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.

eclaire1
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Mar 01, 2013 12:14 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by eclaire1 » Fri Mar 01, 2013 12:25 am

Type of Student: Domestic

Undergrad Institution: Top 5 liberal arts (major not physics)
Grad Institution: Top 10 (major not physics)
Grad Institution: Large state school - ranked somewhere 100+ in rankings (major physics)

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Older student/Nontraditional (10+ years since graduating college). GPA around 3.6 - 3.8. GRE physics score was not so good.

Applying to Where:

RPI - accepted (18,500 TA) - declined
Accepted to 1 other school, where I'll be going

Pittsburgh (applied after deadline) - rejected 4/8 by email inquiry
Columbia - rejected 3/28 by an email to check website
Michigan State - rejected 3/25 by email inquiry
Northwestern - rejected 3/18 by email inquiry
Stony Brook - rejected 3/16 by email
Chicago - rejected 3/1 by an email to check website
Rochester - rejected 2/21 by an email to check website

To future applicants: GRE is the key!!

To nontraditional applicants - if you try hard, I think you can get accepted somewhere. But, you should apply to a range of schools and be cognizant of the fact that some schools might not want to take such older, nontraditional students, but others will welcome you. Also, in my case, I focused on getting research experience, instead of studying for the gre, and in retrospect, that might have been a mistake. Anyway, I'm happy and grateful I got accepted somewhere. Good luck to everyone!
Last edited by eclaire1 on Wed Apr 17, 2013 7:20 pm, edited 11 times in total.

User avatar
Tom Joad
Posts: 120
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:35 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by Tom Joad » Fri Mar 01, 2013 8:10 pm

Undergrad Institution: Big State School, ~top 50 in physics
Major(s):Physics and Applied Math
Minor(s):
GPA in Major:4.0
Overall GPA:4.0 (3.99 if you count A/A+ as 4 and A- as 3.75)
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE Scores :
Q:164 (90%tile)
V:164 (93%tile)
W:4.5 (73%tile)
P:990 (95%tile)


Research Experience: a little over a year in theoretical/computational high energy astrophysics. Presented a poster at AAS meeting and have a 1st or 2nd author publication in preparation.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Math Honors Program, Phi Beta Kappa, a couple of small departmental scholarships

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: None, though i was funded for my research if that counts.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: None

Special Bonus Points: 3 math graduate classes and 2 physics graduate classes by the time I graduate. I have almost all A+'s in my physics and math classes. I'm also pretty sure that one recommender (my research advisor) tailored his letter to each school, and is also fairly well known in the high energy astrophysics community.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Another recommender is a math professor who knew me pretty well, and the third is a physics professor who I did not have much one-on-one interactions with. My first attempt at the physics GRE earned a 910, and Chicago and Cornell saw this.

Applying to Where:

On some of these I stated my research interests as very broad if they didn't have a ton of professors that I was interested in doing theoretical astrophysics. For those I also listed condensed matter and high energy theory as side interests, though I tried to connect that interest it to my previous work somehow. I decided to apply to only physics departments, even if the majority of professors that I was interested in were in astronomy (mainly Chicago... coincidence, I think not).

Caltech - Physics - High Energy Astrophysics theory, gravitational waves Accepted 2/22-----Declined
Stanford - Physics - High Energy Astrophysics theory Accepted 3/1 with 3-year fellowship 3/20-----Declined
Berkeley - Physics - High Energy Astrophysics theory Accepted 2/5 with 1-year fellowship-----Will attend!
Cornell - Physics - High Energy Astrophysics theory Accepted 2/1 with 1-year fellowship-----Declined
Chicago - Physics - High Energy Astrophysics theory Rejected 3/1
Maryland - Physics - Gravity theory, high energy astrophysics theory Accepted 2/27-----Declined
UCSB - Physics - High Energy Astrophysics theory, gravity theory Accepted 2/6-----Declined
Colorado - Boulder - Physics - High Energy Astrophysics theory Accepted 2/13-----Declined
Penn State - Physics - Gravity theory, particle astrophysics theory Accepted 2/12-----Declined
Last edited by Tom Joad on Sun Apr 14, 2013 11:24 am, edited 10 times in total.

Qfields
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:48 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by Qfields » Fri Mar 01, 2013 8:30 pm

Undergrad Institution: small school with small physics dept.
Major(s): Physics, Economics
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 4.0
Overall GPA: 3.98
Length of Degree: 3 years
Position in Class: top
Type of Student: Domestic Male

GRE Scores :
Q: 170
V: 160
W: 4.5
P: 990

Research Experience: Mostly with profs at my school but with lots of collaborators from other places. Two different projects on condensed matter theory with experience in computational physics (1 co-author PRL, 3 new publications were being finalized at time of application; also 3 conference presentations).
Another project on AdS/CFT but no publication so far.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Mostly local scholarships and awards

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for an upper division physics class, private tutor

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Built a cluster?

Special Bonus Points: A few grad classes, good programming skills.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Attended a few workshops on different areas of physics I guess.

Applying to Where: All physics department, mainly CMT, followed by astrophysics mostly, never too strict on any specific focus area, but mentioned my interests.

MIT - Physics - Rejected via email - 02/15
Cornell - Physics - Accepted via website with fellowship - 02/02
Caltech - Physics - Rejected via email - 02/28
Harvard - Physics - Probably Rejected
Berkeley - Physics - Accepted via email to check website- 02/05; fellowship 03/06 in the mail
Stanford - Physics - Rejected via email - 03/01
UChicago - Physics - Rejected via email to check website - 03/01
Princeton - Physics - Rejected via email - 02/14
University of Michigan - Physics - Rejected, asked about status - 03/06
Columbia - Department - ?
Oxford - Physics - Rejected via email - 02/20
______________________________________________
Definitely thought my application was stronger.... was hoping for at least a couple more acceptances...
Last edited by Qfields on Wed Mar 06, 2013 7:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Robespierre
Posts: 30
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2013 4:22 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by Robespierre » Fri Mar 01, 2013 9:26 pm

Undergrad Institution: Top 20 in physics
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.98
Overall GPA: 3.90
Length of Degree: 4
Position in Class: 1st in physics
Type of Student: Domestic Asian male

GRE Scores : Revised
Q: 170 (99%)
V: 168 (98%)
W: 4.5 (73%)
P: 960 (92%)



Research Experience: 2 years CMB cosmology; no publications.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: The only one that matters, I got after the applications

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: very strong letter from research adviser; mostly A+s in physics

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

Applying to Where: All physics departments; applied for the interface between cosmology/high energy theory (largest emphasis on inflation)

MIT - Rejected
Harvard - Rejected
Princeton - Rejected
Dartmouth - Accepted
Columbia - Accepted
Johns Hopkins - Accepted
Chicago - Rejected
Michigan - Accepted
Caltech - Accepted
Berkeley - Accepted
Stanford (the very embodiment of what I've applied for) - Rejected

reoair
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Mar 01, 2013 5:42 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by reoair » Sat Mar 02, 2013 12:16 am

Undergrad Institution: Small City not known for physics.
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): Math
GPA in Major: 3.8
Overall GPA: 3.8
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Barely any physics students
Type of Student: Domestic

GRE Scores : revised
Q: 160
V: 148
W: 3.5
P: 600


Research Experience: Mostly some solid state stuff at my school. A couple summers during research in astrophysics. Sorry I do this so as to not get identified on this forum. My scores and GPA are tweaked slightly as well, but not that much. My research is actually one of my stronger points. If you want to know more you can pm me. :)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Honors student not that it makes much of a difference. Couple of scholarships.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Mehh

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Mehh

Special Bonus Points: Mehh

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Hmm, my recs are pretty strong though.

Applying to Where:

OSU - Astro - pending
Brown - Astro- Rejected 2/22/13 via email
UMD - Astro - pending

brillouinphonons
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2013 2:03 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by brillouinphonons » Sat Mar 02, 2013 2:27 am

Undergrad Institution: Large State School, Respected Physics
Major(s): Engineering Physics (though not ABET accredited, so it might as well be physics with different electives)
Minor(s): Global Leadership Challenges (That'll probably hurt more than it helps...)
GPA in Major: 3.95
Overall GPA: 3.91
Length of Degree: 4 Years
Position in Class:
Type of Student: Domestic White Male

GRE Scores :
Q: 166
V: 163
W: 5.0
P: 770 (Not great by any stretch, but I would say an accurate rendering of my ability in the grand scheme of things; I have never been that 'smartest person in the room type' that seems to be so commonplace in physics)

Research Experience: 3 years (Academic & Summer) at Home Institution in Single Molecule Biophysics. Numerous independent projects. Two publications in respected - say mid-to-high 2nd tier - Journals (2nd author). Three papers in preparation (1x First; 2x Second Author), but the closest is about 2 months from submission; my PI is very meticulous.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Nominated for Outstanding EngPhys Graduate (I'll never get it, but it is nice none-the-less), Marshall Scholarship endorsed applicant from University, and some of those cliched honors associated with an okay GPA.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Developed a number of novel protocols using specialized equipment. Achieved 'super-user' status in Institution cleanroom on various instruments: authorized to answer questions and train other users. Worked in lab for 30+ hours/week during classes and 70+ during summer. I have worked very hard to achieve a somewhat unique skillset enabling future research at the interface of optics and nanomechanics to elucidate biological complexity on a molecular scale.

Special Bonus Points: Will have a total of 9 Graduate level courses completed before graduation. Mostly advanced (nonlinear/nano/quantum/fourier) optics, optoelectronic system design (Zemax), applied mathematics (markov/ complex variables), physics (many-body condensed matter) and nanoscale engineering (MEMS&NEMS fabrication). University, and Institution I work as part of, is very well known and arguably among the best in AMO physics.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Adviser is well connected in prospective field of application; completed graduate studies and postdoc (10+ years ago) with current Stanford faculty. Other letter writers are well respected in their fields - unrelated to the field I applied for - (one has published two science papers and one nature paper thus far this year, March 2013). Also I have an astonishing lack of formal training in biology for someone interested in applying to biophysics.

Applying to Where: (All PhD, expressed no interest in Masters program when given option on application)
Focus: Single Molecule Experiment for ultimate integration into Medical Systems Biology Perspective.

University of California, Berkeley - Biophysics - Mid-Feb Interview (notified Jan 17th); Accepted (02/25 by Phone), 3 Rotations funded by RA with $30,000+ support
Harvard University - Biophysics - Waitlisted (01/30 by Postal Mail); "You may attend if you acquire your own funding (e.g. NSF or NDSEG)"
University of California, Santa Barbara - Physics - Accepted, (02/10 by Webpage). TA with $18,000 support
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign - Physics - Accepted, (02/18 by Email). Pending Financial Package
University of Washington, Seattle - Physics - Pending, so I am assuming this means waitlist or reject
Yale University - Applied Physics (Physical and Engineering Biology [IGPPEB]) - Accepted (02/15 by email). Financial Offer Pending
Cornell University - Applied Physics - Accepted (02/19 by Email). Financial Package Pending
Stanford University - Applied Physics - Accepted (02/02 by Email). 3 Rotation RA with $30,000+ financial support
University of Arizona, Tuscon - Optics - Accepted (02/01 by Email). RA with $17,000 financial support Felt bad, but I had to pass it along to someone who was more enthusiastic about UA (02/04)

Please note that I have posted this for information and encouragement for those interested in the process. I don't intend to gloat in the slightest. I actually debated holding off to a less contentious time, but I realized how helpful this source was for me in the process and thus I would be remiss if I never posted.

Looking back, I never would have anticipated having this success. I think this should motivate anyone with a dream of attending a top school to apply; you never know if you might get into a great school. A quick note on the biophysics emphasis: Admittedly biophysics is less prestigious (in the status granting sense) than other physics emphasizes. I cannot pinpoint why precisely this may be, but I often hear an audible scoff from my more traditional physicist friends when I mention biology. For this reason, I will acknowledge that there may be less competition among physics majors, therefore, the PGRE may carry less weight.

To those data gathering, I wish you all the best of fortune in your future applications. For those of you in the thick of it, I send congratulations on your acceptances and the best of luck in making the final decision.

deathinacan
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2012 5:19 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by deathinacan » Sun Mar 03, 2013 3:15 am

Undergrad Institution: liberal arts
Major(s): physics
Minor(s): math
GPA in Major: 3.6ish
Overall GPA: 3.46
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: N/A
Type of Student: Domestic male

GRE Scores :
Q: 160
V: 166
W: 3.5
P: 870


Research Experience: 1 summer of astronomy research on galaxy clusters, and 1 summer of quantum computer modeling, both at my school

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: some scholarships

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA and grading experience

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points:

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: My grades in advanced physics courses are better than my general gpa, about 3.7-3.8ish

Applying to Where: mostly experimental AMO

Harvard Rejected sometime in March by mail
Michigan Rejected 2/12
Wisconsin Rejected 2/4
Colorado-Boulder Rejected 2/25
Texas-Austin Rejected 2/26
Maryland Rejected 4/5
Arizona Accepted 2/25, $15k TA Will attend!
Rochester Rejected 2/21
Notre Dame Waitlisted 2/28 Application withdrawn
Last edited by deathinacan on Fri Apr 19, 2013 12:26 am, edited 1 time in total.

mhrazeghi58
Posts: 38
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2012 6:28 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by mhrazeghi58 » Wed Mar 06, 2013 7:00 pm

Undergrad Institution: A prominent university in Middle East
Major(s):Physics
Minor(s):We don't have minor
GPA in Major:12.24 out of 20
Overall GPA:12.24 out of 20
Length of Degree: 5 years
position in Class: ?

MSc. Institution: prominent university in Middle East
Major(s): Condensed Matter Physics
Minor(s):We don't have minor
GPA in Major:16.2 out of 20
Overall GPA:16.2 out of 20
Length of Degree: 3 years
position in Class: ?

Type of Student: International/ male

GRE Scores: (revised)
Q:155 :oops:
V:141 :mrgreen:
W:2.5 :mrgreen:
PGRE: 710/58% :|


TOEFL Total: 73, I should retake it soon

Research Experience: 2 years in field of soft condensed matter physics. without publication

Special Bonus Points:3 excellent recommendation

Field: Biophysics, Soft matter physics, Condensed matter physics

Applying to Where:

University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Clark university
Kent State university
Lehigh university
Northern Illinois university

rplestid
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2012 2:03 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by rplestid » Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:00 am

Undergrad Institution: University of Guelph (Canadian mid-size decent school)
Major(s):Physics
Minor(s): Pretty well impossible at guelph
GPA in Major:87% (100 point scale)
Overall GPA: 83.7
Length of Degree: 4 years
position in Class: Near the top but I have no idea


Type of Student: International/ male

GRE Scores: (revised)
Q:164
V:158
W:4.0
PGRE: 800/75%


TOEFL Total: Fluent in English no need

Research Experience: 1 year summer internship at the University of Toronto doing numerical atmospheric research in the
physics department there

Special Bonus Points:3 excellent recommendations,

Field: Theoretical High Energy, Condensed Matter, and Gravitation

Applying to Where:

University of Toronto Accepted 2/11
McGill
UBC
McMaster Accepted 2/11

Chicago Rejected 3/1
Harvard
Princeton
Caltech Rejected 2/27
MIT Rejected 2/12
Columbia


Very curious why I have been sent nothing from Harvard and Princeton as I thought I would be rejected from there first. If anyone knows if they send rejections please let me know currently trying to decide between U of T and Mac and if I doubt I got in to any of the Ivy Leagues but I dont want to rush the decision.

siouk
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2013 6:52 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by siouk » Tue Mar 12, 2013 4:46 pm

Undergrad Institution: Colorado College - good reputation among liberal arts schools; no reputation for physics
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): Applied Mathematics
GPA in Major: 3.87
Overall GPA: 3.87
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: At least top 20%
Type of Student: White American male

GRE Scores : (revised)
Q: 165 (92%)
V: 167 (97%)
W: 4.5 (73%)
P: 680 (51%) in 2011 --> 740 (63%) in 2012


Research Experience: Summer REU at Kansas State in soft matter simulations. No publications.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Deans list for all of undergrad, graduated w/ Latin honors

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Work study job in computer support; tutored math in high school

Special Bonus Points: My recommendation letters should be fairly strong - two are from professors who know me very well (small classes, not many physics professors), and one if from my REU adviser who was apparently impressed with the work I did for him.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Took a year off to retake the PGRE and recharge. Made sure to mention in the essay that I studied for the PGRE by taking 4 months to review all of undergraduate physics. Also, my school used the block plan, which means taking classes one at a time, in 3 1/2 week chunks.

Applying to Where: All CME

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - Accepted (2/19 via email) ~$20,000/yr TA
Cornell University - Rejected (2/12 via email)
University of Michigan - Rejected (2/12 via email)
Ohio State University - Accepted (2/8 via email) ~$25,000/yr TA
University of Colorado Boulder - Rejected (2/25 via email)
University of Washington - Rejected (3/13 via email)
Michigan State University - Accepted (1/25 via email) ~$20,000/yr TA

playercrom
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2012 5:24 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by playercrom » Thu Mar 14, 2013 9:14 pm

Undergrad Institution: Big state school in the U.S., top 10 in physics
Major(s): Chemical engineering
GPA in Major: 3.29
Overall GPA: 3.39
Length of Degree: 2 years community college + 2.5 years after transfer
Position in Class: Average?
Type of Student: Domestic Asian male

After graduating college, I worked for 4 years and decided to return to graduate school. Although I majored in chemical engineering, I wanted to study physics and decided to first get a masters degree. I moved to the country where my family lives and did the masters degree there.

Graduate Institution: Big school in Asia, small but good physics department
Major(s): Physics
GPA in Major: 4.28/4.50
Length of Degree: 2 years
Position in Class: first in a class of ~10

GRE Scores : old version
Q: 580 (77%)
V: 800 (94%)
W: 4.0 (49%)
P: 840 (80%)

Research Experience: Master's thesis on cosmology. First author of a paper on theoretical cosmology. Uploaded on ArXiv and submitted to Phys. Rev. D, but wasn't published before the deadline.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Lab TA every semester for 2 years.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: As you can see, I have an extremely non-traditional background. Not sure if it's a plus or a minus.

Applying to Where: I only applied to schools that have a numerical relativity group.

Univeristy of Maryland - Physics - Numerical relativity - Rejected 3/14 email inquiry
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Physics - Numerical relativity - Accepted 2/24 email (TA $21,120 for 11 months)
Penn State - Physics - Numerical relativity - Rejected 3/1 email
Louisiana State University - Physics - Numerical relativity -
University of Florida at Gainsville - Physics - Numerical relativity - Accepted 2/7 email (TA $22,000 for 12 months)
Stony Brook University - Physics - Astrophysics - Rejected 3/17 email
Florida Atlantic University - Physics - Numerical relativity - Accepted 1/26 email (TA $15,050 for Fall and Spring + $5,000 for Summer + tuition waiver)

cheers
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2012 1:34 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by cheers » Thu Mar 21, 2013 5:50 pm

Undergrad Institution: top 5 school in Germany, top 20 in physics (worldwide)
Major(s): Physics, Mathematics
GPA in Major: 1.49/1.00 (physics), 1.45/1.00 (maths)
Overall GPA: 1.49/1.00 (physics), 1.48/1.00 (maths)
Length of Degree: 3 years
Position in Class: above average
Type of Student: international male

Graduate Institution: top 5 school in Germany, top 20 in physics (worldwide) - same as above
Major(s): Theoretical Physics
GPA in Major: 1.20/1.00
Length of Degree: 2 years
Position in Class: above average

GRE Scores: new version
Q: 161 (83%)
V: 145 (24%)
W: 4.5 (73%)
P: 750 (65%)

TOEFL: 110 (speaking: 24)


Research Experience: Math bachelor thesis on the 'Ground State Properties of the Weakly Interacting Bose Gas' applying methods from Functional Analysis, Mathematical QM, PDE's, Distribution theory (6 months) -> no publication. Physics bachelor thesis in CMT (nonequilibrium many-body dynamics); continued working on the project after submitting the thesis (1 year altogether) -> PRB publication (1st author out of two) + a talk at my university. Physics master thesis in CMT on phase transitions in a specific cold atoms system: superfluidity, superconductivity, charge density wave, supersolidity: have first results on the T_c for unconventional superconductivity. Working on a project on a supersymmetric field theory extension - first results available (hoping to finish the thesis by June)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Prestigious university award; 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in National Physics Olympics (high school level) - never went for an international competition, though; 2nd place for a presentation in a student physics conference (high school level); a couple of fellowships, a membership in a prestigious community

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA since my second semester as an undergrad in Mathematical Methods for Physics, Theoretical Mechanics (twice), Theoretical Electrodynamics, Quantum Mechanics 1, and a Physics Lab course for chemistry students.

Special Bonus Points: Recommendations from my three thesis advisors, math advisor fairly famous in the math phys community (though not CMT) - expect strong letters. Belong to the 2% (out of approx. 300 students) in my year to finish both degrees in 3 years. Took twice as many grad courses as required (scoring predominantly 100% in the final exams), including every course somehow related to CMT available + a few 'exotic' courses (QED, SUSY, GR).

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Currently taking part in journal clubs on 'Topological Insulators' and 'Ultracold Atoms'. Set up a professional homepage describing my research projects and put the link in the SOP. (it has a twofold purpose: a) to keep the admissions committees updated with my latest research results. b) I integrated and hid! a visitor counter which shows the places of recent visits - this way I also know which university is interested in my app)

Applying to Where: All CMT: mainly phase transitions, many-body dynamics, and topological insulators

Indiana University: - accepted 06/02 via email (had checked my homepage)
Boston University: - accepted 28/01 via email (had checked my homepage)
Rice: - accepted 11/03 via email (had checked my homepage)
Georgia Tech: - accepted 13/03, email enquiry (didn't check my homepage)
Penn State - rejected 28/02, email to check web (didn't check my homepage)
UMD: - rejected 08/03, email enquiry (checked my homepage after the rejection :D!)

UIUC: - rejected 23/03, via email (didn't check my homepage)
Yale: - rejected 14/02, email to check web (had checked my homepage)
Cornell: - accepted 14/02 (after a language interview), email to check web (had checked my homepage)
UC Berkeley: - rejected 02/03, email enquiry (didn't check my homepage)
UCSB: - rejected 22/03, email to check web (didn't check my homepage)
UCSD: - rejected 22/03, via email (didn't check my homepage)

My advice for future applicants:
1. before you apply to a given school, get in touch with them and ask them how many PhD positions roughly they have for the current year in your field of interest. If some schools don't give you an exact answer to this question, email directly the chair of the admissions committee, or any other prof till you figure this out. Even schools with a sound tradition in a certain field may have only 1-2 slots to offer - in which case the app fee is not worth paying.
2. international students - try to minimize the number of public schools you apply to (especially in CA!, but not exclusively) - they can be short of funding. Find some statistics (e.g. enquire from the schools themselves) about the last couple of years regarding the number of international students admitted to the public schools you want to apply to.
Last edited by cheers on Sat Mar 23, 2013 3:54 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by ahtnamas » Fri Mar 22, 2013 6:20 pm

Undergrad Institution: Top Tier Private University
Major(s): Biomedical Engineering
Minor(s): Physics
GPA in Major: 4.0
Overall GPA: 3.9
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Top 5%
Type of Student: Domestic Female

GRE Scores :
Q: 161
V: 154
W: 4.5
P: n/a


Research Experience: REU in Medical Physics and a presentation in the department research retreat and well as 3 years neurosensory research

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: President's Honor Roll, Dean's List, TBP and AEMB (general and BME honor societies)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Society of Women Engineer Officer

Special Bonus Points: Worked with a director of a medical physics program who wrote me a letter of recommendation


Applying to Where:

Duke - Medical Physics PhD - Interview on 3/8 (2/11) Wait listed (3/12)Rejected (4/17)
SUNY Stony Brook - Medical Physics PhD - Accepted (3/6) - (declined)
UCLA - Biomedical Physics PhD - Interview on 2/22 (1/16) Wait listed (3/12) Accepted (4/9) - Will be attending!! (4/11)
University of Florida - Medical Physics PhD - Rejected for PhD (5/14)Accepted for Masters (5/14) - (declined)
University of Pennsylvania - Medical Physics Masters - Accepted (2/17), no funding - (declined)
UT Houston/ MD Anderson - GSBS - Medical Physics PhD - Interview on 3/1 (2/4) Wait listed (3/11)
University of Wisconsin - Medical Physics PhD - Rejected (1/31)
Last edited by ahtnamas on Tue May 14, 2013 5:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.

MaFFGeeK
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2013 3:51 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by MaFFGeeK » Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:29 pm

Undergrad Institution: Large state school in the South; About ~50 in physics ranking
Major(s): Physics/Mathematics
GPA in Major: 3.92
Overall GPA: 3.84
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Top in physics
Type of Student: domestic white male

GRE Scores : (Revised)
Q: 170
V: 161
W: 4.5
P: 820



Research Experience: I worked with a nuclear theory group with a very reputable physicist for about 2 years. I got two coauthored publications out of this (one was in Nature!).

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Pi Sigma, Pi Mu Epsilon, 1st in a math contest at my university

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutored/TA'd for about 2 years

Special Bonus Points: Nothing notable.. I probably should have taken some graduate classes.

Applying to Where: I applied for either string theory, particle theory, or nuclear theory for everywhere. (Looking at my results, that was probably a horrible idea..)

Berkeley - Rejected
Caltech - Rejected
Harvard - Rejected
Stanford - Rejected
Washington at Seattle - Rejected
Stony Brook - Rejected
Duke - Waitlisted
Ohio State - Accepted! $27k/year fellowship
Columbia - Rejected
UT Austin - pending (I'm really surprised I haven't heard back from UT Austin yet, since it seems almost all other domestic students heard something in February. However, in my SOP I talked about how I want to work with Dr. Weinberg, so I'd say it's a long shot.)


I was quite surprised by the number of rejections I received. I guess for theory schools want you to have a higher PGRE.
Last edited by MaFFGeeK on Thu Mar 28, 2013 12:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

tansu.daylan
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 12:05 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by tansu.daylan » Tue Mar 26, 2013 5:31 pm

Undergrad Institution: Middle East Technical University
Major: Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Double Major: Physics
GPA in EEE: 3.79
GPA in Physics: 4.00
Length of Degree: 4 (extended to 5 due to the double major)
Type of Student: International, male

GRE Scores : Revised
Q: 164
V: 155
W: 4.5
P: 990

TOEFL Total: 107

Applying to Where:

Harvard Accepted
MIT Accepted
Stanford Rejected
Princeton Rejected
Columbia Waitlisted
UChicago Accepted
Ohio State Accepted
UMichigan Rejected

woepriest
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2012 11:56 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by woepriest » Thu Mar 28, 2013 3:26 am

Undergrad Institution: Low tier UC with the positron rockstar
Major(s): Physics
GPA in Major: 3.59
Overall GPA: 3.56
Length of Degree: 5 years, transfer
Position in Class: above average
Type of Student: Domestic twinkie

GRE Scores : revised
Q: 156
V: 150
W: 3
P: 690

Research Experience: a year and a half in a biophysics lab

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: some supposedly honors club for transfer, dean's list

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: help develop new experimental labs for a class

Special Bonus Points: dont know if being a twinkie is considered a minority when international students flood the place

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

Applying to Where: Only to Physics departments

UCSD - Physics - Rejected
Stony Brook - Physics - Rejected
University of Florida - Physics
University of Rochester - Physics - Rejected
Northwestern - Physics
Carnegie Mellon - Physics
UCR - Physics - Accepted
UCI - Physics - Accepted
FSU - Physics - Accepted
University of Pittsburgh - Physics - Accepted

PGRE is a very important aspect of course and I didnt know how to study for it properly. I think I am pretty fortunate to get acceptances from schools even though I dont really know what I want to do other than experimental work. Also I really screwed myself over by taking a heavy load for a quarter after transferring.
Last edited by woepriest on Tue Apr 09, 2013 12:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

hjq1990
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2012 7:37 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by hjq1990 » Thu Mar 28, 2013 10:56 am

Undergrad Institution: Chinese University( So called 211 ones)
Major(s): Microelectronics
GPA in Major: 3.59
Overall GPA: 3.5
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: above average
Type of Student: International male

GRE Scores : revised
Q: 170/99%
V: 155/65%
W: 3.0/11% :cry:
I retook a Revised General GRE days ago
Q:170
V:159
W: will be available on April 23
P: 890/85%
Toefl: 101(with speaking 18 :cry: )

Research Experience: a year in a theoretical physics

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: some Chinese subject contests awards and scholarships, including a national one

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points:

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

Applying to Where: Physics, Astronomy

Rice:rejected April 4
CMU:
COLUMBIA :rejected March 28
UT austin: rejected Feb 8
Ps::rejected April 15
Duke: rejected February 15
RPI: Waiting list March 26
HKU :rejected April 14
HKUST
vanderbilt: rejected April 2
U of Penn :rejected Mar 21
Stony brook:rejected Mar 17
UCI :rejected April 15
UBC:rejected April 7
U OF Arizonna: rejected Feb 9
U FLORIDA: rejected Mar 26
U of Georgia :rejected April 15
Ut a&m
UNC
Case western reserve:rejected April 15
U mass Amherst:Rejected Mar 8

In some sense I have already given up any hope and began to look for a job. At this time, a waiting list encourages me for stepping further. Also, I believe it could be a check for myself, a reference for you. I hope all of us the best.
Last edited by hjq1990 on Mon Apr 15, 2013 7:25 pm, edited 4 times in total.

abdullahkhalids
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2013 5:01 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by abdullahkhalids » Fri Apr 05, 2013 9:25 am

Undergrad Institution: International, best science school in country (pakistan) but new
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): N/A
GPA in Major: 3.14
Overall GPA: 3.07
Length of Degree: 4
Position in Class: Average
Type of Student: International

GRE Scores : (revised or old version?)
Q: 162
V: 164
W: 3.5
P: 940 (91%)
TOEFL Total: 113

Research Experience: a few months work in quantum optics. in renewable energy physics with a poster in a local conference

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: N/A

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 3 TAships

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: N/A

Special Bonus Points: N/A

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

Applying to Where:

Berkley - Physics - QIS Rejected
Oxford - Physics - QIS Rejected
Georgia Tech - Physics - QIS Rejected
Waterloo - Physics (PHD directly) - QIS Accepted by dept. but never found a supervisor
Calgary - Physics - QIS Accepted 23K funding minus fees
PSI - Rejected
Max Plank - Physics - Quantum Optics - Cirac's group
Dartmouth - Physics - QIS Unofficially waitlisted. Professor said she only had funding for US students
USC - Physics - QIS Waitlisted. Won't make it.
ICTP - Physics - High Energy

User avatar
qubits
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2013 10:11 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by qubits » Sun Apr 07, 2013 1:42 am

Undergrad Institution: Foreign University (One of the top two in the country for Physics)
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): Computer Science
GPA in Major: 4.00
Overall GPA: 3.98
Length of Degree: 4
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: International Male

Undergrad Institution: Foreign University
Major(s): Information Technology
GPA in Major: 3.86
Length of Degree: 3
Position in Class: Top

GRE Scores : Revised
Q: 170 (99%)
V: 159 (80%)
W: 4.5 (73%)
P: 990 (95%)

TOEFL Total: 117/120

Research Experience: At the time of application none except Senior year project (hep-th).

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: All awards/scholarships possible for a Physics major

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: At the time of application, none.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: -

Special Bonus Points: Sports in freshman and sophomore years. Great recommendations from faculty.

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


Applying to Where: All in Physics - Quantum Information/Quantum Theory (If not applicable CM/AMO)

Maryland, College Park - Accepted 02/22 Email (TA+Dean's Fellowship $24k)
Carnegie Mellon - Accepted 02/27 Email (TA $26.7k)
Georgia Tech - Accepted 03/13 Email ($24k TA)

Caltech - Rejected 02/28 Email
MIT - Rejected 02/15 Email
UC Berkeley - Rejected 03/01 Email
Yale - Rejected 02/14 Email
Illinois, Urbana-Champaign - Rejected 03/26 Email

fizzax
Posts: 12
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2012 3:41 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by fizzax » Tue Apr 09, 2013 5:56 am

______________________________________________
Undergrad Institution: Top 50 Medium Sized Engineering School
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.8
Overall GPA: 3.7
Length of Degree: 3 years
Position in Class: somewhere in top 30% or so
Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE Scores :revise
Q: (Nov 2012) 163 (Jan 2013) 167
V: (Nov 2012) 150 (Jan 2013) 156
W: (Nov 2012) 3.5 (Jan 2013) 4.0
P: 770


Research Experience: 12 credits during semesters and 1 summer at my own University doing astrophysics research on Milky Way Disk Kinematics. Presented a poster at AAS and paper in the works.

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

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TAed physics 1 twice and have done a lot of tutoring and academic work with my fraternity

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: Graduating in 3 years from my University is pretty easy to do, but has had bad results for getting into grad schools in the past. Also RPI requested I retake the general GRE and I sent the scores to all of my other schools, but I don't think they cared about it.

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

Applying to Where: All physics departments with interests in gravity and cosmology

Ohio State - Accepted
Penn State - Accepted - will attend
U Mass Amherst - Accepted
RPI - Accepted to master's program (applied to master's)
U Chicago - Rejected
U Maryland - Rejected
Cornell - Rejected
______________________________________________
Last edited by fizzax on Thu Apr 11, 2013 1:36 am, edited 1 time in total.

janisper116
Posts: 22
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2012 4:06 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by janisper116 » Wed Apr 10, 2013 10:27 pm

Undergrad Institution: Small Liberal Arts, good general reputation
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): Math, Computer Science
Last edited by janisper116 on Sat Apr 05, 2014 1:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.

DanMarcy
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 12:23 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by DanMarcy » Thu Apr 11, 2013 3:00 pm

Undergrad Institution: Small Canadian liberal-arts school.
Grad Institution: did a master's at a larger Canadian school. Well known in Physics.
Major(s): Honours in Physics and Mathematics
Minor(s): Computer Science
GPA in Major: 3.9
Overall GPA: 3.9
Length of Degree: 5
Position in Class: N/A
Type of Student: International Canadian

GRE Scores
Q: 166 (2012)
V: 163 (2012)
W: 4.0 (2012)
P: 970 (2011)

Research Experience: Two summers in my undergrad on Glass transitions. Grad research was in plasmas

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:NSERC awards for both my undergrad and master's.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutored for a number of terms

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: A few conferences

Special Bonus Points: 1 publication, 2nd author, another in review as 1st author

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I've held a lead programming job at a small iPhone app development company. Last year I've also applied to various schools to no avail. See the 2012 applicant profile thread.

Applying to Where:

Princeton - Plasma Physics - Accepted 2/12
Wisconsin - Physics - Plasma Physics - Accepted 1/24
Wisconsin - Electrical Engineering -
MIT - Physics - Nuclear Science and Engineering Rejected 3/27
UCLA - Physics - Plasma Physics - Accepted 2/26
UCSD - Physics - Plasma Physics - Rejected 3/22

Lesson learnt: Talk to professors, ask them about research, and ask them if they're taking students.
Last edited by DanMarcy on Fri Apr 12, 2013 11:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

IAMAredditor
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Mar 25, 2013 12:38 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by IAMAredditor » Fri Apr 12, 2013 1:29 am

For posterity, and all future applicants discouraged by their relatively low gpa

Undergrad Institution: UCSB
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: Not great, something like a 3.3, got a lot of B's some A-'s and one painful C+ in general relativity
Overall GPA: 3.5 at UCSB, 3.8 at community college
Type of Student: (Domestic white

GRE Scores : (revised or old version?)
Q: 75%
V: 91%
W: 44%
P: 640 the first time in 2011, retook in 2012 got a 810, hell yea! I studied my butt off after work every day, flash cards are key

Research Experience: Summer internship at LANL no publication, worked with new prof at ucsb 1 publication, got lucky but am like 4th author so...

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: my prof is kind, she gave me some kind of outstanding effort award

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: so after graduating and getting in nowhere i went to work in industry for a small company, doing optics and programming. small companies are the best because they give you lots of responsibility. i had a phd recommending me highly, very good letter of rec.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: none

Special Bonus Points: nothing

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

Applying to Where:

I applied to all condensed matter experiment

UCSD - admitted march 15ish - will attend - 17.6k / 9 months
UCI - admitted jan 30th base TA + 5k bonus- declined
UC Davis - admitted with base TA 23k ish - declined



USC - never even responded after taking my money, the pompous jerk-offs, not that I would have went anyway to their #50 school. im a bit miffed - if i pay $80 the LEAST you can do is shoot off an automatic reject like the others. i found this quite unprofessional.

Caltech applied physics, Boulder, Washington, UCLA all said no

shokan
Posts: 15
Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 6:59 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by shokan » Fri Apr 12, 2013 3:40 pm

Undergrad Institution: Top 15 school in the UK
Major(s): Physics with Astrophysics
Minor(s):-
GPA in Major: First Class, something like a 3.8
Overall GPA: First Class, something like a 3.8
Position in Class: 3rd
Type of Student: International

GRE Scores : (revised)
Q: 157 71%
V: 150 44%
W: 4.5 73%
P: 700 (Nov 2012)
Research Experience:
12 month internship at RAL, Oxfordshire. No publication, but carried out instrument design which got adopted. Supervisor quite senior and famous in the field.
2 months at University of Queensland: Dark Matter research. Again supervisor involved with leading projects. (Not my referee though)
Undergraduate thesis research in Condensed Matter Physics: Conference award but no publication.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Performance Scholarship every year from uni, The conference award above. The RAL internship was quite competitive to get - only 15 or so people get it every year.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Two very good LORs, the third I later found was a little too general for my liking but still positive.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Some public outreach - national exhibition + newspaper, awards at national physics competitions for high school students.

Special Bonus Points: nothing

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Poor PGRE + I am international!

Applying to Where:


I applied to Physics/Astro programs:

PhD programs:
Johns Hopkins - rejected - had to email to get the bad news. (April)
Ohio State - rejected - had to email to get the bad news. (April)
UPenn - rejected - website rejection (March 21)

Masters Programs:
UBC - rejected - website rejection - April 6
ETH Zurich - Accepted - but didn't get the Scholarship - March
Leiden - Accepted - with 75% Tuition waiver

Overall I am quite dissapointed with the results. I chose the schools that would normally take on students with poorer PGREs but I guess being an international student anything below a 900 is risky business. I thought I had decent research experience but it's the 0 publications that must have kept me away. Perhaps I should have applied to a few more safety schools. The masters programs I applied to all offer good scholarships but I failed there too. Still thinking if I can afford Leiden - its a great place though.

mastermowitz
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jun 14, 2009 9:05 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by mastermowitz » Fri Apr 12, 2013 6:33 pm

Undergrad Institution: Small American Private Research University with liberal arts focus, probably top 50-100 in Physics
Major(s): Physics, Math
Minor(s): None
GPA in Major: 3.76
Overall GPA: 3.76
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Probably near top
Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE Scores : (revised)
Q: 166/94% (Sept 2011)
V: 160/83% (Sept 2011)
W: 4.0/49% (Sept 2011)
P: 730/62% (Oct 2011), 910/88% (Nov 2012)



Research Experience: Summer after freshman year in atomic physics lab at Princeton. Following two summers and senior year in soft matter lab working on protein crystallization, resulted in senior honors thesis. This year since september in Israel in soft matter lab working on droplet impact, presented a poster and planning to publish a paper (didn't get to mention this before applications were due).

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Graduated Magna Cum Laude, High Honors in Physics, Honors in Math, Phi Beta Kappa, Physics Faculty Award, Dean's List all semesters

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Active member of Physics Club at my school, president junior and senior year. Undergraduate Department Representative for physics dept during my senior year. TA'd intro mechanics class for premeds one semester, tutored intro E&M and calculus for one semester.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: Took first semester of grad E&M, took several electives (including GR, Condensed Matter, Particle), some of which were basically grad classes, took several upper-level math courses.

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

Applying to Where: All Physics, Condensed Matter Experiment (leaning towards soft matter)

Caltech - Rejected 2/28 via email
Harvard - Rejected 3/4 via email inquiry
MIT - Rejected 2/15 via email
Stanford - Rejected 3/1 via email
Berkeley - Rejected 2/28 via email
U Chicago - Accepted 2/23 via email - WILL ATTEND!
UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) - Rejected 3/21 via website
U Michigan - Rejected 3/20 via email inquiry
U Maryland - Rejected 3/8 via email inquiry
UC San Diego (UCSD) - Accepted 2/5 via phone
U Wisconsin - Accepted 1/23 via email
U Penn - Rejected 3/21 via website
Johns Hopkins - Accepted 1/29 via email
UCLA - Accepted 2/9 via email
U Washington - Accepted 1/17 via email
Ohio State (OSU) - Accepted 2/5 via email
U Minnesota - Accepted 1/18 via email

User avatar
cmackeen
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2012 11:47 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by cmackeen » Mon Apr 15, 2013 5:43 pm

Undergrad Institution: UMass Amherst
Major(s): Physics, Math
Minor(s):
GPA in Major:3.6
Overall GPA:3.5
Length of Degree: 4 yr
Position in Class: bit above average
Type of Student: white guy

GRE Scores : revised
Q: 163
V: 158
W: 2.5 (6th perecntile, native english speaker!!!)
P: 720 (59th percentile)


Research Experience: 3 years with one professor at home institution. Two summers paid research, all on one experimental set-up ( avalanche photodiode) I have been with from fabrication, assembly, data collection and analysis. Made a poster, did a talk junior year.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:2 school research fellowships, 1 honors school grant for research

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: taught summer camp math/science class a while ago

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Lions club charter member at my university

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Strong essays, english student helped me edit



UCSD - Physics - CME denied mid-march
UCSB - Physics - CME denied mid-march
SUNY Stonybrook - Physics - CME denied mid-march
U Washington at Seattle - Physics - CME denied early-march
UCSC - Physics - CME accepted with $18,000 TA-ship and $5000 fellowship
Portland State University - Physics - CME Application incomplete so I withdrew
___________________________________________

anonymous333
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Apr 16, 2013 12:53 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by anonymous333 » Tue Apr 16, 2013 1:16 pm

Undergrad Institution: University of Maryland at College Park
Major(s): Physics, Computer Science
Minor(s): None
GPA in Major: 4.00
Overall GPA: 3.91
Length of Degree: 4 years
Type of Student: Domestic White Male

GRE Scores : revised
Q: 167
V: 160
W: 5.0
P: 820 first try, 890 second try

Research Experience:

One year of experimental work in an AMO lab researching atomtronics.
One summer researching the effectiveness of LIGO to detect scalar gravitational waves
No publications

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Graduated from a scholars program

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Secretary of the astronomy club

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Not really

Special Bonus Points: Double major in computer science

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: No

Applying to Where: all departments are physics, all research interests are computational undecided (usually either astrophysics or biophysics)

University of Colorado at Boulder - Accepted 2/28 with 2k signing bonus - will attend!
UCLA - Accepted 2/9 with 28k fellowship first year, followed by 6k/yr fellowship next 3 years
UC Irvine - Accepted 1/16 with 10k fellowship for first two years
UIUC - Accepted 2/15
Texas A&M - Accepted 2/18 with 25k fellowship first year, followed by 9k/yr fellowship next 4 years
Carnegie Mellon - Accepted 2/14 with 2225k/month fellowship first year + 1k allowance
Stanford - Rejected 3/1
MIT - Rejected 2/15
UC Berkeley - Rejected 3/1
Chicago - Rejected 3/1

Xinca
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Apr 06, 2013 8:34 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by Xinca » Wed Apr 17, 2013 12:57 am

Undergrad Institution: Top 50 State School
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): none
GPA in Major:
Overall GPA: 3.81
Length of Degree: Two years at Community College and then four years at State School
Position in Class: Near Top
Type of Student: Domestic Male

GRE Scores : Revised
Q: 159
V: 160
W: 4.0
P: 800



Research Experience: None

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Was awarded each year by the physics department for having high grades.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: none

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: nope

Special Bonus Points: nope

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

Applying to Where: Applied for AMO to Boulder, Rochester, Arizona, and Michigan. CME at ISU. Applied for an Optics PhD for UCF (CREOL)

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor -Rejected 2/12
University of Rochester -Rejected 2/21
University of Colorado-Boulder -Rejected 2/25
University of Arizona - No response. Rejected
Iowa State University - Accepted 3/07 with 18k/9 months TA-Declined
University of Central Florida (CREOL) - Skype interview 2/20. Admitted 3/29 with no funding. 25k/year fellowship offer 4/16-Will Attend!

I wanted to post this to show other students looking to go to Grad School that it is possible to get accepted without having a stellar profile. Most of the profiles on here are very strong and are not a great sample of the whole applying population.

tevatron2
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Apr 17, 2013 10:21 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by tevatron2 » Wed Apr 17, 2013 11:05 pm

Undergrad Institution: Large state school
Major(s):Physics and Math
Minor(s):
GPA in Major:4.0
Overall GPA:3.89
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: Domestic male

GRE Scores :
Q:163 (88%)
V:156 (69%)
W:4.5 (73%)
P:680 (51%)


Research Experience: Two years working in high energy experiment, including one conference talk and several group talks, in addition to taking data shifts, etc.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Departmental Scholarships

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Worked for physics department since freshman year in addition to research. Also involved in SPS

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: None

Special Bonus Points: Two graduate courses, strong research letters, some visibility within collaboration thanks to advisor

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

Applying to Where:

All for high energy experiment:

Brown - Accepted (2/26)
Columbia - Rejected (3/26)
University of Maryland - Rejected (4/7)
NYU - Rejected (3/12)
University of Pennsylvania - Accepted (2/12)
Rutgers - Accepted (2/12)
Yale - Accepted (2/18)

I was initially worried when I got my GRE scores back, but I think grades and strong research experience helped a lot!

echinus
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2013 11:42 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by echinus » Sun Apr 21, 2013 12:09 am

Undergrad Institution: Mid-tier state university (no reputation in physics)
Major(s): Physics & Math
Minor(s): None
GPA in Major: Physics 3.95, Math 3.97
Overall GPA: 3.85
Length of Degree: 5 years
Position in Class: #1 in physics department, out of ~20 students
Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE Scores :
Q: 163
V: 165
W: 4.0
P: 710 :|

Research Experience: 2.5 years of astrophysics research at my university, multiple poster presentations at major conferences, a couple oral presentations, one summer REU

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: A few internal scholarships/awards, nothing monumental

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor for 2 years, volunteered at state science olympiad 3 years running

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Very strong recommendation letters

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I'm 26.

Applying to Where:

UMass Amherst - Accepted 4/9 (Will Attend)
Carnegie Melon - Rejected
Northwestern - Rejected
UCSD - Rejected
University of Maryland - Rejected
SUNY Albany - Accepted 3/30 (Declined)
Drexel - Accepted 2/23 (Declined)

I'm happy with the way everything turned out, but it was a tense couple of months. My advice to anyone with a similar profile to mine would be to apply to a lot more schools.

Cosmojo
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Dec 18, 2011 1:33 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by Cosmojo » Wed May 08, 2013 1:19 am

Undergrad Institution: Lib arts
Major(s): Physics, East Asian Studies
Minor(s): Math
GPA in Major: 3.4
Overall GPA: 3.6
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: near top
Type of Student: white female, disability.

GRE Scores :
Q: 157
V: 152
W: 5? (don't remember)
P:550 - I'm posting this for all those who think a bad PGRE score is end of the world



Research Experience: 1 summer at home university doing some small time physics stuff, 1 summer REU at large well known school doing some computational astrophysics. Senior Thesis will lead to publication

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: nah.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for astro and 2 intro physics classes, personal tutor for college and high school students, sps officer, member of national council for my disabilities national organization (1 of 15 students from across the nation)

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: interned in Japan for a summer helping tutor at a high school

Special Bonus Points: lets not joke ourselves, I know I do great research and my grades were affected by me being so ill so my GPA isn't fabulous, but I'm a girl, with a disability- I think I did get some preferential treatment. (not saying its right, just saying that's how it is)

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: My GPA was explained away by 2 of my recommenders, I had missed weeks of class due to hospitalization. The other person who wrote letters of rec is extremely well known.

Applying to Where: solar/space physics interest all Ph.D.

UT- Dallas - physics - accepted TA 21k/year
UT-San Antonio - physics - accepted 27k a year (which includes their 9k tuition)
Boston University - physics - waitlisted
Auburn - physics - accepted
University of New Hampshire - physics - accepted
Utah State University - physics - accepted
Florida Institue of Technology - space sciences- accepted
Stanford - physics - rejected.
Harvard - physics - rejected
Montana State - physics - rejected

I think I did pretty well, really happy with my options, I didn't get into top schools but I wasn't expecting to. My profile isn't as great as most but I was smart about where I applied to and knew my specialty so I'm going to where it was the best for me.
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unknownorchestra
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 12:17 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by unknownorchestra » Thu May 23, 2013 12:46 pm

Undergrad Institution: Large top 50 physics state school
Major(s): Physics, Math
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: ~4.0
Overall GPA: 3.89
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Probably second
Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE Scores : Revised
Q: 165
V: 161
W: 4.0
P: 790


Research Experience: Two undergrad research projects in totally different areas of HET which included a senior thesis, one REU (no publication) in nuclear theory at outside school which yielded a very strong letter of rec

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Incoming to college lots of scholarships (why I chose my undergrad institution), a few departmental/university awards but no major national ones

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutored and was involved in SPS, but didn't write much about this in my SOP (stupid me probably), so I don't think it's relevant as it was just a line or two on my CV.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: Some grad coursework.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I applied to some schools where in my SOP I talked about wanting to work in one specific area (that I have a good amount of previous work in, two of my letter writers are very well known in this area). At the time I rationalized it could help in schools I might not have a chance at getting into and I thought I was sure I wanted to work in it. Now... I am not nearly as sure about this. I actually chose a program that doesn't have a faculty member working in this exact field, but I am happier anyways. I would just warn anyone from being overly sure of wanting to do one specific thing. This would have definitely changed some of the schools I applied to.

Applying to Where:
Applied for nuclear and high energy theory universally (where applicable)

The Bad
MIT - Physics - Rejected (appealed to work with a junior faculty member I knew (and is also in the aforementioned research area) knowing my chances were a long shot)
Yale - Physics - Rejected
UChicago - Physics - Rejected
Columbia - Physics - Rejected
University of Washington- Seattle - Physics - Rejected

The Good
University of Wisconsin-Madison - Physics -Accepted w/ Fellowship, about $21k/yr
Ohio State University - Physics -Accepted w/ Fowler and University Fellowships, would be about $30k/yr
College of William and Mary - Physics -Accepted
Boston University - Physics -Accepted
University of Arizona - Physics -Accepted w/ ~$15k/yr stipend
SUNY Stony Brook - Physics -Accepted, $20k +~5k for summer- Will Attend

Fellowships:
JLab Distinguished Theory Student Fellowship - Full funding to William & Mary, full membership to JLab theory group, plus extra money and funds for new computer -Awarded- Declined :?

For me, I had to choose a school that is strong in the two main areas I am interested in, nuclear theory and high energy theory. While I had a really great opportunity at JLab, I just didn't know that was exactly what I wanted to do and thought Stony Brook offered the most, with both their in house faculty and people at Brookhaven. Wisconsin was a close second, I loved my visit to Madison and could see myself happy there. However, it seemed their department was having issues as two of their top phenomenologists and one top nuclear person had left recently. Stony Brook seemed to be growing in the areas I was interested in rather than shrinking, and was my obvious choice even if the area isn't as great as Madison.
Last edited by unknownorchestra on Wed Jun 19, 2013 1:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Nezumi8
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Mar 23, 2013 4:51 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by Nezumi8 » Thu May 30, 2013 10:53 pm

Undergrad Institution: Saint Vincent College, small liberal arts school
Majors(s): Physics / Math double major
Minor(s): N/A
GPA in Major: 3.282 (Physics), 3.048 (Math)
Overall GPA: 3.215
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: unknown
Type of Student: Domestic white female

GRE Scores (revised):
Q: 740 (74%) (740 on old GRE)
V: 156 (69%) (550 on old GRE)
W: 4 (49%)
P: 760 (67%)

Note: I also earned a graduate degree
Graduate Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Major(s): Math, Finance
Overall GPA: 3.5
Degree: Professional Science Master's (Equivalent to Master's)
Length of Degree: 2 years

Research Experience: 1 summer at OU doing nanotechnology, NSF REU program.

Applying to Where:

I expressed interest in condensed matter physics to the following:

University of Central Florida - Accepted 4/29 by Email - $18k TA Will Attend 4/29
University of Victoria - Accepted 2/19 by Email - $22k Fellowship Declined

I expressed interest in high-energy physics to the following:

Univerity of Victoria see above
University of Hawaii at Manoa - Rejected 5/15 by letter
University of British Columbia - Rejected 4/18 by letter

yeezy
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:24 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by yeezy » Fri Jun 14, 2013 4:25 pm

Undergrad Institution: University of Cambridge
Major(s): Theoretical Physics
Minor(s): N/A
GPA in Major: Class I
Overall GPA: N/A
Length of Degree: 4 Years (BA + MMath)
Position in Class: Average
Type of Student: International Asian Male

GRE Scores : Revised
Q: 165
V: 167
W: 4.0
P: 910

Research Experience: 2 summers at CERN, 1 summer on theory project

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Small college awards

Applying to Where:

All for hep-ex and hep-ph

Harvard - Physics - Rejected
Princeton - Physics - Accepted - Attending
Yale - Physics - Accepted
Chicago - Physics - Rejected
Columbia - Physics - Rejected
Cornell - Physics - Accepted
Caltech - Physics - Accepted
UC Berkeley - Physics - Rejected
UCSB - Physics - Rejected
MIT - Physics - Rejected

User avatar
lordbadri
Posts: 30
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 2:11 am

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by lordbadri » Tue Jun 25, 2013 9:49 am

Undergrad Institution: Top Engg Schools in India
Major(s): Electronics
Minor(s): Math
GPA in Major: 80%
Overall GPA: 80%
Length of Degree: 4
Position in Class: Top 5
Type of Student: International Male from India
GRE Scores (revised):
Q: 161
V: 155
W: 4
P: 650 (Nov 2012)

Research Experience: 15 months at IISC, India - Mathematical Modelling and simulation. 1 paper yet to be published.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Top 5 in my undergrad

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Math tutor for 2 years

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Nah
Special Bonus Points: Nah

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

Applying to Where:

SFSU-Accepted with GTA for MS

FIU-Accepted for Doctoral Program

Leveret
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2013 7:17 pm

Re: 2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

Post by Leveret » Mon Jul 29, 2013 11:46 pm

Undergrad Institution: Well-known mid-west research university with a somewhat obscure physics department
Major(s): Physics
Minor(s): N/A
GPA in Major: 3.98
Overall GPA: 3.97
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: Estimated top 10%
Type of Student: Domestic Asian male

GRE Scores : (revised)
Q: 170 (98%)
V: 165 (95%)
W: 4.0 (54%)
P: 960 (91%)

Research Experience:
-Biophysics/biochem lab at an Ivy League university for 2 summers in high school.
-Collaboration with the ATLAS project at the LHC.
-Experimental condensed matter at my undergrad university for 2.5 years, leading to a JCP publication (2nd author), an honors thesis, and two poster presentations at undergraduate symposia.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:
-Undergraduate research award and associated summer fellowship.
-Senior prize (awarded by dept faculty to the top few physics majors in the graduating class).
-Sigma Pi Sigma honor society
-Sigma Xi research society
-Dean's List every semester up until my senior year

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:
-Tutor for the introductory chemistry sequence for 1.5 years.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:
-Leadership position in, and music arranger for, my university's student-run orchestra for 3 and 2 years, respectively.

Special Bonus Points:
-Took, and did very well in, a year-long graduate sequence on asymptotics and perturbation theory from one of the big names in the field.

Applying to Where:
Harvard - Applied Sciences - Nonlinear optics - Rejected by mail
Stanford - Applied Physics - Nonlinear optics - Rejected by mail
MIT - Physics - Nonlinear optics - Rejected online
U Rochester - Physics - Quantum optics - Accepted by email 2/1, $29k fellowship for 3 yrs
Ohio State - Physics - Nonlinear optics - Accepted by email 2/5, $27k fellowship for 2 yrs
Case Western Reserve - Physics - Nonlinear optics - Accepted by email 2/8, $23k TAship
CU Boulder - Physics - Nonlinear optics - Accepted by email 2/15, $22k TAship + $5k signing bonus
UI Urbana-Champaign - Physics - Quantum optics - Accepted by email 2/18, $22k fellowship for 1 yr
Cornell - Applied Physics - Nonlinear optics - Accepted by email 2/19, $35k fellowship for 1 yr - WILL ATTEND!
U Maryland - Physics - Quantum optics - Accepted by email 2/27, $32k fellowship for 3 yrs



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