I am a graduate student from India. I am planning to pursue physics as my major in Masters and applying for the same. As i move through my application process, I wonder at each step if this is the right choice for me. I am no genius or anything but I apparently like physics. I’m not even sure I genuinely like it or am I just lying to myself. I don’t know what to do. Any advice?
(deleting response, since the point is now moot)
What’s your goal? A master’s degree is far from sufficient in physics unless you want to teach at a secondary school. Apply to a PhD program if you’re really interested in physics. Why do you like physics?
1 Like
Do you have any experience working at a job where a degree in physics would be appropriate? Some work experience can give you a much better sense regarding whether this field is the right one for you. I do understand that the specific job that you might get with a graduate degree would be different from the specific job you might get with a bachelor’s degree, but the company or research facility where you would be working might be similar.
2 Likes
What do you hope to accomplish with a physics degree?
Where are you applying?
Have you investigated jobs in India with physics?
1 Like
I am not interested in teaching. Maybe teaching is a practical choice, but I want to research further. And since it is a vast subject that requires a lot of intelligence, I don’t know if I can keep up. Either I get a job after my masters for stable earning, or I continue further (Ph.D/specialization), which requires money. I guess money is the main issue. I know people say that satisfaction is more important than money, but it’s not true. Money is practical.
I want to specialize in Astrophysics.
I don’t have any relevant job experience. There aren’t many options where a bachelor’s degree in physics is sufficient. The jobs available are completely irrelevant to anything that I studied in my bachelors.
That’s not unusual. For most jobs there is a steep learning curve at the beginning.
I’m not sure I understand your initial post. Are you already a grad student or thinking about applying?
1 Like
I am interested in Astrophysics. Ideally, I would like to do Ph.D. The problem is that I don’t know if I am cut out to do that.
I am applying for a number of universities in the EU and I am also appearing for JAM and JEST in February.
Domains include Academia, Consulting, Research and Development (organizations like DRDO, HAL, ISRO, etc) or pure research (TIFR, IISER, IISc, IIST, etc)
I just completed B.Sc.
Currently, I am working on my applications for Masters.
1 Like
If you’re interested in getting a PhD, apply for doctoral programs. That opens up a big world of funding in the U.S. (you’d likely be a teaching assistant or research assistant) in exchange for free tuition and a living stipend. You would then earn the Master’s en route to the PhD. But there’s a lot of funding for students intending to seek a PhD that isn’t there for people who want a Master’s only.
1 Like
If a) you aren’t “interested in teaching”, b) you don’t know you “can keep up”, and c) “money is the main issue”, you really shouldn’t apply to MS program in Astrophysics. If you’re about to graduate with a bachelor degree in physics, you should know whether physics is for you. If not, you’re unlikely to be prepared for a graduate program in physics (or astrophysics). Spending time and money for an unfunded master’s program to see if you’re up to it and can go further in physics isn’t wise at all. On the other hand, if you have the background in physics and are deeply interested in it, apply to a PhD program. It’s much harder to be accepted to a PhD program, of course, compared to a master’s program, but at least it wouldn’t cost you so much.
Do you have any experience in software engineering? Physics research facilities that I am aware of (a very short list) use computers a lot. At least some of the software engineers who work there appear to have bachelor’s degrees in physics. However, some software experience is needed.
Do you have any internship experience?
The thing is, I am not satisfied with the quality of education I received in Bachelor’s. I have been interested in physics since 11th grade. Which is why I continued with it. And now, looking at the curriculum and resources foreign universities offer, I really want to explore the subject in areas I wasn’t able to. Which is why I thought masters is a better idea than jumping directly to Ph.D.
I have experience with computer-aided tools used in physics like Matlab but at an undergraduate level, I haven’t really come across problems where I needed computer aid.
The thing is, I am not satisfied with the quality of education I received in my Bachelors. I have been interested in physics since 11th grade. Which is why I continued with it. And now, looking at the curriculum and resources foreign universities offer, I really want to explore the subject in areas I wasn’t able to. This is why I thought masters is a better idea than jumping directly to Ph.D.
1 Like
Did you major in physics in college? How did you do? What aspects of physics do you find the most interesting and why?
1 Like
Yes. I majored in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. I have maintained an average 7.5 GPA in physics throughout. It would be higher but I went through some issues in 2nd year and my GPA dropped because of that. Interesting areas: Atmospheric physics, Quantum mechanics, Statistical, Astrophysics and nanotech