<p>I a senior studying Physics at Bloomsburg University of PA (known for education and business...not sciences), also minoring in electronics. I graduate this semester and would like to get into grad school to get a masters degree in structural engineering. right now im sitting at a 2.96 GPA. i made the descision this semester to switch from the BS in physics to the BA. I did it so i could drop quantum mechanics and thermodynamics because i knew they wouldnt help my GPA (still have taken other BS courses though such as optics and analog electronics). instead i picked up a repeat course to boost my gpa even further. as it stands now im registered for 3 classes, 2 of which are repeats (my third and fourth repeat at this school). if i get A's in all 3 classes (shouldnt be hard), ill have a 3.2. how does that look to grad schools? so far im looking to apply to Lehigh university, Pennstate University (arch eng), University of DE, and Drexel University. do you think ill have a chance? what other school would be a good idea for me to apply to? i honestly dont even care if its grad school or undergrad, i just want an engineering degree. everyones telling me that i should just go to grad school though. i would imagine grad schools harder to get into than undergrad, am i right? please advise me, thank you.</p>
<p>I'm in structural engineering grad school now. You definitely have a chance. Get that GPA up to 3.2 and get above a 1300 on your GREs and you should be set, especially for masters admissions. Only issu is you'll probably have to pay but who knows. Also, they really only care about your major GPA which might be higher for you.</p>
<p>Are you only considering potential masters programs in Pennsylvania?</p>
<p>Blah2009, getting a 3.2 shouldnt be an issue, but my major GPA is below that. after this semester i will have 3 C's on my record, General physics 1&2 and Modern atomic physics. other than that i have a few B-'s (electrodynamics, statics, dynamics). not sure what my major gpa is but its def lower than my cum gpa. it will bump up a little after i get an A in computer electronics this semester :) and as for a 1300 on my GRE...that sound hard lol. i only got a 1020 on my SAT, im not really good with standardized tests. im trying to get extended testing time on the GRE though cause i have a reading disability (clinically diagnosed). my mom got her masters in psychology a couple years ago and she tells me the GREs arent like the SATs, theyre more common sense. and shes just like me, same reading disability. she scored in the 98.5% taking the test with pnuemonia, id LOVE to get that high! lol oh and paying out of pocket isnt an issue, ill figure out the money i just gotta get in.</p>
<p>belevitt, no, id rather be in PA, but im not limiting myself to PA. i know my options will be limited. do you have a school in mind?</p>
<p>bump bump bump</p>
<p>I'm not sure what to say but start studying for the GRE. Get Barron's and Princeton review. All engineering grad schools have high GRE math averages almost always over 700 and usually close to 800. Its basically a test of high school math so you should know most of it already. Otherwise prepping now will help greatly. Get great letters of recommendation also. Maybe start forming some contacts now by using your professors to get to know professors at the schools you are interested in.</p>
<p>Sorry, I wish I did. UPenn is top notch in the life sciences especially in microbiology but I don't know a thing about their physics.</p>
<p>On an unrelated note: I know it's good for undergrads to have one or more publications under their belt. Is it substantially any better for one to be sole author of paper instead of "just" first author ?
My prof. told me what I did could be published, but then he could help in the write up and become a secondary author.</p>
<p>Heh, "just" first author. Having any paper published is a significant achievement for an undergrad. The professors name on the paper will probably help it get accepted and his assistance will probably be good for when your paper's under review. Also, if you were bouncing ideas off of him and discussed your research significantly with him (and if he financed your work) it would be good form to include him as an author.</p>
<p>That happened to me. I wrote the entire paper and included my name only. During the revision process, my professor added his name. I felt it added more credibility to my paper despite the fact my prof didn't write anything..=).</p>
<p>It does make a significant difference to include a well respected individual's name on your publication. I actually seek out "collaborators" simply to have their name on the paper so that the reviewers give me more credit. You can usually guess who reviews your manuscripts and if you know enough about the leaders in your field, you can get a feel for who might respect who most. This has worked especially well for my research group as the three of us have published 8 papers in the last two and a half years. (This may only be relevant in niche areas like Rheumatology)</p>
<p>Does the name list order reflects the importance of the name's contribution ? I could easily add an important guy of my research field to my name and that of my prof, since I vaguely talked to him about something that's in the paper.</p>
<p>First author publications are great as the first position is the individual who did most of the paper. Second is also good but less so than first. Your PI will always be the senior author (last). Third through whatever are for technical staff that assisted or collaborators.</p>
<p>Thanks. But what does P.I. refer to ?</p>
<p>Principal investigator, your mentor, the guy whose name is on the door of your lab.</p>
<p>But in the case where I collaborate with him more than with any other, shouldn't he be in 2nd ?
And I could add a 3rd, more "respected" guy after as you advised.</p>
<p>Its not as simple as just adding a name. They do have to contribute something meaningful (you'll see when you submit the article, each person has to indicate what they contributed to the paper, even if its just review and editing). Last author is always your PI as the senior author on the paper. If it was done in his lab with his funds, he is the senior author.</p>
<p>my problem with letters of recommendation is that theres only like 4 physics teachers in my school lol. one is a great prof and said hed write me letters, but i still need at least 2 more. i have some issues with 2 of the other professors so i know i couldnt use them. my advisor (who is also my professor) is a possibility but i didnt do extremely well in his classes. hell i didnt even ever go to dynamics class cause this professor CANNOT teach lol. i tought myself dynamics. i know ill end up using him. think i could use a math prof that ive only had 1 class with? i got an A in it if that matters. ill talk to my advisor about doing some kinda of research. i hope its not too late cause i know you have to register for it when you register for classes. but well see. i got spare time to do research since im only doing 3 classes now.</p>
<p>and can anyone recommend some schools that i might have a good shot at?</p>
<p>after talking to some schools, it looks like i cant apply for the spring semester, i have to wait and apply for the following fall semester (because i want to wait till this semester is over to send my transcripts). this sux. any suggestions from you guys on how to enhance my chances? i talked to my advisor about research and he said unless i am registered for it this semester, grad school wont see any research that ive done. i would think if i published something theyd see it somehow, but i cant imagine doing all the research and publishing something in just over 3 months is attainable.</p>