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Grad School recommendations for Physics

ChildishGluinoChildishGluino Registered User Posts: 1 New Member
in Graduate School
I'm a physics undergrad at the University of Tulsa going into my senior year. My plan is to get into a physics phd program. I'm mainly interested in particle/high-energy physics but also would consider going into the plasma/nuclear physics area. I have a 3.7 gpa and around 2 years of research experience with a paper published in Physics Letters B. I haven't taken the GRE or Physics GRE yet although I will in the next couple months. I've been doing a lot of research on a bunch of grad schools and so far the only one I'm for sure going to apply to is UC Berkeley. I'm interested to know what people think my chances of getting into Berkeley or a similar school are and suggestions of other grad schools to apply too, especially "safer" schools. Thanks in advance.
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Replies to: Grad School recommendations for Physics

  • BeaudreauBeaudreau Registered User Posts: 987 Member
    @ChildishGluino - US News provides detailed rankings of graduate physics programs both overall and by seven specialties: Atomic/Molecular/Optical; Condensed Matter; Cosmology/Relativity/Gravity; Elementary Particles/Field/String Theory; Nuclear; Plasma; and Quantum.
    https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/physics-rankings
    This is not premium content.
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  • collegemom3717collegemom3717 Registered User Posts: 4,060 Senior Member
    Go to grad cafe for physics admissions results (http://www.physicsgre.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6459). Obviously, it is a self-selected group, but you will get a feel for some of the scores and results. The Physics GRE is a really big element, and if you aren't already studying hard for it you should be! UCB is (as you surely know) a big kahuna in the physics PhD world, so be working on your list from the bottom up, not the top down.
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  • xraymancsxraymancs College Rep Posts: 4,199 Senior Member
    Your GPA is good and should not disqualify you from most programs. Without knowing your general or Physics GRE, it is hard to say if you will be considered seriously by UCB or any other highly selective program. Remember that highly selective programs are just that because they have a lot of applicants for only a few openings. The best strategy is to apply to a couple of these preferred programs ans then add in a program that you are pretty sure you can get into because it is less selective. A good trick for locating such a program in HEP is to find an experiment you are interested in and see which universities are collaborating on this experiment. Then look up the faculty involved and learn a bit about the program. Also get some advice from your research mentors at Tulsa.
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