Wide variety of undergraduate experiences

Graduate School
1

<p>So, I have a great variety of undergraduate experiences. I am an Aerospace Engineering junior (and a liberal arts honors major, to boot). I’ve interned in aerospace industry-related jobs at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Applied Physics Laboratory. But, my only publication credit is in biology (in BMC Genomics). And, I’m interested in studying aeronautics at Caltech, a pretty theoretical department, and my only aerospace undergraduate research so far has been applied stuff through student competitions. Now I have the opportunity to get involved in research with an aerospace prof, but it’s planetary science work!</p>

<p>Anyway, I feel like I can’t really rationally explain my shotgun approach to my undergraduate experience. I explore what I find interesting at any given moment, and that’s why I want to become a professor…</p>

<p>I guess my question is whether my inability to cohesively narrate my undergraduate experience will have a big effect on my grad school prospects. I’ve read somewhere that it’s really important for at least the national fellowship competitions to have a nice, coherent story behind your education.</p>

<p>On the plus side, in case you’re wondering, for the time being I have a 4.0, and I’ll probably do okay on the GRE.</p>

2

<p>P.S. - I’m a junior, haven’t chosen my thesis topic yet, and am trying to come up with what I should do this summer. Also, I haven’t committed to the planetary science research yet.</p>

3

<p>I don’t understand why you feel your undergrad experience has been all over the place. Everything you have listed has been related to your field except for one publication. In regards to applied vs. theoretical, I doubt it matters as far as an undergrad experience is concerned - you’ll get plenty of theory in grad school.</p>