<p>I'm a math and physics double major. I'm about to start my senior year.
I haven't been able to get a real research hookup, ever.
But I've taken a ton of extra major classes and done very well.</p>
<p>(1) I like both fields so much, that I want to do graduate work in both. Is this possible? Do schools usually have a way of letting you earn your phd by doing the work in two different departments?</p>
<p>(2) i know grad schools (at least Physics ones) are mainly looking to see your potential for research. So am i forever doomed to not get into a top physics grad school?</p>
<p>The point of getting a PhD is to specialize in one area, so it would not be possible to earn your PhD in both fields. In fact, you generally pick one area of math or physics, say differential equations, and only focus on that. Applied math is the closest to both fields, so maybe you could look into that.</p>
<p>If you're headed into senior year without any research experience, that pretty much spells doom for PhD admissions. Go out right now and try to something, ANYTHING, related to research.</p>
<p>Getting a PhD in both fields would be extremely difficult. However, it is eminently possible to complete your PhD in one field while receiving a master's degree in another. I've heard of people who have completed their PhD in, say, physics while getting, say, a master's degree in electrical engineering or math along the way.</p>
<p>You also might want to take a year off after graduation and do some research. Not only would you get research experience that is so sorely needed for admissions into good programs, but it would give you time and experience to determine if you want to pursue a PhD in either math or physics.</p>
<p>"You also might want to take a year off after graduation and do some research."</p>
<p>shizz, that's a really good idea. thanks.
is it possible to get a research hookup at a school where i'm not a student, if i only have a bachelor's degree?</p>
<p>would it be ridiculous for me to, say, email some professors at upenn and ask them if i could do research with them for a semester, even if i'm not a student there?</p>
<p>You can and try and it's possible but I don't know if it's the best idea. Why would you want to do this out of curiosity? It's easier to just stay at the school you are at and do research. Consider doing research for a professor you've had for a course. You can also audit a couple grad-level classes for personal knowledge.</p>
<p>I know someone that stayed at our school for an extra semester only doing research. The following semester he landed a research job at CERN in switzerland and now he's starting grad school at MIT this fall.</p>
<p>One of my professors got a research job at a national lab after graduating from her undergrad institution. She liked what she was working on and used that as a springboard into PhD programs. Because of her work, she already had a really good idea what she wanted to do her thesis on and everything worked out quite well for her.</p>
<p>"Why would you want to do this out of curiosity?"
(1)i've tried working for two professors at my school in the past, and one only gave me a [non-research] computational project. the other only let me watch other people do work in his lab. so neither of these were research and i'm tired of trying to put up with this crap at my school. plus none of the research at my school interests me, but that's a secondary point, i suppose.</p>
<p>(2)i go to Auburn, and i hate the town and i'm dying to leave. that's why i'd rather do research at another school. and i could audit courses while i'm there as well.</p>
<p>...So i guess at this point i'm going to email some professors at different places and tell them i'm trying to do some research before going to grad school. and we'll see if any of them reply.</p>
<p>That sucks. If you live in a different area from your school, try getting a job at a local school. Email professors and see what happens. I would be interested to hear how it works out. Good luck!</p>
<p>Also, apply to national labs and try to get a research job. If you also happen to find a good research topic there, you can use it for your thesis topic and springboard to grad schools from there. Off the top of my head, I can think of Brookhaven (Long Island, NY), Oak Ridge (Tennesee), and Los Alamos (New Mexico).</p>
<p>I am also an undergrad physics major at auburn and I am just about to begin
my junior year.this summer I have talked with three proffesors about doing research: Dr.Hinata, Dr. Hartwell, Dr. Perez. Have you tried talking with these proffesors and if so were they the ones who did not incorporate you into their research as much as you had hoped they would. If you answered yes to that question please let me know so I don't waste my time with them,
Thank you</p>
<p>I know in Berkeley's ME dept. you have to have two minor areas and one has to be outside of ME. So, I was majoring in Solid Mechanics, and if I'd decided to continue for a PhD I would have minored in Math and something else.</p>
<p>Don't know how Physics works, but I am sure some schools let you do this</p>