Getting Into a Top Grad School...

Graduate School
1

<p>So, to get into a top grad school, what do you have to do exactly?</p>

<p>To elaborate, I'm only a junior in high school. Granted, what I want to do with my life can, has, and does actively change. However, currently, I'm interested in entering academia after getting a PHD in physics...thinking about being some sort of professor/researcher at a college. Granted, maybe it wouldn't happen, but that seems to be my ideal situation./</p>

<p>Right now, my reaches for undergrad are Berkeley, and Cornell. UIllinois - Urbana Champagne is my safety. Only reason I'm worried about getting into Berkeley/Cornell is pretty poor freshman year grades, but I will cross that bridge when I get to it.</p>

<p>Anywho, say I were to get rejected from both Berkeley and Cornell, and ended up going to Urbana Champagne, which is still the number eight (as far as rankings go) undergraduate physics program in the country. Is this good enough to enter a top graduate school such as Harvard, MIT, Caltech, Berkeley, etc?</p>

<p>Assuming I get acceptable GPA and GRE (is that what I would take?) scores to be accepted into those colleges, how much weight do they put on the quality of your undergraduate school? Would Urbana Champagne be good enough?</p>

2

<p>UIC would be just fine. Get good grades. Try to do research with physics faculty while there, so you get research experience and they can write letters of rec for you, get terrific GRE scores, and you can go anywhere after that.</p>

3

<p>You can get into any program in the country from UIUC. PhD acceptance is based on many factors. Try to get the best grades you can, especially in your major. Grad school acceptance is based on research, research and more research, so start getting involved as early as possible. The summer after freshman year at Brown my daughter was hired by a physicist at Brown to do some number crunching for his grad students and him to use. At the end of the summer, he took them all over to a trip to Fermi lab where they toured and presented their research.</p>

<p>The next two summers she was awarded research grants and worked with 2 different professors. It is nice to go to a school that self funds undergraduate research. Less competition than the REU's. Plus she gets to continue to work with those people and gets some nice opportunities for Letters of Reccommendation.</p>

<p>Then she also works as a TA and will have TA'd 4 classes by graduation. This is good experience for your CV.</p>

<p>Your letters of reccommendation are extremely important, so cultivate relationships. It is much better to have worked with someone than just to have taken the class. 'Did well in class' isn't good enough to evaluate your ability to get a PhD.</p>

<p>EC's like Robotics Team are good for connecting to prof's too. Of I forgot you are physics. She started out with that but switched to Math/CS. She just received her first PhD acceptance this week! </p>

<p>Another important factor is to have a well considered statement of purpose . The people who read the applications will be looking for someone they want to work with. If there is no one who is working in the area you are interested, then there is no fit. So research your departments and professors.</p>

<p>Try to do well on the GRE, but don't kill yourself if you are a good test taker. I'm pretty convinced that just decent is fine for most places, as long as you are within range it doesn't likely help you to do any better than that. seriously mine only did practice tests in the week before and did fine. But if you aren't such a good test taker, spend summer before Senior year doing study guides.</p>

<p>Berkeley is very difficult for out of staters to get into for undergrad. And remember that you won't likely go to grad school where you did your undergrad, so you'll miss out on that chance. Have you calculated your GPA the way UC does? Go to the Pathways website.</p>

<p>I think Cornell would be quite nice as they do support undergrad research. Don't know much about UIUC but that ranking sounds quite good.</p>

4

<p>Good grief, can you please come back in four years?</p>

5

<p>As mentioned previously, your undergrad institution will play a role but it is only one of several admission criteria. PhD programs do have cutoffs so just make sure when you will apply you have the ranges. It is pretty much who you know, so LOR and what you know, so Research. Begin by starting early-->college is all about time management and dont think you'll be able to rock a 4.0, a 3.5+ and a 1400+ with competitive research and good LORs is good enough to put you into the range of top tier schools. The best advice I have for you is to concentrate on your grades the first semester and perhaps 2nd semester. Then over the summer look for research internships with your school or any other institution. Each and every summer, build on these experiences and you'll be able to reach all of your goals. Its all about determination and motivation.</p>

6

<p>haha yes your in high school now kinda too early to think about grad school really a lot can happen in four years time</p>

7

<p>
[quote]
a lot can happen in four years time

[/quote]

Yeah... like taking a relativity course. :)</p>

8

<p>Showing long-term commitment to research is very important, but if your goal is absolutely to get into a top program in your field, I would focus on GPA (including grad level courses). One can't fix his/her GPA and research experience can be acquired anytime (in fact, your competition will include people with M.S. degree and experience in the industry). So it may take you more than 4 years (e.g. start research on your third year and work hard to publish your results within a year or two after graduation while focusing on GRE) but it's well worth it. </p>

<p>So vision yourself in 5-6 years, you will be a very solid applicant (hopefully 3.8+, 1500+, 3+ yr research with publication(s), strong recommendation). </p>

<p>Also, this way... you will actually have more time in college to learn life outside research and exercise (which may be important to you), unlike those who are so determined and willing to give up everything else. Well, of course there are many exceptions (i.e. super-genius student or people who can only have fun by doing research).</p>

<p>Note: Some faculty may be willing to fund you as a post-Bach researcher, just pick the right faculty to begin with =)</p>