Hey guys, I am currently a freshman in an international school. And I’m interested in cluster 1 quantum mechanics in UCD campus. My GPA is not that competitive since my school offers AP classes yet only gives us the uw gpa (for me it is 3.8, and I’m taking AP HumanGeo, AP Stats, AP Phy 1, Honors Eng Lang, Honors Eng Lit, and Pre-Calculus). And I am doing some research projects with my personal tutor (who is a doctoral tutor as well) as well as learning calculus and advanced number theory with him. My question is that is cluster 1 a competitive program and is my profile has a chance getting in? And my class rank is not high(15%) since other people are taking less challenging classes than mine (meaning higher gpa than me).
As a former COSMOS student, I will say that the quantum physics/astrophysics based clusters tend to be easier to get into than most other clusters. You should have a good chance of getting in! Just make sure your essays and recs are especially strong, as COSMOS tends to value those more than grades and GPA alone. If you have prior research experience, I suggest you look into other summer programs (SIP at UCSC is really good for quantum mech)…COSMOS research is good, but for persons with little to no research experience. Something like SIP, RSI, RISE, etc could definitely allow you to study more in depth with a stronger research focus.
Thanks!
Thanks! The reason why I want to apply for COSMOS is that freshman is eligible to apply and I think I am still too young for internships. And I have another question is that the website says that they can only admit 20 out-of-state students, is that true? Since I am a int’l student, I am wondering that being the top 20 may be too hard for me.@astrolakers
bump
You said you went to an international school. Is this in California, because if it isn’t, your chances will be close to 0.
it…isn’t @GoBears2023