (Rackham Grad School) - Rejected on 2/12
Yale - Rejected on 2/14
Princeton - Rejected on 2/14
Stanford - Rejected on 3/1
UC Berkeley - Rejected on 3/7
U Colorado at Boulder - Rejected on 3/14
Stony Brook - Rejected on 3/16
UCSB - Rejected on 3/21
UIUC - Rejected on 3/23
Columbia - Rejected on 3/26

Everything not updated is still pending so I'm hoping I'm not rejected from all of them...
Last edited by Lenx1624 on Tue Apr 09, 2013 1:36 pm, edited 20 times in total.

scientist.jack
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2013 12:52 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by scientist.jack » Sat Feb 02, 2013 1:22 am

Undergrad Institution: Unknown Christian Liberal Arts - Unranked
Major(s): Physics, Mathematics
Minor(s): None
GPA in Major:3.9
Overall GPA:3.8
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: near top
Type of Student: White domestic male

GRE Scores : revised
Q:
V:
W:
P:

Will add scores later.


Research Experience: Three REU programs: Harvard (Condensed Matter), Princeton (Nonlinear Optics), then Harvard again (Experimental Cosmology). Short project designing equipment for an engineering firm.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Full undergrad scholarship, graduating with honors, deans list every semester, Who's Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Lab assistant since Spring my freshman year. Lab manager my senior year (design curricula for physics labs, manage lab assistants, etc). Occasionally lecture in physics courses when professor is unavailable.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Lots of programming experience (C, C++, Java, Python, Matlab, CUDA, etc). Experience with circuits, soldering. 30 hour machine shop training course/certification from Harvard. Author on talk at APS March Meeting 2011.

Special Bonus Points: Know some faculty at Harvard. Know a postdoc at Northeastern, but he's in math.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: NCAA Men's Cross Country

Applying to Where:

Harvard - Physics - Undecided (Astrophysics/Condensed Matter)
MIT - Physics - Astrophysics Rejected via Email
Boston University - Physics - Statistical Physics Rejected via Email
Brown University - Physics - Astrophysics Rejected via Email
Tufts University - Physics - Astrophysics
Northeastern University - Physics - Network Physics
University of New Hampshire - Physics - High Energy Astrophysics Accepted via Email & Mail 2/27 with $22k 9-month TA + summer RA (c

I feel like I shot way too high, but I'm hoping for a miracle.
Last edited by scientist.jack on Wed Feb 27, 2013 6:15 pm, edited 4 times in total.

mctizzz
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2013 9:00 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by mctizzz » Sat Feb 02, 2013 9:28 am

Undergrad Institution: Small Unknown Liberal Arts School
Major: Physics
Minors: Math, Chemistry
GPA in Major: 3.6
Overall GPA: 3.1
Length of Degree: >4
Position in Class: Topish
Type of Student: Domestic male

GRE Scores : revised
Q: 94%
V: 56%
W: 73%
P: 56%

Research Experience: ExHE internship, REU, independent study.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Sigma Pi Sigma, Dean's List

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: math/physics/chemistry tutor, TA, SPS President, lab assistant, poster presentations, and talks

Applying to:

ASU Accepted by email 1/10 (stipend)
UC Irvine Accepted by email 1/25 (stipend + fellowship)
William and Mary Accepted by phone 1/29 (stipend)
CU Boulder Denied 2/25
CalTech Denied 2/28
UDenver Interview 2/27 Accepted by email 3/1 (stipend)
UC Santa Cruz Accepted by email 3/1 (stipend + fellowship)
UN Las Vegas Asked to "Consider a masters program" whithdrawn 3/8
Old Dominion Accepted by email 3/9 (stipend)
UOregon Denied 3/13
UWashington Denied 3/13
North Carolina State Denied 3/16
UC San Diego Denied 3/22

UC Riverside
Colorado SU
Colorado School of Mines
Wake Forest
U Arizona
U Virginia
U Southern California
Last edited by mctizzz on Fri Mar 22, 2013 2:51 pm, edited 20 times in total.

DMeson
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2013 4:56 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by DMeson » Sun Feb 03, 2013 5:34 pm

Undergrad Institution: State School (Little reputation in physics)
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): Math
GPA in Major: 4.0
Overall GPA: 4.0
Length of Degree: 4
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: Domestic Male

GRE Scores : Revised
Q: 161 (83%)
V: 157 (73%)
W: 4.5 (73%)
P: 790 (72%)


Research Experience: Research experience in theoretical AMO for 2.5 years. Working on draft for publication in PRA. Will be first or second author. Summer REU at Duke University and CERN working with the ALICE experiment. Did not result in publication. Poster for the 2012 DAMOP conference for my research in AMO.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:
Physical Sciences Faculty Scholarship
KU Alumni Board Scholarship
PASSHE Board of Governor's Award
Dean's List (every semester)
Neag Undergraduate Research Grant
Syed R. Ali-Zaidi Nominee for my university (2012-2013)
Sigma Pi Sigma
Phi Kappa Phi

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor and Supplemental Instructor for one year in introductory physics courses.

Special Bonus Points: Letter of recommendation from CERN research scientist in the ALICE collaboration

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Experience with Fortran, C++, ROOT, and Linux OS

Applying to Where: I decided that I would aim high and apply to many schools with the idea that I might get into at least a one or two of the top schools. Cornell is my top choice as of now. Still waiting to hear back from the others. Research Interests: Atomic Molecular & Optical Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Experimental High Energy Physics

Harvard - Physics - Rejected (3/1)
Berkeley - Physics - Rejected (3/5)
Caltech - Physics - Rejected (2/28)
MIT - Physics - Rejected (2/15)
Cornell - Physics - Accepted (2/12) - Will Attend
Ohio State - Physics - Accepted (1/28)
UCSB - Physics - Rejected (3/21)
UCLA - Physics - Accepted (2/9)
UC Boulder - Physics -Rejected (3/14)
Stanford - Physics - Rejected (3/1)
Chicago - Physics - Rejected (3/1)
Duke - Physics - Accepted (1/30)
Vanderbilt - Physics
Carnegie Mellon - Physics - Withdrew Application (2/14)
William & Mary - Physics - Accepted (2/11)
University of Illinois - Physics - Accepted (2/18)
University of Maryland - Physics - Accepted (3/5)
Penn State - Physics - Accepted (2/12)
Last edited by DMeson on Thu Apr 11, 2013 11:29 am, edited 24 times in total.

musickills
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2013 12:53 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by musickills » Wed Feb 06, 2013 1:31 pm

Undergrad Institution: SW Research University
Major(s): Physics/Applied Mathematics
Minor(s): Earth and Planetary Science
GPA in Major: 3.2/3.3
Overall GPA: 3.2
Length of Degree: 9 years
Position in Class: I would guess average
Type of Student: Domestic, male, Hispanic

GRE Scores : revised (2012)
Q: 163 (88%)
V: 161 (86%)
W: 4 (49%)
P: 650 (44%)



Research Experience: 3 years experience with an experimental dark matter group. One first author publication in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, and another publication that should be out this year either 1st or 2nd author. 2nd place at my schools undergraduate research conference for oral presentation.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Just Deans list a few semesters

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Did in home tutoring for about 6 months in high school mathematics


Applying to Where:

UC Berkeley - Physics -
U Washington - Physics -
U Oregon - Physics -
U Hawaii - Physics -
U New Mexico - Physics - Accepted (15k TA)
U Mass - Physics -
UC Boulder - Physics/Geophysics -
U Washington - Geophysics -
U New Mexico - Geophysics - Accepted (No funding info yet)
U Oregon - Geophysics - Accepted (18k TA + 4k RA summer)
U British Columbia - Geophysics -
Colorado School of Mines - Geophysics -
Last edited by musickills on Fri Feb 08, 2013 5:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Low
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 10:56 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by Low » Thu Feb 07, 2013 11:42 pm

Message redacted.
Last edited by Low on Fri Feb 22, 2013 5:10 pm, edited 4 times in total.

ModusPwnens
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2013 1:57 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by ModusPwnens » Thu Feb 07, 2013 11:50 pm

Non-minority domestic male here. I too am one of those people who, despite admissionprof's reassurances, is irrationally afraid of posting my profile before acceptances come in. I will update later, of course.

Expressed research interest was theory/computation in complex systems or biophysics, but also open to experiment.

UC Berkeley - Physics - nope via email 3/1
Harvard - SEAS (applied physics) -
Cornell - Physics - nope via email 2/12
Illinois - Physics -
Michigan - Applied Physics -
Maryland - Physics -
UT Austin - Physics -
Duke - Physics - accepted via website 2/1
Northwestern - Physics -
Boston U - Physics -



DoD NDSEG -
Hertz - nope
Last edited by ModusPwnens on Mon Mar 04, 2013 12:02 pm, edited 4 times in total.

AprilMay4
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 12:37 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by AprilMay4 » Fri Feb 08, 2013 1:32 am

Undergrad Institution: Big Ten
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.75
Overall GPA: 3.87
Length of Degree: 3
Position in Class: Probably near top... not really sure though!
Type of Student: Domestic Female

GRE Scores :Revised
Q: 164
V: 159
W: 4.5
P: 720



Research Experience: REU at UIUC, Internship at Fermilab, 1 year of research w/ professor

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's List, Sigma Pi Sigma, Other honors societies

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor, TA, Research Assistant

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Ummmm... not that I can think of at the moment!

Special Bonus Points: Female, Learning Disability

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Same as special bonus points

Applying to Where:

UC - Berkeley - Physics -ExHEP ACCEPTED! 2/5
UC - Davis - Physics -ExHEP Accepted 2/12
UCSB - Physics -ExHEP Accepted 2/11
Stanford - Physics -ExHEP Rejected. 3/1
UT-Austin - Physics -ExHEP - Essentially accepted at open house 2/14
Ohio State - Physics -ExHEP Accepted! w/ fellowship 1/29
Illinois - Physics -ExHEP Accepted 2/15
Princeton - Physics -ExHEP Rejected 2/14
UW- Madison - Physics -ExHEP Rejected 2/4
Michigan - Physics -ExHEP Rejected 2/12

Well, the wait is over! I finally know one way or the other! Definitely very excited to be done with waiting. I hope everyone else hears back soon!
Last edited by AprilMay4 on Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:32 pm, edited 5 times in total.

AgentZeta
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2013 12:30 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by AgentZeta » Fri Feb 08, 2013 12:42 pm

(will edit later)
Last edited by AgentZeta on Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

illegiblewriter
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 11:07 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by illegiblewriter » Fri Feb 08, 2013 2:38 pm

Undergrad Institution: Top 30 liberal arts college
Major(s):Physics
Minor(s):Math, Spanish
GPA in Major:3.36
Overall GPA:3.48
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Average
Type of Student: Domestic female

GRE Scores : Nov 2012
Q: 159 (77%)
V: 161 (86%)
W: 5.0 (92%)
P: 620 (37%)


Research Experience: Astrophysics research with professor at my college during my sophomore year, no paper published. Inter-departmental (Biology/Physics) research using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) the summer after my junior year (again with professors at my college), no paper published.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Several grants and scholarships to attend my undergrad, including a scholarship granted to women in the sciences.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Two years as a grader, four years as a student office worker for the Physics department, two years of private tutoring experience, one year as a TA/lab assistant after I graduated

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: female, one of my recommenders worked with the Supernova Cosmology Project (won Nobel Prize in 2011), I took a "comprehensive" track within my major (meaning that I took nearly every physics course offered at my school). I also feel like I should mention that I was able to tie-in my semester abroad (in Costa Rica) to my research interest (alternative energy) in my personal statement. I think it does a lot to make a person stand out, it's not the kind of experience that very many physics majors have and it makes you seem more human.

Applying to Where:

UC Davis - PhD Materials Science Engineering - waitlisted
UC Irvine - PhD Materials Science Engineering - accepted- declined offer
Case Western Reserve University - PhD Physics - accepted - WILL ATTEND FALL 2013
Colorado State University - PhD Physics- accepted - declined offer
University of Chicago - MS Applied Sciences- accepted - declined offer
University of Delaware - PhD Physics - accepted - declined offer
______________________________________________
Last edited by illegiblewriter on Wed Apr 10, 2013 11:21 am, edited 4 times in total.

wololo
Posts: 17
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2013 11:41 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by wololo » Fri Feb 08, 2013 3:25 pm

Undergrad Institution: Europe
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.94
Overall GPA: 3.82
Length of Degree: 4
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: International, white, male

GRE Scores : revised
Q: 169
V: 153
W: 3.5
P: 990


TOEFL Total: 105

Research Experience: Internship at CERN, in Germany, couple of years at home university

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Co-authored an article

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: No

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: Taken grad level courses

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

Applying to Where:

MIT - High Energy Experiment - Rejected by Email 15/2
Harvard - High Energy Experiment - Rejected by Mail 1/3
Princeton -Cosmology Experiment - Rejected by Email 14/2
Yale - High Energy Experiment - Rejected by Email 14/2
Perimeter Scholars International - Withdrawn
Stanford - High Energy Experiment - - Rejected by Email 1/3
Columbia - High Energy Experiment - Withdrawn
Chicago - Cosmology or High Energy Undecided - Rejected by Email 1/3
Cornell - High Energy Experiment - Accepted by Email 12/2
Berkeley - High Energy Experiment - Rejected by Email 1/3
Caltech - Cosmology Theory - Accepted by Email 22/2
Last edited by wololo on Wed Mar 20, 2013 4:43 pm, edited 8 times in total.

mer_00
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2013 8:03 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by mer_00 » Fri Feb 08, 2013 8:53 pm

Undergrad Institution: University of California, Davis
Major(s):Physics
Minor(s): Music
GPA in Major: 3.93
Overall GPA:3.93
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Near top
Type of Student: Domestic white female

GRE Scores :
Q: 163 (88%)
V: 155 (65%)
W: 3.0 (30%)
P: 700 (56%)


Research Experience: One summer REU at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (physics of music), senior honors thesis (observational cosmology)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:Sigma Pi Sigma, other less important honor societies

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Summer internship at motion control systems company, TA assistant in physics lab

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: principal position in music ensemble

Special Bonus Points: I have a good advisor, well-respected in the field

Applying to Where:

Carnegie Mellon - physics - Accepted
UW Madison -physics - Accepted
Penn State - astro - Accepted
UCSD - physics - Accepted
Florida - physics - Accepted
Rutgers - astro - Accepted
CU Boulder- astro - Accepted
Washington - astro - Rejected
Cornell - astro - Accepted
Yale - physics - Accepted!!
______________________________________________
Last edited by mer_00 on Wed Mar 13, 2013 7:41 pm, edited 7 times in total.

Thedarksoul
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2012 12:32 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by Thedarksoul » Sat Feb 09, 2013 10:48 am

Undergrad Institution[/b]: unknown university in middle east
Major(s):Physics
Minor(s): None
GPA in Major: 77/100
Overall GPA: 77/100
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: international white Male

Graduate Institution: unknown university in middle east
Major(s): MS -Physics
Minor(s): None
GPA in Major: 84/100
Overall GPA: 84/100
Length of Degree: 3 years
Position in Class: Top

GRE Scores : Revised
Q: 155
V: 136
W: 2.0
P: 600


Research Experience:M.S Thesis in experimental nuclear physics, currently working on theoretical condensed matter with professor, no publications.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 2 years TA during M.S Degree, currently working as part time instructor

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: None

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points:

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

Applying to Where:

univesity of Nebraska-Lincoln -Physics - Condensed Matter Experiment -- :(
University of Tennessee - Physics - Condensed Matter Theoretical
Wake forest university - Physics - Condensed Matter Theoretical
University of Kentucky - Physics - Condensed Matter Theoretical
New Mexico State University - Physics - Condensed Matter Theoretical
Tulane University - Physics - Condensed Matter Theoretical
Last edited by Thedarksoul on Mon Apr 15, 2013 8:17 am, edited 1 time in total.

babitza
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2013 3:02 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by babitza » Sun Feb 10, 2013 5:20 pm

Undergrad Institution: Top 10
Major(s):
Minor(s):
GPA in Major (Physics)/b]: 3.65
Overall GPA : 3.47
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Middle?
Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE Scores :
Q: 165 (92%)
V: 165 (95%)
W: 4.5 (73%)
P: 870 (83%)
Last edited by babitza on Wed Apr 10, 2013 12:15 pm, edited 13 times in total.

actrask
Posts: 19
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2013 7:52 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by actrask » Tue Feb 12, 2013 8:06 pm

.
Last edited by actrask on Wed Feb 05, 2014 8:49 pm, edited 4 times in total.

Kinbote
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2013 7:30 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by Kinbote » Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:11 pm

Applying to Where:

Harvard - Physics - CMT - Waitlisted - May attend with own funding. Thanks but nahh - Declined
Princeton - Physics - CMT - Rejected
Stanford - Physics - CMT - Rejected
MIT - Physics - CMT - Rejected
Caltech - Physics - CMT - Rejected
UCSB - Physics - CMT - Weeeee! - Declined
UC Berkeley - Physics - CMT - Rejected
U Penn - Physics - CMT - Weeeee! - Declined
Columbia - Physics - CMT -Rejected
Yale - Physics - CMT - Rejected
CU Boulder - Physics - CMT -Weeeee! - Accepted
U Chicago - Physics - CMT - Rejected
Last edited by Kinbote on Tue Mar 26, 2013 6:59 pm, edited 7 times in total.

brambles
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2013 12:01 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by brambles » Wed Feb 13, 2013 12:19 am

Undergrad Institution: big state, top 20 physics
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.99
Overall GPA: 3.99
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: top or near top
Type of Student: domestic female

GRE Scores :
Q: 170
V: 168
W: 4.5
P: 900

Research Experience: 2 summers in computational astrophysics, 2 years in photonics (around 13th/15 authors in a big group paper in PNAS and a poster), 1 year in condensed matter (conference poster and a thesis in progress)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: prestigious school scholarship, research fellowship, another school scholarship, deans list

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: math and physics tutor, reader for the physics department, active in SPS, student rep for physics dept academic affairs committee

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: lots of A+s and lots of physics electives. on a varsity sports team? I highly doubt that makes a difference

Special Bonus Points: not really

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

Applying to Where:
All Physics/condensed matter experiment
CalTech - Rejected 02/28 Email
Cornell - Accepted 02/07 Website - 25K TA + 5K Hartmann Teaching Award
Harvard - Rejected 03/04 Postal Service
MIT - Rejected 02/15 Email
Princeton - Rejected 02/14 Email
Stanford - Accepted 03/01 Email
UChicago - Accepted 02/13 Email - 33K Fellowship
UC Berkeley -
UCSB - Accepted 02/11 Email - 17K TA + 3K Broida Fellowship
UIUC -Accepted 02/15 Email - 21K TA
Last edited by brambles on Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:44 pm, edited 5 times in total.

dilorenzopl
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:12 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by dilorenzopl » Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:33 pm

Undergrad Institution: Small public liberal arts school with good physics/math professors
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): Mathematics (only 1 course + capstone short of getting the double major)
GPA in Major: 3.67 (3.925 starting sophomore year)
Overall GPA: 3.494
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Department chair said I was close to the top
Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE Scores : (revised)
Q: 165 (92%)
V: 156 (69%)
W: 4.5 (73%)
P: 590 (30%)


Research Experience:
(all at my school)
- 1 semester gamma ray burst research
- 1 semester gravitational wave memory research
- 2 semesters studying blazar variability using the NASA Kepler telescope (presented poster at APS 2012 meeting in Atlanta, GA)
- Continued blazar variability research during Summer 2012 through college's summer research program (paper currently in preparation with me as a co-author, should be submitted by mid-late February)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:
- Observatory technician for 1.5 years at my school's observatory
- Treasurer of Physics Club

Special Bonus Points:
- 2 of my recommendation writers graduated with PhD's at UPenn, another one was on undergraduate admission committee at UPenn
- 1 recommendation writer was professor at Georgia State

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:
- I did quite poorly my freshman year (finished with 2.9 GPA) but I had skipped intro physics/calculus courses with AP scores and jumped right into the standard sophomore year curriculum. However my first semester of sophomore year I took 4 senior-level physics courses (classical mechanics, quantum, thermo, general relativity) plus my first research project and finished with a semester GPA of 3.85. Since then I've done pretty well.

- I've taken discrete math, linear algebra, linear algebra II, complex analysis, partial diff eq., abstract algebra, mathematical modeling

Applying to Where:

(all schools for Astronomy/Astrophysics/Physics with specialization in Astronomy)
U Arizona - Rejected via email 2/8
UIUC - Waitlisted via email 3/7 - Rejected via email 3/28
U Maryland, College Park - Rejected via email 2/15
U Penn - Rejected via email 3/21
Penn State - Rejected via postal mail 1/31
U Florida - Rejected after inquiry 3/18
UC Riverside - Rejected after inquiry 3/18
Vanderbilt - Pending
U Delaware - Pending
U New Mexico - Accepted via email 2/12 with full tuition + $15k TA (9 months)
U Oklahoma - Accepted via email 3/5 with full tuition + $1,600/month TA
Drexel - Accepted via email 2/23 with full tuition + $22.5k TA (12 months)
Georgia State - Invited for skype/phone interview 2/12 - Accepted via email 2/18 with full tuition + $20k stipend

Note about skype interview: Having already been accepted to UNM, I went into this much more relaxed and it helped a lot. It was very casual and I just spoke with 2 professors who were doing research similar to what I've done and asked me what kind of things I did for the research. In no way were they "testing my knowledge" of physics/astro at any point. They didn't even ask me specific questions about the research after I was done talking. Then I asked them a few questions about their program and they answered. Overall it took about 15-20 minutes and at the end they told me I was near the top of their list and I should receive an offer from them.
Last edited by dilorenzopl on Thu Mar 28, 2013 6:39 pm, edited 14 times in total.

nimaajbphs
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 2:33 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by nimaajbphs » Thu Feb 14, 2013 1:36 am

Canada University: Canadian University(ok in atomic physics)
Major(s):Physics Honors
Minor(s):none
GPA in Major:3.94
Overall GPA:3.88
Length of Degree: 4
Position in Class:Top
Type of Student: Canadian male

GRE Scores : (revised)
Q:163(88%)
V:156(69%)
W:3(11%) :shock:
P:900(87%)



Research Experience:3 years in AMO lab at york. designed lasers. 1 paper pending publication another one being written(first author). Gave two talks at undergrad conferences

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 2 national research awards.2 national awards, honor/dean rolls and some departmental awards top mark in CAP at York and some others.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutored physics. Wrote physics demonstration software. Helped design lab course

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: had 4 very good references

Special Bonus Points: Took 2 grad level courses QFT and CFT. took 3 crosslisted grad courses Particle,Atomic and atom trapping

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Done a lot of reading on subjects typically not covered in undergrad: Lie algebras, Algebraic topology, GR, advanced algebra, quantum optics etc.

Applying to Where:

Harvard - Physics- Theoretical AMO Pending
Caltec - Physics- Theoretical AMO Rejected
Cornell - Physics- Theoretical particle physics Accepted $25600 stipend + ~$4000 TA
MIT - Physics- Theoretical AMO Pending
PERIMETER SCHOLARS INTERNATIONAL - Physics- Theoretical(masters) Pending
Princeton - Physics- Theoretical particle physics Rejected
Stanford - Physics- Theoretical particle physics Rejected
University of California, Santa Barbara - Physics- Theoretical particle physics
Yale - Physics- Theoretical AMO Rejected
University of British Columbia - Physics- Theoretical particle physics Accepted
Institute for Quantum Computing - Physics- Theoretical Pending
Last edited by nimaajbphs on Sun Mar 03, 2013 2:39 pm, edited 3 times in total.

oles
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2013 4:46 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by oles » Thu Feb 14, 2013 7:25 pm

Undergrad Institution: very famous in post-Soviet space in physics
Minor(s): Mathematics
GPA in Major: 4.0/4.0
Overall GPA: 4.0/4.0
Length of Degree: 4 + 2 (Masters)
Position in Class: top
Type of Student: International white male

GRE Scores : (revised or old version?)
Q: 161
V: 142
W: 2
P: 990


IELTS: 6.5/9.0

Research Experience: Bachelor with foreign prof. at Leiden, another research with prof. in UK, both cond. mat. theory (Quantum Hall Effect), three conf talks, article in preparation (1 out of 3).

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Bronze Medal at IPhO, got various scholarships.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA at school

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: attended various schools

Special Bonus Points: lots of grad classes

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

Applying to Where:

MIT - Physics Department - Cond Mat Theory Pending
Yale - Physics Department - Cond Mat Theory and Quantum Information Pending
UCSB - Physics Department - Cond Mat Theory Pending
CalTech - Physics Department - Cond Mat Theory and Quantum Information Pending
Maryland - Physics Department - Cond Mat Theory and Quantum Information Pending
Stony Brook - Physics Department - Cond Mat Theory Pending

dingding4
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2013 1:47 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by dingding4 » Fri Feb 15, 2013 2:04 am

Undergrad Institution: Institute of Technology, not especially well known for physics
Major(s): Physics
GPA in Major: 3.88
Overall GPA: 3.79
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Top 5
Type of Student: Domestic female

GRE Scores :
Q: 158 (74%)
V: 162 (89%)
W: 4.5 (73%)
P: 590 (30%) Yep, terrible.

Research Experience: Research at my undergrad institution for 2.5 years, resulting in 1 publication in press. I did 2 REU's; one in computational plasma physics, the other in experimental condensed matter physics.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's list, won poster competition

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 3 semesters of grading physics and a semester of being a TA. I've also had 3 jobs unrelated to physics. VP of SPS. Involved in other student organizations.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: I've worked to support myself financially through school. Got an A in a grad physics course during undergrad

Applying to Where:

All in condensed matter experiment.

Harvard - Applied Physics - Rejected via post
UPenn - Physics - Rejected
Boston University - Physics - Rejected 2/11
McGill - Department - Physics - Accepted 2/11
Wisconsin Madison - Physics - Rejected 2/4
University of Oregon - Physics - Accepted 1/30
Colorado School of Mines - Applied Physics

NSF GRFP - Physics - Accepted 3/29 !!!
Last edited by dingding4 on Fri Mar 29, 2013 10:53 am, edited 2 times in total.

asimogorov
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2013 5:48 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by asimogorov » Fri Feb 15, 2013 6:57 am

Undergrad Institution: Large State School, Little reputation in physics
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): Mathematics
GPA in Major: 3.97
Overall GPA: 3.92
Length of Degree: 3.5 years
Position in Class: Near Top
Type of Student: International Male

GRE Scores : (revised)
Q: 165
V: 155
W: 4.0
P: 820

Research Experience: All 4 years at school during academic semesters with an experimental nuclear physics group, REU at Jefferson Lab, REU at FermiLab, 1 summer at Paul Scherrer Institute. 1 published paper, 3 submitted (of which 2 are first author).
3 Poster Presentations at APS DNP, 2 talks in APS April Meeting, 2 Talks in APS SESAPS Meeting, 1 invited talk at a national lab, 1 symposium talk.
Directed own research project for 2 years.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: University Honors program, President's List, University research award, a bunch of honor societies...

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Department tutor - 1 semester, Lab TA - 3 semesters, SPS Officer - 1 year

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Delegate to the Lindau Nobel Laureates' Meeting. Mentored HS students in research projects.

Special Bonus Points: At least one recommender knew someone well in the departments to which I applied to. Also worked with many Illinois and Michigan professors during REUs.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Took a few graduate courses.

Applying to Where:

General Research Interest: Experimental Nuclear Physics
Applied Department: All Physics

University of Michigan: Accepted, 1/17 with $27k-12month fellowship
University of Illinois: Accepted, 2/27 with $21k-11month TA
University of Washington: Rejected, 3/13
Indiana University: Accepted, 2/5 with $26k (10month) + $2.5k (summer) fellowship for first year & $24k-12month for the rest
University of Virginia: Accepted, 2/5 with $35k Jefferson Scholars fellowship - 12month for all 5 years
Carnegie Mellon University: Wait-listed, 2/14 Withdrew Application
Duke University: Accepted, 2/5 with $31k-12month fellowship
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Accepted, 2/14 with $33k-12month fellowship
Yale University: Rejected, 2/14 - had applied to high energy physics
Princeton University: Rejected, 2/14 - had applied to atomic physics
William and Mary: Accepted, 1/29 with $25k-12month fellowship

Finally at the end of graduate school application process, I am glad that I had this response from the universities.
This info put up by others over the last few years helped me greatly, so I decided to put this up in hopes that it might help someone (anyone).
All the best with your applications (or even with just life in general :) )!
Last edited by asimogorov on Wed Mar 13, 2013 9:30 pm, edited 3 times in total.

gamov
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2013 12:32 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by gamov » Mon Feb 18, 2013 12:36 pm

Undergrad Institution: top 10 in physics
Major(s): Physics, Mathematics
GPA in Major: 3.9
Overall GPA: 3.8
Length of Degree: 4 years

GRE Scores :
Q: 170
V: 167
W: 4.0
P: 920

Research Experience: 1 year of stellar physics research (not metaphorically stellar, just stellar physics); 2 years of AMO experiment research

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: nah.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Nothing apart from research

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: 1 publication to appear, 1 publication in preparation

Special Bonus Points: 1 year of independent research. 1 incredibly positive rec letter from in-the-news research mentor. worked with Nobel laureate (no rec). Readings/thinkings in QFT, Strings, Number theory.

Applying to Where: (All AMO experiment)

Berkeley: Accepted 2/15 $29k TAship
MIT: Accepted 2/13 with $32k fellowship
Stanford: Accepted 3/1 RA/TA $36k
Caltech:Accepted 2/22
Princeton: Accepted 2/13 $28k centennial fellowship for first year + $6k summer stipend
Yale: Accepted 2/18
Chicago:Accepted 2/26 JFI fellowship
UT Austin: Accepted 2/2 $27k TAship
UCLA: Accepted 1/22 $28k stone fellowship for first year + $9k part time RA + $3.5k/month summer

Afterthoughts: Didn't expect universal admission. Should've applied to Harvard and Boulder. Oh well.
Last edited by gamov on Fri Mar 01, 2013 7:01 pm, edited 7 times in total.

rwmurphy
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2013 12:33 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by rwmurphy » Wed Feb 20, 2013 6:45 pm

I'm putting this here so people in similar situations out there know that's there is hope, even if you're from a no name school. Looking back on applications, I probably should've applied to a school that is ranked in between Indiana and UIUC, but oh well.

Undergrad Institution: Small (~2500 Students) liberal arts midwest college; no reputation in physics
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): Mathematics
GPA in Major: ~3.65
Overall GPA: ~3.4
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: No idea, but guessing top third, maybe top fourth
Type of Student: Domestic white male
GRE Scores : Revised
Q: 160
V: 148 (ouch)
W: 4.0
P: 670 (49%)


Research Experience: One summer at my school (but professor interned at a nearby national lab, so I was also there), then after my junior year I did 2 SULI internships (summer and fall) at the same national lab. All research was done in neutrinos experiments. Presented both works at local conferences. SULI research turned into a small thesis

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's List a couple semesters, Two internal physics scholarships, Outstanding physics major award, Academic scholarship from highschool

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Physics lab TA, On the committee for hiring a new physics professor one year

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Nope.

Special Bonus Points: SULI Research Advisor had a lot of connections (like at Indiana) which probably helps

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Not that I know of...

Applying to Where:

Indiana University - Physics - Experimental HEP Accepted 2/15, 17k TA + 5k Bonus + 2.5k Summer RA - Attending!
UIUC - Physics - Experimental HEP Rejected 3/4
Chicago - Physics - Experimental HEP Rejected 3/1
UoI - Chicago - Physics - Experimental HEP No response. Essentially Rejected.
Iowa State - Physics - Experimental HEP Accepted 3/11, 1800/month TA (9 Months)
Northern Illinois University - Physics - Experimental HEP Accepted 4/01 1652/month TA
Milwaukee - Physics - Experimental HEP No response. Essentially Rejected.
Last edited by rwmurphy on Fri Apr 19, 2013 11:36 am, edited 6 times in total.

mingweii
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2013 10:31 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by mingweii » Wed Feb 20, 2013 10:55 pm

Undergrad Institution: foreign
Major(s): EECS
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.86
Overall GPA: 3.86
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: about top 20%
Type of Student: International male

GRE Scores : (revised)
Q: 170
V: 151
W: 4.0
P: 980


TOEFL Total: 99 (Speak: 22)

Research Experience: 1 yr senior project in plasmonics, 1 summer R&D internship in industry, no publication

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: about 5 awards awarded by my undergraduate university

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 1 yr work experience at a prestigious American company.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points:

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

Applying to Where:

Interested in experimental CMP & AMO, especially in spintronics, quantum optics, and quantum information.
All Ph.D. programs:

Ohio State - Physics Accepted (2/15) 9-month TA and then RA
Duke - Physics Accepted (1/31) 12-month fellowship

Stanford - Applied Physics Rejected (2/23)
Yale - Applied Physics Rejected (3/4)
UMich - Applied Physics Rejected (3/14)
Caltech - Applied Physics Rejected (3/25)
Cornell - Applied Physics Rejected (4/3)

UW-Madison - Physics Rejected (1/31)
Maryland - Physics Rejected (3/8)
Stony Brook - Physics Rejected (3/16), offering MA admission
UPenn - Physics Rejected (3/22)
Columbia - Physics Rejected (3/26)
Rice - Physics Rejected (4/3)

UT-Austin - Physics
Penn State - Physics
Last edited by mingweii on Fri Apr 05, 2013 1:58 am, edited 13 times in total.

gaze
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2013 11:21 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by gaze » Thu Feb 21, 2013 11:32 pm

Undergrad Institution: Big State, Highly regarded in Physics
Major(s): Physics/Computer Science
Minor(s): N/A
GPA in Major: 3.5 (LOL)
Overall GPA: 3.5 (LOLOL)
Length of Degree: 5
Position in Class: No idea
Type of Student: White male

GRE Scores : Revised
Q: 75th percentile
V: Balls
W: Poop
P: Say between 650 and 720 (But seriously LOL)

Research Experience: No publications. But I can build things, and have for some very famous people.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: None.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Programmer at several huge companies well before college. One before high school.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: "He's a special flower" recommendations from very famous professors. Aced a bunch of grad classes. I can build things.

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

Applying to Where:

Pernstern - Physics - CME - LOL NAH 2/15
Yerle - Applied Physics - CME - Accepted 2/21
UIUC - Physics - CME - Accepted 2/18
MSU - Physics - Didn't specify - Accepted 1/schwentysomething
Berklerr - Physics - CME
Cernerrlll - Physics - CME
UChicergerr - Physics - CME
Mersechuserts Instert Erv Technerlergy - EECS - Applied Physics

See? You don't need the grades or the GRE. Just gotta be useful :)

MattaWorldPeace
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 3:23 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by MattaWorldPeace » Fri Feb 22, 2013 9:11 pm

Undergrad Institution: Big State School (Top 40)
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): EE and Math
GPA in Major: 4.00
Overall GPA: 3.99
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: This is not really a thing anywhere, let's stop kidding ourselves. Top 3ish, I guess.
Type of Student: Domestic White Male

GRE Scores : Revised
Q: 168
V: 162
W: 4.0
P: 910


Research Experience: 3 years in CME group working on materials and devices. One paper as coauthor. Some minor conferences. Mentioned I'll be giving a talk at APS March Meeting.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Phi Beta Kappa, Local Research Program w/ Stipend, One REU at home institute, Dean's list every semester

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: SPS President, TA for Gen Chem

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Maybe

Special Bonus Points: My research advisor is not unknown. I hear my recs were good.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Took a few grad classes for undergrad credit in physics and engineering. A lot of extra work in microfabrication.

Applying to Where:

Everything for CME regardless of department

Princeton - Electrical Engineering - Accepted
Cornell - Applied Physics - Accepted
Caltech - Applied Physics - Rejected!
UC Berkeley - Physics- Accepted
UCSB - Physics - Accepted
University of Pennsylvania - Physics - Accepted
Penn State - Physics - Accepted
University of Wisconsin - Physics - Accepted

joofbro
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2013 11:27 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by joofbro » Sun Feb 24, 2013 11:45 pm

Undergrad Institution: UCSD, top 15?
Major(s): Physics/Biophysics
Minor(s): aint nobody got time for that
GPA in Major: 3.97
Overall GPA: 3.93
Length of Degree: 4
Position in Class: In top 5, probably in top 3, possibly 1 or 2
Type of Student: WASPy frat bro with MAD FRAT CONNECTIONS YO no just kidding fcuk my (ex)frat, frats are waste of time for anyone other than freshman looking to lower their gpa and increase their alcohol tolerance and misogynistic attitudes towards women.

GRE Scores : revised
Q: 168
V: 169
W: 6 (i knew I shoulda gone to law school... coulda been rolling in Franklins...)
P: 980


Research Experience: Been had doing research since summer after freshman year. Main accomplishment was co-author on a Nature Neuroscience paper. Worked in the David Kleinfeld lab, and he is a pretty well-respected guy and his letter was pretty strong (or so I was led to believe).

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Phi Beta Kappa, UCSD Physical Science Dean's Excellence Award (although I received that after most apps were due), some writing award, Dean's Honors, some honors program.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: just 3 years of research. I don't think being music director of an a capella group is pertinent.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: literally did nothing important with my life except for physics and research.

Special Bonus Points: white male with wealthy parents. so basically I started off on 3rd base (really, where everyone should start off, but no, old white people elect assholes like Paul "Get Your Own Goddamn Bootstraps" Ryan to Congress). fortunately schools didn't go all "blah blah massive achievement gap as a result of widening racial and socioeconomic disparities in the most inequality-plagued country in the developed world" on me.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: absolutely not

Applying to Where:

MIT - Physics - Biophysics - BOOM rejected via the internet tubes
Harvard - SEAS Applied Physics - Biophysics - accepted
Stanford - Applied Physics - Biophysics - yay they liked me
Berkeley - Physics - Biophysics - be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
Princeton - Physics - Biophysics - gotta work on my fake tan and disproportionate musculature for the Shores
UCLA - Physics - Biophysics - accepted + fellowship
why didn't i apply to caltech, or cornell, or any other very good options? I don't know, why don't you ask my lazy ass self from 1 quarter ago.

NSF Fellowship: almost definitely not, but, hey, someone's gotta win the lottery, right?

wll745881219
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Jul 24, 2011 3:35 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by wll745881219 » Mon Feb 25, 2013 10:49 am

Undergrad Institution: Tsinghua Univ. Top 2 in China, reputed for engineering, physics is top 4 in China but underestimated overseas.
Major(s):Physics
Minor(s):Come on, I am not interested in economics at all
GPA in Major:92.1/100
Overall GPA:91.1/100
Length of Degree: 4
Position in Class: 5/40
Type of Student: International Male

GRE Scores : old GRE
Q: 800
V: 590
W: 3.5
P: 990


TOEFL Total: 107

Research Experience: 1 second-author paper published on MNRAS; 4 more under preparation

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Lots of scholarships and awards (~15 items) within China, but those are bullsh*t wrt my application...

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: N/A (Come on...)

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Presentations on AAS?

Special Bonus Points: Might be reference letters...

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Visited professors before I applied.

Applying to Where:


PSU - Astro - Accepted w/TA
Chicago - Astro - Accepted w/Fellowship -- Very nice profs...
Caltech - Astro - Accepted w/Fellowship
Princeton - Astro - Accepted w/Fellowship & TA -- I guess I will go there -- was in their wait list last year...
Yale - Astro - Accepted w/Fellowship -- Very nice profs and dept, very sorry to turn them down...
Cornell - Astro - Withdrawn after interview notification
MIT - Phys - Accepted w/Fellowship (Got the offer after withdrawal Orz... Email system of MIT is just IMBA; maybe I will go there if Princeton rejects me)
UC Berkeley - Phys - Accepted w/TA
Harvard - Astro - Rejected -- Harvard is Harvard. Period.
UW Seattle - Astro - Rejected (F! Do they want any international students at all?)
Stanford - Phys - Withdrawn
Columbia - Astro - Withdrawn

prash
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:11 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by prash » Tue Feb 26, 2013 4:01 pm

prash wrote:Undergrad Institution: Columbia University, SEAS and Sewanee: University of the South, TN (private, liberal arts)
Major(s): Applied Physics, Physics, Math
Minor(s):None
GPA in Major: >4
Overall GPA: >4
Length of Degree: 5 years, 3-2 combined plan engineering program
Position in Class: Number one in class of 2012 at Sewanee
Type of Student: International, Male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 166 (~94%)
V: 157 (~73%)
W: not received yet
P: 980 (94%)


Research Experience: A couple at Sewanee, one at MIT, and for the last year and half at Columbia, still collaborating with the group at MIT.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Class Valedictorian, 2012, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Pi Sigma, Honors in Physics, some more math and physics awards.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Math tutor for 3 years.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Filed for a patent a few months ago, and working on a paper. However, it might not be published by the time I apply. Have some conference proceedings instead of a paper.

Special Bonus Points: Taken a couple of grad classes. Professors who know me really well are writing me reference letters.

Applying to Where: Areas of Interest: Quantum Optics, QIP, photonics

MIT- EECS - Engineering PhysicsRejected
Harvard-Applied Physics
UCSB- Physics- Accepted via email w/stipend
Stanford-Applied PhysicsRejected
Cornell-Applied Physics
U C Berkley
Yale-Physics-Skype interview Invited to open house Accepted 2/18
U of MarylandAccepted 2/26 at JQI!
Columbia
______________________________________________

Johnny Law
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2013 3:30 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by Johnny Law » Tue Feb 26, 2013 4:28 pm

Here I go... I decided to post mine to show that it isn't hopeless if you're a member of the 700 club.

Undergrad Institution: Small school you've never heard of.
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): Chemistry
GPA in Major: 4.00
Overall GPA: 3.99
Length of Degree: 3.5 Years
Position in Class: #1
Type of Student: African American Male

GRE Scores :
Q: 164 (90%)
V: 159 (80%)
W: 3.5 (30%) (I basically just wrote a paragraph for each since no one cares)
P: 760 (67%)

Research Experience: 3 REUs: LSU, MIT, Johns Hopkins. Did research at my school for two years.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's List the whole way through. Highest GPA awards for 3 years in a row. A student researcher of the year award. APS Minority Scholar. Bunch of other non-science related awards.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: SPS President 2 years, tutor for a couple years.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: I'm only 19.

Special Bonus Points: I don't think being an underrepresented minority wins you any point in this game. If it did... why are there still so few? Anyway I like to think my networking and interpersonal skills are very good, and helped me to secure some of these acceptances.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: My SOP is pretty good I think. Got letters from all the people I mentioned in it.

Applying to Where:

MIT - Physics - AMO Exp. ---- Accepted on 2/14 by email with Fellowship (3 yrs.)
UC Berkeley - Physics - AMO Exp. ---- Accepted on 2/5 by email with Fellowship (2 yrs.)
UIUC - Physics - CM Exp. ---- Accepted on 1/27 by email, Fellowship Nomination
Harvard - Physics - AMO Exp. ---- Accepted on 2/15 by email with Fellowship (2 yrs.)
Yale - Applied Physics - Quantum Info ---- Rejected on 3/4 by Website
Stanford - Applied Physics - Quantum Info ---- Rejected on 2/2 by snail mail (yuck!). Letter took 2 weeks to arrive.
Caltech - Applied Physics - Quantum Info ---- Rejected on 3/25 by email
U Mich - Applied Physics - Quantum Info ---- Accepted on 2/15 by email with Fellowship (1 yr.)

And just for fun...
MIT - EECS - Photonics ---- Rejected on 3/1 by Website

At this point (2/26), I think I've gotten all my acceptances and I am happy with what I got. The only reason I posted this is because back in November when I got my GRE scores, I felt very discouraged and considered not applying to top programs because of my score and home school. I heard all kind of things like MIT only accepted people from top 20 schools and they'll throw your app out if you get less than 80th percentile on the subject test. I decided I would go all in and give it a shot and maybe get into at least one school. This just goes to show schools care about more than just stats. Your SOP, research experience, and the impression you leave on your letter writers can carry a lot of weight.
Last edited by Johnny Law on Mon Mar 25, 2013 4:11 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Ivan Fyodorovich
Posts: 32
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2013 10:44 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by Ivan Fyodorovich » Wed Feb 27, 2013 10:05 pm

Undergrad Institution: Medium-Sized Private Research School
Major(s): Physics B.S., Math B.S.
Minor(s):
GPA in Majors: 3.97, 3.91
Overall GPA: 3.89
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Top 3 probably
Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE Scores : Revised
Q: 168 (97%)
V: 164 (93%)
W: 4.5 (73%)
P: 890 (85%)

Research Experience: Summer of computational chemistry, summer of computational particle at REU.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Sigma Pi Sigma, Dean's List, School scholarship, nothing really worth noting.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for 4 semesters upon graduation.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: Will have taken 7 graduate courses upon graduation, including one in condensed matter physics.

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

Applying to Where (All CMT and occasionally AMO as secondary):

MIT - Physics Rejected
Harvard - Physics Rejected
UC Berkeley - Physics Rejected
Stanford - Physics Rejected
University of Chicago - Physics Rejected
University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign (UIUC) - Physics Rejected
UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) - Physics Rejected
UC San Diego (UCSD) - Physics Accepted Will know via e-mail soon.
University of Maryland - College Park - Physics Accepted $32k first two years
University of Wisconsin - Madison - Physics Accepted ~$22k first two years
Ohio State University - Physics Accepted $27k first two years
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities - Physics Accepted ~$23.5k first two years

I'm getting the feeling that I'll likely do a little worse than I had been hoping considering UIUC has already sent a large number of acceptances out and I haven't heard back. Also got an e-mail reject recently from Berkeley earlier than most. Ended up with only an afternoon to prepare for the Physics GRE due to a week-long sickness as well, but I don't know how much it affected me. Probably around 20-50 points.
Last edited by Ivan Fyodorovich on Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:17 pm, edited 6 times in total.



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