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.
@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
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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.
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.