What do Grad Schools look for?

mathboy98
Sat, 12 May 2012 13:16:55 +0000

So if I want to go to grad school for physics, I should try to make the best of every research/intern opportunity and get to know each professor well?



Get to know a few of them well – don’t try to force it too much, just the ones where it’s very natural to go talk to them (you like their class and/or want to learn that stuff very well, etc). A genuine interest in some areas of study is the easiest way to make all this happen, I think.

Your graduate programs will look for research potential, and this is measured by a) strong mastery of the fundamentals, b) evidence of a keen desire to work to advance the field (this appears in letters of recommendation, substantial projects as an undergraduate, and such things).