Anything massively wrong with what I'm thinking of doing?

Graduate School
1

<p>Hello, I'd like to get some grad school advice from the old timers.</p>

<p>You see, I'm in a weird spot. And I'm starting to feel like time's running out. I'm a year out of college. And I want to apply to graduate school this cycle. But my interests have always been all over the place, so I'm a rather non traditional candidate.</p>

<p>Backstory.</p>

<p>By the time I graduated college, I hadn't found my calling. I studied physics. Which I loved. But I spent too much time in one lab, doing a ton of (I think) pretty good work that ultimately didn't amount to much at all because of funding issues. I spent 2 years in this lab, my senior thesis was on this same project that went on to be cut. I hadn't felt the pull of graduate school back then, so I wasn't super proactive about lining up LORs or finding a "focus". I wasn't sure I wanted to go to graduate school. I wasn't sure if I had that kind of tenacity.</p>

<p>So when I graduated, I started poking around. I did a bunch of teaching (university lab and private tutoring), I worked various odd jobs, I got some professional science journalism experience (through a AAAS fellowship), I got some contracts to write freelance, but through it all I've been doing research with a university astrophysics/cosmology group. I'm wrapping up my work there, which was part time and eventually lead to a publication (submitted but not yet published probably by application time). I didn't necessarily do my best work (I was clearly distracted and working only part time), but my perspective has morphed and grown considerably. I see that most jobs in the world are rooted in repetition, not innovation, and I've realized that I'm not satisfied with only what I learned in undergrad, I've finally started forming questions that I feel like absolutely need to be answered, so, as such, I've concluded that I need to go to grad school.</p>

<p>Problem: I'm still not completely focused. I would be happy studying either astrophysics or applied physics with a focus on materials and/or nanotech. My CV experience (with the possible exception of solar energy company work) centered around astrophysics (although, I worked with solid state devices extensively in my senior thesis work). I have no clue how to justify this, as I hear graduate programs have little patience or sympathy for lack of focus. My letters of recommendation are also kind of all over the place, one from my advisor for my recent research, one from a close professor/advisor from college, one from senior thesis advisor. So that goes astro, general, and astro/eng. I'm not sure whether to ask for a recommendation from my senior thesis advisor actually, as things kind of ended poorly with the project (should I? how should I approach him?).</p>

<p>I want to apply to both programs, but should I not apply to them within the same school? Do you guys think my lack of focus is something that should be addressed and openly acknowledged (with appropriate mention of undergrad experience) or downplayed? Should I let my recommenders in on this (possible) weak point, if so how? Is it at all common for applications to go to two distinct fields? I have full scores on my tests- general and subject- I have a 3.8 GPA- and I guess, this one research paper which I'm first author on. </p>

<p>But did I really screw this up? </p>

<p>How do I get into grad school at this point?</p>

2

<p>Downplay your lack of focus. Instead, use your broad background as a means to explain why you now want to study X. You should send your SOP (or both SOPs, if you apply to two different sets of programs) to your LOR writers so they understand what you are trying to do. </p>

<p>You can indeed apply to both kinds of programs, although your LOR writers have to understand what you are doing. They will probably have to write two sets of letters. Although you might be able to apply to two programs at the same university–admissions are handled by faculty members, not by the university, although the committee may be able to see that you applied to two programs–I would be surprised if you find both programs equally interesting. A better approach would be to identify exactly what interests you in each field, and then find individual programs that are strong in what you wish to study. My guess is that you’ll end up with two unique lists.</p>

<p>This lack of focus has deeper implications than getting past them for graduate school admissions. Are you really ready for graduate school? Or are you just tired of the “real world”? You say you want to know more, but you haven’t yet figured out exactly what you want to study. Graduate school is really not the time for figuring out your field, primarily because you have to be committed to the subject matter when you arrive. If you aren’t, you’ll burn out fast. A background that is “all over the place” is fine as long as you can spin it to support your current focus. At least in the application, you cannot afford to seem as though you lack direction. Remember that acceptances are based in part on a match with specific research interests.</p>

<p>Good luck! You have a lot of work ahead of you in the next month.</p>

3

<p>Umm, not every job is based on repetition and I seriously doubt that TAing in university labs, freelance journalism on an AAAS fellowship and part time research projects are considered “real world experience” by anybody but the mostly deeply entrenched academics. It’s not important, what is important is that you have an interest in attending graduate school and you aren’t totally sure if you would prefer astrophysics or a slightly different type of physics. I don’t think you will have a big problem deciding when it comes down to picking a specific lab at a specific program. When you are talking about this in abstract, there is a tremendous opportunity cost, but when you are in a program and deciding between which of the labs you have rotated in, the choice will be a bit more clear. I also don’t think that a lack of focus in your background will be a problem, I think the problem that committees would have with a lack of focus revolve around not knowing what area you want to work in for graduate school.</p>

4

<p>MWFN’s advice is excellent. I, too, come from broad-based knowledge and have tried to rectify this. Mainly it helps to write the SOP over and over and over again until you figure out what is <em>it</em> that ties together your interests. (And talk to people! Of all the people, my mom, a non-academic, was the one who figured out my central interest!) You need to find a central question/theme that ties everything you’re interested in. Show the adcoms, in your SOP, how you arrived this particular question (that’s intellectual autobiography).</p>

<p>Definitely make it clear to your LOR writers, especially that they may have to adjust their letters for each program. Emphasize your central question.</p>

<p>And, think again why you want to go to graduate school.</p>

5

<p>Thanks for the input guys–</p>

<p>Question, would I be even competitive for an applied physics program? Given that my degree is in general physics and my research has been in astronomy/cosmology with some work in solid state devices?</p>