Hello everyone
I’m currently studying physics and I actually did really bad at my freshman year and got 3.23 CGPA which is a really bad GPA, I got B- in Phy 1 and A- in Phy 2 but my math grades are really bad , I have got F in Calc 1 and even after taking it again I got B- but decided to change my stupid studying habits and got A in Calc 2 but the problem is the Mechanics course C+ in Mech 1 and B- in Mech 2.
Right now I’m planning on getting 4.0s in the semesters to come, I know it’s hard especially in such a hard major like physics but I’m wondering if such a bad freshman year would screw my chances of getting a fully funded scholarship to study Theoretical physics in (Germany, Canada, UK, Finland) or getting accepted at CERN summer school.
You need to speak with your own professors about this. They are the ones who can tell you where students from your program have been accepted.
If you bring up the cumulative every semester and get research experience, the chances go up that grad schools will overlook the first year. Even then, your grades could be worse.
I have advised many physics majors in my time at Illinois Tech. a 3.23 is not horrible and you can build on it and get into a Ph.D. program. However, as I tell all my advisees, becoming a theoretical physicist is another matter altogether. Many graduate with their B.S. wanting to become a theorist (particularly particle theory) but there are many fewer jobs for a theoretical physicist after graduation and so many graduate students will gravitate to computational or experimental physics. Keep an open mind as to where you go for a graduate program.
In order to reach your goals you will not only need to do very well in your next two years but also get a significant research experience this year and over the summer.